A painting by Carole Patton draws the viewer in with its vivid watercolors and a note of whimsy at times. If a donkey appears to be smiling, perhaps it is, as it peers out of the canvas with a kind of twinkle.

Patton paints personality into her subjects — the cat with serious eyes, for instance, looking straight ahead as if it is on to something.

A winter scene of two horses in a snowstorm, one looking at the viewer, reflects another source of Patton’s artistic inspiration.

One of several artists and artisans to show her works at the 36th Mountain Arts Festival on Aug. 7-8, Patton invites imagination.

A Halloween scene, for instance, is of a scarecrow with a pumpkin head that glows and a bird on top of the pumpkin. She won a prize for the work in a contest in California, her former home.

“If you enter these competitions, you have to do something that’s going to be striking,” she said.

Patton’s works are shown in galleries all over California, winning multiple prizes along the way. For several years, she designed Christmas decorations for a company based in San Diego. Her designs were produced by manufacturers in Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong, where she traveled frequently to oversee the work.

Six years ago, Patton retired, moved to Woodland Park and joined the Mountain Artists, a nonprofit organization that features student art shows and awards scholarships to area seniors who pursue careers in art. The organization funds the events, in part, with a silent auction as part of the show.

The annual Mountain Arts festival has become a major event in Woodland Park, attracting people from around the state.

The show is 10-5 p.m. Aug. 7 and 10-4 p.m. Aug. 8 on the green at the Ute Pass Cultural Center in Woodland Park.