Skeeters, Prairie Dogs and Texans

OK. You’re probably wondering what these have in common. Truth is…nothing, but follow along gentle readers and I shall tell you a tale that will shed a little light on the matter.


I was up in CB again last weekend painting for a show coming up in July. For those of you who don’t know, CB is the moniker that the locals in Crested Butte use when referring to their little burg. I’ve been up there so much lately that I feel I have the right to use it.

The first night I camped on a gravel bar close to the trees along the swollen Slate River. The setting sun cast wonderful shadows across the land. It was beautiful. As night fell on me up there at about 9500 feet, the mosquitoes decided to join the party. I quickly built a fire, lit a cigar and let the smoke of both bath me in an attempt to ward off the pesky little critters. The next day I moved over to Washington Gulch and discovered a field of brilliant yellow dandelions. In the far background was the silhouette of Mt. Crested Butte. A painting for sure.

The breeze was blowing rather stiffly where I was parked so I climbed a nearby hillside and got into the trees a bit. This actually afforded a better view anyway, but I soon discovered that the skeeters liked it up there out of the wind too. The little rascals were ferocious. Lots of deet and another cigar seemed to have little impact. Being the professional I am however, I endured the pests and did the painting. With arms and paint flailing wildly about and doing a little jig back and forth at the easel trying to avoid the little beasts I must’ve looked like an idiot up there having a fit. Hope nobody was watching.

Back at the truck, while I sat on the tailgate enjoying a cold one and taking in the spectacular view I had just painted I thought about the mosquito. I think the worst place for mosquitoes I’ve ever been was up in Jackson Hole when I was younger and being a cowboy. I remember trying to eat a sandwich in the barn one day and it was difficult to take a bite without getting a mouthful to add a little flavoring. Alaska claims the mosquito as their state bird. I don’t know about that since the only time I was in Alaska it was 35 below in February. Weren’t too many bugs of any kind out at that time of the year.

Oh! Prarie Dogs and Texans? I’ll have to say those for another time. Thanks for stopping by though and stay tuned.

Luck of the Norwegian

Last weekend I spent a couple of days in Crested Butte doing some paintings for an up coming show in July. Saturday I closed the shop up a little early and jumped on the Harley, loaded with camping gear and my painting kit. The weather wasn’t too bad Saturday afternoon and I got some work done that evening. Sunday, the day started out OK even though it was mostly overcast with the sun poking out just long enough to create some nice shadows and beautiful light on the Sherpa Café which was my chosen subject matter for the morning.


Later I stopped by the Oh Be Joyful Gallery which is hosting the show in July and met up with a fellow artist, Meredith Nemirov and Shaun Horne, owner of the gallery. We discussed various locales to paint and then went our separate ways. Meredith was headed for the high country but I elected to stay in town on the pavement, primarily because I was on the Harley and hadn’t brought my tire chains.

I found a colorful flower box down an alley on the side of a building with a red door and red trimmed windows. There was even the requisite bicycle. I was again briefly blessed by just enough sun to give me some cast shadows to create a nice effect of light. By the time I was finished the wind was picking up some more and the crowds on the streets had thinned significantly.

After a burger and a beer at a sidewalk pizzeria, I strolled around for awhile looking for another place to paint and made a few sketches but by then the sun had disappeared leaving everything disappointingly flat in color. I decided to ride out toward Mt. Crested Butte, the ski area, to see how things looked. As I got out of the confines of the buildings and into some open space I was amazed to look up toward the range of mountains to the north and saw what a couple of months ago I would have called a snow squall sweeping in. I sat there and watched it long enough to decide that it was time to bail.

Although I had planned to spend the night and paint on Monday, I headed back to Almont, broke camp, loaded up and headed home. A good thing too as I got wet with a couple of showers on the way home and later that evening in the comfort of my warm house I saw that there was a winter storm advisory in CB for that night. In June? Who would’ve thought? My Norwegian luck worked again. A great time was had never-the-less.

Gone Painting

Headed to Crested Bute to paint for the weekend. Sleeping bag, check; tent, check; painting kit, check; cooler, ckeck...you know...I could be one independent SOB if I wasn't so responsible. Can't think of a better way to spend a couple of days. It'd be real easy to say..."see you in the fall if I see you at all". I'd probably miss my bride and my cat though so I'll be back on Monday to report in.

Streetscapes

Went up to Crested Butte the other day and I must say it was an absolutely beautiful day for a ride…just perfect. The Oh Be Joyful Gallery is hosting a plein air paint out and show in mid July and I am one of 45 artists nationwide that has been invited to participate. Typically we artists will fan out into the surrounding countryside and paint these scenic Rocky Mountains. I’ve done this with the Telluride Plein Aire Festival for several years.


This time I’m going to approach it all a little differently. The town of Crested Butte is a particularly colorful little berg. The multicolored old Victorian style buildings are really very interesting. Walking around the streets, checking things out, I decided that I would paint in town. The architecture and color is simply too interesting to pass up…not to mention the characters, and as you all know, I love to paint characters.

While Telluride has to be known for the number of dogs in their town, Crested Butte holds the record for the number of bicycles. Good grief. They were everywhere. It’s hard to believe that there are enough members of that community to pedal all those bikes around. Very brightly painted old school bikes in the style of the 50’s with baskets on them parked next to dirty well used mountain bikes. Great subject matter.

My wife Kathy and I spent a couple of hours walking up and down historic Elk Ave which is the main drag. We wandered onto the side streets and ventured into the adjoining alleys where the real treasures were to be found as we discovered. There are little, and I mean LITTLE eateries adorned with lively colored flower boxes tucked away in the most obscure places …more good stuff to paint.

I’ve painted in the Crested Butte area before. CB is well known for their wildflowers. They even have a wildflower festival. The landscape in the area is as good as it gets but I think that this time I’m going to go for the streetscapes. There is just too much good stuff to pass up in that little town.

Painting on the streets, however, is a completely different challenge than being out in the countryside. Lots of distractions. Folks tend to gather around thereby creating a lot of pressure on you not to screw the painting up. Every stroke has to count. Especially since I will be doing watercolors in which there is little tolerance for mistakes.

I’m going to go on my Harley, take a watercolor kit and paint right from the bike. It’ll be easy to get around and park where I need to. That ought to be a sight. In fact I'm headed up there this weekend for several days of painting. Camping, painting and riding my Harley. Can't think of a better way to spend Father's Day. I’ll keep you posted.

Wigwam Motel

You folks have seen this painting before. I did it last year based upon a trip we took on our motorcycles to Arizona. One night we stayed at the iconic Wigwam Motel on Rt. 66 in Holbrook, Arizona. That's us checking in. In the background are a couple of old classic cars parked next to the teepees. That's the way it was. Each teepee had it's own old classic car parked in front of it.. We spent a night in nostalgia. I've had lots of folks comment on this painting while I've had it displayed in the studio however it is now time to offer it up to a larger market. This painting is available at my gallery.

Canyon Road Hollyhocks

Santa Fe New Mexico is a great place. Lots of  great art,  alluring adobe architecture, food to die for and beautiful flowers. The geraniums, rabbit brush and hoolyhocks are iconic to the region. These are an example of what might find off  famous Canyon Road in Santa fe. This little watercolor sold at auction. Thanks!

Oxbow Bend

Jackson Hole is a favorite place of mine. I used to live in Jackson. The nearby Yellowstone N. P. and the closer lesser known Teton N.P. are wonderful places for a plein air landscape painter like me. This particular littl watercolor was done at the Oxbow Bend in the Snake River. It is a very popular turnout because of the views. What isn't as well known however, is that if you take the dirt road on around the corner you can have even more spectacular views and a much more intimate view of the river. At this spot, the water is wide and lazily flows along. The relatively calm surface reflects the fall colors on the banks. This little painting is for sale at my gallery.

Mt. Sopris

A couple of years ago I was in the Aspen area. It was Spring and the morning air was very chilly, just above freezing. I painted this watercolor from the parking lot of the Catholic Church in Carnodale which is near Aspen, Colorado. The frozed moisture (ice crystals) in the air softened the colors beautifully. This painting is for sale at my gallery.

Red Roofed Gazebo

This red roofed gazebo sits on the edge of a pond in our town park. It is a favorite subject to paint. I did this watercolor painting on location a couple of years ago. The ducks and geese come floating by to investigate what I'm doing and always are looking for a hand out. This watercolor is for sale at my gallery.

eBay Paintings

Just posted a watercolor and 3 oil paintings to eBay. Some of these have been there before and are still looking for their new owner. Click here to go there http://art.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=Mike+Simpson&_sacat=550