Happy Mothers’ Day

Shakespeare’s Bouquet in Boulder. Some of our members have pieces in the Denver Botanic Gardens – University of Colorado exhibit of plants from Shakespeare’s plays.

A copy of the First Folio from the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC will be on display in this 400^th anniversary year of the Bard’s death. The Artists Reception is at the Norlin Library on Saturday, May 14, 2 – 4 pm.

Open Studio Resumes Tuesday, May 10, 9 am – 1 pm, Valkarie Gallery, 445 S Saulsbury St, Lakewood.

Gathering of the Guilds. We all had a great time on April 24 at Boettcher Mansion on Lookout Mountain in Golden. Beautiful weather this year. We enticed a sale or two, reacquainted with friends in other guilds, swapped business cards, sampled the fragrant 

offerings of Golden Moon Distillery, and made a few select purchases from among the available wares from bath salts to wooden tables. Looking forward to next year!

April Members Meeting on April 23 was very interesting. James Holmes from the Cherokee Ranch & Castle Foundation informed us about the cultural and natural heritage of the CRC, and reminded us about public tours beginning at 11 am Tuesdays through Sundays. For various upcoming activities available at CCR, including monthly exhibits by local artists, plein air paint-outs, and birding projects, visit the CRC website. There also find access to sign-up for the Arts Afield sketching opportunities we have as Artists in Residence. Our Vanessa Martin and Jan Boyd Haring are on the Art Committee for CCR (lucky us!).

Lucky, too, because guest speaker Susan Panjabi from the Colorado Natural Heritage Program at Colorado State University advised us of additional illustration opportunities. A new list of rare plants next up on CNHP’s radar is available and we will post it around here. Artwork is always welcome in those identification guides. Susan advises us the check for field trip opportunities with the Colorado Native Plant Society at the CNPS website.

RARE II: Springtime in the Rockies. On Saturday, April 30, having observed weather and road conditions for two days, your intrepid Editor set forth to travel I25 south to Raton, New Mexico, for the RARE II Opening Reception at the Raton Museum, 108 S. 2^nd Ave. The highway was wet in Douglas County but clear and dry all the way to Raton – and back next day. 

Kathy McQueary and the Staff put on a lovely Artist Reception spread including four varieties of wine, fresh vegetables and sweets, and truly excellent meatballs. 

Your Editor gave a brief presentation about our process and techniques to the gathered wildflower followers and other guests. 

A Silent Auction offered bids on a number of lovely antiques and artifacts accompanying our artworks. Your Editor tried to respond coherently to questions from the local on-line paper that serves the area from Walsenburg, CO to Las Vegas, NM, but was unable to catch the journal’s title.

The second floor gallery space is a treat! Skylight passage for the first floor! 

Quite nice textile banners and portraits of the New Mexico wildflowers from the museum collection decorated the walls along with our 40 plant portraits, 5 posters, 2 maps, and our acknowledgements. The RARE II banner is in the street level front window. 

This is a very lovely hanging, and it would be a shame if only the one RMSBA member got to see it. Go down to Raton this month and see what a great job they did.

RMSBA Board. Consider serving on the RMSBA Executive Committee. Positions open for 2017-2018: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and a couple other choice opportunities. Give it some serious thought: service to friends and fellow artists.