This blog post is a collaboration between Yampa Valley Sustainability Council and Creative Climate Action, a Substack newsletter by Jill Bergman. Click here to subscribe to Creative Climate Action.
Local painter Ann Feldman leads a group of artists in painting Rotary Park April 13, 2024.
Ann Feldman is a professional artist with a long gallery and teaching career who has moved to Steamboat Springs to start a new chapter. Painting outdoors, or en plein air as much as she can, she is a careful observer of her surroundings. Her love for the landscapes of the West is apparent in her rich, beautiful paintings.
“Generations, The Yampa River” by Ann Feldman.
“When I’m painting outdoors, I try to capture the feeling of the place: the time of day, the temperature, the season, etc.,” Ann said. “In addition to a feeling of place, I want to communicate an emotion about what I’m painting. I’d like the viewer to feel a connection to nature and be reminded of how important our environment is in our lives.”
This spring, with frogs croaking and geese calling, Ann helped lead a plein air get together along the Yampa River. Steamboat Springs has a strong group of artists who love to paint outdoors in different seasons. This meet-up was a way for Yampa Valley Sustainability Council to share information about Insight: Art for Climate Action, the upcoming fundraiser at the Larson Barn on June 29. It’s exciting that many of the pieces painted that day at Rotary Park in mid-April are now part of the Insight event.
Painters, photographers, and other artists that create work outdoors based on the landscape are in a unique position to track changes to the environment, especially if the same place is visited repeatedly. Spending time in an area and observing carefully through seasons and years, while creating a visual record, shows us the variations in the environment.
As Ann says, “I think that the arts can play a very important role in climate communications. Not only are we as artists recording the things that we see, but we are also expressing our emotions about our subjects. My hope is that we can express how important and fragile our environment is, and that it is our responsibility to do whatever we can to preserve it for future generations.”
Speaking of future generations, Ann experienced this moment along the Core Trail one day that she decided to paint. “This group of fishermen emerged from the river and walked ahead of me. I could tell from their gait that they had had a long satisfying day together. I counted three generations between them, and reflected on how fortunate they were to share their love of the river with each other.”
Painter Greg Effinger creates his watercolor “Early Thaw” at YVSC’s plein air event at Rotary Park April 13, 2024.
The third painting that Ann has submitted to Insight is titled “The Forest Floor.” This beautiful painting will be one of the few that is only available during the live auction, so be sure to get your tickets here. The other paintings by Ann, Chula Beauregard, Greg Effinger, Attila Feszt, and Susan Gill Jackson featured in this post are available now and can be bid on here.
“The Forest Floor” by Ann Feldman.
Ann described the setting for this painting, seen during a hike in the mountains, “I found myself in a space completely in shadow. A shaft of sunlight pierced through the canopy and illuminated the path in front of me. How much is happening beneath our feet that we are unaware of, decomposing, building up, and sustaining a fragile ecosystem? All is in balance and dependent on harmony. From this foundation, great trees can grow.”
“The Forest Floor” was painted with oil paints found at Create Space, a place for donated art materials and tools to be upcycled and used by artists, kid’s creative classes, or schools. This space in the basement of Steamboat Creates’ Art Depot is open for donations if you contact them first to make arrangements. Reusing or repurposing supplies is a great way to reduce waste, one of the priority areas of Yampa Valley Sustainability Council.
Another way Ann conserves materials is by reusing canvases and panels that she doesn’t want to keep. “I will paint over the old painting with white paint, wait until it dries, then start a new painting. I love it when the texture from the painting beneath sneaks into my new painting- it always adds a bit of unexpected interest.”
In addition to painting, Ann has also started writing poetry. One of her goals is to “communicate the importance of the beauty of nature in our lives through art and poetry,” so we will leave you with one of Ann’s poems.
Mud Season
by Ann Feldman
Rolling dark clouds carrying the metallic scent of rain,
Patches of sunlight lay like a quilt on the side of the mountain.
A season of quietude.
I love this place in all seasons.
Of course when it’s easy,
But mostly when it’s complicated.
Like people I guess
Yes, there’s mud.
But also, there are delicate lacy leaves
Clinging to white twiggy fingers
Reaching for the sun.
Jill Bergman | 18 June 2024
