Denver vacation

The first week of February I took a little (what I hoped to be) relaxing vacation. I was looking forward to checking out the city with a break from the monotony of Portland weather. Usually, Denver has some pretty exceptional weather and sun.... except for the ONE week I traveled there where temperatures dropped to record lows for the last decade. Freak snow and negative temperatures meant that indoor activities were a must. Luckily, one of the highlights of my winter adventure was my (all too brief) trip through the Denver Art Museum. Hopefully the next time I am in town, I'll be able to check out more than a hand full of exhibits... but what I did see was absolutely worth it.

I love art museums... they're such an amazing link to the past and the art community in general. It's a completely different experience to see an original painting on a gallery wall than it is to see it in a book or on a poster. I couldn't have been more ecstatic to see an original Lichtenstein painting in it's full scale and glory.

The Violin by Roy Lichtenstein. 1976

Clearly, I was like a kid in a candy store from the look of my huge cheesey grin. Irregardless, it was as amazing as I would have expected it to be. I was mostly excited because it was a complete surprise that it was at the museum. In a high school art class, we were asked to do a painting "in the style of" an artist. I did mine in the style of Kandinsky and my best friend did one in the style of Lichtenstein. That was my first exposure to researching the artist. I'm always really drawn to bright colors in artwork, so seeing large scale reproductions of comic book frames had me hooked.

It was a year and two days ago that I found out my best friend was no longer with us, may she rest in peace. She's been on my mind a lot the past several days so in honor of her memory I am posting the painting that she did. I miss you all the time, Maddi.

Painting by Madeline Laurel Gronemeier (1986 - 2010) completed in 2004