Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Coni Grant




I haven't written about Coni's work for a while, but I'm so happy to share it! She has already sold two paintings from her show at SLV Brewing Company, and I just showed one of my favorites to a friend with a perfect wall for it. This is Big Trees, oil on board, 46x36". I love the composition here, with the leaves blowing by the smooth-and-rough tree bark. This is clearly a painting by an artist deeply steeped in color theory, though it works for everyone, even if they can't tell the difference between chartreuse and periwinkle!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Adventures in Encaustic: Fay Golson



Blue Feathers No. 1
Encaustic and mixed media
16x14"
$600



Pearl
Encaustic and mixed media
20x16"
$650

I just finished the proposal for art at the new Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center in Salida, CO -- under budget and with lots of style -- Hooray! One surprising gift that came with the process: I had the opportunity to look through artwork by dozens of artists, and rediscover some works that I had seen without seeing.

One of those rediscoveries: Fay Golson. She's a painter/mixed media artist in Salida, and she's mixing it up with encaustics to create powerful contemporary compositions, often with an Asian influence. These are two of my current favorites. Enjoy!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Laura Murphy at Shumei




Laura has some great photos of the exhibit at her flikr site (email me for the url), and I'm looking forward to a fascinating program. Her Egg Bowl is going through a dramatic transformation as we speak -- maybe there will be sprouts on Sunday!

The symposium is on the 21st at 3 p.m. -- email me for directions or more information.

Click here or copy and paste into your email program:

Katherine@InsightArtConnection.com

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Rebecca Mezoff at SLVRMC


I grew up in northern New Mexico under red sandstone cliffs and deep blue skies. Perhaps that is where my love of color began... Making tapestry for me is about color and process. The metaphor of weaving a life is always present for me as I work, and weaving becomes a way of expressing interconnectedness of all life forms, one thread at a time.
--From Rebecca Mezoff's Artist Statement

Hand dyed, hand woven tapestries by Rebecca Mezoff are on view through November at San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center.

SLVRMC created the ARTrium in the south wing of the hospital as part of their mission to provide quality, compassionate care in a quiet and healing space. Through Insight Art Connection, the hospital works with local artists throughout the Valley to reflect the culture and life of the San Luis Valley and remind patients, visitors and staff of the creativity and beauty all around them. With exhibitions, community receptions, and children’s art displays, the ARTrium program is designed to enrich the relationship between healthcare and the community.

To find out more about the ARTrium, or the work of Rita Roberts, call Katherine Benke, Insight Art Connection: 719-588-9044, or email Katherine@InsightArtConnection.com.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Amy Kucera at Shumei International Institute



La Capilla de Todos los Santos Catholic Shrine
Black and white photo montage
Approx. 24x30”

The winter exhibit season begins October 28 at Shumei International Institute! Amy Kucera will present architectural photomontages through December, and Bernice Strawn will show wall sculptures in January and February. Please join us for artists’ receptions on the third Sundays of November and January, at 3 p.m.

Kucera’s work represents architecture in a more personal and emotional style than most photographs. By merging multiple photographs, the artist can convey her experience of a building – and the viewer gets an idea of that structure’s essence.

Kucera elaborates: “Just as a person has qualities that one picks up on during a conversation, so a building has qualities that one can pick up on if they let themselves experience their surroundings. One can see if a building has character… Many of the photomontages defy reality. The montages do not show the building as it actually exists. Instead of reconstructing the building in a straightforward way, each montage plays with merging different sections and perspectives to create a new space.”

Among the buildings depicted in the November-December show are the Denver Convention Center, Denver Pavilions, and Sacred Heart Church in Alamosa.

Kucera’s show begins the short 2007-08 Winter Exhibit Series. This year, two exhibits will be featured, with artists’ receptions at 3 p.m. on November 18 and January 20. SII in Crestone, CO, is a not for profit organization created to promote spiritual growth through interfaith activities, the practice of Natural Agriculture, and the sponsorship of the arts and cultural events.

Through symposia, exhibitions, and community receptions, SII actively encourages the integration of art and beauty into daily life. Art can put humankind in touch with the best qualities of human nature. When touched by beauty we place a higher value on life and on all creation. The arts foster harmony both within the individual and among communities. Shumei encourages its members and friends to make the arts an integral part of their lives.

Shumei’s gallery is free and open to the public 7 days a week from 9-5 PM. To find out more about SII, or for directions to the gallery, call Matthew Crowley: 719-256-5285.
To inquire about photomontages by Amy Kucera, contact Katherine Benke, Insight Art Connection: 719-588-9044, or email Katherine@InsightArtConnection.com.

Monday, October 01, 2007

New Work by Ame' Branson




Ame' is from Louisiana, and this series evokes the dignity and grace with which New Orleans has shown in beginning to rebuild. This body of work is called Out of Ruins, with each painting featuring a stunning bird. These bear all the hallmarks of Ame's style: quietly complex colors and blends, not-quite smoothed surfaces, and a map-like feeling as you travel around the canvas.

How fortunate to have a Gray Crowned Crane on my home page for a while! Welcome, Anhingas, Crowned Night Herons, Snowy Egrets, and all!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Fall's Gifts

My afternoons still feel like summer, but every other part of these cooling days reminds me to slow down -- it's just what I need with so much going on! The St. Thomas Art Auction is coming up this Saturday, the 29th. Two pieces have online bids -- remaining online bids need to be received by 5 p.m. that day. One of my favorite pieces is Triangle Plate by Linda Pacheco-Demski.




And Rebecca Mezoff will be replacing Rita Roberts at the ARTrium at SLV Regional Medical Center. This space is so beautiful, and the hospital is so conscious of the benefits of fine art -- it really attracts the best work in the region. This painting, Summer Cottonwoods by Rita Roberts, is on view there until October 6.




And I have new art by Nancy Vickery of Salida! This monotype, Perambulation: Wind, and many others should be going online this weekend.




Finally, Laura Murphy just installed an exhibit at Shume International Institute. She is taking vessels in a new direction: bowls as looms! This is Woven Bowl #2.