Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Coleman.
Hi Cindy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m an illustration graduate of Ringling College of Art & Design. Out of college, I got a job as an on-air designer at CNN in Atlanta. While there I learned a lot about computers and graphic design, as well as having a front-row seat to some major news stories, including the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. After 7 years, my husband and I were ready for a change, and he got a job in Durango, CO. We moved rather quickly and I wasn’t sure what I would do when we got here. I landed a job as a graphic designer for the Durango Herald newspaper. I worked there for a year and decided it just wasn’t for me, so I branched out on my own and started my company, Duck Girl Art. I had always liked ducks and I wasn’t sure what I’d be doing exactly (graphic design? illustration?) so I just went with “Art”.
For the past 14 years, I’ve been doing primarily graphic design, but I’ve also illustrated 3 children’s books and have most recently been painting. Lots and lots of painting! For years I painted animals in acrylics and watercolor. In 2016 I was struck with Lyme disease and for the next 3 years, I spent a lot of time in the recliner, plagued by chronic fatigue. It was a really hard time in my life and I honestly didn’t see it ever ending. Slowly (SLOWLY) I started to gain my strength and have gotten to where I don’t have to take naps every day. While this was happening, I knew that I wanted to create again, but I just wasn’t interested in doing the same things that I’d been doing. I still had my graphic design clients but I knew that I wanted to paint. I hadn’t really played much with landscapes, and living in this gorgeous area that we do, I figured it was time that I honor it. I had some cheap pastels from high school so I started painting with those. I really liked the ease of the chalk, that I wasn’t getting bogged down with details, and that I could complete a painting in a few hours. So, I bought some fancier pastels, and then I was hooked! In the spring of 2021, I had an art show – my first in 7 years – and I sold 10 of the 20 paintings at the opening. I was floored! And I haven’t stopped painting since.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Dealing with Lyme was definitely challenging. I spent the first 6 months not even knowing what was wrong with me. Every doctor had a different prognosis and none of them were promising. I felt like I was drowning and life just kept on going without me in it. After I found out that it was Lyme (and that it had been tearing down my body since I was about 12 years old), I was able to see a doctor who understood what was happening and treat me for it. She said it would take about 3 years for my body to get back to normal. I didn’t believe her at the time, but it did. It was an incredibly frustrating and depressing time. I felt very lonely and didn’t think I would ever be able to do the things that I’d done ‘before’. Just when I thought I was fine and that I could do something like take a small hike, it would knock me down and I’d be on the couch for a week. So, it was a really tough to try to stay positive and pull myself out of it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m incredibly proud of my pastel paintings. I do a lot of hiking and camping and take tons of pictures. I’m especially drawn to clouds and reflections in water. Some of my paintings are even from the car window! I started with landscapes of the local scenery – wildflowers, skies, mountains. Last year I branched out and started painting National Parks as well. So far, I’ve done Rocky Mountain, Acadia (Maine), Canyonlands, Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef. I’m working on the others that are nearby – Arches, Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon, and Great Sand Dunes. There’s a never-ending wealth of inspiration around here. I love the outdoors and painting is a chance for me to try and capture that moment – the mood I was in, the smells, the wind, the sounds, my thoughts – and try to wrap it into this painting that’s a piece of my soul. It’s something that I don’t think I could have done before I got sick; I don’t think I’d appreciate it as much. I look at things a lot differently now and it’s easier to lose myself in nature.
A lot of people mistake my paintings for photographs, which I take as a compliment. I get lost in the painting process and it’s so rewarding to step back, take a look, and say, “aha!” when I’ve discovered that I got it. There are definitely times that I look back and say, “Oh my gosh…I painted that!” It’s very satisfying. And when someone else sees one of my paintings and has to have it for their own, well that just makes it even better. I love when someone connects to one of my pieces.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love love love the museums. Every time that we’re in town I look to see what new exhibits are available and try to see as many as possible.
Least? Well, that’s easy – traffic. We moved from Atlanta because the traffic was unbearable, and every time I’m in Denver I appreciate living in Durango and not having to drive everywhere.
Pricing:
- Gift items: $15-$40
- 12″ x 16″ framed painting: $275
- 16″ x 20″ framed painting $425
- Commissions happily accepted!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.duckgirlart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duckgirlart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CindyDuckGirlArt/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4yrR4UXZQMhLy6_APP9dkQ
- Other: https://duckgirlart.wordpress.com/
Image Credits
Cindy Coleman
