Vail Artist Topher Straus: Vail Art and Paintings
Vail, Colorado
Vail artist Topher Straus paints Vail from the inside: he lived in Vail for a season and snowboarded more than a hundred days, and his Vail art follows the Back Bowls, the Gore Range and the village after dark. See it at Vail International Gallery, in the lobby of the Hythe in Lionshead and at the Left Bank in Vail Village.
“Vail stays with me through movement: the first turns on a slope, the wide possibility of the back bowls, and the town glowing when the ski day is over. I return to those moments in my paintings.”
TOPHER STRAUS
Vail paintings and Vail ski art by Topher Straus
Every Vail painting together: Vail Village, the Back Bowls, the Gore Range and Beaver Creek down the valley, each in several sizes on museum-grade aluminum.
Fresh Tracksfrom $11,900A single golden track across open snow30 × 60 in to 45 × 90 in, verticalThe 45 × 90 in and 30 × 60 in editions have sold.
Vailfrom $6,500A freshly groomed run sweeping toward the peaks30 × 60 in to 45 × 90 inThe 45 × 90 in edition of 1 has sold. Only 3 of 25 remain at 30 × 60 in.
Vail Lightsfrom $6,500Vail Village glowing beneath the slopes at night30 × 60 in to 45 × 90 inThe 45 × 90 in edition of 1 has sold.
The Grand Traversefrom $5,500The Gore Range reflected in Piney Lake30 × 60 in to a 60 × 120 in triptychThe 60 × 120 in edition of 1 has sold.
Duetfrom $5,500Two gold tracks crossing a Back Bowl30 × 60 in to 42 × 84 in
Legendaryfrom $5,500The Legendary Back Bowls sign and a golden sun30 × 60 in to 42 × 84 in
The Valleyfrom $5,500Nearby: Beaver Creek under a sky full of stars30 × 60 in to 42 × 84 in, vertical
Snow Globefrom $2,700Snow falling over the Back Bowls18 × 36 in to 42 × 84 in
Blissfrom $5,500Nearby: Beaver Creek, down the valley30 × 60 in to 42 × 84 in
Where each painting stands
Every painting begins with a real place on the mountain or in the valley.
The Back Bowls
The Legendary Back Bowls sign in Legendary, two tracks crossing in Duet, snowfall in Snow Globe.
Vail Village
The village lit beneath the slopes at night in Vail Lights.
Vail Mountain
A freshly groomed run sweeping toward the peaks in Vail; a single golden track across open snow in Fresh Tracks.
The Gore Range
The range reflected in Piney Lake in The Grand Traverse.
Beaver Creek
Ten miles down the valley, the village under a sky full of stars in The Valley.
About Vail
Vail Mountain opened in 1962 on a sheep pasture below Vail Pass, and the village at its base was built to feel like an Alpine town, with covered bridges and clock towers along Gore Creek. Behind the front side lie the seven Back Bowls, among the largest stretches of open bowl skiing in North America, and to the north the jagged Gore Range, whose Piney Lake appears in The Grand Traverse.
Topher Straus, Vail, Colorado artist
“In the early 2000s I lived in Vail for a season. I snowboarded more than a hundred days that winter and became part of a community I still love, and some of my great friends are still there. Vail is still my playground. Nothing compares to a powder day in the Back Bowls, and my favorite is the trees in Outer Mongolia Bowl.”
TOPHER STRAUS
Vail International Gallery has represented Topher since the start of his career. “They have helped me in so many ways,” he says, “and been a huge catalyst for all the success I’ve achieved.” In July 2023 the gallery opened Happy Places, his solo exhibition, with an après talk on his art and process.
His work is part of the collection at the Hythe in Lionshead, where Vail Lights hangs in the lobby, and it hangs at the Left Bank restaurant in Vail Village. “Every time I visit the Hythe, I’m dumbfounded with gratitude to know my work is part of their collection.”
Topher Straus in Vail, Colorado
Topher Straus in the Vail press
Vail Daily and other publications have covered Topher’s work in Vail, Colorado, from his first shows at Vail International Gallery to the Hythe in Lionshead. Read the coverage, and the studio’s own notes on the July 2023 solo show and The Parks.
- ForbesThe Newest Luxury Hotel In Vail Tells The Ski Town’s History Read on Forbes →
- Vail DailyDigital Nomad Read on Vail Daily →
- Vail DailyMeet the artist at Vail’s Art Walk Read on Vail Daily →
- Western Art & ArchitectureArtist Spotlight: Topher Straus Read on Western Art & Architecture →
- Colorado SerenityTopher Straus Read on Colorado Serenity →
- Vail DailyNew landscapes at Vail International Gallery Read on Vail Daily →
- Cowboys & IndiansArt Gallery: Topher Straus Read on Cowboys & Indians →
- Snowsports NewsColorado Artist Topher Straus’ Landscapes On Display At Hythe Hotel, Vail Read on Snowsports News →
- Vail DailyGallery business goes gangbusters Read on Vail Daily →
See the work in Vail
Vail International Gallery
100 E Meadow Drive, Suite 17, Vail, Colorado 81657
(970) 476-2525
Topher is represented here. Hours change with the season: see the gallery's hours or Topher's page at the gallery.
The Hythe, Lionshead
Vail Lights hangs in the hotel lobby.
A private viewing
Topher arranges viewings at the gallery or at his studio in Golden, Colorado.
Arrange a private viewingArt for a Vail home
Made for the scale of a mountain home: each painting is sealed into museum-grade aluminum.
30 × 60 in
to 45 × 90 in for most Vail paintings; The Grand Traverse also as a 60 × 120 in triptych.
Numbered
Each size is a small, numbered edition, with as few as one made at the largest size.
Installed
Across Colorado, we can refer you to installation specialists we trust.
Questions collectors ask
Where can I buy Vail art?
At Vail International Gallery, 100 East Meadow Drive, Suite 17, in Vail Village, (970) 476-2525, or from each painting’s page here, which lists every size and edition.
Who is a Vail artist whose work I can collect?
Topher Straus is a Colorado artist who lived in Vail for a season in the early 2000s and has been represented by Vail International Gallery since the start of his career. His Vail art hangs in the lobby of the Hythe in Lionshead and at the Left Bank in Vail Village.
Which painting feels closest to skiing Vail?
Legendary and Duet put you in the Back Bowls; Vail is a freshly groomed run; Vail Lights is the village after the last chair.
Can I see a Vail painting in person?
Yes: at Vail International Gallery in Vail Village, in the lobby of the Hythe in Lionshead, or at a private viewing Topher arranges.
Can you help with installation?
Yes. Across Colorado, we can refer you to installation specialists we trust.
How much does a Vail painting by Topher Straus cost?
Vail paintings start at $2,700 for an 18 × 36 in edition and run to $22,900 for a 42 × 84 in edition of 3. Most collectors choose 30 × 60 in ($5,500 to $6,500) or 36 × 72 in ($11,900). The largest pieces, the 45 × 90 in editions of 1 and the 60 × 120 in triptych of The Grand Traverse, have sold. Each painting’s page shows what remains.
Which size suits a Vail ski home?
For a great room or a double-height wall, 42 × 84 in or 36 × 72 in holds the space; above a fireplace or a sofa, 30 × 60 in usually fits. Send a photograph of the wall and Topher will tell you which size works, or see the paintings at full scale at Vail International Gallery.
Do you work with interior designers and architects in Vail?
Yes. Designers and architects can send plans or wall photos for sizing and placement, arrange a viewing at Vail International Gallery, and get help with installation.
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