A Colorado native and 2nd generation artist, Marianna, was brought up with a passion for the outdoors.  Her Mother, a signature member of Pastel Society of America, encouraged her to paint and draw from infancy.  High school art teacher, Dennis Ringering, inspired her to follow her heart in what she has found to be a challenging, but rewarding career. 

 

San Oupa; Namibia, Africa  2003

From 1980 until 2011, while raising her family, Marianna was an artisan in  her castle at the Colorado Renaissance Festival, an annual juried show.  She won numerous awards through the years including Best of Show and was named Master Artisan of 2005.  For 4 delightful summers, 2005-09, she roamed the “streets” of the festival painting en plein air as, “Mariannangelo Bounarroti”, Michaelangelo’s younger and sadly forgotten sister.  She loved the challenge of painting in front of crowds.

Prior endeavors include a stained glass design studio in downtown Denver and Boston, MA.  In 1979 she was recognized as an Outstanding Entrepreneur by Colorado Business Magazine for her glass art and design.  She even had a cheese shop and deli in Crested Butte, CO. in the early 70’s while studying art at Western State College.

2003 brought life changing opportunities.  She went to an art workshop in Terni, Italy and truly started following her artist’s heart. Introduced to the transparent watercolor pouring technique that was used to produce the painting “Civita Di Bagnoregio”, 2005 Colorado Watercolor Society’s 50th annual exhibition, and Valle Di San Martino, exhibited in the 2005 Colorado Watercolor Society’s Botanic Gardens Exhibit.

September, 2003 brought adventure...invited to join a 5 week photographic expedition into the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, Africa, where she fell in love with the sights, sounds and wildlife of a living moonscape.  Her African photographs and art are available through the Ducktrapbay Trading Company, Wildlife Gallery in Camden, ME.  Her paintings and African photography were also exhibited in The River Blue Artists Gallery in Silverthorne, Colorado, Nov. ’03 - May’04.

Marianna, took a sabbatical from entering competitions in 2008 until 2013, but NOT from painting.  She is back and actively pursuing the “dream”.  Her  newest passion, oil painting en plein air, has brought a whole new set of “problems” to explore.  The challenge of capturing fleeting light in an ever changing atmosphere in all kinds of weather is, well, just plain fun!  Throw in the occasional moose, dog and human encounters, it is ALWAYS a day well spent!  It has also brought her to join the painting group, Plein Air Artists Colorado...a group of like minded individuals that celebrate the great outdoors by painting....OUTDOORS!

Halali, Etosha National Park; Namibia, Africa

plein air watercolor  2003

                                 photo by Chuck Summers

Plein air painting MY castle...

everyone should have one!

Civita Di Bagnoregio: Umbria Italy  2003

watercolor pouring

Now for the dry details...

Marianna M. Duford:  Born April 28, 1952, Denver, Colorado.  Married to Bill Duford for 28 years...an amazing builder and diehard fly fisherman.  We have lived in the mountains of Summit County, Colorado, for over 30 years.

EDUCATION  / AFFILIATIONS / WORK 

1970            Graduate of Cherry Creek High School, CO

1970-73       Western State College; Gunnison, Co. Art and English

1973-75       Owner, Marianna’s Cheese Shop and Deli; Crested Butte, Co.

1976-77       Harvard/ MIT Extension School;Art courses, Cambridge, Ma.

1976-81       Owner, Ellena Stained Glass; Boston, Ma. and Denver, Co.

1979            Instructor;  Arapahoe Junior College, Co.

1980-2011   Owner, Mi’Ladys Posies, Colorado Renaissance Festival; Larkspur, Co.   

1984-89       Owner, Winter Rose Wedding and Fabric Salon; Frisco, Co.

2000-06,13-16    Art Students League of Denver

2003            La Romita School of Art; Terni, Italy

2003-09       Denver Metro Art Club, member

2005-2007   Colorado Watercolor Society, member

2005-09       Owner, Marianna M. Duford Fyne Art, Colorado Renaissance Festival; Larkspur, Co.   

2012-16       Summit County Arts Council, member

2012-16       Plein Air Artist’s Colorado, member

2014-16       Outdoor Painters Society

Assorted art workshops through the years by amazing instructors both abroad and locally; Tom Lynch, Tim Deibler,   Michael Ome Unteidt, Victoria Kwasinski, Tim Deibler, Dennis Pendleton, Rick Brogan and Arlene Krogstadt.     

Weekend with the Masters,2010; Camille Przewodek , Frank Serrano, and Stephen Scott Young

GALLERY REPRESENTATION....I am presently open for more gallery representation

2003-06      River Blue Artist’s, Co-op group; Silverthorne Factory Outlet Stores; Frisco CO.

2003-16      Ducktrapbay Trading Company, Wildlife Gallery; Camden, ME.

2013-16      The Framed Image Gallery; Denver, CO.

2016           The Cornflower Boutique and Gallery

PUBLICATIONS / NEWSPAPERS

1978           STAINED GLASS/ Fall volume 73/no.3   Names in the News

1979           Colorado Business Magazine, feature article/ Outstanding Entrepreneurs of 1979

2004           The Summit Daily News; feature article, Right Brain  Dec./17

2005           The Artist’s Studio, Art Student’s League Denver, Spring issue

2005           The Summit Daily News, feature article, Arts and Entertainment  April/25

2005           The Summit Daily News, feature article, Who’s There   Oct./25

2013           The Summit Daily News, feature article, Quick Draw Artist, !00 Paintings 100 Days, June 19

2014           The Summit Daily News, Summit Life, County Commons gallery space revitalized, Art Talk

2014           The Summit Daily News, Life on the Summit: Hey Spike! Touts an artist in a public place

2014           Explore the Summit Magazine, Spring. 

2014           Summit Home Magazine, Summer

COMMERCIAL AFFILIATIONS  / LICENSING

1978            Licensed by National Football League to produce a limited edition of stained glass

                    windows to commemorate the Denver Bronco’s first Super Bowl.

2007            Wildlife Heritage Foundation, The Lynx.

                    Licensed my 3rd place award stamp entry to produce t-shirts to benefit the foundation.

2010-16       Outdoor All Weather Canvas Art by West of the Wind Designs;   an international wholesaler.

                    The company currently has 56 of my paintings under a licensing agreement.

                    WOTWD markets my images, along with the rest of their line, to retailers at trade shows all over   

                    the country.

2013-16      American Furniture Warehouse,  Colorado Artist’s Canvas Art Program.

                    The company currently has 12 of my paintings under a licensing agreement.

                    The prints are sold both online and in all 12 of their showrooms.

AWARDS

1984            Best of Show, Colorado Renaissance Festival; Larkspur, Co.

1995            Master of Display, Colorado Renaissance Festival; Larkspur, Co.

2005            Best of Show,  Denver Metro Art Club; Littleton Show

2005            3rd place, Watercolor Division, Denver Metro Art Club; Littleton show

2005            Master Artisan, Colorado Renaissance Festival; Larkspur, Co.

2007            3rd place, Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Commemorative Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp.

                    International competition.

2008            Poster Award, Blue River Festival;  Town of Silverthorne; Silverthorne, Co.

EXHIBITIONS

2014            Solo show,  Summit County Commons SCAEC, 6 months

      GROUP

2003-16       Ducktrap Bay Trading Company, Wildlife Gallery; Camden, Maine: ongoing

2005            Summer Art Market, Art Students League of Denver

2006            The Mask Project Denver; a benefit for Hospice of Metro Denver.

2007            The Wildlife Experience, group exhibit of the 2007 entries for the Wildlife Heritage

                    Foundation, Commemorative Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp.

2008            The Wildlife Experience, group exhibit of the 2008 entries for the Wildlife Heritage

                    Foundation, Commemorative Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp.

2003-09       Denver Metro Art Club ....many!

2013            Oh Be Joyful Gallery, Crested Butte, CO, Plein Air Artists Colorado group exhibit, July 10

2013            The Framed Image Gallery, Denver, CO group gallery exhibits ,

                        “A Change of Scene in Blue and Green”, July 15-Sept.9

                        “Coming Home”                                        Sept 14-Nov. 2

                        “All That Glitters”                                       Nov 4- Jan. 4

2014            Art Students League of Denver; group show   “A Silver Lining”         Jan 6-Feb 19

2014            The Framed Image, Denver, CO group gallery exhibits:

                        “Once Upon a Time in the West”         Jan. 7th- March 7th

                        “Paint the Parks”                                  March 11-May 2

                        “Filling the Void With Color”                May  9 - June 27, 2014

                        “Cure For The Summertime Blues”     July 1-August 29, 2014

2015             The Summit Foundation, one of 7 artists chosen to paint a GIANT fiberglass rubber ducky, (4’x4’x3’)

                        placed around town of Breckenridge to be auctioned off to benefit the foundation.

      JURIED

1980-2011   Colorado Renaissance Festival , Larkspur, CO. 32 YEARS!

2003            Inaugural Englewood Arts National Exhibition,  Museum of Outdoor Arts.

                    Jurors, Quang Ho and Cynthia Madden Leitner

2005-09       Colorado Renaissance Festival, Marianna M. Duford Fyne Art; Larkspur, Co.

2005            Colorado Watercolor Society@ The Botanic Gardens of Denver, Co.         Juror, Gary Sohrweid

2005            Colorado Watercolor Society@ Colorado History Museum/50th Anniversary Show        Juror, Judy Morris 

2006            Lone Tree Arts Exhibition           Juror, Maynard Tischler

2006            Heritage Fine Arts Guild/ Fall Show; Littleton, Co.         Juror, Pat. J. Fostvedt

2007            Gallery 821, Best of Arts Colorado         Juror, Rob Foster

2013-15       Meet the Artists, Summit County Arts Council ; Frisco, CO.

2014 &15     Douglas Land Conservancy’s 1st  and 2nd Plein Air Invitational .  “Paint the Open Land”  16 artists

2014 &15     Continental Divide Land Trust Plein Air Invitational, Breckenridge, CO.  “Wild About Colorado” 15 artists       

2014            Summer Art Market; Art Students League of Denver

2014            Kanon Collective, Denver CO:  BIBELOT SHOW       Juror, Susan Froyd/ Denver Westword

2014-16       Painting “Goodnight Buffalo” 48”x36 OIL.  Chosen to hang in CO Senator Bennett’s office in Wash. DC

2015            Plein Air Artists Colorado, National Show;  Mary Williams Gallery in Boulder, CO.

2016            Plein Air Artists Colorado, National Show;  Mary Williams Gallery in Boulder, CO.

CORPORATE COLLECTIONS

Colorado Renaissance Festival,       Rocky Mountain Festivals; Castle Rock, Co.

Parkplace Retirement Community,   Brookdale Senior Living; Denver, Co.

Silverthorne Factory Outlet Stores;   Silverthorne, Co.

Art Studio at the Hotel Baudy in Giverny, France 

plein air oil 9x12   available