In the 3^rd week of June, 25 nationally recognized Plein Air Painters (outdoor painters) descended on Colorado for Douglas Land Conservancy’s (DLC) Plein Air Invitational.  I was fortunate to have been one of them.  We painted all week and on Friday, we submitted our “keepers” to be sold during a weekend show at the White Pavilion in Castle Rock.   The event was a great success.  It raised awareness of DLCs mission and some of the proceeds went to support their efforts.  Supporting organizations that protect lands has long been important to me and I was glad to help them with my art. 

The week of painting was fun for all of us. DLC arranged access to some spectacular properties, including the Welborn Family Farm near Franktown, the J.A. Ranch near Larkspur and the Lowell Ranch south of Castle Rock.    Land access was the most significant thing DLC did for us, but by no means was it the only thing.  They marketed and organized the Art Show.  They kept us company while we painted and they shuttled in water and lunch.  On one of the painting days, the temperatures soared to 100 degrees and I drank at least 9 bottles of ice cold water, which was much more than I had anticipated.  I don’t have room for 9 bottles in my backpack, so I was very reliant on the volunteers.  Because of their help, I was able to paint from sunrise to sunset and I painted 4 separate paintings on that day – not a record, but darn close. 

This pieces below were painted during that week.  The one on the left was painted first.  Over the course of a few hours, these clouds grew and grew until they could hold no more water.  The winds picked up and it started to downpour sideways.  I was painting this scene standing under the hatchback of my car because there were a few sprinkles when I started and I knew it was only getting worse.  The real rain started suddenly and with a vengeance.  I had to quickly finish the painting and throw all my dirty painting gear haphazardly in to my car as I was getting drenched.     Artists were scattered all over the property and this road shown was the only road out.   I headed back toward the entrance and found some artists in their cars already there waiting in the pouring rain.  They decided to go home because the rain did not appear as if it was going to let up.    Then a few more cars pulled up and I learned that Clare's car could not get through the mud and it had to be abandoned with all her stuff inside.  I offered to give her a ride back to her campsite and pick her up again the next morning to  take her back when the weather would surely be better.  All her painting gear was in her car so she had to give up for the day.   After I took her back to her campground, the weather was starting to clear so I painted the smaller painting in the campground.  That painting is called Clearing Storms and can also be found on my site.  Both of these paintings look sunny and bright, but they are the bookends to an excellent summer storm.  

During the paintout, I also met 2 of the Welborn children, now grown.  It was nice to hear stories about the barns we painted and their childhood memories of this family farm near Franktown.  I found it interesting to hear that their parents bought this farm back in the 50s because highway construction and urban sprawl had forced them to leave their previous farm, which was closer to Denver.    Along with other members of the community, a few landowners even purchased some of our paintings, which always makes an artist’s day.  They were certainly generous to us artists, but these landowner’s generosity is evident beyond this single week.  For each of the properties we visited, the land is either protected, or being considered for protection.  This is a decision the owners have made, or are making, and the fate of their land could certainly have gone a different way.  That is a great gift to ALL of us, including the eagles, cougars, bears and prairie dogs.  Most importantly, this protection is permanent.  It’s not just for those of us who happen to be alive today; it’s also for the next generation and the ones after that.  I find their gifts incredibly selfless and heartwarming.      The painting below and the one at the begining of this post are both from the Welborn property.

With all that talk about Land Preservation, I feel I must make a confession: I’m a card-carrying member of the urban sprawl club.  I live with my wife and 3 kids, in Highlands Ranch, in a 3 bedroom house.  Our house is located in a neighborhood surrounded by thousands of similar looking homes.  I drive on the paved roads and I shop at the stores.  That is a habit I’ve had all my life and I can’t seem to break it.  I usually go about my business on autopilot, but sometimes I’ll see a historical photo or get some other trigger that causes me to really think about where I live.  200 years ago, my small yard was vacant land.  100 years ago it was part of the aptly named Highlands Ranch (a cattle ranch on high land).  Today it is smack-dab in the middle of urban sprawl. And 100 years from now? Who knows?    I find it ironic that our local streets and schools have names like “Coyote Creek Way”, “Bear Canyon Elementary”, and “Eagles Nest Drive”, as if the developers wanted to give one last insult to the animal communities our neighborhoods displaced. 

Despite my being an active user of suburbia, I am also a strong proponent of Land Conservation.  Does that make me a hypocrite?  Probably.  Of course I make my “confession” in jest, but it is something I wrestle with.  I know I am part of the problem.  We all are.  At the same time, it’s too simplistic to say this development is “bad”.  This is how human society works.   Each of us needs a house to live in, and a place to buy our groceries.  As our population increases more of these places will be built.    

OK, I think we can agree that as the human population grows, the development of land is inevitable, BUT…….(and here’s the crux)….the scraping and building does not have to cover the land like a blanket.  There is another way if we do something.  And we have to do something, not just wish for it!  Thank goodness we have your neighborhood park and Rocky Mountain National Park.  Thank goodness we have that local greenbelt or that 6000 acre cattle ranch.  Those protected areas didn’t just happen.  People set them aside and protected that land.  These undeveloped spaces provide the much needed gaps in our societal sprawl – those pockets of raw land and wildlife corridors, which are often overlooked until we belatedly and nostalgically notice they are gone.  The more we have of them and the larger they are, the more our places are livable – certainly for the coyotes, frogs and owls, but also for us. 

Also, don’t forget!!!…….there is always a degree of urgency for Land Conservation.  Who has not driven by a nice stretch of open land with a great view, only to see it sprinkled with Condos just a few months later?   Have you ever this process work in reverse?  Probably not, especially if you live in a state as popular as Colorado.  Once land gets developed, it ain’t never coming back.  So please do something.    You can make a difference and you’ll feel good about it.  And don’t think you can’t be of help.  People have different means and abilities, but all contributions help.  Yours might be a $20 check, or a purchased painting, or some volunteer hours.  It might be the protection of your 100 acre plot or perhaps one of 6000 acres.  We need as many people as possible to play their part for this to work.

I’d like to give a warm thanks to the landowners affiliated with the DLC that I mentioned above and also to those whom I have not (yet) met.  I also offer a huge thanks to the donors, employees, and volunteers of Douglas Land Conservancy.  Thanks to all of you for making my world more livable.