I have three pieces entered in the Art Walk this year. Two of which are in re-purposed frames. “From Linda’s Window” entitled because of the old carving in the back of the frame. “Apache Point” and “Spirit of the Sun”. I anticipate this year’s Art Walk to be as successful as last year. It brings together all the various talents of the area.
I recently made a proposal to the RGSR board for a project at the newly renovated & remodeled building which now houses the Welcome Center & the Depot for the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad.
There are three individual window openings high in the walls of this grand new space which are great for windows depicting scenes of the railroad and our glorious Colorado landscapes.
My proposal was accepted and newly easeled in my studio is the first of the panels; the little old yellow depot which will soon be moved to Monte Vista.
I am lucky enough to have access to a number of old windowsills, some of which still have remnants of glass and plaster. In this day of recycling I like the idea of creating my work within these vintage frames. As a trade for a few of these, I have inserted my glass and the re-purposed frames have gone to live new lives.
this particular piece, entitled “Road Home to Mt. Blanca” was commissioned by the wife of my most favorite college professor, for their son, David. It now resides in Indiana.
Laura Murphy, friend, professor & extraordinary fiber artist, has been working for several years on opening her gallery. When she asked me to design a piece for the new space I jumped at the chance. The name of her gallery brought immediately to mind lattices & greenery & she said that fit her vision as well, if I could incorporate images of her logo into the whole. This is the final drawing agreed upon. She loved the Luna Moth!
I have decided to show the actual process from drawing through cutting, foiling, soldering & framing on this project.
The completed piece was successfully installed just prior to Christmas ‘09 and the gallery opening was great!
In trade for my glass work I will receive a hand crafted piece of wearable art from a true master!
For the entire month of November, 2009, I will be showing pieces of various subjects, sizes and prices.
I have always been pleased to work with the homeless shelter here in Alamosa as far as my work goes, and 10% of anything which I sell from this venue will go directly to Milagros, which helps support the homeless shelter.
On September 26th, 2009, the installation and unveiling took place at the visitor’s center with a crowd-filled lobby. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar pulled the coverings from the panels and spoke a few words in honor of “Public Lands Day”. Park superintendent Art Hutchison spoke as well and introduced me to talk about the project and my relationship to the Sand Dunes.
I was also honored by the park staff and the “Friends of the Dunes” with a reception for my friends and family after the unveiling.
The first time I visited the dunes was as a young girl on a Scouting trip. Little could I know that someday I would be honored to have such a piece of my work displayed in this park. Since coming to the valley in 1969 as a college student, and later marrying and raising my family here, I have been to the dunes numerous times to camp and hike.
Thus things have come full circle.
In this, the largest and final piece of the Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve project, is found the high mountain area of the environment. Here dwells the big-horn sheep, with a bald eagle soaring overhead. Ponderosa pine and greenery in fall colors cover much of the rocky landscape where also bloom Indian paintbrush and the Colorado state flower, the blue and white columbine.
This panels shows additional dunes fieldd, contrasted with the snowy spires of the Crestone Needles towering into the Colorado sky. Fall colors are visible in the distant landscape and more golden aspen frame one side. The Medano rushes by a mother brown bear and her cub, and on the far right is a ponderosa pine with a portion of the bark peeled off for medicinal purposes by Native American people. In the lower left corner is a cut-throat trout, found in the brooks and streams of the area and the lower right corner depicts the vibrant color of the mountain bluebird.
In the third panel of this project are found the highest dunes in the dune field, towering against the blue and white of the high valley sky.
Here are often found the “Chinese wall” effects along the tops of the dunes, formed when moisture and wind conditions are right for the phenomenon.
The Medano flows along the outer edge of the dune field, to later seep and disappear into the sands farther west.
A large bull elk grazes in the tall grass .
Among the animals found here are Ord’s kangaroo rat and the short-horned lizard, whose spiny camoflage fades perfectly into the sandy environment.
This is the first of the five panels to be installed in the visitors center of the Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve near Alamosa CO.
This panel depicts the wetland areas which edge the western side of the dune field. This area has an abundance of wildlife and shown are sandhill cranes in flight and the pronghorn antelope.
The corner insets feature the sunflower on the left, whose blossoms blanket the open field surrounding the dunes with a carpet of brilliant yellow for most of the summer season. Also found only in this vicinity is the Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle, with its iridescent carapace.
In the lower right corner is a pair of sandhill cranes, whose migratory path leads them to graze in fields of the San Luis Valley in the in the early spring and again in the fall. These magnificent birds can reach 46″ in height and can have a wingspan of over 6 feet. Their calls can frequently be heard before they become visible when the flocks pass overhead.