Description
This one I named after our historic zip code, “81224” is a painting woven with a deep local history, personal memories, and a playful reinvention of Elk Avenue. At the center sits a classic historic house that many people pass by every day without truly realizing its heritage. I decided to breathe new life into it, transforming its original red exterior into a brilliant, glowing orange and adding a row of mailboxes out front. As dusk settles over the valley with this dramatic dark blue sky, the mountain lights up, casting a mesmerizing, nocturnal glow across the vast autumn hillside blanketed in golden aspens.
The most meaningful element is tucked into the foreground: the little yellow toy spring horse. My children loved that thing! It stands as a tribute to Henderson Park-often called the smallest park in the world-which devastatingly is no longer there. It’s a bittersweet time capsule preserving the places, seasons, and family memories that shaped my life in the valley.