Studio and impressionist painter Jany Rae Seda of Boise, Idaho, will be Mesa Verde’s next artist-in-residence from Sept. 17-29, and will offer two programs.
“Explore Mesa Verde with a Sketchbook” is scheduled for Sept. 27 from 1-3 p.m. To participate, meet at the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum lobby, and Seda will lead hikers to some of the places that inspire her work, talk about process, and do a series of quick, creative sketches of key locations. The program is free, but space is limited to 10 participants, park spokeswoman Cristy Brown said in a press release. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Materials will be provided.
“Plein Air in Mancos” is scheduled for Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants will meet at the Mancos Makers Space next to the river by the Mancos Public Library, 211 E. First St., and explore the community on foot and with paintbrush in hand. To register, visit the School of the West’s website, schoolofthewest.org. A materials fee will be collected at the class.
Seda, a fourth-generation Idahoan, paints western skies and landscapes, work that evolved from the pencil drawings of her childhood.
“I am always looking for a balance between my experience with the environment and the physical reality of paint on canvas,” Seda said. “I believe the marks, strokes and gestures of paint express the forces of nature, vibrancy and power.”
During her residency, she plans to create an oil painting series to explore the fragmentary and partial way in which we experience natural landscapes, systems and processes, Brown stated in her press release.
Seda uses thick, bold paint to illustrate the vibrancy and power of Mesa Verde as a living link to the past. As a member of the statewide nonprofit Preservation Idaho, a statewide nonprofit, she hopes to further illustrate how the land and its heritage need to be preserved for future generations, Brown said.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho, Seda has had several careers while raising three children and has been an artist-in-residence in public lands throughout the West.
Seda bought her 1895 house/studio in Boise five years ago, and finishes about 100 oil paintings a year, Brown said.
For more information about Mesa Verde’s artist-in-residence program, go to www.mesaverde.org.