Brushstrokes of Fall

"Vale of Shadows," Brienne Brown, watercolor on watercolor panel, 12"x16"
Story by Deborah Olsen

Autumn in the Yampa Valley makes all of us wish we were artists. Cool days, golden mountains, sparkling water, round haystacks, Steamboat’s historic main street, the Farmers Market, Steamboat Lake and scenic gondola rides – they all beg to be memorialized on canvas.

Artists from throughout the country showcase their work in Steamboat Art Museum’s annual plein air exhibit and sale, which opens with a weeklong paint-out in late September. While artist slots for this event sold out in less than a day last spring, everyone in town gets to watch over their shoulders as participating artists create plein air pieces. The finished pieces then go on display at SAM through Friday, Oct. 31.

Artists compete in two categories, professional and open. The 2025 judge is Pennsylvania artist Brienne Brown, for whom the fall plein air event marks her first visit to Steamboat. “I’m very excited,” she says. Personally, she loves painting outdoors as much as she loves working in her studio. She says the challenges with plein air painting are the changing weather and light. “Time is a factor,” she says. “I treat it as a great learning experience. You only have so much time. You have to make decisions quickly: What is the most important element? The limited time can stop you from fiddling too much."