Ruth Soller » Blog

This nocturne snow scene of a grey wolf howling at the full Wolf Moon is primarily from my imagination and painted over a prior snow scene. This unframed gallery wrapped original oil is available from my studio or my website. Click the link below:

https://www.solleroriginals.com/workszoom/5513162/grey-wolf-moon#/ Read More

This exhibition showcases the Landscape and the LIfestyles of the people living in the West, today and in the past. From mountains to the plains, there is a wide diversity of land and lifestyles to be shown and how they may interact with one another. I'm pleasesd to present five paintings in this juried Broomfield, CO gallery show. This show is open Friday, Oct 20, Saturday, Oct 21, and Sunday, Oct 22 at Life in the West Art Gallery, 555 Alter St, Unit 3, Broomfield, CO.

"Twilight in Rocky Mountain National Park" just won an international Special Recognition Award in the current Healing Power of Elements: Earth, Water, Air, Fire Exhibition sponsored by Healing Power of Art and Artists in Manhattan, NY. "Boreas Pass Aspens", "Red Fox at Laurey's Farm", "Clouds at Anne Brand Park", and "Autumn at North Teller Lake" are included in this show. Read More

We recently shared a family vacation in Rocky Mountain National Park. I was eager to photograph this scene of the headwaters of the Colorado River at sunset. A magical glow from the setting sun cast yellow rays between mountain ridges and created orange edges around distant pines.Gentle curves of the flowing river below filled the air with calming, gurgling sounds. This peaceful composition illustrates how nature has begun to heal the land after devastating forest fires.

I'm honored that my painting "Twilight in Rocky Mountain National Park" is included in Healing Power of Elements: Earth, Water, Air, Fire" by Manhattan Arts International along with 75 selected artists worldwide. Renée Phillips, Founder, Director & Curator of Manhattan Arts International describes the show,

"The Healing Power of Elements" exhibition will present art that is positive and uplifting inspired by one or more elements - Earth, Water, Air and Fire. The exhibition will convey a broad range of interpretations of the elements by more than 75 artists. It will convey that Art created in this manner provides a significant power in our healing process." Read More

We recently shared a family vacation in Rocky Mountain National Park. I was eager to photograph this scene of the headwaters of the Colorado River at sunset. A magical glow from the setting sun cast yellow rays between mountain ridges and created orange edges around distant pines.Gentle curves of the flowing river below filled the air with calming, gurgling sounds. This peaceful composition illustrates how nature has begun to heal the land after devastating forest fires.

 

 

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National Parks and Western Landscape paintings featured in BLINK Art Resource 2022.  

 

Blink Art Resource is distributed to interior architects, interior designers, interior decorators, and art industry professionals. My original oil paintings are designed for healthcare art, hospitality art, and corporate art installations. Currently my art is showcased at  Governor Polis's office in Colorado State Capitol, Framed Image in Denver, and ADC Fine Art in Cincinnati, OH. Other paintings are available for purchase directly from my website www.RuthSoller.com. Collections include National Parks, Studio Landscapes, Figurative,  Animal, and Floral.

 

If you are looking for custom designed art for your home or office, please email me [email protected] to discuss your project. 

 

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Raber Cabin Grand Mesa National Forest ©Ruth Soller , SOLD

 

Are you as excited for spring to arrive as I am? Steve planted new bulbs last fall in our flower bed and we look for new color each day. A few days ago yellow crocus opened their sunny petals and today rich purple crocus bloomed. Art sales are blossoming, too. Raber Cabin on Grand Mesa National Forest traveled to a new collector in Maine, remarkably finding a new home with a granddaughter of Bill and Winifred Raber!

 

Bill Raber and his new bride Winifred bought the Lucas Ranch on Kannah Creek in 1938. On the original cabin door was penned this inscription," May 25 1938 Four feet of snow and spring still coming, Bill Raber, Crafts Black." The cow camp built in 1931 or 1932 included grazing rights to 160 acres. It may have been early July before the snow melted, so they could bring the cows up from Kannah Creek. Winifred claimed that during roundups as many as 20 people would stay in the two cabins, hanging blankets to provide privacy for the women.

 

I'd like to remind you that I accept commissions (custom orders) for a painting of your favorite landscape, home or pet. Begin the process by emailing your ideas to [email protected] today.

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Minerva Terrace Yellowstone, oil on linen, 24x30

I'm thrilled to present the newest painting in my National Parks series entitled "Minerva Terrace Yellowstone". My inspiration came from visiting Yellowstone three times (early 1970's, 1990, and 2005) and noticing changes in shapes and colors of formations. My intention was to emphasize the contrast of dark purples against sunlit white terraced pools. I added the cascading viridian mineral water flowing down the tiers to guide the eye through the painting. I love the complementary colors of the red-orange rock steps against the turquoise of the water and sky.

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Our family took a long weekend at Rocky Mountain National Park where we rented a lovely home with a deck overlooking Columbine Lake. I painted this plein air oil landscape view from the deck. The early morning was quiet and refreshing as the sun rose over the mountains.

Holiday Gift Ideas through December 31, 2021

 

My plan is to post one new painting per day, on days that I am in my studio and am not traveling. Artworks in this section are being offered at a discount. Prices listed are for unframed original paintings. Shipping included for lower 48 states US. Use PayPal or your credit card to purchase directly from this page. You do not need to have an account with PayPal to use your credit card.

 

If you have questions please contact me at [email protected]

Thank you for visiting and Happy Holidays!

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Guilded Coast Cloudscape is fourth in my abstract cloudscape series. I created this original oil on linen painting based on a dramatic sky I photographed from my back yard. I saw in the photo an aerial view of an ocean with golden gilded coastlines on islands covered by turbulent violet-grey cloud forms. Dark sea creatures swam in the foreground as the yellow-orange sunset reflected in the turquoise sea.

If you enjoy this piece, it would mean so much to me to hear your thoughts. Please reply with your comment. Read More

This is the second painting in my new series of Abstracted Cloudscapes. This painting was inspired by a sunrise photograph I took in January 2020. I found the cloud formation foreboding, as if an unknown threat was rapidly descending upon us. How true this feeling turned out to be. Examining my collection of cloudscape photos taken during 2020 and before, I selected a group which portrayed a variety of emotions to me. Now I am working on translating the images to paintings and I hope the series will be meaningful to you.

Please take a moment to reply in a comment the feeling or emotion this piece creates for you. Read More

This acid green Burlington Northern caboose has seen better days before it was uncoupled and left to the graffiti artists on a side track below Hunter Douglas headquarters in Broomfield, Colorado. I love the abstract shapes and bold colors of this design. In the background you see the Boulder Flatirons, so named because of their resemblance to the early pioneer irons for clothing which had to be heated on the wood stove top or the hearth before ironing. Read More

Silver Lining Cloudscape is the first in a new series of original oil paintings. This series of cloudscapes is focused on emotions expressed by viewing light, color harmonies, and symbolic patterns in the skies. In this piece I am experimenting with the application of the paint with both pallette knife and with brushes. My feeling expressed in this cloudscape is that even in very confusing and unstable times if we focus on the creator and his creation of nature, we eventually see the silver lining. For me, the silver lining is the inspiration for new work.



If you experience an emotion while viewing this painting, please share by replying with a comment. Read More

        

 

 

I'm honored to receive the Landscape Artist of the Year Award at ADC Gallery West's gorgeous 13,000 square foot new showplace in Cincinnati, OH. More than 3000 artworks were entered from across the US and Internationally, with 300 pieces selected for the Art Comes Alive! Awards Presentation and Reception on January 23, 2021. My oil painting Grandview Sunset Grand Canyon is in the exhibition through March 19, 2021.

 

The new gallery is designed and furnished with stunning sitting areas and lit by two brilliant chandeliers. Private and corporate collectors were on hand to present purchase awards to artists. Gallery contracts and magazine articles were awarded. We enjoyed a meet and greet at ADC Gallery East with Gallery Director Cassandra giving us a tour of the featured show of four women artists.

 

Steve and I toured The Taft Historic House/ Taft Museum of Art and learned about the history of Cincinnati and the support for emerging artists by patrons and sponsors from the 1830's to the present. Sunday, Cincinnati Art Museum featured native artist Frank Duveneck's (1848-1919) career and contributions to the city. I learned about an artist I had admired but had not studied previously.

 

http://ruthsoller.com/workszoom/3735299#/

 

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Legend of the White Buffalo

I learned of this legend passed down by the Lakota Sioux of South Dakota after visiting the Badlands and viewing herds of buffalo. The white buffalo is extremely rare, said to occur only once in 6 million births. White buffalo are considered sacred to the Lakota Sioux and may have spiritual significance similar to weeping statues, bleeding icons or crosses of light in some Christian traditions. White buffalo symbolize abundance and sacred life as evidenced in this legend.

One summer long ago seven council fires of Lakota Sioux met together to discuss their lack of game as the people were starving. Two young braves were sent out to hunt in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

A beautiful young woman with long dark hair and dressed in buckskin and carrying a bundle wrapped in a buffalo hide appeared before the young hunters. She told them that she knew their thoughts and that one had good thought and one had bad thoughts. A cloud of dust rose around the man with lustful thoughts and only a skeleton was left. The second hunter was very frightened but listened to the holy woman's message.

The woman said that change was coming and soon there would be an abundance of buffalo, but there would also be trials as the climate of the earth was changing. Her message was that all people of every color must work together if they hoped to thrive in the future. She gave the bundle containing a sacred pipe to the young brave to share with the tribes. The sacred pipe has been honored and passed down for nineteen generations.

As the woman departed she tumbled four times and changed in color from black to red to yellow and finally to a white buffalo calf. Soon after the visit of the holy woman herds of buffalo became abundant. It is believed that the changing colors of the woman represent all races of humans, who must work together in unity to save our earth for future generations. The Native Americans see the white buffalo calf as a sign of life's sacred circle.

Source: http://www.lightningmedicinecloud.com/legend.html Read More

I painted these cheerful pumpkins on location at Munson Farm in Boulder, CO, one warm October morning. This original oil painting is framed in a simple black wood frame. Shipping is included in the continental US.

How would this piece look in your fall decor to brighten your living or dining area for Halloween and Thanksgiving?
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September is our favorite month to drive Gualella Pass from Grant to Georgetown, Colorado to view the changing colors of the quaking aspens from green to yellow-green, bright yellow, golden, orange, even red. I painted this piece after one of our leaf drives and I hope this painting brings happy memories to you. Read More

Our cowboy guide Brain led us on the two hour sunset ride up into the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area and along breathtaking views of the changing skies and lengthening shadows of the wild sage. As we neared the rim of Devil's Canyon I saw ahead that we were planning to traverse a one yard wide ledge jutting out from the red rock cliffs with a sheer drop-off of at least 200 feet into the canyon. As my horse Midnight neared the narrowest point I was sitting straight and very, very still while clutching the saddle-horn with white knuckled hands as my heart stopped. I kept my gaze on Brian up ahead, fearfull to look over the edge of the cliff. My heartbeat resumed as we soon reached more solid ground and Brain stopped to “give Midnight a chance to catch her breath”.

We had spectacular view on the deepening blues, violets, and mauves of the shadows and the brightening reds, corals, and golds of the last rays of the sun hitting the canyon rims. Below us lay the town of Fruita and the Colorado River meandering through the lush green vineyards and fruit orchards carpeting the valley. Beyond the valley were the Little Bookcliffs fading into the distant haze. What a joyful experience!

Next time you are in the Grand Junction, Fruita, or Palisades area, consider spending a few hours on horseback exploring the canyons in an exciting and memorable ride. Read More

Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park is a wonderful frame for the red rock canyons and formations beyond. I'm continuing to commemorate the 104th Anniversary of the National Parks System by creating a series of paintings. Here is a link to the National Parks Series: https://ruthsoller.com/collections/84971

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We rose at 4:00 am, layered-on warm clothing, and made coffee. By 5:00 am, I had set up my plein air gear near the rim of the Grand Canyon at the Duck-on-a-Rock formation. President Dwight Eisenhower named this formation during his tour of the Grand Canyon. Still dark and with temperatures near 30 degrees, I mixed paints as the sky began to glow with the rising sun. My plein air sketch turned out pale and pastel, likely due to mixing paints in the semi-darkness. This newly completed version was painted as a demo for a children's art show, using my plein air sketch and my photograph as resources.

Have you watched a sunset or sunrise at the Grand Canyon? How did you feel during the experience? Read More

I'm pleased to present this landscape in my National Parks Series, Moran Point Grand Canyon. This piece is all about reflected light of the setting sun at dusk casting an other-worldly glow into canyon crevasses. I'm using a complementary color harmony of blue violets and red violets contrasting with the yellow orange glow of sunlight and the warm greens of the foliage. The vast structures of eroded rock are simplified and organized into geometric patterns creating a visually stimulating and pleasing design. Read More

Recently our family gathered for a long weekend at Rocky Mountain National Park where we rented a lovely home with a deck overlooking Columbine Lake. I painted this plein air oil landscape view from the deck. The early morning was quiet and refreshing as the sun rose over the mountains.

 

What feelings does this piece evoke in you?

 

      

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This original oil painting was commissioned by one of my new collectors of the Pawnee Buttes National Grasslands. We arrived early to photograph the sunrise in the park and I took shots of the wildflowers in bloom. Although this is a remote location acessed by a dirt road, several campers were on a bluff overlooking the buttes. Raptor nesting areas were blocked off from hikers. At sunrise all was peaceful and quiet.

Do you have a favorite location that you would love to have an original painting of? Please email me [email protected] to discuss your idea. Read More

I painted this original studio oil landscape of Cottonwood Creek near Jenny Lake with a background view of the iconic Grand Tetons in Grand Teton National Park. Notice how I emphasized the difference in shape and color of each of the trees along the creek. To portray distance the mountains in the background are lighter, cooler, and grayer than the trees. In the foreground water the shallower water near the bank reveals the stones and mud under the water in warmer hues, while the far shore reflects the cool blue of the sky.

What feelings or emotions does this painting inspire for you? Read More

 

I painted this plein air oil landscape of Lily Lake on the eastern border of Rocky Mountain National Park on a crisp and windy summer morning as ripples danced across the water. Steve enjoyed a scenic hike around the lake with wild flowers in bloom followed by a picnic lunch. This painting is part of my ongoing National Parks Series.

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I'm thrilled to share with you my oil painting in my National Parks series. Nymph Lake  in Rocky Mountain National Park is the second lake you will reach hiking up from the Bear Lake parking lot. I was attracted to the unusual yellow water lily flowers in Nymph Lake and had not seen these before. I learned that Nymph Lake was named after the flowers which reminded someone of water fairies or nymphs. This painting is about the lyrical pattern created by the shapes of the lotus leaves floating on the water and interspersed with the yellow flowers and the stems beneath the water. Adding to the design are reflections of the pines along the shores along with light from the blue sky bouncing off the water's surface. I'm pleased with this analogous color harmony as well.

How many shades or tints of green can you find in this painting? How do you think each of these greens was mixed? Read More

 

This week I was blessed to experience a story of pure hope. I received and answered an inquiry about one of my oil paintings. My client had seen my Cache de Poudre at the check-in desk of Good Samaritan Cancer Center and was interested in my Longs Peak from McGregor Ranch painting. I emailed to ask her thoughts and feelings about the painting. Her response brought tears to my eyes as she expressed her love for the painting and her story about the meaning of the painting.   "Work and life, even in this crazy pandemic, have been crazy busy. We absolutely love the painting and are definitely going to purchase it framed. …Currently I am being extra careful about any contact.   Your work is absolutely beautiful. We were married at the Chapel on the Rock in Allenspark in 1984 and had a cabin there for 30 years. We've climbed Longs and all the peaks around it so the painting has a special meaning for us as it is part of the fabric of our lives. Our wedding bands even have Longs and Meeker on them.   The one thing we loved about your painting is how you captured the alpenglow. The colors are gorgeous on the peaks and having the meadow foreground captures the essence of the peace, serenity and beauty of actually being there and witnessing the moment when the color appears at sunset and turns the scene magical to be there."   Late that day I realized she was receiving radiation and chemo treatment each day just over a mile from my home. She purchased on my website and we arranged curbside pickup at my home. She was the patient needing care, yet she lifted my spirit by her positive enthusiasm and her expectant hope for her future.   This story summarizes why I love being an artist! Longs Peak from MacGregor Ranch displayed in clients' home AlbertaFallsRMNP_RuthSoller I am a Colorado artist known for radiant oil paintings of dramatic Western vistas, rendered in vibrant color.   Let's connect on social media, click the links or buttons below to like, follow, or connect.   Website: https://ruthsoller.com/viewcollection/84971 Blog: https://www.RuthSoller.com/blog Facebook: https://Facebook.com/RuthSollerFineArt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthsoller/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RuthSoller

 

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Steve and I hiked to Dream Lake on our 20th Anniversary, soon after moving to Colorado. It was a glorious summer day with a cobalt blue sky and crisp breeze. Stellar jays and magpies chattered while chipmunks skittered across lichen dotted granite boulders. Colors were pure and intense in my special memory. I'd enjoy hearing about your memory of Rocky Mountain National Park.

You may wonder how I painted Dream Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. I drew a colored pencil sketch on paper and I tested my composition and color choices in an oil study. I selected one tree for the foreground and extended reflections in the lake further into the foreground.

On the large canvas I painted the sky first and liked the look of it. I painted mountains and distant trees before the water and foreground. I decided the reflections looked like a mirror rather than water, so I added more blues in the water and blurred edges in the reflections. Now I felt the water was competing with the mountains to be my focal point. I created ripple action and a curving path to lead your eye from foreground to mountains. I hope you enjoyed learning about the evolution of Dream Lake RMNP.

This painting is available framed at my studio and you may purchase from the link below using PayPal. You may view this in a room by clicking "Room" or view detail by clicking "Zoom". Please email or call me if you have questions or need more information.
http://ruthsoller.com/workszoom/588619#/ Read More

On a brilliant September morning at Walden Duck Pond, I captured this plein air painting as clouds drifted past. So blessed to call Colorado home, I hope to spend many more days painting in nature. Read More

I painted this waterfall en plein air at Golden Ponds in Longmont, CO, where it was refreshingly cool in the shade near the base of the falls. The roar and splash of the flowing water provided a calming background music. What a lovely day to enjoy nature.
In my studio I refined values and edges. Read More

I began this cloud study en plein air at Golden Ponds in Longmont, CO, and completed it in my studio based on my memory and value sketch. I like the way the sun is hitting the higher clouds and the way the reflections in the water are split by wind cutting across the pond. Read More

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We visited Yosemite National Park on our honeymoon in 1984,and I referred to our photos for inspiration for this original oil painting. This view of Yosemite Falls features the full cascade of spring snow melt along with the variety of greens and golds in the foreground grasses. An afternoon thunder storm may be rolling in with blue grey clouds over the cliffs.

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I'm honored to be profiled in Mountain Living 25th Anniversary Issue May-June 2019 and grateful to Laura Beausire for her interview and article "Healing Views" on the Gallery page 176. Thank you for publishing my painting " Maroon Bells and Lake", oil on canvas, 24x30 inches. Currently this painting is available at Osmosis Gallery in Niwot, CO.  303-652-2668

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Each morning on Zapata Ranch the wranglers bring the horses into the corral for assignments; remaining horses are driven out to pasture for the day. 

My purpose is to emphasize the importance of conservation of nature and preservation of the rich and vivid history of the West. The Nature Conservancy’s vision is to preserve threatened lands by securing water for nature and by restoring forests to health to benefit wildlife. Medano-Zapata Ranch covers 100,000 acres adjoining The Great Sand Dunes National Park. Zapata is a working guest ranch with a herd of trained quarter-horses, a bison herd and cattle herds along with numerous wildlife species. My time at Ranchlands was spent observing, sketching, sculpting, photographing and painting horses.

 

 

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Walking near Coal Creek trail on a winter morning we spied a stand of cattails backlit before a snowy bank. Here is a scene just east of the trail head of cattails in the snow. Attracted to the pattern of light filtered through the dark cattails, I painted this scene in my studio. Notice the southwestern flavor of the color harmony among the oranges, blues and violets.

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Zapata Ranch Roans Red and Blue, oil on panel, 12x16, $600

 

I participated in Jill Soukup's Painting Horses Workshop at Zapata Ranch near Great Sand Dunes National Park in Southern Colorado. Our class of twelve students from around the United States and Canada included professional artists, horse breeders and trainers, a greeting card designer and a toy brand manager. We experienced sketching, painting, and sculpting horses from life along with studio work and demonstrations and presentations. Zapata Ranch is a working ranch and is part of The Nature Conservancy in Colorado. Wranglers include recent college graduates in fields of animal science, land management and water conservation who work for a season. A professional chef prepares fresh meals daily from local meats and vegetables and herbs grown on the ranch. Herds of cattle and bison are herded by quarterhorses working on the ranch. 

 

This piece is one of a series I am creating from my sketches and photographs from the workshop. I observed these red and blue roans in the corral and chose a background of the nearby sand dunes. This painting is available from my home studio. 

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Crested Butte View West, oil, 9x12

 

I was fortunate to visit Crested Butte with dear friends. The mountain landscape above is the view west from the deck of the cabin. Mornings were cool and the rising sun glowed on the wildflowers. We discovered why Crested Butte was named most picturesque town by Out There Colorado.  This painting is available at https://ruthsoller.com/workszoom/2815357 .

 

 

Ruth plein air painting at Cested Butte Trail

 

 

 

Crested Butte Trail, oil, 9x12

 

This painting began in plein air where I set up under a stand of trees along the trail. Having sketched the main shapes and laid in the sky and mountain, a brief thunder shower passed through. Perhaps you can see the storm clouds coming?

This painting is available at http://ruthsoller.com/workszoom/2819761. 

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Walker Ranch, oil plein air, 9x12, SOLD

 

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One of my dreams has been to plein air paint the Maroon Bells and Maroon Lake near Aspen, Colorado, and it was a joyous experience. The Maroon Bells are located in the White River National Forest and may be accessed by hiking or bus, as parking is very limited. Wildflowers and lush foliage covered the valley floor while an overcast morning gave way to clear sky by noon, perfect for a picnic lunch on the shore. This studio landscape painted entirely with palette knife is based on my plein air study. 

 

Have you visited the Maroon Bells yet? What is your favorite season to visit there?

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Ruth Soller paints magical landscapes which reveal passion through brilliant hues, transform detail into symbolic motifs, and command power by dramatic contrasts. Her current series expresses awe of the beauty of nature experienced while plein air painting and hiking in our National Parks. The awe of nature has power to strengthen our health and to increase our happiness. Soller's purpose is to share emotions and meditations which bring healing and joy to our lives.

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