Ah Haa Winter Gala 2009 featured artist.

“I’ve been working in pastels for thirty-six entirely-self-taught years with artistic influences such as Maxfield Parrish, Gustav Klimt, and my cousin Ernie Gallegos. I have been painting with the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art for twenty-four years and teaching at the Ah Haa School for fourteen years (thanks for asking me, Daniel Tucker!). You will often find me at the Telluride Gallery painting in the window or standing on Main Street with an Americano, studying - yet again - Ingram Falls. 

Otherwise I live in Denver where I walk my grown children’s dogs and water the cat.

I am singularly fortunate enough to travel to these wonderful places: Telluride, Paris, Rome and Moab, which my subject matter reflects. My aim is to capture that one unique and spectacular moment of life. Many people ask if I paint plein air, and yes, I do, however I don’t like it. The light changes too quickly, it’s either raining or there’s lightning, and either it’s ten below or windy or 105 degrees. Oh yeah, and there are bugs and wild street people. In spite of these obstacles, I get to distill it all down to that essential moment of striking allure, and there you have it. I pride myself in painting something that anyone can see themselves if they hang around. No exaggerations, no symbolism, and no implied metaphor.”