Edie Dafoe

Grand Lake, CO

Artists Bio:

Edie is native to Colorado and has always called it home. She enjoyed skiing and snowmobiling in Grand County for 20 years, before becoming a full-time resident in 2011.
Edie met her Canadian husband, Doug, in the late 1980’s. Together they have two children, McKayla and Hunter, two grandchildren and the most adorable dog in the whole wide world, named Kamire.
The combination of art and science has always been important to Edie. She was a licensed cosmetologist by the time she graduated from high school and worked in that field for 25 years. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from CU Denver. It was there that she got her first taste of acrylic painting in a summer semester class.
Her children’s rooms were painted with murals of a tropical rainforest and a time traveler’s dinosaur encampment. There was a tromp l’oeil where one could pretend to be on an exotic island, next to the claw footed bathtub in her home. Though the desire to paint on canvas again was always there, only once did she find the opportunity, in a small project with her daughter.
Her painting fun did continue later though; When the family moved to Grand Lake in 2011 to operate two lodging properties, the one that had mountain themed units became one big creative space! The most fun came when she and Doug did a complete transformation of a unit. In it, a pair of “rock climber” light fixtures make their way towards a waterfall and mountain mural that’s painted among the log rafters. They installed a fiberoptic star ceiling above the bed, too!
In 2018, Edie was hit by a DUI driver, causing head and bodily injuries. Unable to continue with the rigorous demands of the lodging, she and her husband left in 2019. During the COVID 19 lockdown the following spring, Edie began painting, devouring tutorials and online classes, practicing a variety of techniques and challenging herself to improve her skills. Surrounded by the incredible beauty of the Colorado mountains, she finds endless inspiration for her projects. Her fresh and colorful painting style features landscapes, wildlife, flowers and an ever-expanding library of subjects and techniques.

Find Edie and her projects:
Cell Phone: 720-326-1609 (Texting is strongly preferred due to severe hearing loss.)
Email: [email protected]
Pinterest: My Other Grand Lake Life

“My favorite color is all of them.”
“No power tool is powered by testosterone.”
“Talent = Study + Practice + Passion + Determination

Theme description:

For me, the theme of Essential Elements: Water, Earth, Fire and Wind brings thoughts of connections. Each natural element can be represented by one of the four seasons and also by an animal local to our mountains. Water, connects to the springtime when the snow melts creating runoff. I selected river otters as the animal to represent it. Earth reminds me of the summertime, when the ground springs to life and families find quality time together. I chose a family of black bears for this element. The fiery colors of fall and foxes represent the element of Fire. The element of Wind can best be seen in the wintertime, when the falling snow and the frost of one’s breath show the air’s movement. The Great Horned Owl was my creature of choice here. Nature’s elements, the seasons, the wildlife, each have relationships and all flow together. I hope to convey that in my mural.

Instagram: @upside_images_edie_dafoe