An Interview with Rolinda Stotts June 09 2025, 0 Comments
By Kimberly Nicoletti
Kimberly Nicoletti recently joined Rolinda Stotts for an engaging conversation over Zoom on June 6, 2025 about her upcoming gallery show at the Breckenridge South Gallery. Hear what is new from the studio and go on an in-depth conversation about sunsets and co-creation.
You can watch the interview here!
Or read on for a transcript of the conversation!
Kimberly
So today we're talking with Rolinda, who will be at Raitman Art Galleries in Breckenridge, Colorado on July 4th and 5th. As you'll see very soon, she's very easy to talk to. Feel free to stop by the gallery and get to know her. She's great!
Rolinda, tell me what you're working on.
Rolinda
Of course! I'm getting ready for the big 4th of July celebration at Raitman Art Gallery. It's always fun to get the gallery a new collection of work. I’m really trying to capture sunsets and wildflowers, all of the things you would want in Colorado. Wherever you live in the world, you would want to experience those things and especially in Colorado.
Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of sunset commissions, or what I call Co-Creations. That is when an art collector has something special in mind that they want to commission or asks specifically to be created for them.
There's a big difference between a sunset and a sunrise. Funny enough, over the last two weeks, I've had four specific collectors tell me about the differences. I’m not going to get into the differences right now, but pay attention, there is a difference between a sunrise and a sunset.
Kimberly
Well, that's a great topic to talk to you about in Breckenridge when people see you.
Rolinda
Yes, come talk about the sunsets and sunrises with me. Absolutely!
Kimberly
What is calling people specifically to sunsets and not sunrises?
Rolinda
I think that there's a little more energy in a sunset. It was funny because one collector said they don't really see too many sunrises, but she said they set their alarm for the sunset. Literally everything stops and they make themselves available to watch the glorious sunsets.
I’m working on a huge sunset commission! The collectors walked into the gallery and fell in love with my work. They reached out and one of the art consultants and I have been working with them on this really fun adventure. It’s three panels. The first panel on the far left is a 48” by 48”. On the far right is a 48” high by 72” wide. And then you go down this little hallway and there's another panel that is wild. It's so crazy! In a good way! The sky is cut out so it's the silhouette of the mountain. There's no sky, but we're putting lights behind it to make the sunset colors.
Kimberly
Oh, how beautiful. That's exciting!
Rolinda
Yeah, it really is. It's super fun.
Kimberly
Right? Because if they pause for the real sunset every time, when they see that painting, no matter what time of the day, they're going to pause. That's the power of art, I feel like if you find this piece that really speaks to you and you put it in your home, then it reminds you of all those feelings. All those great feelings come flooding in and you can see it every hour in your house. Day. Night. Midday. It's such a great reminder.
Rolinda
It really is. I think our homes are the one area that we can have the most control in our world. It’s a joke that we really don't have any control <laugh>, however, we can say what goes on our walls and we can choose within our home, what we see, hear, listen to, taste, touch. We can choose that within our homes. So why not be very selective and choose the very best that's going to help you be your very best?
Kimberly
Exactly. Yeah! Tell me about the 10 X concept and how that relates to your art.
Rolinda
At the Denver Botanic Gardens, I’m teaching this cool experience to unlock creativity. We’ll be making “Treasure Maps” on thick watercolor paper. Using a fine tip permanent marker, I’ll guide participants through several writing prompts and then each section of the “Treasure Map” will be linked to a color. We start by asking the question, “Am I a creator?” on a scale of one to ten. Ten being the highest score. It’s not about being an artist. This is about the power of creativity. We all have the power to create. The question is do we recognize that we are a creator? Do we actively participate and enhance our creativity? And then we go through this treasure hunt experience that I facilitate with groups. At the end of that experience, you score how you feel about the statement, “I am a creator!”, on a scale of one to ten. How much do I actually believe that? And it's been really interesting. I have always, even as a little child, I've known I was a creator. Like, that's not a question for me. It’s just, I'm a 10 <laugh>. I love saying that I'm a 10!
It's so funny. As I'm writing, you know, I'm practicing over and over again, because I'm wanting to see how long this experience takes, because we only have a limited amount of time. I write down my 10 at the beginning, and then I write a 10 at the end. Suddenly, the idea was like, put an “X” by 10. And then the question was, “How could I 10 X my creative power? …My creativity?”. “How do you 10 X your creativity?” It's a simple answer. You co-create. You collaborate. You cross pollinate. You share ideas, and you breathe in all this amazing, yummy inspiration that somebody has shared with you. Creativity bubbles up inside of you and then you get to share it.
What's been happening, as I have done more and more of these Co-Creation paintings, these commissions and the collectors come to me with these amazing life stories because we're creating a Legacy Painting. They come with incredible reference photos. They have all these brilliant ideas, and that is elevating my creative power 10 X because I would've never done any of those things if someone hadn't inspired me and asked me to Co-Create with them. It's brilliant! If you want to feel alive, create something. But if you want to feel exhilarated about that life Co-Create with someone and it will just blow your mind! I love that.
Kimberly
You are great to talk to you about creativity, and I really encourage people to go into the gallery and talk to Rolinda because she, obviously, you can tell her energy is infectious. So talking about creativity, what other topics do you love to chat about with people?
Rolinda
I really love honeybees <laugh>, so I talk a lot about pollination. That's such a random thing. I feel like I'm a story guardian. I love hearing people's stories. They inspire me. My Orchid Stories book is a collaboration of everybody's orchid stories in a beautiful book. A story doesn't exist until it's told. And we need to be there for each other and listen to each other's stories. We need to all be story guardians and hold those stories safe and let them live on. That's what legacy is all about. Hearing that story, recording it in some way, and then sharing it with the world. That's why these Co-Creation Legacy Paintings are so cool. They are all about the collectors’ stories. I just get to be the hands for their heart. Their story.
Come to the gallery and tell me your story. <laugh>.
Kimberly
That's what I was going to say. Tell her your story. Anything else that you want people to know?
Rolinda
I love being able to come and hang out in the gallery. It's really interesting. This will be another topic for another video or interview, but there's a real difference between solitude and isolation. In the studio, I have abundant solitude. It’s my favorite thing in the whole wide world to have solitude. I need a lot of solitude in order to do my life. I'm very blessed that I get that opportunity by myself in the studio, but at a certain point, solitude tips over into isolation. Thank goodness about once a month I pop up into a gallery like Raitman Art Galleries and do my thing with all of you guys, and we get to have all this amazing connection and storytelling. Then I go back to the solitude and create. So, I am ready to come out of solitude and at this point it's almost isolation, so it’s time for me to get on the road.
Kimberly
All right. Well thanks so much for taking the time. I really appreciate it. This was great! Can't wait to see you in person.
Rolinda
It's love always working with you, Kimberly. I'm excited. Thank you.