In a world of limited travel and social distancing, I find myself revisiting favorite locations with my brush; painting is a means of escape for me. My previous series “Quarantine Travels” helped me weather the first wave of COVID 19 from April 28-June 19, 2020.
Here is a new series about Colorado that will hopefully do the same as numbers continue to increase across the country. I will post each completed painting in the series to this page.
This series of thirty-five paintings was completed on February 21, 2021.
Colors of Colorado: The Drive to Leadville. White River National Forest, Silverthorne, Colorado. 9” x 12” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Busk Creek near Leadville, Colorado. 10″ x 14″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.SOLD– Colors of Colorado: Our drive to Independence Pass (Continental Divide) near the ghost town of Independence. 9″ x 12″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Our drive to Independence Pass (Continental Divide) near the ghost town of Independence. 9″ x 12″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: The Ghost Town of Independence. 9″ x 12″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: The Ghost Town of Independence in Colorado. 9″ x 12″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: The Drive to Leadville. White River National Forest, Silverthorne, Colorado. 9” x 12” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: The Ghost Town of Independence in Colorado. 9″ x 12″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Twin Lakes in San Isabel National Forest. 9″ x 12″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Busk Creek near Leadville, Colorado. 9″ x 12″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Buffalo near Gardner, Colorado. 9″ x 12″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: The Summit of Independence Pass. Continental Divide. 8″ x 10″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Frisco Bay, Dillion Reservoir Recreation Area. 8″ x 10″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Frisco Bay, Dillion Reservoir Recreation Area. 8″ x 10″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Frisco Bay, Dillion Reservoir Recreation Area. 8″ x 10″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: The Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, ca. 1881. 8″ x 10″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, ca. 1879- 1881. 8″ x 10″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett. I am exploring what the interior of the opera house looked like from 1879 to 1901. In 1902 the building was purchased and renovated by the Elks, enlarging the stage house and purchasing all new scenery. There is one photograph that shows the 1879 proscenium opening with an interior setting. One of the earliest settings for the venue also included drop curtain of Royal Gorge. Colors of Colorado: Rocky Pass Scene for the Stage. Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, ca. 1879- 1881. 8″ x 10″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett. I am exploring what the interior of the opera house looked like from 1879 to 1901. This stage setting was a composition with two shutters. In 1902 the building was purchased and renovated by the Elks, enlarging the stage house and purchasing all new scenery, including a new Rocky Pass backdrop.Colors of Colorado: Horizon Scene for the Stage. Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, ca. 1879- 1881. 8″ x 10″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett. I am exploring what the interior of the opera house looked like from 1879 to 1901. This stage setting was a composition with two shutters. In 1902 the building was purchased and renovated by the Elks, enlarging the stage house and purchasing all new scenery, including a new Horizon backdrop.Colors of Colorado: Street Scene for the Stage. Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, ca. 1879- 1881. 8″ x 10″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett. I am exploring what the interior of the opera house looked like from 1879 to 1901. This stage setting was a composition with two shutters. In 1902 the building was purchased and renovated by the Elks, enlarging the stage house and purchasing all new scenery, including a new Street Scene backdrop.Colors of Colorado: Rustic Scene for the Stage. Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, ca. 1888. 8″ x 10″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett. I am exploring what the interior of the opera house looked like from 1879 to 1901. This stage setting composed by sliding two shutters together to form a stage backing. In 1902 the building was purchased and renovated by the Elks, enlarging the stage house and purchasing all new scenery, including a new rustic backdrop.Colors of Colorado: Independence Pass in June. Continental Divide. 8″ x 10″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: North Fork Lake Creek between Leadville and Aspen. 8″ x 10″ acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Independence Pass in September. 5” x 7” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Twin Lakes in Fall. 5” x 7” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Roaring Fork River in Fall. 5” x 7” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Fall Independence. 5” x 7” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: The Road to Independence Pass. 5” x 7” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: The Arkansas River in Fall. 5” x 7” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Near the Ghost Town of Independence. 5” x 7” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Independence Pass. 5” x 7” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Independence Pass. 5” x 7” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Independence Pass. 5” x 7” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Twin Lakes. 5” x 7” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.Colors of Colorado: Morning near Turquoise Lake. 5” x 7” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.
Here is a link to my previous series “Quarantine Travels” –
Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD, is an author, artist, and historian, specializing in painted settings for opera houses, vaudeville theaters, social halls, cinemas, and other entertainment venues. For over thirty years, her passion has remained the preservation of theatrical heritage, restoration of historic backdrops, and the training of scenic artists in lost painting techniques. In addition to evaluating, restoring, and replicating historic scenes, Waszut-Barrett also writes about forgotten scenic art techniques and theatre manufacturers. Recent publications include the The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2018), as well as articles for Theatre Historical Society of America’s Marquee, InitiativeTheatre Museum Berlin’s Die Vierte Wand, and various Masonic publications such as Scottish Rite Journal, Heredom and Plumbline. Dr. Waszut-Barrett is the founder and president of Historic Stage Services, LLC, a company specializing in historic stages and how to make them work for today’s needs. Although her primary focus remains on the past, she continues to work as a contemporary scene designer for theatre and opera.
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