Loch Vale

Loch Vale

Well I finally was fortunate enough to make the trip up to the Loch. This is something I have been wanting to do for years.  The hike is rather easy but is 3.1 miles up and if you are carrying a soltek easel in your pack among other things, you better be in decent shape to make the trip up and back.  Oh and the hike is beautiful!  Alberta Falls was on the way and was simply amazing.  We reached the Loch at about 10 am and set up the easels and I started to paint right away.  Dave played his flute for awhile- nice! and the small fattest in the world chipmunks tried to raid the backpacks.

Me, Dawn Normali, David Montgomery, and Coni Grant

Yours truly and Coni Grant

Coni and Dawn left for awhile and one chipmunk was trying to raid a baggie of nuts so I hid them inside of Dawn's backpack. He just climbed right in and started cleaning house.  I ran over and he wouldn't leave so I smacked him on his hindquarters with the back of my paintbrush and he finally resigned himself to defeat. When we ate lunch, he was back in full force- I gave him a cracker- I guess I was feeling a little guilty for popping him with my brush.  I have never seen such aggressive chipmunks EVER!

This is a small study that I made of the Loch- didn't spend much time on it - just enough to get color notes to use for future larger paintings. The hike was just as beautful going down and the whole time I felt like a turtle that was about to tip over.

My web page is www.susanmccullough.com - I have many paintings on this site- check it out!

Painting and Coffee

Thursday morning Ron Wilcocks from Earthwood Gallery took all of us out for coffee and afterwards we were to paint downtown.  Everyone ended up painting close to Kind Coffee as there was a park area with bridge, river, and stream. Again it was cloudy and rather dark as I painted under the bridge- I really should have named this painting "Troll under the Bridge" as David Montgomery, who was standing on the bridge, kept referring to us as the trolls.

Some wonderful collectors of mine, Jerry and Lucy Rey from Texas stopped to visit me- I just love them - they are like family, always rooting for you whether you deserve it or not. I can't even remember what we did Thursday afternoon- I guess I need to take some memory pills.

Plein Air Rockies

I have been trying to get ready for Plein Air Rockies after spending a hectic weekend trying to help my daughter move from one apartment to another in Fort Collins. I still need to make panels and get all of the details taken care of and it seems like a never ending list of things to do.  Last night I got on the CAC estes park site to see if the Prelude show had been posted on line yet and saw my painting on the home page, which made me jump.  I don't really know why I jumped, I guess I wasn't expected my painting to have WON the Poster Competition for the Plein Air Rockies event.  My painting "Trail Ridge View" will also be used for 2011 Summer Artwalk Map.  Woohoo!  

Trail Ridge View
16x20

I am thrilled to have my work on the poster and am so excited for the event itself. I will get to spend my time with some great friends and some of the most beautiful scenery in Colorado.

Rocky Mountain National Park- A Treasure

Since Jim and I have NEVER been on the Trail Ridge Road before, have always wanted to see it, and the timing was perfect to go, we took an adventure across Colorado.  The plan was to
1. Drive to Fairplay- then take the Breckenridge exit
2. Drive from Breckenridge to I- 70 to at the Empire exit
3 Drive from Empire to Winter Park
3 Check out Granby and Grand Lake
4 Drive over Trail Ridge Road to Estes Park
5 Take Hwy 7 out of Estes Park and drive to Nederland
6 Head on home

So we took off to Fairplay- ate a a cute little restaurant in town and I noticed South Park Plein air flags on the light poles- advertising the South Park Plein Air event from September 6-10.  Hmmmm..... deserves some thought. The drive from Fairplay to Breckenridge was quite beautiful hmmm. that South Park Plein Air event is looking better and better... We got to Breckenridge- wow beautiful and busy town.  I became very envious of Amy Evans, my friend who lives in Breckenridge, who if I had been alone would have definitely chased her down.  BUT, I was with my husband and well that just wasn't in the deck of cards.  We hit Grand Lake at about 6pm and was considering spending the night there but something was pressing us on- it was very cloudy and Jim asked "are you sure you want to go over Trail Ridge when it is cloudy?" thought about it and knowing that I was going to be in the Plein Air Rockies event, knew that I would be back in about a month so I figured well, it's not like I will never be here again so lets do it!

 The clouds were starting to clear up by the time we went through the Kawaneeche Valley- quite a bit of snow on the peaks..

This is around the top of Trail Ridge Road - it's not cloudy up here!

As we were heading down into Estes Park, water was flowing everywhere- this is a nice water feature?  Right?

We arrived into Estes at dusk and drove around looking for a dog friendly motel as we had taken our dog, Buck along.. We ended up staying at the Columbine Inn - small, fastidiously clean, and pretty cute- with a very nice owner.

Got up the next morning, ate at the Egg and I, and took off- goodbye Estes- will see you in a month! 

Works of Love

My painting "Snowy Up Rock Creek" will be in the Works of Love art show at the Cultural Arts Council in Estes Park February 21- April 4, 2010. This show is open to all Women Artists that live in Colorado and is an exhibit to represent the diversity of women in Colorado today and to showcase the talent of Colorado women artists.