Visiting Steamboat Springs

Completed Painting
Steamboat Aspens
Acrylic on panel, 9x6"
Rita Salazar Dickerson

We received a wonderful invitation last week to spend some time in Steamboat Springs.

There are so many pleasant things to do in and around Steamboat: hiking, rafting, kayaking, cycling...enjoyable art galleries and fun restaurants...all of it is placed in a gorgeous mountain setting of aspen and pine trees.

I brought my little Jullian paint box and waited for the perfect opportunity to do a little plein air painting at the cabin in the woods. It was an ideal set-up with a convenient little table on the back porch - supplied by our gracious hosts, Noreen and Alison, where I could lay out my painting supplies and get to work.

With the soft, late afternoon light, the variety of aspen trees in front of me were my inspiration. I decided to pick and choose the trees for my composition and noticed that the blue sky and rolling foothills were the perfect backdrop. I worked quickly using small brushes and my little palette knife.

It was a mountain party! With the sounds of  lively conversation and laughter swirling all around me, I painted. The Colorado weather was ideal and the beauty of the outdoors surrounded me. It was a refreshing change of pace and I felt invigorated.

I will always have special memories of my visit to beautiful Steamboat Springs with just a little part of it recorded in this painting.