Sangres Art Guild

09/01/2026

Art Happenings in Westcliffe

"Everyday Life" finds beauty in the ordinary and meaning in the familiar. This exhibition highlights quiet moments, shared routines, and fleeting scenes that often go unnoticed, revealing the poetry woven into daily existence. Through diverse perspectives and styles, the works celebrate the human experience as it unfolds, one moment at a time. This show will run through September 19th to make way for the Alla Prima Fresh Paint Show to run from September 24th to October 31st.

We are thrilled to feature artist Lewis Art Williams (https://lewisartwilliams.com) from New Mexico, whose artwork will be on exhibit through September 19th. Lewis has been been creating art for over 40 years. It’s his life and vocation. His art interests are wide and varied in all paint and drawing media, printmaking and ceramics. He will be doing an art demo during the reception on Saturday, September 5th.

Art in Public Places (https://www.sangresartguild.org/Art-In-Public-Places)

WHERE ART CONNECTS COMMUNITY
by enhancing public space with visual art exhibits.

Bootlegger's Bistro: Sandy Crawford Photography
Stockmens Bank Lobby: Eileen Piasecki-Couch, Oil
Stockmens Bank Conference: Sandra Dalton Photography
Cliff Lanes: Kay Cochran

AFFORDABLE ART
Have you checked out the Bin Art available on the 2nd Floor of the Gallery?
Find the perfect piece for your place. Along with original fine art, you will find affordable art prints and photographs as well as art notecards and the SAG 18 Month Fine Art Calendar.

Upcoming Events

Grape Creek Arts Festival (https://www.mustangmedicine.net)
Saturday, October 3rd 9am-5pm

An Art & Music FREE Festival driven by compassion—an opportunity to lift up the community. The sponsor, Mustang Medicine, creates value, in people and the land. Supporting its mission through fire mitigation, life comes full circle as they are privileged to support the displaced artists from the Aspen Acres Fire in Beulah.
The festival hosts a welcoming and proficient group of artists from the region, several distinguished musical groups, food vendors and a Colorado tent celebrating and illuminating the Tree of Life, the value of culture in the longevity of humanity, plus local crafts and fibers.
If you have art supplies you don’t use and wish to donate, there will be a box for Beulah artists impacted by the fire. There is also an opportunity to offer a monetary donation to the Beulah Valley Arts Council. Give your compassion a practical outlet to support and uplift our community.

Art Workshops (https://www.sangresartguild.org/classes-workshops/)

Newsletter Banner: Circle 23 Ranch - Watercolor by Jill Westbrook

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08/30/2026

Coming up in two weeks!

Before artists head into the Westcliffe landscape with their easels, they will have an opportunity to sharpen their skills, gain fresh insight, and prepare for an unforgettable week of painting throughout the beautiful Wet Mountain Valley. Jennifer Riefenberg of Cedaredge, Colorado, will lead the Al

08/25/2026

Plein air painting is already a race against nature—the light changes, clouds move, shadows shift. But during the Alla Prima Westcliffe Quick Draw, artists add one more challenge: The clock.

On Saturday, September 19, APW artists will have three hours—from 9 a.m. til noon—to select a scene, set up their easels and create a finished painting. It is fast-paced, unpredictable and a favorite part of the APW experience. The artists may choose a mountain vista, historic building, ranch scene, street corner or whatever catches their attention that morning. Then the clock starts. For viewers, the Quick Draw offers a fascinating glimpse into the creative process. A blank canvas becomes a painting before their eyes as artists make decisions about composition, color, light and atmosphere under a tight deadline. The Quick Draw gives everyone a taste of what plein air painting is about: seeing something beautiful—and capturing it before the moment changes

And the fun doesn’t end when the brushes stop. The Quick Draw is part of a full day of celebration at Alla Prima Westcliffe, culminating in the APW Show, Sale & Gala Reception with Awards on September 19 from 5–7 p.m. at Lange Hall, 312 S. 3rd St. Westcliffe CO. There, guests can see the week’s fresh paintings for sale, meet the artists, enjoy refreshments and live music, and celebrate the award winners.

08/20/2026

The 50 Artist Canvas Quilt has to be seen in person to take in all the creative talent. It leaves 3rd Street Gallery on Monday so this weekend is your opportunity to check it out! Open 11am-4pm through Sunday.

08/19/2026

Post a photo in the comments!

The World Photography Day Site.

08/18/2026

Enjoy local fine art from SAG members on Instagram!

277 Followers, 163 Following, 1,118 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Sanges Art Guild ()

08/17/2026

What is it about Westcliffe that inspires artists to return year after year? Perhaps it is the dramatic silhouette of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Or the enormous Colorado skies that can change from brilliant blue to stormy gray in minutes. Maybe it is the golden ranch ands, winding roads, historic buildings and unexpected vistas that seem to appear around every corner.

For plein air artists, however, the real attraction may be the light. A landscape can look completely different from one hour to the next. Morning light reveals one set of colors and shadows; afternoon brings another. Clouds move across the peaks, grasses shimmer in the breeze, and suddenly an ordinary scene becomes something worth painting. That constant change is part of the challenge—and the joy—of painting outdoors.

During Alla Prima Westcliffe, artists spend September 13–18 throughout Custer County, searching for those moments and translating them into original paintings. The result is more than a collection of pretty landscapes. Each painting becomes an artist’s personal response to a particular place and moment. That makes the work especially meaningful to collectors.

A painting created outdoors in Westcliffe isn’t simply an image of the mountains. It carries the atmosphere, light and experience of the day it was painted. This September, artists will be looking at Westcliffe through fresh eyes. In October, the public will have an opportunity to see what they found.

08/16/2026

What is it about Westcliffe that inspires artists to return year after year? Perhaps it is the dramatic silhouette of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Or the enormous Colorado skies that can change from brilliant blue to stormy gray in minutes. Maybe it is the golden ranchlands, winding roads, historic buildings and unexpected vistas that seem to appear around every corner.

For plein air artists, however, the real attraction may be the light.
A landscape can look completely different from one hour to the next. Morning light reveals one set of colors and shadows; afternoon brings another. Clouds move across the peaks, grasses shimmer in the breeze, and suddenly an ordinary scene becomes something worth painting. That constant change is part of the challenge—and the joy—of painting outdoors.

During Alla Prima Westcliffe, artists spend September 13–18 throughout Custer County, searching for those moments and translating them into original paintings.
The result is more than a collection of pretty landscapes. Each painting becomes an artist’s personal response to a particular place and moment. That makes the work especially meaningful to collectors.

A painting created outdoors in Westcliffe isn’t simply an image of the mountains. It carries the atmosphere, light and experience of the day it was painted. This September, artists will be looking at Westcliffe through fresh eyes. In October, the public will have an opportunity to see what they found.

08/13/2026

The CO 50 Artist Canvas Quilt Project is at 3rd Street Gallery through August 23rd before it goes off to the State Fair! A keepsake poster is available for sale at the gallery for $15 and supports the local arts! The gallery is open Thursday-Sunday 11am to 4pm.