Watercolor painter Larry Hughes will serve as Mesa Verde National Park’s artist-in-residence from May 1 through May 13.
Local residents and visitors are welcomed to join Hughes for a nature walk and watercolor workshop at Parque de Vida in Cortez on May 11 from 3:30-5 p.m. Park at the Recreation Center parking lot and meet at the Amphitheater (behind the Rec Center next to the pond).
On May 12 at 3 p.m. meet at Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum lobby and come prepared to hike, observe and paint the wonders of Mesa Verde National Park with Hughes. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Call 970-529-4642 to preregister. Materials will be provided and space is limited.
During his residency at Mesa Verde, Hughes’ artistic focus will explore the Ancestral Pueblo culture’s fit to the natural landscape. In addition to plein air (outdoors) painting along trails and at archaeological sites, his public programs will be a hands-on art class, demonstrating an “anxiety-free” approach to watercolors for people of all ages.
Hughes, who is from Memphis, will complete his fourth consecutive national park residency at Mesa Verde. His previous residencies were at Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas in 2014, Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona in 2015 and Zion National Park in Utah in 2016.
Artist in residence terms are competitive positions offered by some national parks to promote the goals of preservation by the National Park Service.