{"id":132089,"date":"2026-06-06T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-artist-finds-creative-calling-in-her-70s-holds-june-exhibit-at-cortez-cultural-center\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T15:00:00","slug":"cortez-artist-finds-creative-calling-in-her-70s-holds-june-exhibit-at-cortez-cultural-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-artist-finds-creative-calling-in-her-70s-holds-june-exhibit-at-cortez-cultural-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Cortez artist finds creative calling in her 70s, holds June exhibit at Cortez Cultural Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Theresa
Theresa Goldstrand\u2019s artwork will be displayed at the Cortez Cultural Center for the month of June. (Courtesy of Theresa Goldstrand)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Theresa Goldstrand said she has been creative her whole life, but she had never tried acrylic painting until her mid-70s. Her artistic passion emerged after military service, government work and becoming a published author. Since January 2025, she has led the Southwest Artists League.<\/p>\n

This month, she is sharing an invitational exhibition with three other artists at the Cortez Cultural Center. The exhibition will be available throughout the entire month of June.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince I was a child, I always wanted to be \u2013 and believed myself to be \u2013 an artist and a writer,\u201d Goldstrand said.<\/p>\n

In her 30s, Goldstrand enlisted in the U.S. Navy reserves. She served as a public affairs officer and retired in 2009 after 21 years of combined active duty and reserve service. Later on, she worked for the U.S. Department of Defense, retiring from China Lake Naval Weapons Station in California in 2019.<\/p>\n

\"Theresa
Theresa Goldstrand. (Photo courtesy of Theresa Goldstrand)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

In the late 1990s, she published contemporary romance novels through Thomas Bouregy Publications and Avalon Press. She also contributed more than a dozen stories to the former Four Corners Free Press after moving to Cortez in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m like a perennial late bloomer,\u201d she said. \u201cI spent my younger years surviving and making a living for our family. Now that those obligations are gone, I am finally pursuing creative outlets that weren\u2019t available to me. There\u2019s a quote by George Eliot that I embrace: \u2018It\u2019s never too late to be who you might have been.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

She said Queen frontman Freddie Mercury\u2019s determination to pursue a rock career despite the obstacles in his path inspired her to pursue her own dreams as an artist. She also praised the opportunities for artists in Cortez and the surrounding area.<\/p>\n

\u201cCortez presents a great opportunity for budding artists like me,\u201d Goldstrand says. \u201cWe\u2019re on the cutting edge of this developing creative district. There is so much talent and so much amazing art in this Four Corners area. I\u2019m pleased to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Southwest Artists League maintains an ongoing display at the Cortez Senior Center at 117 N. Chestnut St. The group also has exhibitions scheduled at the Turquoise Raven in September, Cortez Recreation Center in October and December, and Dolores Library in November.<\/p>\n

bduran@the-journal.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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