Michael Kinsley — a multidisciplinary landscape artist, former county commissioner, environmental activist, Snowmass resident and author with deep ties to both the Crystal and Roaring Fork river valleys — will be showing his work alongside two other artists this fall at The Launchpad.
Beginning Oct. 3, “Fluid Landscapes” will remain on display through Oct. 30 together with “Recording Time (with Scraps and Words)” by mixed media artist Courtney Kenny and “Intimate. Immensity.” by ceramicist Laura Dortmans.
Kinsley, an oil painter, worked for the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) for 33 years and began taking painting seriously at the age of 40. His work with RMI continues to influence the art he creates.
During his time with RMI, Kinsely worked closely with small and rural communities in 43 states and several foreign countries. One of his most notable projects on the Western Slope was beta testing a community development program focused on economic renewal in Carbondale, which had a population of just around 3,000 at the time.
“I loved my day job and found it fascinating for a myriad of reasons,” Kinsley reflected, “such as learning about how systems work and working in small communities all over the country.”
This showcase, a collaborative effort with Carbondale Arts, will reflect time Kinsley spent in the natural landscapes of southeastern Utah and western Colorado. He first came to the Roaring Fork Valley in his twenties, and said his art is meant to convey a deep connection to nature, appreciating its fragility and inspiring environmental advocacy.
“In the 55 years I’ve been here, I’ve just gotten deeper and deeper integrated into the natural world and how it makes me feel. How I feel now is sharply contrasted to when I first got here at 23 and was churning up fourteeners and the other testosterone-ridden games that us boys, and now, fortunately, a lot of women also play. In doing that, I would blow by what I now regard as the real essence of this place,” Kinsley stated.
He works both in a plein air and in-studio style when creating paintings. He said that while there are important differences in both styles, the practices build upon each other.
“What I do outside is more spontaneous. It’s much faster,” Kinsley said. “I’m generally not a fast painter, but when you work outside, you have to work fast, because the light is changing very rapidly. In being spontaneous, I often miss things, so in the studio, I’m able to spend a lot more time appreciating the shapes and the values and the shadows and working through all the implications of those things.”
Working outdoors also helps him better appreciate the nature that inspires his work. He likened the process to when people take photos of the landscape and how sometimes those images develop and look different from what the naked eye sees.
“What you see when you’re standing there is different than what your camera captures. I’ve had that experience many, many times, especially when I was in my early time of painting. I painted exclusively, as many people do, from photographs. But you can’t fully appreciate the composition unless you’re there on site and you’re noticing things. How the scene flows, how it comes together,” Kinsley said.
He looks forward to having conversations with those attending the opening reception on First Friday, Oct. 3, from 5 to 7pm at The Launchpad with artist talks beginning at 5:30pm, and seeing their reactions to his work, especially if they are candid ones that describe how the work makes them feel.
“I’d say that if I had a goal with a painting, it’s that I hope that they get some feeling from it, the piece, that’s maybe something like I felt when I was there on the scene,” he concluded.
For more information visit www.carbondalearts.com/gallery