Ruth Soller » Blog

This plein air oil painting depicts the 1896 farmhouse owned by the Frank Grasso family during the height of the coal mining industry in Superior, CO. This home is preserved behind the Superior Town Hall building in Heritage Park along with other buildings of the small family farm including a barn, root cellar, privy, woodshed and a bungalow. Early farm machinery is included on the site. This painting is a companion piece to my previous plein air work Grasso Barn, Superior, CO.

Ruth Soller Solo Exhibition – Broomfield Auditorium Gallery –

Reception Sunday, Aug. 25, 2-4 pm

“Old West Relics and Memories”

While collecting my most recent and favorite works for this exhibition, I realized that most of my paintings illustrate themes from the Old West. The subtitle “Relics and Memories” implies that each viewer of these paintings adds their own personal memory and images from the past or even from dreams about the Old West. This show celebrates my tenth anniversary of living and working in Colorado and immersing myself in a culture and lifestyle I dreamed about as a child. It has been such a blessing to experience the beautiful and dramatic landscapes of Colorado and to paint scenes from Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Mesa, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Mesa Verde, Steamboat Springs and more. I’ve taken a giant step outside of my studio to practice plein air painting with the guidance and encouragement of excellent landscape painters, John Taft and Jake Gaedtke. I’m drawn to the historic architecture of the West, from the barns and cabins of the earliest settlers to the grain elevators that served each community’s need for farm animal feed to flour and cornmeal for cooking.  I’ve practiced horsemanship skills and learned more about anatomy of horses which aids my drawing and painting of these noble and powerful creatures.  Recently, I’ve indulged my passion for portraiture in workshops with outstanding portrait and figurative artists, Johanna Harmon and Dan Beck. During our travels in the West, I’ve observed Native American dancers and enjoyed composing scenes of these dancers in authentic costumes and settings. I’m thrilled to share my collection “Old West: Relics & Memories” with you.