Lynne Clay, who’s been documenting Southwest Colorado with a paintbrush since the 1970s, will be selling a variety of her watercolor, acrylic and ink works at Millie’s, a cafe and restaurant in Mancos, in July.
“I fell in love with the whole area around here and started painting,” Clay said. “And I especially love the Mancos area and McElmo Canyon.”
Her work ranges from fantastical landscapes of deserts complete with grazing horses and cotton candy clouds to detailed renderings of the Puebloan ruins at Mesa Verde National Park.
Clay has also met a collection of renowned artists, including Georgia O’Keeffe and Navajo artist Joe Toledo, who turned her on to the concept of using rainwater for watercolors. She also taught art classes in Mancos and at Battle Rock Charter School.
She said she is particularly enamored with McElmo Canyon where she and her late husband raised their children.
Her current project involves painting the view from their old home, which was the last estate of George Kelly, a Western horticulturist and founder of the Denver Botanic Gardens.
“I started painting the geological fault that comes down from the Ute. And I'm working on that right now. It’s a great canvas painting,” Clay said.
Previously, she made her living crafting what she says must have been millions of colorful paper earrings out of her old Cortez gallery, but has since retired that interest.
”People really liked them, so I went ahead and did that, and I said, ‘Well, they're just not ready for art,’” Clay said with a laugh.
But, hopefully, now they are. Millie’s, located at 101 Railroad Ave., designated a wall for Clay to display more than 20 of her mixed media works for sale. She also sells prints.
Her prints range between $3 and $300 and she’s still pricing her originals. She said she offers reasonably priced prints people can afford.
Clay said creating art inspired by Southwest Colorado fulfills a childhood dream.
“I grew up in Michigan, but we were out here in Colorado every summer,” she said. “I've always wanted to paint it, so I just started painting it.”
avanderveen@the-journal.com
