dennisreinke.com

Here is logo for the First Annual Estes Park Winter Festival. The criteria was for the logo to contain an elk, snowman and snowshoes.  It’s going to be used for sweatshirts, tee shirts and brochure stuff. It was fun to do.

24×36 oil painting museum wrap   $6000 This is the largest and latest version of this scene with lots of expressionistic brush strokes implying the elements (especially the water flow).

Memories…sometimes paintings document friendships and images at the same time.  “Jim Creek” near Ward, CO. I always think of a gentle old miner friend (Amanda’s dad) from Nederland and his heart of gold as I hike west from the old highway stone bridge on the Peak to Peak Scenic Highway.

 This portrait of my artist friend was painted from a photo I took at the plein air competition a few years ago. A gift to Bonnie

The other portrait came from a photo by Denny Dakan and a war shirt designed by Indian artist Ron Schumacher, newphew of Ann Strange Owl from Charlie Eagle Plumes.The war shirt was ordered and designed by Billy along with Ron but was never made. The war shirt was painted from a design shared with me by Ron.

The War shirt painted for and gifted to the Artist’s Charitable Trust Auction in Loveland, Colorado.

I started focusing on watercolor and instead of oil painting at the Annual Plein Air Show here in Estes Park I did watercolors. I still do oil painting of course but am loving the spontaneity and ability to hike in the mountains or city scape elsewhere and travel lightly.A friend told me they were light hearted and full of joy.     I like that.

This watercolor was done en plein air  of Hallets at Dream Lake and was seen in progress by collector.

This was a fun 3′x4′ oil painting commission. The Owner provided a wonderful photograph and after a visit to their house we decided on the size and I described how I would create a stylized painting beyond the photo. The painting enhanced the colors of the house and was brought to life by enhancing the movement of the waters and melding complimentary colors into the composition. The thick expressionistic brushstrokes added interest to the subject.

Damon is my grandson and he is really cool buddy. He keeps me straight. This is a photograph taken a few years ago when we went to Grand Lake for a visit to the beach.

One day, recently, I got an email from Damon who is 6 years old which said in effect, Grandpa I miss you, and I would like to see you. So I went very early the next morning up to Cheyenne but I forgot that my wallet was empty and I didn’t have any money so I took some from his memory jar and used it for coffee. I always told him, and it is true, that every time I put money into a jar for him I think of some time in our past that gave me joy. So when we got together I would give him gift of memories. When I got to Cheyenne I gave him his jar which still had some coins in it.  He accidentally spilled the jar on the floor of the car and I said that’s ok, the next time I see you I will give you a better jar of memories. We had a great day playing some games, eating lunch and taking some photos of him in a tree and visting the State Historical Museum. They have a machine there that will squeeze the penny into an oval shape with an imprint of a pterodactyl on it.

We went back to his house and when it was time to go, after hugs, he said “So grandpa we don’t have a bag of memories?” I lamely apologized and he promptly went up to his room where I could hear him rattling around. In a few minutes he came back down where his mother Krista and I were sitting and gave me a beautiful tiny bag with the oval copper penny and said “Grandpa here is a bag of memories”.

My Gallery is located in the Court Yard Shops across from Bond Park in downtown Estes Park, Colorado.   I have a view of the mountains as well as a trout pond in the courtyard outside my studio.  Being able to walk to all necessities such as  Starbucks allows for early morning problem solving  sessions with the bottomless coffee cup. I have enjoyed living and raising kids in the country and mountain neighborhoods as well as short spurts in a downtown environment but  am always happy to be close to old friends as well as some new ones.  I live next to my gallery and painting studio and associate with the Cultural Arts Center and am a member of the Art Center of Estes Park where I teach an Open painting forum, Beginning watercolor and also childrens classes.