COLORADO SPRINGS — For the past five years, Emily Fair has directed her artistic talent towards painting aspens and the landscapes where you would find them; for her, it is all a part of truly capturing Colorado's color pallet.
Fair said that her mind is crowded with color memories; the recollection of how her garden looked one morning, or the hue of a particular sunset, or maybe even how the light reflected off the leaves of an aspen grove.
That last example is precisely how she started down the path of painting these particular poplars.
Fair explains that she was on a hike near Rampart Reservoir when she stumbled on to an aspen grove that really stood out in her mind; in moments, she went from being enthralled to pulling out her phone in order to capture a short video (with the express intent to paint the scene when she returned home).
Since that point, all of her professional work has featured aspens and their environments.
Fair, who approaches her subject matter with a pallet knife in hand, also spends a considerable amount of time painting the various shades, tints, and tones that someone would find in the underbrush of an aspen grove or background of an aspen scene.
"I'm taking those little touches of color that you may not notice," she said, "and highlighting them in a whole piece of art."
She hopes that her art will inspire others to get out into nature, look for the smaller details that she's highlighting, and make their own color memories.
If you are looking for more of her aspen-focused art, Fair co-owns 45 Degree Gallery in Old Colorado City with her husband Reed.
For more fall colors, check out our 2023 leaf-peeping guide.
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