When Lance Whitner was selected to create the art for the annual commemorative Steamboat Winter Carnival Poster to raise money for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, it posed a real challenge. “I don’t ever paint people, but this event and its long history and tradition are so much about the kids and the athletes. I had a lot of ideas swirling around in my head about how I could represent that and still make it authentic to my style, and I’m really happy with what I came up with.”
The commemorative poster program, created in 2016 by Steamboat Sotheby’s International Realty, has raised over $45,000 for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club in its first three years. The program was started with Steamboat Sotheby’s International Realty’s vision to create a connection between their local advocacy programs, the arts, and athletics in Steamboat – all three of which are vital to the fabric of the Steamboat Springs community.
Whitner brought her open-minded, anything-goes approach to creating the 2019 Winter Carnival poster painting. “I thought about this event, and how it’s about skiing and the Winter Sports Club, and decided I wanted to elevate the athletes in this painting, only I don’t paint people,” she said. “That’s when I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll do it from the perspective of the athlete.’” She pondered what that viewpoint might be and arrived at the ski jump on Howelsen Hill. “Ours is one of only a handful of Nordic ski jumps in the country, and when Karl Howelsen built that ski jump here, he brought the sport of skiing to Steamboat. That really tied it all in.” Incorporating the uniqueness of jumping through a fiery hoop, one of the signature Winter Carnival attractions, pulled the entire concept together.
Whitner felt the previous posters had all celebrated the cowboy western vibe of Winter Carnival, and she wanted to approach it from a different angle. “This is the 106th Winter Carnival, so I wanted to celebrate the tradition but do it in a fresh and new way,” she said. She hiked to the top of the jump where she did a few drawings in her sketchbook, then went back to her studio to paint with acrylics on canvas. There were other elements that she wanted to feature, like the fireworks, the lights, and Howelsen Hill’s old iconic A-frame, and the piece ended up with plenty of her signature play with color. “The feel I was going for was the fun, the chaos of the evening and the celebration of skiing, so there was a lot going on in this painting, but that’s what I wanted.” She hand-painted the lettering – another first.
photo credit: David Patterson
The original artwork will be auctioned off at the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Foundation’s Stars at Night Gala on December 29. The first three limited edition, signed, numbered and framed giclee prints will also be available on silent auction at that event. A total of 25 limited edition giclee prints are available at a price of $350 each. Those can be purchased by contacting traci.smith@steamboatsir.com.
Posters will be available for $10 each beginning in December and will be on sale at Off the Beaten Path, Freshies Restaurant, Lyon Drug, SSWSC Offices at Howelsen Hill, Pine Moon Fine Art Gallery and Steamboat Sotheby’s International Realty offices. Posters will also be available online (www.sswsc.org and www.steamboatsir.com), for $15 each including shipping. 100% of the proceeds from the artwork and poster sales go directly to the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
Whitner said it was a huge honor to contribute something to the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, where all three of her kids learned to ski. “I’m excited and flattered. It’s important to give back,” she says. “I love my community.”
For more about Lance and a gallery of her work, visit lancewhitnerart.com
