Picnic on the Mesa

Artist: Gretchen Kirstel               Medium: oil on canvas                       Size:  28" X 22"           Date: 2010

One of Gretchen's greatest achievements, Picnic on the Mesa, is a masterpiece of admirable quality.  Taking two years to complete, this painting, inspired by the beauty of Sunshine Mesa in Telluride, Colorado and the painting, Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe by Edouard Manet, combines a realistic style with a touch of fantasy.  The artist uses bright, light pastel colors on Sunshine Mountain to give it a magical feeling.  The families sitting in the front toast to the beauty and power of nature that shines above them.  The clouds seem to dance in the bright blue sky, the trees with their autumn yellows and oranges twinkle, and the meadow with its alpine flowers seems soft and inviting to the joyful picnickers.  The picnickers include Gretchen in the front with her husband, and life long friends who allow them to stay in their cabin on the Mesa during the summer and fall.  A picnic is a tradition with them, to celebrate their love for Telluride.  This painting was begun with pastel sketches while outside in Telluride, and completed in her studio in Colorado Springs.  She used a photo taken of the families on the Mesa, to add into the painting later.  

To see a full view of the original oil painting of Picnic on the Mesa, scroll down.