Best of Show, Desoto Art League
My “Trinidad, Colorado Morning” just took Best of Show at the 2013 Desoto Art League Annual Art Show. I was shell-shocked. The quality of the works surrounding me was overwhelming. They gave awards in the categories of Photography, Dry Media, Watercolor, Mixed Media, Oil & Acrylic, and 3-Dimensional art. All the categories were so top-heavy in quality, that I didn’t feel much surprised to be passed over for all the places in watercolor. I had no idea Best of Show had been set aside for me. I’m quite numb tonight.
Thanks for reading.
Tags: Desoto Art League, Savoy Hotel, Trinidad
Recollections 54 The Art of David Tripp 
June 7, 2013 at 8:55 pm |
I remember following along as you were working on this painting and being fascinated with it, particularly the ghost signs. Well done and well deserved! I can see Jack and Neal hanging out by that building, leaned up against the hood of the Hudson talking about whatever and dreaming. In the back of the room as you received the award, their ghosts must have been yelling “that’s IT man IT!! He’s got IT!!!”
Great painting.
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June 8, 2013 at 11:37 am |
Corey,
Your post caused me to laugh and cry simultaneously. Thank you for paying me one of the most heart-touching compliments I could ever receive as an artist. I laugh and cry at the thought of Sal and Dean going ballistic to live bop music and trying to talk about it in the back seat of someone else’s car. I’m going to shop for images of a Hudson to paint. I can hardly wait. Thanks again, for always inspiring me.
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June 9, 2013 at 6:15 pm
Glad to hear it. Those scenes in On the Road left an impression for me–in a reductionist way, that’s what I think of first when I think of the book (and the line about apple pie and ice cream, his staple food on his first trip out west, being nutritious), not all the underlying sadness. It was interesting reading Big Sur when I was out there last year. It gave a different sense of the place. On the one hand there was some fun in recognizing places from the book, making it more real, but the book leant a sadness to the place as well. I guess that’s part of what makes reading Kerouac so great– that constant tension between sadness and hope/excitement. Your painting conjured that because the place looked both timeless and dated, inviting and past its prime. It wasn’t just an artifact of a time gone by, but evidence of a time and a sense persisting. Being unpopulated, but with the continued human evidence, reinforced that for me. Again, well done.
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June 13, 2013 at 7:47 pm
Excellent observations, thanks so much for sharing them with me. I got to see the original On the Road “scroll” on display in Austin, Texas several years back. They had about 100 feet of it rolled out, under glass. I believe it belongs to the owner of the Baltimore Ravens. Last weekend, I FINALLY got to see the new film On the Road. I cannot wait to own that one on DVD.
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June 7, 2013 at 9:07 pm |
well it is awesome!!! 😀
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June 8, 2013 at 11:38 am |
Thank you, Rachel!
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June 7, 2013 at 10:59 pm |
congratulations! your painting was quite deserving of that award! the painting is lovely!
z
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June 8, 2013 at 11:38 am |
Thank you. Always, you make me feel good about my work. I appreciate you so much.
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June 8, 2013 at 1:02 pm
Con mucho gusto! It is my pleasure! Your work is consistently strong and always a joy to read your posts.
z
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June 13, 2013 at 7:36 pm
You always say the kindest things to me, thank you so much!
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June 7, 2013 at 11:35 pm |
Fantastic! Congratulations! It is an excellent painting.
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June 8, 2013 at 8:14 am |
Wow, congratulations. I just started following your blog and really enjoying it. Your work speaks to me.
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June 8, 2013 at 11:39 am |
Nothing makes me happier than knowing my art could actually “matter” to someone else. Thank you so much for saying what you did.
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June 8, 2013 at 8:55 am |
Brilliant!! the way you painted the side of the building is rich with texture & expressing the passing of time. Well done!!!!
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June 8, 2013 at 11:41 am |
Thank you so much! The ghost signs had me ready to throw this painting across the room! I cannot believe still how many layers I applied, trying to make the wall look “right”. I really appreciate your comment, thank you.
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June 8, 2013 at 9:22 am |
Congratulations! Your painting is wonderful.
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June 8, 2013 at 11:41 am |
Thank you so much.
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June 8, 2013 at 9:30 am |
Congratulations! You are a very good artist, of that there is no doubts and I like this blog of yours because it gives me an opportunity to admire your work. However, I have a question. When one wins an award, as you have often done, or when one’s work is displayed at a juried art show, your peers are the ones making the decision and your ability as an artist is the principal criteria. However, in art sales this many not be as important a determining factor as the emotional response by a buyer moves him/her to part with their money. Does that make sense to you? And, if so, should an artist be striving for emotional response?
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June 8, 2013 at 11:45 am |
Wow, what an observation! I’m afraid of the ambiguity of my answer, because the bottom line is I’m not sure. I paint what moves me, and always hope/wish my work would move others. But for more than ten years now, I have wondered, how can one paint mood, or feeling, or emotion? I have loved the works of Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth, thinking their work truly evoked deep feelings, while my work seemed that of a bland illustrator. Yet, I read that those two men were plagued their entire lives with the fear that they would be regarded as illustrators rather than painters of feeling. That relaxed me greatly, and just led me to trust what I do, that if I’m emotionally involved in my subject, that there will be viewers who likewise feel that. Of course, not everyone (including a judge) will feel that. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to (try to) put this into words. Excellent observation.
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June 8, 2013 at 10:52 am |
So wonderful!!…happy for you! It is an amazing painting!! I enjoyed watching it’s progress here.
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June 8, 2013 at 11:45 am |
Thank you so much for being a part of the “birthing” process of this work! I so appreciate you for watching it happen, and always offering encouragement.
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June 10, 2013 at 3:49 am |
Congratulations! 🙂
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June 13, 2013 at 7:51 pm |
Thank you!
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September 5, 2013 at 10:35 pm |
Hi David, Love your painting and seeing how it progressed. My boyfriend, Dave Miller, owns the Savoy and we stay there when we are in Trinidad.
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September 5, 2013 at 10:38 pm |
Thank you, Jennifer. Painting that site was one of the highlights of my professional life. I’m glad you like the work. I cannot wait to see the Savoy again. I don’t get to Colorado as often as I used to, and regret that.
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September 6, 2013 at 11:18 am
Hi David! My Dave talked to a reporter at one of the Trinidad newspapers, and he would be interested in doing an article about you and your work! Here’s his contact info:
tenderbastard@gmail.com Scott Mastro at Freelance Reporter/News Reporter for the Trinidad Chronicle
I will forward to him a link to your blog so he can contact you! If and when you come through Trinidad, you can stay at the Savoy! Dave refers to it as “The World’s Very Finest One Star Hotel!”
Dave Miller and Jennifer West. Our phone number is 303-388-3231 (Denver, Colorado)!
Best regards,
Jen
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September 6, 2013 at 1:35 pm
Thank you for the good word, Jennifer. I am very interested in discussing these matters with you, with Dave, or with the reporter from the Trinidad Chronicle. Thank you so much for looking at my work and responding the way you have.
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February 23, 2014 at 1:45 am |
This a beautiful painting. We can not wait to see the Savoy up close. Looking forward to playing a lot of music.
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February 23, 2014 at 3:54 pm |
Thank you. I’m really itching to get back to Trinidad. I would love to paint more of that town.
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