Refuge; 19.75" x 11.5"; watercolor, ink, acrylic, water-soluble pastel. Another morning. Another heartbreaking headline. Mass shootings, earthquakes, climate change, disease. I wonder, Where can I go to escape this darkness? Even in the highest mountain refuge, the darkness is still there. In me. I think of Jesus’ words in Luke 21:25-28 “There will be signs…Read more Refuge
Colorado
Just Because You Can’t See It…
Just Because You Can't See It, Doesn't Mean It's Not There; 2021; 12" x 20"; mixed media: watercolor, acrylic, water-soluble pastel, sidewalk chalk. Rising in a mighty crescendo of 14,000 feet above sea level, It was completely shrouded in blustery gray for days on end. "I promise, our own little fourteener is right there!" I…Read more Just Because You Can’t See It…
ShoutOut Colorado Interview
Please visit the wonderful online publication, ShoutOut Colorado, featuring the people of my home state, Colorado! This interview was originally published in ShoutOut Colorado, December 22, 2020. Hi Colleen, how does your business help the community?We are not alone. I keep stumbling on this theme wherever I go in the world (and strangely, especially among…Read more ShoutOut Colorado Interview
Days at the (Art) Museum
As a kid, I was a bit of an anomaly. My grandfather created wood carvings, but, otherwise, I seemed to pop up out of nowhere - an artist born to an accountant and an engineer. An oddball, but never a misfit. My parents could not have been more supportive. My family moved to the countryside…Read more Days at the (Art) Museum
Sheer Gift – the Power of Art
The expectation of spending time with a dear friend and a mission of creativity already promised a portal to magic. Then we stepped inside Jives Coffee Shop in Old Colorado City to the strains of a violin and the glow of warm, golden wood. And I was transported into sheer gift. Nine am on a…Read more Sheer Gift – the Power of Art
Great Sand Dunes, Colorado
Suddenly sprawling at the foot of the Colorado mountains, the Great Sand Dunes are a gateway to a world simplified into sun, sand, and sky. Into texture, lines, and contrast. A portal into a magical, eerie other-world. A space where the barrenness only accentuates my love for those with whom I wander, swelling higher than…Read more Great Sand Dunes, Colorado
Summer Between
This summer is all about harvest. I still live in the city, so I'm not talking about wheat crops. No, it's a season of celebrating the growing things I love most, my children. Our oldest is thriving in a serious relationship with a woman we adore; and he will move out of state…Read more Summer Between
The Lies Artists Battle
Sometime in January, my heart froze over. I just gave up, like when a blizzard hits and you cancel all your plans, resigned to curl up with your book and your cup of coffee. Like a glazed creek covered in white that refuses to move, I stopped even feeling the desire to paint. The perfect…Read more The Lies Artists Battle
A 25 Year Flame (25 years of marriage)
When I was just twenty-years-old, God lit the flame. I stood in the kitchen with my mom, probably doing something mundane like cleaning up after dinner, and divulged - I know who I want to marry. Perhaps she thought I was too young; but then again, she pledged her heart to a lifelong love (44…Read more A 25 Year Flame (25 years of marriage)
My Son’s Last High School Baseball Season
After a dreadfully dry winter, snow fell last week – must be baseball season in Colorado! Through the rain, snow, and sleet of year after year of springs in Colorado, I’ve witnessed the transformation of a boy into a warrior, slaying his opponents with a white orb and a long, skinny chunk of wood. With…Read more My Son’s Last High School Baseball Season