Community Artists Gallery
COMMUNITY ARTISTS GALLERY
We're showcasing vibrant talent right in our own backyard.
That's why we make it a priority to team up with local artists and shine a spotlight on the incredible creativity within our community during large-group hike & paint adventures.
Alley Kocinski is a Colorado artist endlessly inspired by landscapes and wildlife. Her impressionistic paintings are a practice in presence, exploring the power of the natural world and the beauty of slowing down. Her favorite part of plein air painting is the opportunity to sit and observe an environment. When you immerse deeply into an environment, you see things that you would miss passing through, forming a connection between environment, artist, & artwork that can’t be recreated anywhere else.
"In a society that’s increasingly fast-paced, digital, and artificial, intentionally seeking out stillness and wonder in nature, and creating art there, feels like both a sanctuary and a rebellion."
Jo Nova is an artist near Boulder who specializes in both realistic and interpretive landscape art. Harnessing the magic wrapped up in the natural world throughout her pieces, she works across several mediums from watercolor to oil painting and more. As a lifelong creative, Jo dove into plein air painting and immersed herself in the world of art over a decade ago. She continues to rapidly evolve and grow her practice, remaining inspired by the depth of human connection to the natural world throughout her journey.
"My artistic journey follows one fundamental law of nature: everything changes. Just as we are rivers of atoms constantly in flux, my art and inspiration are ever-evolving, much like a river of pigments in flux."
Katy Betz is an illustrator, fine artist, and art professor based in Denver. Her passion for studying nature, hiking and bird watching directly inspires her studio practice. Katy aims to create space for imagination in her work through the elements of curiosity and empathy. She finds great purpose in sharing her ideas and discoveries with others, along with helping others find their creative voice. May we never lose our wonder!
"Drawing and painting outdoors is the best way to possess nature’s beauty in our soul. It teaches us how to see (as opposed to merely look). In doing so, delight, appreciation, and wonder are formed, which are keys to lifelong learning and love for life."
Mya Sears is Boulder-based painter, potter, crocheter, dancer, and overall art enthusiast from Nebraska. She is especially fascinated by the clouds that develop along the front range, and explores them both artistically through acrylic landscape painting and professionally through her work as an atmospheric scientist. Mya is excited to share her enthusiasm for clouds, Boulder’s distinctive landscapes, and the arts!
"When I paint, I spend so much time studying a single tree, mountaintop, or valley that I recognize it like an old friend when I return. Nothing makes me feel more connected to my environment than this."