Art walk in Winter Park
Winter Park Art Trail weaves together natural beauty with artists' creations
Meg Soyars/Sky-Hi News
The streets and trails of Winter Park have been beautified with original artwork created by local and national artists. The Winter Park Art Trail kicked off this July, featuring 35 installed art pieces. The free trail winds from Winter Park Resort to the Headwaters Center. Some artwork is conveniently located along the sidewalk in town, while other artwork is next to the scenic Fraser River, where walkers can peruse the beauty of nature and the beauty of the artist’s work at once.
The call for artists received 60+ submissions, and 35 were installed. The displays include paintings and photographs related to Colorado’s beautiful natural resources. People walking the Art Trail can stop to peruse portraits of epic animals, such as black bears, moose, buffalo, foxes…and even the more domestic sort, like cattle grazing beneath Devil’s Thumb. The Trail features renditions of the area’s snowy peaks, summer sunsets and aspens turned gold in fall. And several pieces of artwork depict people enjoying outdoor activities, such as cross-country skiing or floating on the lake.
“The artists participating this year have some level of connection to the community. However, this is not a prerequisite set by the committee,” said Catherine Ross, Executive Director of the Winter Park & Fraser Chamber, on how the artwork was chosen. “The artists submitted their work after a ‘call for artists’ was published. A committee had a blind judging process to vote on the pieces that would be displayed.”
Meg Soyars/Sky-Hi News
August 26 was the last day for the public to vote on their favorite pieces. On Thursday, September 2, winners will be announced at a Summer Send Off Party at Uptripping in Winter Park. The party will feature free beer and wine, food trucks, live music and an awards ceremony for the winners. The Top three winner’s work will be reproduced digitally by Uptripping and displayed for a limited sale. Don’t worry, there is still lots of time to enjoy the Art Trail after the winners have been announced—the art installations will remain on display until the May 2023.
This is the second year the Winter Park Art Trail has been installed, and it looks like it is set to become a yearly tradition.
“In 2021, as a response to the COVID restrictions, the Art Trail was created to build a new attraction that residents and guests could experience without gathering in one place,” Ross said. “The goal of the project is to bring an additional experience through visual art along the Fraser River Trail. The project promotes the artists and provides exposure for their work.”
The art trail features the work of the following artists: Hunter Carey, Jessie Nelson, Phil Skrzekut, Shannon Cormier, Michaela Cross, Ashley Tkacs, Jennifer Baker, Byron West, Jane Evans, Kayla Danielle, Damon La Scala, Anthony York, Ian MacDonald, Echo Zoyiopoulos, Caroline Kaestner, Carol Newsom, Jonathan Lamb, Jay Stewart, Cy Kennedy, Katrina Larson, Jeff Skinner, Berta Post, Tammy Meeske, Nan Wright, Shannon Foley Henn, Karen Fletcher, Nathan Gibbs, Lisa Hut, Victor D’Agostino, Jon Geeslin, George Wheelhouse, Suzie Royce Cruse, Erin Deardorff, Tori Lahrman and Lara Kurtak. A complete biography of each artist is available at playwinterpark.com.
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Mountain and waves scene by Nathan Gibbs of Laguna Hills, CA.
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Majestic bald eagle by George Wheelhouse Flitwick, UK.
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The Beatles ready to hit the slopes by Shannon Foley Henn of Winter Park.
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Winter pines by Karen Fletcher of Tabernash.
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A winter wonderland by Erin Deardorff Winter Park
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Ski runs in the distance by Suzie Royce Cruse of Winter Park.
Meg Soyars/Sky-Hi News
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