Sean Naylor/Vail Daily
The GoPro Mountain Games’ tagline celebrates athletes, art, mountains and music, and this year the event’s organizing committee capitalized on the art aspect with a permanent mural in Vail Village that reflects the spirit of the Mountain Games.
Local artist Amy Dose was selected to create the work and was thrilled to do so because the GoPro Mountain Games has had a longstanding hold on her heart for her and her family.
“I was so excited when I got asked to do this because this has really been a dream of mine to be able to do an art project for the GoPro Mountain Games ever since I moved here,” Dose said.
Dose and her husband, Olli, moved to Vail in May of 1998. Olli was a world class whitewater kayaker and a recent hire at Timberline Tours and competed in the Jeep Whitewater Festival, the predecessor of the GoPro Mountain Games. When that event transitioned to the Teva Mountain Games, Olli Dose continued to compete as one of the U.S. Men’s Rafting Team members.
“At the time, we only spent the summers here and the Teva Mountain Games was always our welcome back to the valley. As time passed, the games transitioned into the GoPro Mountain Games where Olli was often one of the ‘8 balls’ in the 8 Ball Kayak Sprint and helped with safety for the kayak challenge. Before you know it, our daughter is in high school, on her high school kayaking team, and my husband and daughter compete together in the kayak sprint. The GoPro Mountain Games have always been an important part of our family’s story,” Dose said.
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The Vail Valley Foundation, organizers of the GoPro Mountain Games, worked with the town of Vail’s Art in Public Places program to bring the mural to life.
“In this community that celebrates and embraces the outdoors all year-round, we are excited to have a lasting piece of GoPro Mountain Games art that showcases Vail during the summer months,” said Ross Leonhart, marketing and multi-media manager for the Vail Valley Foundation.
In the past several years, the town of Vail has had several murals created by Colorado artists within the parking structures to enhance these highly visible public spaces.
“We are excited to continue this effort in collaboration with the Vail Valley Foundation at this year’s GoPro Mountain Games. Amy Dose is a perfect fit to continue this tradition, and we are excited to see her final work completed,” said Molly Eppard of the town of Vail Art in Public Places.
Dose has been working hard to fulfill all of the expectations of the Vail Valley Foundation and town of Vail’s Art in Public Places while staying true to her original vision.
“Although my artwork may be bright and full of life, I am driven to create pieces that invoke a sense of calm and connection to place. In the original piece that I created for the GoPro Mountain Games, I’m telling a story,” Dose said.
The size and dimension of the space dictated some of the flow of the piece. The wall is triangular in shape and Dose has taken that into account for her design. The mural is located on the bottom level of the Vail Village Parking structure on the east side. Helping Dose is artist Michelle Miller.
“Michelle Miller has been working with me for about five years, and she is an amazing artist in her own right and I couldn’t do what I do without her,” Dose said. The pair started putting primer on the wall and plan to have to mural completed by Sunday.
In the mural, Dose uses her husband and daughter as muses for her designs. The kayaker in the mural is her husband and the girl running is her daughter.
“From a purely design standpoint, I believe that less is more. My mural style includes a lot of color transitions and shading which bring interest and life to the piece,” Dose said.
“Both locals and visitors to Vail can enjoy the beautiful mural created by local artists Amy Dose and Michelle Miller all summer long, and during the ski and snowboard season, we can all get a friendly reminder that Vail is more than a winter destination,” Leonhart said.
