New York Podcasts Telluride Writing & Books: New York Podcasts Telluride Writing & Books
by maribeth
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Dear Money: An Interview with Martha McPhee
Dear Money: A Great Story of Our Times
Oh dear, I need money. Such is the plight of all writers, unless you’re independently wealthy or you’re among the few to achieve John Grisham-like success. There isn’t a writer on this earth—published or nonpublished—that couldn’t identify with the struggles of India Palmer, the main character and narrator in Martha McPhee‘s recently-released novel, “Dear Money.” And I’m one of them!
In this beautifully crafted fourth novel, Martha reveals the travails of India from the angst over paying bills, to the challenges of “keeping up with the Jones,” to the long hours a dedicated writer must log at her desk (sunny days and all) and much more. Clearly Martha, a highly-acclaimed writer that happens to live in New York city like her protagonist, has drawn from personal experience to spin this exciting tale of a cash-strapped writer that’s tempted by the allure of a more high rolling life in the Big Apple. India ends up doing the unthinkable: She trades her artist’s life to become a bond trader. Funnily enough the idea behind the novel comes from a real-life offer. A legendary bond trader did claim that he could transform Martha into a booming Wall Street success in eighteen months; fortunately for us she declined and wrote “Dear Money” instead. It’s not surprising to learn from the intricately-detailed passages written about the highly competitive and adrenaline-charged life among New York’s financiers that Martha shadowed a bond trader to learn the ins and outs of mortgage-backed securities during the height of its rise. I found the contrasts between the writer’s life and the financier’s life to be one of the most compelling parts of this book.
Sweet Martha
You may be wondering why I’ve taken such an interest in Martha and her work. As usual, serendipity played a hand in our connecting with each other. I actually skied with her, her family and some friends of hers last March in Telluride. We both shared that we were writers but little else about our work was discussed. Since it was the height of the busy season, I didn’t find a moment to Google her. I feel as though I really came to know Martha after she sent me “Dear Money” later on in the spring, especially because it’s a book that has resonated so much with my writer’s life (sans the bond trader dimension, of course). Now perhaps the next time we ride the chairlift together we’ll shed our squirrel-y shyness about our work (seemingly a classic character trait of writers) and get down to some real exchanges about the creative process.
It looks as though that just might happen since plans are in the works for Martha to give a presentation at the Wilkinson Public Library in Telluride next March. I’m vying for that program to include a writer’s workshop, too!
If you’re a writer, you must listen to the Travel Fun interview I conducted with Martha earlier this summer. Avid readers will love it as well. And how’s that pile of summer reading doing at your bedside? I bet it has dwindled but if you’re like me, you feel like you’re just warming up. Keep adding to the stack and continue that summer reading mode all year long. I provide some great reading suggestions at the end of this interview that will steer you toward more excellent book picks, both fiction and nonfiction.
Click on the play button below to listen to my interview with Martha.
Beauty Hotels & Lodging Pot Pourri Restaurants Spas Telluride The Rockies Travel: Beauty Hotels & Lodging Pot Pourri Restaurants Spas Telluride The Rockies Travel
by maribeth
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Great Deals for Public Radio: Summer 2010
Capella's Mountain Elegance
There are lots of travel deals out there these days but you won’t find any as enticing as the ones I’m presenting to you below. And best of all, by making a pledge for them you’re supporting KOTO community radio in Telluride, one of the few entirely community-sponsored radio stations in the country. More and more people tune in on the Internet as well during T-ride’s famed Bluegrass Festival (when KOTO broadcasts live) or just any ‘ole day of the year. It’s a great way to get the flavor of a happening mountain town along with some fine music and talk.
If you don’t know about my Travel Fun radio show, please tune in live one of these Tuesdays. Or you may listen to some of my past interviews that I’ve posted as podcasts.
Now for the good stuff. Here’s what you can snatch up in exchange for a pledge, just e-mail me through my Contacts Page to lock in your travel premium. (You can also go there to sign up for my RSS feed and/or to receive bi-monthly Travel Fun announcements. Be sure to provide all your contact information including phone and address (e-mail as well as snail mail, please) and your desired prize. Know that I’m accepting pledges on a first come, first serve basis, so act fast!
TELLURIDE TEMPTATIONS
First-Rate Dinner and Lodging at Capella
$150. pledge: a two-night stay in a standard room (pictured above—wow!) in this stunning hotel, valued between $200. and $500.
$75. pledge: dinner for two at Onyx, Capella’s signature restaurant, valued at $100. not including tax and gratuity.
Feeling sophisticated? It sounds like you need to spend some time at Capella, the newest bright star of Telluride’s hospitality offerings.
The Himmel Spa Relaxation Room at The Klammer
Gorgeous Health and Beauty Treatments from the Fairmont Heritage Place, Franz Klammer Lodge
$75. pledge: One-hour facial, valued at $130.
$75. pledge: One-hour massage, valued at $120. Note that both include access to the pool, fitness center and spa facilities for the day. How delightful, how de-lovely! Read what I have to say about The Himmel Spa at The Klammer in my story, Telluride’s Ultra Luxe Mountain Spas.
OUTSIDE OF TELLURIDE
Almost Like Home: Box Canyon Lodge
Great Getaway to America’s Little Switzerland
$50. pledge: Enjoy an overnight, valued at $100., at Box Canyon Lodge & Hot Springs, in Ouray. Read my Ouray story as a primer.
Art & Culture Food & Wine Podcasts Telluride: Art & Culture Food & Wine Podcasts Telluride Telluride Festivals
by maribeth
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Kenny Gilbert: Always a Top Chef
Chef Kenny Gilbert
Wow, did you watch Bravo’s Top Chef last night? Our Telluride favorite, Chef Kenny Gilbert, was voted off the show in a flash in the pan, all due to some kind of flub with beet and goat cheese dishes. I think that was it—it all happened so fast, I couldn’t keep track. I hate this part of Top Chef—how one bad dish can blow your whole chance. I wish they’d find a way of scoring cumulatively, especially since Kenny certainly shined throughout every episode. The other cheftestants even referred to him as The Black Lightening. At least the judges commended him in his final episode for his leadership abilities. It comes as no surprise when you hear about some of his philosophies. Scroll down to his Book Pick at Top Chefs to gain more insight into his approach.
I interviewed Kenny just about a year ago when he was still Executive Chef of a leading hotel here in Telluride. Click on the play button below to hear him chat about how he became a chef and what’s most important to him in the kitchen.
I had chatted with Kenny on the occasion of the Telluride Festival of the Arts: A Visual & Culinary Arts Festival that takes place annually in our lovely mountain town. This year it happens August 13-15. Yes, that means it begins tomorrow, so try to take in at least one event over this fun weekend.
As for me, I’m headed on a rafting trip. But I’ll keep all my favorite top chefs in mind, particularly since Kelly Liken is still in the running and I think she’s looking mighty fine.
Art & Culture Being Green Music & Dance Telluride: Art & Culture Being Green Music & Dance Telluride Telluride Festivals
by maribeth
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Phish in Telluride: The Day After the Day After
Phish Phans Philing into Telluride Town Park
Well, we did it. Our little mountain town has survived—very well in fact—the invasion of some 10,000 Phish fans. Aside from a smattering of arrests (mostly drug-related), an excess of garbage (which has already been expediently cleaned up) and a few trampled flower beds, most appears pretty much back to normal.
Sure, here in T-ride we’re accustomed to putting on big festivals, big doings that see the population of our town nearly quadruple in less than forty-eight hours. But this was Phish, the widely popular jam band that enjoys a spectacular following everywhere they go. Even Phish fans have to obtain concert tickets through a carefully orchestrated lottery; their shows consistently sell out in record time and those that make it to the event are die-hards, devoted followers that think nothing about crisscrossing the country to take in a show. Especially if it’s in a venue as stunning as Telluride’s Town Park, a setting as celebrated as the numerous artists that have played there.
Psyched to See the Show
My first glimpse of dedicated Phish fans en masse occurred late Sunday afternoon, the last day of the Telluride Jazz Festival. The crowd more than doubled, shifting from mountain casual to urban hippie as Phish fans poured into this mellow gathering in Telluride Town Park. I knew already that despite an abundance of tie dye and weed, these folks came from every ilk, every socioeconomic background, every corner of the U.S. Already I suspected many of them to be closet hippies, the kind of people that wore suits and serious expressions most days to work yet their real drug of choice was attending a Phish concert, an enviable outlet that leaves even the most seasoned concert goer in awe.
That’s just how I felt Tuesday night, the second night of Phish’s two-day stint in T-ride. (I had skipped Monday’s show and, in fact, decided only Tuesday morning to attend the second when my boyfriend, Steve, threw a ticket my way. The whole town was buzzing about the event, so how could I stay home?)
It was a gorgeous evening, one of the prettiest of the summer, perfect for baring skin and parading about in all manner of costume-y outfits. And of those there were many. From sequins to tinsel, feathers to beads, face paintings to piercings and tattoos, the entire scene provided some of the best people watching of any concert I’ve attended.
And as the puffy clouds stretched across orangey-pink bands in the faded blue jean sky, the sun set out far beyond our cathedral canyon. My hunny and I remarked about the number of people turning to this gorgeous vision, gazing skyward in amazement, snapping pictures on cell phones and cameras, craning their necks to take in the full glory of this Kodachrome moment.
Our Cathedral Canyon
“I think they’re trying to figure out how much of what they see is real or a hallucination,” my hunny quipped.
Indeed I had never seen so many trip-y looking people. A thick cloud of smoke clung to the air and the smell of pot, tobacco and clove cigarettes permeated the entire park as people swayed and bobbed to the pulsating beat of the music. The crowd roared from the minute Phish took to the stage, mouthed almost every word of every song and communed with one and other as though they were at a massive neighborhood block party (albeit a pretty out-there one). And although the vibe felt relatively mellow, the enthusiasm exhibited among these hardcore fans reverberates through the mob as fast as a rumor spreads that this iconic jam band is coming to town.
“I can’t believe this is all legal,” I commented to my hunny.
“Most of it isn’t,” he replied.
Lighting Up
Really, in all the concerts I’ve ever attended—from my first biggies in Saratoga Springs (SPAC) which included Fleetwood Mac to Grateful Dead in Boston during my college years to the Rolling Stones and Police in Paris to the countless in Telluride including Dylan—never had I taken in such a scene. Still though, everyone seemed to be in possession of themselves. This must have been what Woodstock was like, I thought to myself. I didn’t know a single song but I had fun, I felt glad to take in such a display.
The mood became more uproarious after the set break when the band broke out with Party Time, a riotous song which prompted fans to toss massive quantities of glow sticks and rings into the audience. Although this jolly show of neon further enhanced the sensational lighting effects of the show, I couldn’t get past how awful it was to mindlessly throw all these toxic, plastic vials about. Clearly a lot of Phish fans lack some real environmental awareness. I had never seen this happen anywhere before, especially not in T-ride. (And if they ever come back here, I doubt they’ll repeat this offense again.)
I actually learned yesterday on the local news that cleaning up from these shows entailed the biggest effort ever. Fortunately we have crews that know how to restore our park to one of the most pristine public places in the country. They combed the last blades of grass for the pesky debris that remained including cherry pits, cigarette butts and bottle caps. Phish fans have a lot to learn from our festivarians, especially from the Telluride Bluegrass devotees, a crowd that’s well versed in protecting the environment. But hey, they’ve been coming to our beautiful mountain town for nearly four decades.
All things considered, you did good Phish. Just next time, tell your Phans to leave the glow sticks at home and to better pick up after themselves. Oh, and maybe you could turn the music down a little. That was the loudest concert I ever attended and it feels like my ears are still ringing. Liked the improv though. And, of course, the super-friendly, groovy, free-spirited people.
Phish Jamming on Telluride Town Park Stage
Thank you to Merrick Chase, from Telluride Photography, for the above images. To view the entire two days of Phish in Telluride (and more!), visit the Telluride Photography Web site and blog.
For more on Telluride festivals, read Summer in Telluride: A Sea of Festivals and More.
Beauty Colorado Fashion & Style Girl Talk Mountain Living Shopping Telluride The Rockies: Beauty Colorado Fashion & Style Girl Talk Mountain Living Shopping Telluride The Rockies
by maribeth
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Mountain Glam
Rita Styling a Queen B
We’re in the throes of monsoon season right now and this year the rains seem to be bigger than ever. The sun shines brightly most mornings but the clouds move in in the afternoon and when that happens, you better be back from your hike by then. Or else, ka boom!
Yes, most do hike or bike here in Colorado, visitors included. And in the winter we ski. It really is all about the great outdoors. Don’t you know that Coloradans are the fittest people in the country?
But don’t let all this outdoor life fool you. Many of the women here—especially in our smart mountain towns—are incredibly sophisticated and know how to pull off casual chic with (seemingly) the utmost of ease. Like in France, the look here is totally au naturel. The trick, however, is that it takes just the right approach to achieve a fresh-faced natural look, especially when the air is so dry that crevices as big as a mountain ravine can easily form on your face. As for hair, you need to find a cut that accommodates limp and lifeless because without much humidity, you can bet your coif isn’t going to boast much bounce.
And how do you feel about hat hair? Now, that’s clearly a place French women don’t want to go. No matter how cold it is outside, most French women (actually men, too) don’t dare mess up their hairstyles by wearing a hat, especially a snug-fitting knit one, pretty much the only type that will truly keep you warm. Stylish chapeaux are still quite acceptable yet few of them provide any real warmth. Here in Colorado we suffer from hat hair practically year-round. (It’s not unusual to wear a down jacket and a knit hat on a summer’s night. Few sundresses and sandals after sundown unless you pile on a plush fleece.)
We could easily look like a bunch of tired, flat-haired mountain women if we didn’t learn how to combat the elements with our best defense: a good hair cut and color and dewy makeup. Like everyone else, I sometimes get stuck in a rut and find myself doing my hair and makeup pretty much the same way I’ve done it for decades. This is why I occasionally mix it up, try a different stylist and then even have my makeup professionally applied, all out of necessity and fun.
I was carried through the winter by a color and cut I received from Kat at The Peaks Resort & Spa Salon here in Telluride. She deftly cut my short to mid-length hair in cascading layers so that it would fluff around my face, hat on or off. We went dark with the color since my hair gets so bleached out on the slopes in the winter. (You want to be sure to have nice tufts of hair sticking out of your hat to frame your face, but boy do they get damaged.)
We completed my re-do with a makeup application that as Kat said, “Looked as though we had made unnoticeable efforts toward beauty.” Truly I glowed and I was not surprised to learn that the Jane Iredale makeup she used is entirely mineral based since it made my skin feel silky smooth. It also rendered my face nearly flawless! This makeup redefines the expression “keep it simple” since it’s a foundation, concealer, powder and sunscreen all in one. Quench and sunscreen? That’s pretty hard to find, particularly in a palette of such natural colors. What a great high altitude brand.
Jane Iredale's Earthy Tones
Almost unbelievably, that cut and color carried me through until the end of ski season when I finally paid a visit to Queen B Salon in Aspen. With the motto “Every Woman a Queen,” I felt right at home. Rita, the owner, an attractive woman of un certain age, has undoubtedly seen a few queen bees in the forty-five years she’s been doing hair. But why not indulge us? And here, amongst an extraordinary collection of tiaras, beauteous baubles and other fun girly goods, that’s exactly what Rita does. Plus she knows how to do hair. She gave me a color and cut that got rid of my chewed up ends from ski season and transformed me into a more style-y babe. She decided to go with an edgy look, flat ironed my hair and smoothed out the ends with oil. (Now that’s a woman who knows the challenges of a dry climate.) I bought my first flat iron here and chuckled to myself that I can get this effect by donning a ski cap for an hour although unfortunately that doesn’t guarantee even flat distribution from end to end.
“Any particular look right now in Aspen?” I asked Rita.
“Most women have long hair,” she responded. “Blond. It gets really boring.”
I looked around the room and spotted a supply of hair extensions, hair pieces and clips. Rita explained that all the add-ons were made of natural hair of the finest quality. Mostly blond of course. I’m an anomaly here in the Rockies, I suppose.
“The problem with American men is that they’re so attached to long hair. They want all their women to look like cheerleaders,” Rita continued.
Clearly I had become Europeanized with my brunette bob.
I doubt her complaints were heartfelt though since this so-called ingenue look surely keeps her business churning. I began to think of all the highlights and hair extensions required to achieve that natural, outdoorsy look so prized in the mountains. Add to that the already excessive need for conditioning treatments and a variety of other potions and formulas, and you begin to understand that it takes beaucoup bucks to become naturally beautiful in the Rockies.
Next stop: The Cos Bar, the place to shop for makeup and beauty products in Aspen. It’s perhaps the best place in Colorado. Located in some thirteen chichi destinations across the U.S., Cos Bar actually originated in Aspen in 1976. Indeed this glam emporium reminds me of the many high-styled parfumeries you find throughout France where you can pick up everything from a bottle of Chanel No. 5 to a tube of Dior lipstick.
I settled in for a full makeup application. (Typically the girls here only make you up partially, let’s say to try out a particular look on your eyes. But I asked for the works. Hey, it was almost off season.) I walked out with a luscious, lightly made up look. For best results, pick up a Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, one of Cos Bar’s bestsellers, Aspenites’ secret weapon that comes in eight shades. If you’re looking for a more striking look for evening, you’ll also find it here since the ladies in this town get pretty dolled up once the sun goes down.
So here I am now, back in my living room, sitting on my couch with my MacAir on my lap, writing. I still don’t understand why my skin and hair don’t feel softer with all these monsoonal rains. The humidity is at 40%, but I suspect that pales to what saturates the rest of the country these days. My tan is fading so fast that soon I’ll look like a mountain dumpling. I’m contemplating a trip to The Peaks for a spray tan. Like a good mountain spa, they know how to give you a natural summer radiance. I’m also thinking the sales should be pretty good in their Spa Boutique right now. They always have sales actually—on the best of products.
I’ve just realized that I’ve lived good chunks of my life in two lands fairly obsessed with beauty: France and the Rocky Mountains. You wouldn’t guess that of the latter but believe me, looking good is pretty important here. Being tanned and fit is part of the way of life in Colorado. And it’s no secret you must have the right hair and make up to go with this look. If you don’t, you look like a tourist. And no one wants to look like that, even if you are one. Don’t you agree?
The Peaks Resort & Spa, 136 Country Club Drive, Telluride, 800-772-5482, ThePeaksResort.com/spa
Queen B Salon, 112 South Mill Street, Aspen, 970-920-4300, QueenBSalon.com
The Cos Bar, 309 South Galena Street, Aspen, 970-925-6249, CosBar.com
The Peaks Spa Boutique
My number #1 make up tip: Do not wear make up when you’re skiing, hiking, biking or doing anything else in the great Rocky Mountains. If you do, you’ll look completely out-of-place. Tinted moisturizer (and sunscreen) as well as lip gloss on these athletic occasions are more than O.K. If you’re like me, you may want to cheat by leaving your mascara and liner on from the night before. A little smudged eye enhancement not only looks natural, but oh-so sexy, too. We are after all resourceful here in the mountains.
Food & Wine French Life Shopping Telluride: Food & Wine French Life Shopping Telluride
by maribeth
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Holidays and Every Day: Quality Not Quantity
Telluride’s Black Gold: Telluride Truffle Chocolate Truffle Sauce
I wish I had a dollar—or even a euro—for every time someone asked me how French women stay so thin. The most obvious answer is that they eat quality, not quantity. They also walk a lot, feel a certain societal pressure to remain slim and, of course, tend to be jazzed up on caffeine and alas, in many cases, cigarettes. If you’ve ever had a less-than satisfying meal, you know that that provokes cravings of something else. You’ll have that something else. And if you’re still not satiated, you’ll seek another something else. Typically people keep on eating until they consume something that tastes really good to them. I think this is a recurring theme in America.
I—like the French—prefer to eat well from the get go.
This is a big weekend we’re in the throes of, one loaded with greasy barbecue, mayonaise-enriched salads, lots of beer, gin and tonics, chips, brownies, gooey sheet cakes, you name it. Here in Telluride, we have one of the best Fourth of July celebrations in the country. It begins with an old-fashioned parade, followed by the Fireman’s picnic and a spectacular show of fireworks at dark. I’m already thinking ahead to my special treat: a hot fudge sundae from Telluride Truffle, topped with real whipped cream.
Yes, this is the first summer that Telluride Truffle is able to serve up delectable goodies from its own stunning sweet shop located in the heart of town. Patty Denny, owner and chocolatier extraordinaire of Telluride Truffle, opened this jewel box boutique at the end of last year in the historic Nugget Building (which once housed the first bank robbed by Butch Cassidy). Visitors and locals alike have been thrilled. You can stop in here for a box of truffles, a bag of cookies, a piece of cake, or a chocolate sundae to be enjoyed at home or sur place. Good news: you only need to delight in a small amount at any given time since the quality is so fine. I love this little touch of Paree in T-ride!
You can luxuriate in most of the Telluride Truffle products in your own home by ordering from their online boutique. Type in promo code BonjourFD2015 in the Redeem Coupon Box to receive your 10% discount as a BonjourColorado.com reader. You must try the Telluride Truffle Chocolate Truffle Sauce, but remember that a little goes a long way. Promise me you’ll spoon it over superior quality ice cream.
You know where I’ll be on the 4th—I hope your holiday is sweet and sparkly as well
Click on the play button below to hear Patty talk about chocolate and Telluride Truffle.
Telluride Truffle’s Mountain-Inspired Treats
Art & Culture Food & Wine Hotels & Lodging Telluride The Rockies Travel: Art & Culture Food & Wine Hotels & Lodging Telluride The Rockies Travel
by maribeth
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Come to Colorado for Cowboys and Way More
T-ride's Town Park: the Quintessential Summer Festival Setting
Summer has popped here in Colorado propelling the season into a solid start. I wrote over a month ago in a previous post about how I attended two major tourism industry events last fall: one for France, one for Colorado. The mood at both gatherings was one of cautious optimism, although I’m sure the French nervosité about their tourism outlook was partly masked by the generous amounts of wine served throughout their program. It seems as though travel to these two fabulous destinations is shaping up nicely, perhaps even better than the travel industry experts might have hoped last fall.
I had a chance to schmooze with many of the movers and shakers from the Colorado travel world at the annual conference of the Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association (CHLA) last November which took place at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, our Rocky Mountain state’s premiere property. As with French Affairs ’09, I only attended the social events of this meeting, get-togethers—both casual and high-brow (yes, even in Colorado)—that allowed many opportunities for networking and idea sharing among some of the top hoteliers in the state. I had just returned from the French travel industry event in New York City, so my desire to draw comparisons was sharper than ever. (If you’ve read this blog some, you know that France and Colorado are often my two frames of references, odd as that may seem!) Resulting verdict: the Coloradans’ professionalism—along with the food and wine they serve at their travel industry events—rivals the level of excellence associated with French hospitality.
Better yet, the notion of friendly service seemed to be emphasized even more at the CHLA event. Perhaps that was largely due to the fact that Karyn Ruth White, motivational comedian/author, kicked off the conference with a stand up routine, entitled Laughing in the Face of Stress for Service Professionals. She delivered a very funny, very real look at the pressures, demands and frustrations that come with working in the customer service field. Karyn Ruth emphasizes the importance of “humortunities,” opportunities for injecting humor into stressful and unpleasant situations. We shuffled off to the Wild, Wild West reception, chuckling about the often craziness of travel and how we—as both travelers and travel professionals—would fare better if we approached certain happenings and encounters with more levity.
I think I’ll try some of Karyn Ruth’s recommendations on the French next time I travel to Paris or the provinces. There must be a clever way of laughing off “Ce n’est pas possible, madame.” Listen to the podcast of an interview I did with Karyn Ruth for lots of laughs.
Here in Telluride, we’re in full festival mode. Like most of the other Rocky Mountain towns, festivals dominate our summer scene. But in T-ride, we’re king of the festivals, many of which have been taking place for well over three decades. The Telluride Bluegrass Festival drew near record-breaking numbers last weekend, ringing in the beginning of summer with four days of extraordinary music, good fun and irrepressible sunshine. This weekend it’s Telluride Wine Festival’s turn, then the Plein Air Festivals in Telluride and Aspen are up. And the happy beat goes on—as throughout most of Colorado—all the way until the end of September.
No wonder so many people come here to vacation in the summer. And you might have thought we’re just all about cowboys, hikers and hippies. Thankfully we have them, too, but we also have a culture and sophistication that rivals most European destinations.
This is actually a good part of the reason I live here.
Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association, ColoradoLodging.com; contact them to receive your complimentary copy of the Summer Vacation Planner.
Thank you to Merrick Chase, from Telluride Photography, for the photos that accompany this story. You can purchase images of Colorado and more from Merrick’s site, TelluridePhotography.net.
A Sultry Summer Scene in Colorado
Art & Culture Podcasts Shopping Telluride The Rockies: Art & Culture Podcasts Shopping Telluride Telluride Festivals The Rockies
by maribeth
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Vive le Plein Air
Capturing Our Rocky Mountain Landscape
The leaves have popped here in southwestern Colorado within the past ten days and it has felt like full-on summer since last Friday. We’ve been transported from a long, bleak period into a lush, green season as fast as you can paint a scene. The rivers and streams course between and within our mountains, creating a thunderous soundtrack throughout the land; our bright, sunny days are melting the snowpack at twice the usual rate. Today on my walk I spotted my first lupines of the year, tall bushy blooms with purply-colored flowers hanging thick on the stalks like grapes on a vine.
When I interviewed Ronnie Palamar, director of the Sheridan Opera House in Telluride, a few weeks ago for my Travel Fun radio show, the summer season seemed light years away. Now it’s nearly upon us (officially) and what a great season it is for outdoor painting. The Impressionists were particularly consumed with the effects of changing light on color outside. Pissarro, Manet, Monet, Degas and others took to setting up their canvases en plein air, or in the open air, creating some of the finest pieces of the Impressionist movement.
The striking scenery of Colorado, with its often dramatic interplay of light, provides the perfect setting for painting in plein air, especially during the summer when the days are plenty warm for standing outside at great length. Plein air festivals have taken the country by storm in recent years, some of which originated on the coasts. The Telluride Plein Air festival, modeled after the Carmel festival and created by the Sheridan Arts Foundation, is certainly the best known in the Rockies. And now this year this terrific celebration of the arts is also establishing itself in Aspen in conjunction with the Sheridan Opera House and Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House.
Painting on Telluride's Main Street
Most of the works on view and for sale in both of these festivals are painted sur place, or on the premises, the week prior to the official festival opening. For me, that’s the best part of this event; I love seeing the artists—some thirty painters in Telluride—set up their easels around town and in the surrounding area at all hours of the day and night. Indeed there’s a certain romanticism about it all and fortunately the artists don’t seem to mind if we peek over their shoulders and perhaps even ask them a question or two.
Both the Telluride Plein Air and the Aspen Plein Air festivals are marked by exhibitions and demonstrations that are great fun to attend even if you’re not shopping for a treasure. Be sure to check out the Quick Draw Competitions where artists must complete an on-site painting within only ninety minutes. Now that’s what I call a showdown.
The Historic Sheridan Opera House
Click on the play button below to hear Ronnie talk about the historic Sheridan Opera House in Telluride and also the seventh annual Telluride Plein Air and the first annual Aspen Plein Air festivals. She tells some wonderful anecdotes about the artists that you won’t want to miss.
Telluride Plein Air, June 28-July 4
Aspen Plein Air, July 6-July 10
Photo Notes
The top photo features Niles Norquist painting in Telluride. Niles will be returning to the Telluride Plein Air Festival this year.
“Home of the Ski Bum” below was painted by Wayne Mckenzie, a local artist that will be featured at both the Telluride and Aspen Plein Air festivals. Ronnie recounts his story in the above interview.
If you’d like to host an artist in Telluride or Aspen during these festivals, contact Ronnie at ronnie@sheridanoperahouse.com. That’s a wonderful way to support the arts for which you’ll even receive a painting as a special thank you. Commissioned pieces may also be arranged for particular scenes; contact Ronnie for those enquiries as well.
Home of the Ski Bum
