ABOUT MY ART

 

Two Remington prints that hung in my grandparents’ house;  a wolf on a starry night looking down at a homestead on a river bottom, a horse being broken by a cowboy, captivated me at a very early age and first sparked my interest in art.  The illustrators of the books and the magazines in their  heyday were always eagerly sought after, N,C.Wyeth. John Sloan, and Al Parker, just to name a few that come to mind.

My brother Hank and I would come home from the Saturday movies and illustrate what ever we had just seen. I never wanted to become an artist it is just something I was always compelled to do. School for the most part was a drag. A higher education did not interest me in any way. I wanted to be outside a farmer, cowboy, and of course maybe an artist.

Commercial art and teaching art were career options that would bring in a steady paycheck. Teaching art required more school and that did not appeal to me. My parents reluctantly agreed to let me attend the Colorado Institute of Art In Denver, where I studied for about a year and a half.  In 1958 I was recruited and took a job working for American Greeting Card Company working as a commercial artist in Cleveland Ohio. I did not mind the work and wanted to use it as a steping stone to a career in fine art as did most of the artists I worked with. I was impressed with the quality of artists I worked with and really enjoyed the exchange of ideas and direction everyone was taking with their fine art. In the late 50’s and 60’s Abstract Expressionism was the rage. I explored this movement. Learning to draw, color theory and composition was considered passé by many, especially in some academic circles. I have always felt technical knowledge was paramount if you wanted to express yourself.

In 1959  there still was a military draft. I joined the Colorado Air National Guard.  I completed my military obligation in Texas. After Texas I made a beeline to the mountains. Being born and raised in Colorado I missed the open spaces and skiing. I needed a big ski fix and then decide what I wanted to do with my art career.

In early1960 tending bar at the Red Ram in Georgetown CO was the perfect job for me. Room and board, $1.25 hour, tips and a ski pass to Arapahoe and Loveland ski areas, Days free. Perfect!   I can Ski or paint during the day.

I met a Ski Instructor that worked at Arapahoe Basin, we got married and had two kids, Michael and Karen. The ski business and the people that developed the ski areas fascinated me.While working at the Red Ram and later as a ski patrolman I watched and met many of the people that built new ski areas like  Breckenridge and Vail. About this time I met Chet Anderson who along with Ray Duncan were planning a new ski area in the San Juan Mountains near Durango CO. Chet did the original layout of the new area and was looking for someone to run the Ski Patrol. I always thought that the San Juans were spectacular mountains. I jumped at the chance to get in on the ground floor of the new ski area called Purgatory.

In the summer I worked on trail crew and ran the Ski patrol in the winter. as the area began to grow.
Chet’s job as general manager meant spending less time on the mountain and  I became mountain manager.  As we moved into Hermosa Park I became more involved in the layout and design of the ski trails. It was a great job.  It was a honor for me to have a ski trailed named after me, “Paul’s Park”.

I always drew & painted pictures in my spare time but also did many trail maps while at Purgatory. I have told  people I could not afford to be a landscape painter so I went for the big money and became a ski patrolmen”

1982  Lift 8 area was built and my kids graduated from college and I was in the process of getting a divorce. It was time to become a full-time Landscape Painter. I loaded up my paints and painted the mountain ranges, valleys and canyons of the west. I was able to get into many galleries as I traveled.
Galleries
Gusterman Gallery, Georgetown, CO   1962-1965
Kathleen Warner Gallery, Durango, CO 1983-1984
Termar Gallery(formerly Trailside), Durango, CO  1984-1992
Nedra Matteucci, Santa Fe, NM  1986-1991
Gail Severn Gallery, Sun Valley, ID  1985-1995
Jo Ann Lyon, Squash Blossom Aspen  CO 1984-1988
Garden Gallery, Los Olivios, CA  1987-1989
Claggett Gallery, Denver, Co and Claggett/Rey, Vail, CO   1987-1995
Perna Gallery, Taos, NM  1993-1995
Telluride Gallery, Telluride, CO  1991-1993
Gallery of the Caribbean, St. Barts  1991-1993
Gallery Ultima, Durango, CO  1993-1995
Sculpture Showcase & Second Dimension Gallery, New Hope, PA  1999

In 1992 I met my future wife Cheryl. She had a background in marketing and later the discussion was made to sell paintings out of the studio by appointment and one open studio show a year. We also would do two or three traveling shows a year outside of the Durango area, which would include Art centers, plein air festivals,  the tent shows, friends homes. business. and short term rental spaces.
Our schedule for 2011 included a One man show at the Museum of the Southwest, Midland Texas.

Over the years Cheryl and I made many friends who have purchased paintings and found we have several common interests. We all love the open spaces and have been able to share some of these experiences with them whether it be skiing, hiking, painting, fishing, mushroom hunting or birdwatching. These are the perks of the job.