Buy Watercolors of Colorado 14ers, Help Kids Get Outdoors

A longtime Colorado artist donated his collection of paintings of the state's biggest mountains to help a local nonprofit.

Photo byMike Wilson

Now, this is art you can feel good about.

This week, Colorado’s Cottonwood Institute is celebrating 20 years of getting kids to explore the outdoors. The Denver-based nonprofit has long worked with schools and youth organizations throughout the state’s Front Range. Its mission is to get “historically marginalized” students outside.

This worthy cause led former Grand County resident and watercolor painter Mike Wilson to donate a collection of paintings of the state’s tallest mountains. Known as 14ers for reaching altitudes over 14,000 feet, 53 of these iconic mountains were turned into beautiful paintings by Wilson.

The original artworks have been displayed at the Denver International Airport since the spring when Wilson first began his partnership with the Cottonwood Institute. The exhibition ends this month. However, it’s still possible to buy prints of the paintings. All proceeds benefit the nonprofit’s work with Colorado youth.

“Our goal is to sell high-quality reprints of the 14ers collection, and ultimately the entire original collection, and use the proceeds to help break down barriers to get more kids into the outdoors who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity,” Wilson said.

53 Iconic Colorado Mountains — 14er Watercolor Art

Wilson’s watercolor art collection doesn’t quite cover every 14er in Colorado. There are 58 in total.

However, the collection still highlights most of them. It includes several of the state’s most iconic, like Pikes Peak, Longs Peak, and Capitol Peak. Rendered in gentle strokes of watercolor, the mountains are presented in vertical compositions rather than horizontal compositions, which are more common in landscapes.

They’re also available in multiple sizes. You can snag a 12 x 16-inch print on photo paper for just $44. A full-size 30 x 40-inch version, however, will cost up to $276, with additional options available for the frame. You can also order them on canvasses or as greeting cards.

Wilson’s paintings of Sunlight and Windom peaks;Photo byMike Wilson

Wilson said he hopes sales of the paintings will help get more kids outside.

“Our goal is to sell high-quality reprints of the 14ers collection, and ultimately the entire original collection, and use the proceeds to help break down barriers and get more kids into the outdoors who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity,” he wrote.

Explore the entire collection at the official Cottonwood Institute store.