Tag Archives: Wild Horse Gallery

Thirsty Thursday: Art for Good

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chula beauregardOn this Thirsty Thursday, I will be sharing an interview I had with artist Chula Beauregard regarding her Art for Good Project. The good news  is Chula’s artwork goes to  support a humanitarian concern that she feels very strongly about. Read the interview to learn more about this young artist.

Chula Beauregard: Art for Good Project

 

 

Sue: Chula, back in the fall of 2011, I featured an article on All Things Fulfilling about the influences you have had as a young artist. We talked about your plein air and mural paintings. For those who missed it, here is the link. https://allthingsfulfilling.com/2011/11/08/influences-and-inspiration/.

Today, I’d like to discuss your Art for Good Project. But first, I’d like to ask you about your unique name – Chula. It has me intriqued.  Is it a family name or does it have special meaning?

Chula: It was a nick-name given to me by my Uncle Peter who had recently returned from studying in Mexico. At the time, it meant “sweetie” or “cutie.” My uncle influenced my life in another way when he served in the Peace Corps in the Solomon Islands. Two of his siblings also served: in Liberia then Micronesia, and Venezuela. You could say I come from a Peace Corps family!

Sue: Most of your paintings that I have seen at Wild Horse Gallery  have been beautiful Colorado landscapes. I know from our previous discussion that you particularly enjoy plein air painting over studio painting because of your love of the outdoors.

The images in your Art for Good project have a different kind of focus. For those who have not seen them, can you tell us a little about the art in this project?

Chula: I served in the Peace Corps in Gabon, Central Africa (1998-2000) in the agriculture program, making school gardens and raising rabbits. Along with these projects, I spent two hours every day making art. The images in Art for Good come from my collection of art from those years.

Sue: Why was it important to you to support the mission of this project through your art?

Chula: The stories and images I was seeing from the Ebola crisis really hit a chord in me. It looked so much like my village and the people I knew in Gabon. I imagined my good friends suffering like that, and it inspired me to do something. I thought about the art I had, and I realized that I could create something to raise money to send to the Ebola efforts.

Sue: How can others join you in supporting your Art for Good project?

Chula: One great thing about this project is that people can make a difference and also get something beautiful to share with others or put in their homes. All proceeds from the blank note cards and postcards goes towards the Ebola response. You can buy these cards and also giclee prints on my website www.chulabeauregard.com/art-for-good or at https://chula-beauregard-fine-art.myshopify.com/

Sue: What did you come away with as a Peace Corp volunteer that made the biggest impact on your life?

Chula: It is hard to quantify the impact my time in Gabon had on my life. It essentially helped form who I am today. The sense of gratitude I have for things like running water certainly has an everyday influence. It also helps me see the humanity in people from different cultures. I can imagine their families and their everyday lives.

Sue: I know you are the mother of two young boys. Do you see any artistic interests emerging in either one of them?

Chula: They both know how to be in an art gallery! They certainly have an appreciation for art and beauty in our world. My older son enjoys painting, especially mixing colors. They take after their dad, too, being oriented towards the mechanical and craftsmanship.

Sue: Is there anything that you hope your children will learn from you through your artwork?

Chula: One thing they are learning is that I am not just a mom but a person. I have passions and aspirations in my art career. I am grateful that it is a flexible job, so I can still be there for them. We are all enjoying the life of adventure that goes with landscape painting.

You, too, can help to support the e-bola crisis through the Art for Good project. Visit http://www.chulabeauregard.com/art-for-good/. In February, Chula will be at the Vail Beaver Creek World Cup ski races, painting en plein air. Her art work is also represented by The Cogswell Gallery in Vail, Colorado. Here is the event calendar for the World Cup Ski Races in Colorado. http://vailbeavercreek2015.com/events/#event-calendar. Stop by and say hello to Chula if you are in the area. Or if you are in Steamboat, Chula’s paintings are part of the permanent collection at Wildhorse Gallery in Steamboat. You can see them any time of year! 

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Storie: Lessons of Heart & Soul.

A Russian Winter

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“Art is the right hand of Nature.” ~ Friedrich Schiller

Last Friday evening as I participated in the First Friday Art Walk, I felt as if I was living in the Russian valley of Oymyakon, the coldest permanently inhabited settlement in the world. The twenty below-zero temperatures seemed to have been heaven sent to provide a full-bodied experience for my emersion into the Russian art exhibition that opened that evening at the Steamboat Art Museum. The Russian paintings, on loan from a single private collector, are nothing short of magnificent.

SAM Russian Art

“The Russian Experience” is a beautifully curated exhibit. I’d like to compliment artist Rich Galusha who really took great care in the placement of the paintings even painting the museum walls to accentuate the work – a job well done. And the Russian musical compositions that John Sant’Ambrogio played on the cello complimented the evening.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the educational information that was posted in the museum about the history and various styles of Russian Art. It was interesting to note that most of the artists did not reside in Moscow or St. Petersburg, but rather, they came from small, remote villages throughout the country.

As cold as it was on Friday, I wouldn’t have missed getting out. After all, my husband’s photography debut exhibition along with other student’s work from ColoradoMountainCollege’s digital photography class was next door to the Steamboat Art Museum at the Chief Theatre for Cultural and Performing Arts. http://www.chieftheater.org/. The student’s work will be at the Chief Theatre all month long.

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If you are coming to town this winter, don’t miss out on stopping by the Steamboat Art Museum http://www.steamboatartmuseum.org/ and take in “The Russian Experience.” It will be available until April 12. The frigid blast will have passed since we don’t often see temperatures this low for long periods.

Thankfully, as I strolled the streets going from gallery to gallery, I found some hot cider at the Wild Horse Gallery to warm my inners. It was much appreciated!

Come on back tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, the blog of www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Painting Life

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“If a poem is each time new, then it is necessarily an act of discovery, a chance taken, a chance that may lead to fulfillment or disaster.” ~ A.R. Ammons

I had a fabulous weekend! I had a chance to visit with artist Quang Ho at the opening of his exhibit at the Steamboat Art Museum on Friday evening. On Saturday, I was among an intimate audience of 40 or 50 people who sat mesmerized as Quang painted a portrait of another artist, Richard Galusha of Wildhorse Gallery http://bit.ly/rSVLei. 

Quang spent a generous 2 ½ hours creating and teaching about the intricacies of a good painting composition. During that time, I gained a new understanding about the art of life, from a painter’s point of view, by a few key and valuable statements he made. 

Paintings are stories of ‘”shadow and light”, Quang related. “One is the plot and the other the subplot. How much attention an artist gives to the spaces in between determines how rich the painting is.” The artist also went on to explain that there are variations of value in the light. 

‘Painting is problem solving, and if you make a decision is it always correct.” He also advised fellow artists. 

Last night I began to ponder on the artist’s statements and how we can relate it to our own lives. Our life structure is birth to death, and then there landmarks in between. During the spaces in between, we can focus our energy either negatively or positively. Depending on the choices we make and values we have, life can be rich and fulfilling or not. 

There is truth to be learned in Quang’s statement about making decisions, too. “How can we even tell if a decision in life is right or wrong if we don’t make one at all?” I ask myself. 

Quang Ho has some extraordinary insight and inspiration to share with artists not only about painting but also about the human condition. His life as an artist and his experiences as a human being have paved the way for a lot more to tell! To learn more about this artist, please visit my blog posting of November 29 entitled Historic Setting Filled with Jewels. http://bit.ly/v8zctP. 

Quang is well worth following. He has promised he has a whole lot more to share with his fans! And from my interview with him, so will I! Stay tuned in upcoming weeks to www.AllThingsFulfilling.com. 

Thank you for your generosity, Quang Ho. I enjoyed meeting you, in person, so much.

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Influences and Inspiration

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“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” ~Winston Churchill

Chula Beauregard http://bit.ly/tTHd8f , muralist and plein air painter, was featured artist of the month at the Wild Horse Gallery  on last Friday’s Art Walk. As I visited with Chula, I quickly became aware of how well-known about town she is. It became evident, from those who began to file in the gallery doors to congratulate her and see her exhibit, that her development as an artist has been admired, by many. 

Chula was a student of artist Richard Galusha. When I asked Shirley Stocks, co-owner of the Wild Horse Gallery, what traits she and Richard saw in Chula that made them want to represent her work, they cited “her potential to be a successful artist and she understands that Art is a lifelong pursuit of knowledge and hard work.” Chula’s dedication to her craft has led her to positions of teaching at the middle school, high school and college level, too. 

Her interest in the Arts began as a child. By the fifth grade Chula began to feel a stirring interest in painting. She would work beside her artist mother, Gigi, who shares her creative spirit.  She related that “when her family took a boat trip to the Bahamas, her interest in plein air painting really began in earnest.” 

On the exterior wall of Steamboat Ski and Bike Kare, Chula’s most recent mural is installed. The mural measuring 10 ft X 16 ft, was painted indoors over a three week period. It is hung in three panels. Millions of recreational tourist dollars are brought to our town year round. The mural is a visual reminder of the value the biking industry plays in contributing to the local economy. Steamboat hopes to become designated as Bike Town USA. 

Although indoor work is required on many of Chula’s largest art installations, she loves painting on location “en plein air” – outside of the studio. Her ability to translate on canvas what she sees is a reflection of her abilities as an artist. The color palettes of her plein air sketches are true to nature.  Her plein air oil paintings capture landscapes in Steamboat and throughout Routt County. 

Finding time to paint has  become more challenging for Chula, as she is now a young mother with two little toddlers. However, she paints almost daily, finding fulfillment in shorter periods of time.  To have her work hang in a top quality gallery among an impressive list of nationally known artists at her relatively young age is what many emerging artists strive for. To view Chula’s plein air paintings on line, please visit the Wild Horse Gallery at http://www.wildhorsegallery.com/.

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