Colorado 150: Highlighting Western Colorado’s Landscape & Spirit

To celebrate Colorado’s 150th Anniversary of statehood, the Western Colorado Community Foundation is proud to present Colorado 150: Highlighting Western Colorado’s Landscape & Spirit, a regional art initiative honoring the places, people, and generosity that make western Colorado extraordinary.

As the community foundation serving Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, and Rio Blanco counties, WCCF commissioned one artist from each county to create two original works of art. One piece reflects the iconic landscape, history, or character of their county, while the other explores the spirit of generosity, philanthropy, and community impact that helps communities thrive.

Our artists are currently bringing their visions to life, and we can’t wait to share the completed collection with the community later this month.

Join us for A Toast to Colorado 150, a special unveiling celebration on Thursday, July 30, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at WCCF’s Center for Philanthropy, 128 N. 5th Street, Grand Junction. Guests will be among the first to view all fourteen original works, enjoy a Colorado-inspired specialty cocktail and local refreshments, and celebrate the landscapes and spirit of generosity that define western Colorado before Downtown Grand Junction’s Farmers Market, Market on Main.

Event is free, but please let us know if you plan to attend!

The Artists Behind the Story

Every county has a unique story to tell, and every artist brings a distinct perspective to that story.

Representing Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, and Rio Blanco counties, these seven talented artists were selected to capture both the landscape and the spirit of their communities. Their creativity is helping create a collection that celebrates western Colorado’s rich heritage and enduring culture of generosity.

Explore each artist’s story below and continue to follow along to learn more about the inspiration behind their work.

Delta County: Jill Knutson

Inspired by scenery surrounding me, I love the way light and shadow play on an object or scene. Early in my practice I found pastels convey the beauty and softness of the world as I see it. Capturing that beauty and emotion of the moment on paper is the fun part of making a painting. Each painting is a bit like solving a puzzle, piece by piece. My goal is to bring the viewer in to a scene, as if standing there themselves, experiencing what I saw.

Always an artist, I spent my childhood sewing, drawing, designing, building models from found objects, and making up projects to keep myself entertained. Later, I earned a BFA in Graphic Design and after that a K-8 teaching certificate. Since my retirement from teaching I have taken classes in pastel, drawing, and gouache, and have competed in several Plein air events and shows. I belong to Plein Air Artists of Colorado, PAAC, The Blue Sage Center for the Arts and the North Fork Creative Coalition.

My hope is that you will enjoy my paintings as much as I enjoy creating them! It sounds like a cliche, but I make art because I have to. It is what fills my life with meaning, joy, and true happiness.

Learn more

Eagle County: Jami Nix Rahn

Jami Nix Rahn is a multidisciplinary artist whose career began internationally, while living, working, and exhibiting in Europe and South America before returning to the United States. Now based in Edwards, Colorado, she works across painting, drawing, and sculpture, exploring themes of connection, fragility, and the natural environment. Her recent paintings are rooted in the landscapes and waterways of Colorado’s Vail Valley and Eagle County but move beyond traditional landscape representation. Rather than simply depicting a place, her work seeks to convey the experience of being immersed in the landscape—the feeling of being surrounded, enveloped, and connected to the natural world.

Learn more.

Garfield County: Tammie Lane

Tammie Lane was born in Oklahoma. After receiving her BFA in Illustration from Oklahoma State and Phillips University, she worked as an illustrator doing a variety of work, honing her skills as a painter. Commercial work paid her bills for many years, but fine art—her own work for galleries—was always her inspiration. Eventually, her paintings and pottery took the lead and her illustrative work fell by the wayside. 

Growing up going to her grandfather’s ranch, romping in the fields for hours in the rural countryside, riding horses, and being outdoors set the tone for the things she loves to paint. Being outside as a plein air painter – painting on location – is something she has done for over 40 years. Finding the beauty of a rundown farm, or the last light hitting a mountain meadow—beauty in the ordinary—are all what she loves to find and capture.

She added clay to the mix of her artwork about 20 years ago. Raku has the same quality as watercolor – there is a random play of the fire, that always keeps you interested. Working in three mediums: watercolor, oil, and clay has kept her excited to go into the studio for many years. 

Her work has been in numerous one-man shows, national juried shows, Public Works Projects, and galleries throughout the United States. Currently, she is a Resident Artist at The Redbrick Center for the Arts in Aspen, Colorado, an adjunct professor at the Colorado Mountain College, and travels to Plein Air Festivals throughout the year. 

Learn more.

Mesa County: Monica Esposito

Monica Esposito, born in Denver in 1978, is a working artist as well as a registered nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. She moved to Texas with her family as a child and lived there for many years, although Colorado was always called home. As a young woman, Monica frequently visiting the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth and was exposed to many artistic visionaries of the west, including Georgia O’Keeffe. Monica returned to Colorado in 2001 after receiving her degree in Fine Arts, Painting, from the University of Texas. Although her focus as a young painter was on the human figure at the University of Texas, she quickly turned to the western landscape for her inspiration. Monica paints in plein air to find inspiration for her larger studio pieces. She credits the art and life of Georgia O’Keeffe as one of her strongest influences.

Monica is a member of the Plein Air Artists of Colorado, Western Colorado Center for the Arts and Oil Painters of America. You can find her work represented at the West Winds Gallery in Grand Junction, CO., the Bross Hotel, Paonia, CO., and the Sage Mountain Gallery in Salida, CO.

Learn more.

Montrose County: Barbara Kendrick

Barbara is a landscape artist who works both on location and in her studio overlooking the beautiful San Juan Mountains. She draws her inspiration from nature, especially while hiking and exploring the scenic Southwest. Her work is featured in many private collections and has won numerous awards in national, regional and local art competitions including Best of Show; Best Pastel in Show; Arts for the Parks Top 100 and numerous First Place awards. Corporate collectors of her work include Alpine Bank, Citizen’s State Bank, XTO Energy Corporation, Maxfield Peterson P.C., Stonehouse Restaurant and the Gateway Museum in Farmington, NM.

A signature member of the Pastel Society of Colorado, her work can be seen on her website: www.barbarakendrickart.com and Facebook page: Barbara Kendrick Art. Basically self-taught, she works primarily in pastels and employs a representational style. Influenced by contemporary landscape artists such as Bruce Gomez and Aaron Scheur, her work is also guided by past masters including Alfred Glover Ryder, Guy Rose and Edgar Payne from the California Impressionist School. “Nature is an endless source of inspiration for me. It’s sometimes difficult to find words to adequately describe the experience of a breathtakingly beautiful landscape. I have found that art is a powerful tool to explore and share these special moments in special places.”

“My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in a corner of nature.” –Claude Monet

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Ouray County: Emma Kalff

Emma Kalff’s paintings explore the intersection of memory, emotion, and everyday life, revealing the beauty and complexity of our inner worlds. She paints aspects of ordinary life as a way of giving voice to the hidden world of meaning all around us.

Her work has been selected as part of Southwest Art magazine’s “21 Under 31: Young Artists to Collect Now”, and have been shown in American Art Collector magazine, Plein Air magazine, and Studio Visit magazine. In 2023 she was listed as an Artist to Watch by Plein Air Magazine. Kalff’s paintings are in private and public collections, and have been shown at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art.

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Rio Blanco County: Pat Sheeran Daggett

Pat Sheeran/Daggett studied art at Colorado State University majoring in sculpture with an interest in fiber arts and painting on the side. She exhibited for several years in New York as well as in national pastel shows from New Jersey to California. She currently has work in the collections of several corporations and non-profit entities. Pat has been working full time as a fine artist since 1986. By a thread of grace she has been allowed to spend her life creating work that celebrates the life around her- the landscapes, the people, and the vanishing lifestyles and vistas of this area. She has been a resident of NW Colorado since 1980. Pat currently owns and runs The Upstairs Gallery in Meeker adjacent to her studio

Learn more.