Southwest Art – August 2019

40 WWW.SOUTHWESTART.COM • AUGUST 2019

cKathleenLanzoni,Spigot& Bucket,watercolor,^10 x 10.

eLydia Pottoff, Nymph Lake Morning, pastel, 11 x 14.

WITH QUICK access to the pristine
lakes, pine forests, gushing waterfalls,
and stunning overlooks of Rocky Moun-
tain National Park, the small resort town
of Estes Park, CO, is a plein-air painter’s
paradise. Not surprisingly, it’s the desig-
nated headquarters for an annual paint-
out known as Estes Valley Plein Air, an
event that brings together top landscape
artists from around the country to paint
the scenic surroundings. The second an-
nual event kicks off on Saturday, August
10, and culminates in a gala reception
and sale at the Art Center of Estes Park
on Saturday, August 24, at 5 p.m.
During the two weeks leading up to
the gala, 35 artists can be found painting
en plein air in the park, throughout Estes
Valley, and in neighboring communities.
(Works shown here are representative of
the pieces in the show.) “A lot of artists
paint the mountains here,” says event
co-chair Kristi Elyce, “so sometimes the

ones who stand out are the ones who

paint something different.”

Take artist Lon Brauer, who last year

headed to Devil’s Backbone Open Space,

about 25 miles east of Estes Park, to por-

tray some of the area’s impressive rock

formations along a recreational trail.

Brauer, who snapped up an award for

his painting, was invited back to the

event this year along with other award

winners and top sellers, including Judy

Crowe, Carol Jenkins, and Laura Kratz,

last year’s Best of Show winner. They are

joined by more than two dozen juried

artists, including brand-new participants

like Larry DeGraff, Mary Giacomini, and

Lydia Pottoff, who won this year’s post-

er and wine label contest. Her winning

entry, a Rocky Mountain scene entitled

NYMPH LAKE MORNING, appears on the

event poster and on a bottle of wine pro-

duced exclusively for Estes Valley Plein

Air by local Snowy Peaks Winery.

While the paint-out offers visitors

plenty of opportunities to observe the

artists in action, a crowd favorite is the

Quick Draw, says Elyce. This lively event

gets underway at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday,

August 24, at Riverside Plaza in down-

town Estes Park. There, the artists work

swiftly to complete a painting in just a

few hours before the fresh pieces are auc-

tioned off on the spot. Each artist brings

up to six plein-air creations to the gala

opening that evening. Works remain on

view and for sale through September 27.

—Kim Agricola

contact information

http://www.artcenterofestes.com

See more work at http://www.southwestart.com/

events/estes-valley-aug2019.

Estes Valley Plein Air

Art Center of Estes Park, August 10-24

SHOW PREVIEW

Estes Park, CO