The Steamboat Plein Air Event brought fog, snow, rain, sun, fun and thankfully very little wind. Thinking back, I realized I have not been to Steamboat in over 15 years! I made a trip up there when I first moved to Colorado. At the time, everything was grandiose, spectacular and breathtaking. And, if I remember correctly, the return trip was seven hours, mostly stuck in traffic on I-70. Since moving to Fort Collins, the trip takes about 3.5 hours even though it covers only 165 miles.
The trip began with a drive through the fog, up the Poudre Canyon. As I crested Cameron Pass, the sky opened into bright blue and puffy clouds. Crossing over to Walden and North Park, the air was brisk, the skies blue and bright and the foliage in peak color. Looking ahead, Rabbit Ears pass was clear and there was a painting at every turn of my head.
Coming over the pass, the sky filled with leaden clouds and rain began to fall. And so the stage was set for the coming week. Several mornings we woke to ice on the windshields, bear pooh on the driveway, fog covering the Yampa River Valley and other days brilliant sunshine lighting up the fall foliage.
Day 23 – Rainy Day on the Yampa
Day 24 – Schoolhouse – Uphill Both Ways – Available at Steamboat Art Museum
Day 25 & 26 – Elk River
Day 27 – Little Bear TH – SOLD
Day 28 – Autumn Surge – Available at the Steamboat Art Museum
Day 29 – My View
If you are interested in any of the paintings, please contact the good folks at the Steamboat Art Museum directly for the two. For any of the others, please contact me.
It was a wonderful, well organized week and I look forward to exploring and painting more of the Yampa Valley in the future.
What do you think?