Colorado Grandeur,Plein Air Painters of America’s 2025 national exhibit and sale, features roughly 150 paintings inspired by the state’s Rocky Mountains, with a special emphasis on the Crested Butte area. On view for the entire month of August and with a record-breaking 40 participating member artists, the show is PAPA’s most expansive to date.
Kathleen Hudson, Nightfall Over Crested Butte, oil on linen, 30 x 40 in.
To accommodate the exhibition, which also includes a new “wet show” component, the event will be hosted by the Shaun Horne Gallery at Center for the Arts Crested Butte. From sweeping views like Aimee Erickson’s The Lights of Home and Kathleen Hudson’s Nightfall Over Crested Butte, to more intimate scenes like Ken DeWaard’s Fun Funky Alleys and a painting of the Gunnison River in winter by Len Chmiel, artists were able to bring their own interpretations to the theme of the show.
Ralph Oberg, Aspens and Spruce, oil, 12 x 10 in.
Hudson, who has lived in Colorado for several years, traveled to Crested Butte in the spring to gather reference material for her painting Nightfall Over Crested Butte. Between caring for her twin toddlers while the rest of the family was on the slopes, the only time she could explore was at dawn and dusk. “It actually made for great paintings because the midday light was flat but we had some dramatic weather at sunrise and sundown,” says Hudson. “I love the mountains as a setting for cinematic lighting—all the varied and defined forms of ridges and ravines really make the light sing and amplify any atmospheric phenomena. For Nightfall Over Crested Butte…I was hoping to get an open view of the town at dusk where the cool colors of twilight contrasted with the warm glow of the town lights. The place I found gave me exactly what I hoped to find.”
DeWaard also found plein air painting around Crested Butte invigorating and inspiring. He stumbled upon the colorful little houses in Fun Funky Alleys while breaking for lunch in town. “What a treat that was!” says DeWaard. “The town is so charming and visually stimulating…what a wonderful experience.”
Len Chmiel, Cold Feat on the Gunnison, oil on canvas, 12 x 16 in.
Other prominent PAPA members who will have work in the show include Matt Smith, Jill Carver, Jim Morgan, Ralph Oberg, John Budicin, Mike Hernandez and many others.
“Crested Butte is a unique destination with its dramatic landscape setting and eclectic architecture,” says PAPA president Mitch Baird, “and the brand new art center is a state of the art exhibition space to hang the collection. Our Patron's Preview offers special personal and buying access to the work before it opens to the public, and many exhibiting members will be there in attendance to share in the creation of their paintings and to interact with the collectors themselves…All I can say is the show will be a stunning collection of the beauty of Colorado and truly by the hands of the most talented outdoor artists in America. It is not to be missed!”
Ken DeWaard, Fun Funky Alleys, oil on linen, 18 x 24 in.
The Patron’s Preview begins at 3 p.m. on August 1, with the show opening to the public at 9 a.m. on August 2, where it will remain on view through August 31. For those who cannot attend Colorado Grandeur in person, the show can be viewed online at www.pleinairpaintersofamerica.com and www.shaunhornegallery.com, with Shaun Horne Gallery facilitating sales. —
Plein Air Painters of America 2025 National Exhibit
August 1-31, 2025
Center for the Arts Crested Butte
606 6th Street, Crested Butte, CO 81224
www.pleinairpaintersofamerica.com
www.shaunhornegallery.com
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