Sideboards & Sails (Abstract from the Aegean Series), Painting, dated 1986

Colorado artist Geri Stutheit (Geraldine Stutheit, Geraldine Grace Garrison) was known for her vibrant explorations of color, texture, and abstraction. A lifelong painter, educator, and arts advocate, Stutheit believed that artists were "idea people," individuals willing to leave the crowd behind and venture into new creative territory. Her paintings reflected that philosophy, often emphasizing emotion, movement, and color relationships over literal representation.

Born in 1930, Stutheit spent portions of her childhood surrounded by the landscapes of Colorado and the American West, experiences that fostered an enduring appreciation for nature, atmosphere, and color. She demonstrated artistic talent at an early age, winning a first prize in drawing at the age of seven. Recognized as the "class artist" during her school years, she later received scholarships to study art at the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Denver. She also studied under influential Colorado artists Mel Strawn and Vance Kirkland, whose encouragement of experimentation and modernist approaches helped shape her evolving artistic vision.

Throughout her career, Stutheit maintained that strong art must remain grounded in the fundamentals of drawing, composition, and color theory. She pursued an extensive study of color and its psychological effects, eventually leading workshops devoted to color mixing and color psychology. Her later work increasingly focused on the expressive and emotional power of color itself. Although oil paint remained her preferred medium, she also embraced the tactile drama and layered surfaces of collage.

Over the course of more than six decades, Stutheit became an influential presence within Colorado’s artistic community. Her work was exhibited in numerous juried and invitational exhibitions throughout the country, including galleries in Taos and across metropolitan Denver. She was among the early artists to exhibit on Denver’s South Gaylord Street arts district and helped found and serve as president of the Littleton Depot Art Center. She also founded the women’s artist collective Colorado Colors, encouraging collaboration and visibility for women artists working in the region.

Her paintings entered a variety of corporate collections including Mountain Bell, Hauserman Corporation, the City of Greenwood Village, David Ellis Ltd., Celeron Oil and Gas, Analytical Laboratories, P.S.I. Inc., and Butterfield & Robinson in Toronto.

In addition to her studio practice, Stutheit remained deeply committed to supporting the arts within her community. Her long career reflected a continual willingness to evolve, experiment, and pursue new ideas through paint, texture, and especially color, the defining element of her artistic vision.