Contemporary artists James Surls and Charmaine Locke relocated from Texas to the high country of Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley in the late 1990s, settling within the rural community of Missouri Heights near Carbondale. The couple built a seamless live-work compound encompassing a modern home, art studio, and sculpture fabrication barn, connected by flagstone pathways winding through pinyon, juniper, and cedar trees.

“I look back in amazement at the body of art that came from our being here overlooking the beautiful valley below, where nature is the mother of moments well spent,” Surls said in a press statement. “Here we made sculptures for the country of Singapore’s 50th birthday, the Holocaust and Human Rights Museum in Dallas, a 35-foot-tall towering sculpture for the city of Houston, and a dual-sided monumental sculpture hanging over the entrance into the George W. Bush Presidential Institute. So many wonderful things were sourced and produced from this place.”­­

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Now, as they move on from Colorado, the creative sanctuary has hit the market for just under $8 million. The couple is returning to the Lone Star State to fulfill a lifelong dream of establishing the Surls + Locke Museum of Art on a 20-acre plot of forested land in Splendora.

Set on 16 acres overlooking Mount Sopris, Chair Mountain, and the Elk Mountain Range, the main residence offers four bedrooms, four full bathrooms, and a powder room in nearly 4,000 square feet. The single-level living space is highlighted by an expansive, open-concept great room, where a soaring angled ceiling and minimalist windows perfectly frame the scenic surroundings. The living and dining areas are anchored by polished concrete floors and a sleek wood-burning fireplace.

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The light-filled kitchen, lined with stainless-steel cabinetry, has a massive eat-in island and a cozy sitting area, while a secluded primary suite features a slate-tiled bath sporting an industrial-chic vanity with dual glass sinks. Rounding out the property is a 4,000-square-foot art studio and gallery, plus a 7,000-square-foot heated barn geared to large-scale sculpture and fabrication work with high-clearance, roll-up doors.

With its unmatched views, pristine acreage, and sprawling creative spaces, the estate is a masterpiece awaiting its next collector. Gabriella Sutro and Audrey Imhoff of Coldwell Banker Mason Morse-Carbondale represent the listing.

Click here for more photos of the Colorado residence.