Taste of Creede: a painter's festival that turned a mountain town into an arts hub

Most people who hear about Creede think of its Repertory Theatre. But this town of a few hundred people, tucked into the San Juan Mountains, also has a quieter visual-arts streak that runs right down Main Street.

The clearest proof shows up over Memorial Day weekend, when the town holds Taste of Creede. The festival has run for more than 35 years, and it was the idea of Stephen Quiller, a watercolor and water-media painter who has worked in these mountains for decades and shows nationally with the American Watercolor Society. He still keeps a gallery on Main Street, which anchors a short, walkable row of art spaces.

The weekend mixes paint and food in a way that suits the place. Two dozen or more artists set up along the street and work in the open, so you can watch a piece come together. There’s a Silver Chef cooking contest, a one-hour Artists Quick Draw on Sunday, and an auction afterward where you can take home what you just saw made. Add live music in the park, a farmers market, and a theater show, and you have a full holiday weekend in a town small enough to cross on foot.

If you want to plan around it, the town’s official festival page lists the current dates and schedule: creede.com/taste-of-creede.