Grassland Inspiration IV

Grassland Inspiration IV:  Looking East Prairie Appreciation Show

UNC (University of Northern Colorado) Michener Library Greeley, CO  

August 22 - September 23, 2016

These are two of the three paintings that I will have in the Grasslands Show at UNC in Greeley.  Because I had participated in the Littleton, CO paint-out in early June, I received an email a short time later inviting me to participate in the Grasslands Show.  I had never heard of this show, but am an alumni of UNC and thought that it would be fun to participate.  There were well laid out eligibility and requirement "bullets" in the brochure.  The most important was that the paintings had to be of the 7 "grassland counties" i.e.:  the seven counties in northeastern Colorado.  It had been years since I'd been up there, Greeley is about 2 1/2 hours from Colorado Springs.  So, my husband, always supportive of any thing related to painting that I do, and I spent two days driving around the back roads in that area and taking 100s of photos and getting so inspired by the grasslands.  It was really fun!  

Upon returning home I spent hours editing my photos and looking further for inspiration.  Then I sketched dozens of pictures of my favorite locations.   Dozens because once I started looking I was so inspired by all of the different colors of the grass.  Then, I started painting.  My idea had been to do three pretty large paintings, but it was already the third week of July and the paintings were due in Greeley on August 17th!  That didn't leave me much time, but I work well under pressure.  Because I wasn't sure which of my sketch/ideas would become the largest painting, I decided to do several 12" x 12" "practice" pieces first.  Well, those "several" pieces became 7!  I loved painting those 12" x 12" pieces.  While deciding which of those would become a larger piece, I started on a large square painting of an old school house sitting in the middle of nowhere.  Then I also started on a large square of a windmill.  

Then, we went on a week long trip, so I wasn't able to finish the windmill, or start on the larger one of the grasses.  But, I chose the two of the 12x12s that I liked the most (above), framed them and submitted those two and the school house.  I think that it's important that we always know what we can do and just do it.  I realized that I wanted to enter this event, I didn't have lots of time, but I could do it.  And, I'm really happy with all of my paintings!  I'll post them soon.