After a bumpy start (we had car trouble in Glenwood Springs, I was fighting a nasty little cold and I quickly discovered I had packed for much cooler weather), we arrived Thursday night at The Peaks Resort and Spa in Mountain Village.

The festival started at noon on Friday, so my husband Chris and I took the free gondola from Mountain Village to the town of Telluride in search of breakfast. Bloody Marys and Eggs Benedict at the New Sheridan did the trick. After a bit of wandering around the charming little town for lighter clothing (I found a summer blouse, bought it and wore it right out of the store) we headed back to Mountain Village to meet CH&L account director Nancy Brown and walk through the festival. Here’s just a little taste of the talented artists that were there:

From left: M. Carla Wright, Denver; Julie West, Little Rock, AR; David Nelson, Larkspur, CO

From left: Gary Nichols, Denver; Blase Mathern, Jr., Wellington, CO; Kevin O’Grady, Scottsdale, AZ

The Grand Tasting was held Saturday night. Set up among the artists’ tents, area restaurants and wineries shared their best with grateful patrons.

What a wonderful weekend! Nancy and I would like to thank everyone involved—and especially Terry Adams—for working so hard to create such a great event. We can’t wait til next year!

I’m a big fan of illustration. Perhaps it’s part of my affection for magazines’ designed and printed pages. So I was thrilled to hear that the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art will launch an exhibit of beloved illustrator Bernie Fuchs’s work on June 26. Fuchs is something of an American icon: The youngest artist ever to be inducted into the Society of Illustrators’ Hall of Fame, Fuchs has created illustrations for a wide range of magazines, including Sports Illustrated, Cosmopolitan, American Heritage and The New Yorker, as well as countless books.

The exhibit, a 50-year retrospective of Fuchs’s work, will highlight the artist’s ability to capture the essence or mood of his subjects, be they people, places or events. Celebrated for his cinematic approach, Fuchs is undoubtedly one of America’s most accomplished and compelling artists. Don’t miss this show.

The Bernie Fuchs 50-Year Retrospective runs from June 26 to July 26 at the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art, 130 East Colorado Ave., Telluride, CO. For more information, please call (970) 728-3300. Fuchs will be present at the opening night event, June 26, from 5:30-7:30.