Latest News from Steve Quiller
Quiller Gallery's 50th Anniversary - Fall & Winter 2020
- Details
The Quiller Gallery will be closed for regular hours beginning on Oct 5, 2020. We are absolutely OPEN by Appointment - call 719-658-2741 or email
As part of our ongoing 50th year celebration we still have two special offerings:
Celebrate Life
A four-color etching priced at $590 unframed and $725 framed. It is hand-pulled by the artist, in an edition of 50. Size: 18” x 12”
"Let the BEAUTY We Love Be What We Do."
~Rumi, 13th century poet and mystic
Interconnectedness, Autumn Aspen Walk
24" x 18" • An edition of 75
This is a limited edition print of a painting by Stephen Quiller, a self portrait of the artist walking through the autumn aspen; the deep ultramarine blue is a cloisonné linear element that creates an interconnectedness. This was produced from a high end scan of the original painting on a Metis Scanner. The high definition giclee was printed with a “SwissQ Nayla” - the best in the industry - with ultraviolet technology, on a metal surface. It is rated for 50 years of lightfastness indoors. The print is floated within a 100% American Walnut frame, and ready to hang. Price: $490.00
To Purchase: Contact the Quiller Gallery at 1-800-876-5760 or
August 31, 2020 - Quiller Gallery's Golden Anniversary Party
- Details
The Quiller Gallery invites everyone to attend and help celebrate the
Quiller Gallery 50th year Golden Anniversary,
Monday, August 31st from 10 AM to 5 PM.
Masks will be available with social distancing, limited to small groups at a time. From 11 AM to 3 PM Stephen will give 20 minute tours of his 50 year Retrospective Exhibition that is on display at the Creede Hotel. (please sign up at the gallery) This show features 20 paintings from 1970- 2019. Pamphlets are available for each viewer to enhance the guided tour. Arp’s Creede Hotel is hosting this 50 year retrospective. The first painting, New Holy Moses Mine, was painted in 1970. The last painting in the exhibit, Winter Crows at the Vesper Hour, was painted in 2019.
From 3 to 5 PM, there will be book signings of Mr. Quiller’s two new books. “Casein Painting With Stephen Quiller” is the first definitive in-depth guide to this beautiful milk-based painting medium. Steve has been working with this medium for 50 years and the book will feature a retrospective of his early to late work. The last chapter will feature a gallery of his paintings along with excerpts from his journals. This book will be available in softbound as well as a deluxe hardbound edition. “Painter’s Guide to Color” is the premier guide to understanding color for the painter. After being out of print for 10 years, Echo Point Books and Media are bringing it back into print with updated cover and Color wheel. This is an essential book for every artist.
Along with the new paintings on display at the gallery will be two commemorative prints, made just for this year’s celebration. "Celebrate Life" is a four-color etching limited edition that was created to put out beautiful and positive energy during this unprecedented time. “Interconnectedness, Autumn Aspen Walk” giclée print featuring the artist, with backpack and artist supplies in hand, walking through an aspen forest. Featured artists also at the gallery include Pat Jahla (ceramics), Allison Quiller & John Stynchula- Glass Collage, Jocelyn Russell- wildlife sculpture, Sharon McCoy- figurative ceramic sculpture, Sam Saunders- hidden beauty of wooden bowls
Stephen Quiller and his wife Charlene opened the present gallery in June 1970. At the time Creede was an active mining town with the Emperious and Homestake Mines running three shifts night and day. However, the downtown Main Street of Creede was mainly boarded up and empty. The Creede Repertory Theatre had just opened in 1966 with twelve University of Kansas college students. Above the gallery was the boardinghouse for the theatre company. The mines were booming and the town was a wild and exciting place to be. The Raft Races happened annually the second week of June.
The 4th of July mining events took place on Main Street. They also had a whiskey drinking contest and open gambling! However, in 1985 the mines closed and the town went into a deep recession. Property could be purchased for next to nothing.
Today, Stephen and his wife Marta continue to own and run the Quiller Gallery. in the past 50 years he has developed an international reputation for his water media paintings. He has written seven best-selling books on the subjects of color and water media. He has received many awards and recognition, including the Gold and Silver Medals of Honor at the American Watercolor Society’s International Exhibitions in 2014 and 2018. He has conducted workshops throughout the United States and internationally including Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Belgium, Italy, Canada and Costa Rica.
Quiller Gallery's 50th Anniversary
- Details
Join us on August 31st to celebrate 50 years of Quiller paintings! As part of our 50th year celebration we have two special offerings:
Celebrate Life
A four-color etching priced at $590 unframed and $725 framed. It is hand-pulled by the artist, in an edition of 50. Size: 18” x 12”
"Let the BEAUTY We Love Be What We Do."
~Rumi, 13th century poet and mystic
Interconnectedness, Autumn Aspen Walk
24" x 18" • An edition of 75
This is a limited edition print of a painting by Stephen Quiller, a self portrait of the artist walking through the autumn aspen; the deep ultramarine blue is a cloisonné linear element that creates an interconnectedness. This was produced from a high end scan of the original painting on a Metis Scanner. The high definition giclee was printed with a “SwissQ Nayla” - the best in the industry - with ultraviolet technology, on a metal surface. It is rated for 50 years of lightfastness indoors. The print is floated within a 100% American Walnut frame, and ready to hang. Price: $490.00
To Purchase: Contact the Quiller Gallery at 1-800-876-5760 or
Greetings, friends, painters, collectors and patrons:
This summer marks the 50th anniversary of the Quiller Gallery in Creede, Colorado. It seems like yesterday that I discovered this incredible place. Then, the mines were running 24 hours a day, and there was virtually no tourism. The town has changed enormously in these 50 years, and I have, too. As an early Creede friend used to say, “A lot of water has flowed under this bridge, and it ain’t all been clear neither!” But looking back, what a gift I have been given – to be able to live a life immersed in art, to live in these incredible mountains and to have tremendous support from my family, friends and community. It’s a way of life that I love, but it is very unpredictable.
Now, with this pandemic, we are facing a humbling and deadly foe. With so many lives and jobs lost, it is a very uncertain time, one where we need to band together, step up and help our brothers and sisters.
On this brochure’s cover is a painting called “Interconnectedness, Autumn Aspen Walk” that I did last fall. I love painting outside when the color is changing. There is a sense of timelessness. But, this period of time is short, and with a few wind gusts, the aspens are bare. We are having this painting made into a limited-edition dye sublimation archival print (26” X 18”) that will be framed with a cradled maplewood, ready to hang without a frame. It will be on display at the gallery. Please come to the gallery to enjoy it or see it online at quillergallery.com
On the back of this brochure, you will find a four-color, four-plate etching that I just finished, titled “Celebrate Life.” It is 18” x 12”, hand pulled and signed by me, an edition of 50, with the chop mark “Q” stamped in the corner. I felt that in this strangely dark time, it would be great to put positive energy into the world. I truly believe that the love that you put into a work of art has a living energy. Above and below this letter are two recent paintings I am also very excited about.
I have been blessed with a great year of production. My book “Painter’s Guide to Color,” which went out of print a few years back, is now being reprinted by Echo Point Books and Media of Brattleboro, Vermont. I’ve always felt this was a very important book, and this makes me so pleased! I am also finishing a book titled “Casein Painting With Stephen Quiller.” I’ve long wanted to write a book on casein, as there are no recent texts on the subject. I’ve been working with casein for close to 50 years, and because my daughter, Allison, has been archiving almost all of my paintings since 1970, I can now access the retrospective of casein paintings. There are examples of my paintings in this book from the early ’70s to the present. Working with casein for 50 years has given me a lifetime of knowledge and experience to share. To complement this book, the Jack Richeson Company produced five new casein colors to go along with the Quiller color palette. These two books will be out late summer and mid-autumn. Check my website for updates.
In this strange, devastating and uncertain time, I have discovered a different rhythm. This late winter I had so many projects and deadlines that I had to create a timeline to keep on schedule. Then, the virus hit. Time has slowed down. I have done a lot of painting, as you will see on our website. I’ve also cross-country skied most evenings. Marta and I are taking walks in remote areas. It’s given me time to rethink my priorities. It has given me time to be still. Spring is coming, the snow is melting, and the river is filling. The cycle begins again.
Go well with love, Steve
Quiller Awarded Silver Medal of Honor
- Details
Stephen Quiller, painter who lives in Creede, Colorado, has been selected for the Silver Medal of Honor at the 151st American Watercolor Society’s International Exhibition. He will be presented this honor at the AWS awards banquet at the Salmagundi Club in New York April 27th. His painting “Flickering Light Along the Ridge Trail” was inspired from late afternoon cross-country skiing experiences in the mountains above Creede.
Ann McCartney from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada will receive the Gold Medal and Chung-Wei Chein from Taipei City, Taiwan will be given the Bronze. This exhibition had entries from 28 different countries. The show will be on display in April at the Salmagundi Club in New York. Then forty of the paintings from this exhibit, including Quiller’s, will travel to six locations in the United States during the coming year. There is $46,000 for 32 awards this year.
To view the awarded paintings go to www.americanwatercolorsociety.org
New DVD: Water Media en Plein Air with Stephen Quiller
- Details
Announcing an All New Comprehensive Video Guide!
2 DVD Set - 8 Chapters of Finished Paintings
Different Subjects & Atmospheric Conditions - Materials & Setup Chapter - + Bonus Material
Quiller in Artist Daily Exclusive Series
- Details
Read Stephen's interview by Paul Sullivan from September 20, 2016 - The Sixth in an Artist Daily Exclusive Series: Masters of American Watercolor
Questions include
- What can you tell us in general about yourself as an artist and your way of working.
- Who were the watercolor artists who influenced you the most?
- You have said artists are at their best when they paint what they know. You are a painter of nature. Can you tell us how this applies to your work?
- What attracts you most when searching for potential subject matter?
- Your paintings are noted for strong design and color. Do you make small preliminary composition and color roughs?
- What is the best advise you can offer an aspiring watercolor artist?
Read the Article Here
- Mission Gallery Exhibition of Recent Paintings Opens September 17, 2016
- Quiller Included in 50th Anniversary Show at Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, N.Y.
- Quiller Featured as the First in an Artist Daily Exclusive Series
- China Paintings Presented at Cabin Fever Daze
- Quiller on the March 2015 Cover of "The Artist's Magazine"
- Quiller on the August 2014 Cover of "The Watercolor Artist"
- Quiller Painting Workshop Opportunity in Creede
- Gold Medal Winner - 2014 American Watercolor Society Exhibition
- Creede Cabin Fever Daze - a Winter Festival - Feb 14-16th
- BEAUTY IN THE BURN
- Complete Color Foundation For the Painter - DVD Teaser
- Complete Color Foundation For the Painter - DVD Teaser (2)
- Story of the New Color DVDs
- Arthur Melville Article by Stephen Quiller
- An Old Friend
- Sculpting With a Brush
- The Making of a Mural
- A Word From Stephen Quiller
