Summer and the Cherry Creek Arts Festival are practically synonymous for me. I love the fun vibe and the chance to enjoy the arts and great food and music while strolling one of Denver’s most beautiful and vibrant shopping districts.

This year’s festivities will kick off July 5 with a fundraising gala — which you can learn more about here. Look for me there! I will use my iPad to create a digital painting that will take shape throughout the event as attendees mingle and dine.

You will also find me at this year’s outdoor festival, July 6-8. As always, there will be plenty of opportunities to support CherryArts, a nonprofit organization that provides access to art experiences and supports arts education throughout Colorado. I serve on the organization’s board of directors, and I am participating in this year’s charitable auction with one of my works: a framed, 20″ x 20″ oil painting titled Swan Lake. Its value is $3,000. The bidding will start at $1,500. All proceeds will go to CherryArts.

The painting is of the extraordinary Maria Mosina, who retired at the end of the Colorado Ballet’s 2016-17 season after serving 21 seasons as one of the company’s principal dancers. I hope you’ll see all the auction has to offer — and bid, bid, bid for this great cause — by visiting here.