Astrid Paustian brings color, texture, and abstraction to the Art Center of Estes Park

Long before Astrid Paustian filled gallery walls with abstract color and texture, she was finding ways to keep painting alive between nursing shifts, family responsibilities, and everyday life. The creative thread never disappeared, no matter how busy she became.

“I’ve always painted, ever since childhood,” Paustian said. “Especially when I was a teenager and then throughout the years, but I had a busy career in nursing. I was a registered nurse for 34 years. I’ve come back to painting since retiring, in a more focused fashion, and now I paint almost daily.”

That lifelong relationship with art will be on display at the Art Center of Estes Park from June 12 through July 11, when Paustian presents “Journey Through Colors and Textures” alongside the “FACE of Fiber Show,” a national fiber exhibition. An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 12, at the Art Center, with wine and snacks.

Paustian, who was born and raised in Hamburg, Germany, first came to Colorado in 1980 while traveling in the United States. She met her husband at a youth hostel in Boulder, where both were staying at the same time. He was visiting because he was applying to school at the University of Colorado Boulder. She had been traveling and wanted to visit Naropa University.

They fell in love with Boulder quickly. Soon after, they visited Estes Park.

“We were both taken by the beautiful scenery and friendly people,” Paustian said. “We loved the nature so much we decided not to leave.”

Paustian lived in Boulder for 44 years before moving to Longmont two years ago, but Estes Park has remained part of her life. She has vacationed here for decades and has been a member of the Art Center of Estes Park for about 19 years.

“I live in Longmont now, but we lived in Boulder for 44 years,” Paustian said. “We always vacation in Estes Park.”

Her upcoming exhibition reflects both continuity and change. Paustian works in oil, acrylic, pastel, mixed media, cold wax, collage, botanical printing, and fiber. Her artist statement quotes Claude Monet: “I want to paint the way the bird sings,” a line she says captures the joy, spontaneity, and creative freedom she seeks in her own work.

“I enjoy all art because it’s such a wonderful area where different passions come together and there is something for everyone,” Paustian said. “I practice art in all forms and love to explore new mediums and techniques. We are so fortunate to have modern art supplies and mediums and pigments that aren’t so toxic. There is so much room for play.”

That playfulness has pushed Paustian’s work increasingly toward abstraction. Although she has painted realistically, especially flowers and animals, she said realism often emerged when she felt intimidated by a subject’s beauty.

“If I am intimidated by a subject, I get more realistic and tight,” Paustian said. “Flowers and animals intimidated me with their beauty. I’m working on loosening it up, especially with animals. You want to see their character. If you get the eyes right, you can do almost anything else because you are getting the soul of the creature.”

For this exhibition, Paustian said visitors should not expect realistic work. Instead, “Journey Through Colors and Textures” will move between abstracted aspen paintings, botanical prints on paper, cold wax works, collage, and mixed media pieces. Works in the show range from about 12-by-12 inches to 30-by-30 inches.

“In this exhibit, it will explore color and texture,” Paustian said. “That means I will try to find a transition between my traditional pieces and more experimental stuff woven together with color.”

Paustian views color as more than just a decorative element. It is emotional, atmospheric, and sometimes mysterious. She is drawn to abstraction because it leaves room for viewers to bring their own memories and interpretations to the work.

“Color expresses so much, especially mood and emotions,” Paustian said. “Abstraction to me adds mystery. It leaves room for the viewers to create their own story and use their imagination.”

The newer work also reflects Paustian’s desire to stay close to nature. She has been working with oil and cold wax, which allows her to build texture into abstract compositions, and botanical printing, which uses leaves and plants to create images on paper.

“I enjoy botanical printing because it gets me closer to nature and my plants in the garden,” Paustian said. “I’ve been painting abstract aspens for a while, so it’s been rewarding to go from that to my current projects.”

Paustian said this will be her fifth solo exhibition, though the final shape of the show will depend in part on the Art Center’s hanging committee. She said the challenge will be bringing several bodies of work together in a way that feels coherent.

“There are already four different things that need to be put together in a consistent way so it doesn’t overwhelm the viewer,” Paustian said.

The timing of the show is also significant. The opening coincides with the “FACE of Fiber Show,” one of the Art Center’s major annual exhibitions, and with the Estes Park Wool Market, which draws fiber artists, vendors, animal lovers, and visitors to town.

“It’s a national fiber show,” Paustian said. “I’m honored to be paired with them. It’s always one of my favorite shows with gorgeous fiber art. It’s well attended and well loved. It also coincides with the wool market, which is always a huge draw.”

Paustian said the Art Center has been an important artistic community for her, not only as a place to exhibit work but also as a place where artists volunteer, teach, mentor, and support one another.

“It is a wonderful group of people that are just really engaged and supportive and community-oriented,” Paustian said. “We teach a lot of classes for the community, and so that is nice. It’s a beautiful outreach.”

Paustian now works from two studios in her Longmont home, one for larger pieces and one for smaller experiments. She is grateful for the space, especially after years of painting wherever she could.

“I feel fortunate to have the space now because I know many artists struggle with space, as I once did,” Paustian said. “For many years, we lived in a small ranch house, and I painted on a table or in my bedroom.”

Those years of making art in borrowed corners seem to have served her well. Her current work carries the curiosity of someone still testing surfaces, pigments, textures, and techniques, not to arrive at a fixed style, but to keep the act of making alive.

“I love to share my passion for art and color and texture and the new technique that I’ve been doing,” Paustian said. “In the end you want to communicate with people and share what you love the most.”