summer 2024
Summer Sky
A message from CCA President Steve Quiller:
This very recent painting is titled "Summer Sky." It is everything I feel about living in the high country during this time of year: deep blue skies, green earth, river sounds, orange–purple mountain forms, and clear mountain air, along with joyous cloud shapes! There is beauty everywhere, and we need to take time to see it.
I have had a dream for the last 40 years of having a permanent space to show my work and a venue for exhibiting paintings by well-known international watercolor painters, both past and present. As we get closer to our goal of the Creede Center for the Arts, this dream is manifesting into reality.
Recently, I spent a week in Lake Tahoe with a few elite water media painters. They include Zhang Xiao Chang, Andy Evanson, Barbara Nechis, Mark Mehaffey, Ratindra Das, Kathleen Conover, and Jean Pederson. John Salminen, Mary Whyte, and Thomas Schaller were missing this year. These artists are highly regarded award-winning painters and recognized international jurors, and many have written books on water media. We were sponsored and spent the week plein air painting, and socializing. I described my vision of the international water media collection, and these highly regarded painters all, without exception, want to help along with me; they have strong connections with the top artists from China, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and India!
I enjoy studying painters, attending art museums when I am not at home, and painting. However, unless there is a major special watercolor show by people like Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, or James McNeil Whistler, the "works on paper" are regulated to museums' drawing and print study rooms. I need to make a special appointment to visit and look for the work I want to see. Our beautiful venue will be a place to view the work and an educational center to learn about each artist, different cultures, and the history of water media painting.
-Steve Quiller | President Creede Center for the Arts
Our First Summer Youth Program!
A statement from Allie Quiller:
Cosplay Camp, a collaborative effort between the Creede Center for the Arts and Creede Repertory Theatre, was a resounding success.
Cosplay, a portmanteau of ‘Costume Play’, involves the creation of costumes for existing or original characters, often drawn from movies, comic books, novels, or video games. The builder then brings the character to life at events or conventions, creating a perfect blend of visual and performing arts.
In late June, a group of students from across Colorado and beyond joined me and CRT’s education staff in exploring many worlds and the characters that inhabit them. The class’s main focus was discovering ways to build creatively with limited materials. I demonstrated how to think outside the box and make seemingly impossible things using cardboard, cloth, wire, and paint.
The level of creativity displayed by these young individuals was truly inspiring. Many of them went above and beyond the assignment, crafting extensive backstories for the characters they brought to life. From fairies and superhero guinea pigs to dragons, shapeshifters, and even a winged warrior from a student’s own novel, their imagination knew no bounds. Each of these kids was eager to get their hands on the materials and develop their unique approach to building. It was a joy to see several students, who had never even touched a needle, learn the basics of sewing and create costumes from scratch. Others delved into cardboard construction, crafting robot machines, armor, and a variety of creatures.
These students reinforced my drive to contribute to our area’s need for additional programming and experiences for young people. Multiple students from the San Luis Valley drove to Creede daily to participate in this program. Others came from across the state just for the camp, and their families stayed in Creede throughout the week. In speaking with parents afterward, they expressed frustration with the lack of programs like this available to their creative children. I firmly believe that we have the opportunity through CCA to develop successful, life-changing programs that will serve our extended community and uplift the existing programs like those provided by the CRT, the Rec Center, Headwaters, and beyond. A rising tide lifts all boats, and the youth of our area are certainly seaworthy.
-Allie Quiller