More on the walk

04 Feb More on the walk

At Lustre, 171 South Pine:

At this Thursday's Art Walk, Telluride’s Lustre Gallery is hosting a trunk show of Gurhan’s bling blockbusters. The designer's claim to fame is pioneering the revival of 24-karat gold, transforming the ancient metal into fine, contemporary jewelry.

“Gurhan is unique in his use of 24-karat gold, which is often considered too soft a metal to manipulate. After spending 18 months closeted in a small workshop in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, Gurhan rediscovered ancient metalsmithing techniques, some over 7000 years old, and improved upon them: pure gold is hand-worked, aged through a heating process, and given a stable form, resulting in a beautiful work of art,” said Christine Reich, co-owner of Lustre.

Gurhan became a jewelry designer late in life, having “discovered” pure gold at the age of 40, although he was always creative. Just prior to launching his new career, the artist lived in Switzerland, where he restored ancient pocket watches.
Another passion was music: Gurhan built systems and entertainment venues to bring U.S. and U.K. rock to his home country, Turkey.

“My ‘leaps’ are about passion! Making jewelry is a passion that has grown from the first moment I touched a piece of pure gold. What began as a hobby is now a serious vocation, almost an obsession. At one level, my passion is highly technical: I love the challenge of working with the vagaries of difficult metals. On another level, my passion is fueled by the women for whom I design, including my wife Fiona.”

At Schilling Studio Gallery, 151 South Pine

Reem Rahim  is co-founder/owner/VP Marketing/Chief Marketing Officer of Numi Organic Tea, which she started with her brother in Oakland, California. In 10 years, Numi has grown to 35 employees and today occupies 30,000 square feet, including a retail teahouse. In 2007, revenues hit $11 million, and the company is considered a leader in sustainable business practices.

Reem also holds an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering and a masters degree in fine art. And this Renaissance woman also went to the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence, Italy, to study painting.

For Art Walk, gallery owner Amy Schilling is introducing new works by the artist, images of ballerinas Reem did as part of a study of Degas.

"I began this series of ballerinas after a period of not painting and wanting to pick up a brush again and play. They are studies on Degas, painted on old journal entries that have been pasted on board and painted over with a whirl of abstract ground. While I began them as quick sketches of free-flowing marks, they turned into a deliberation of gestures and expressions of my personal psyche over the past year. Believing that painting always reflects your inner rumblings and unconscious, I have debated with myself what they may indicate… a response to the prognosis my doctor gave me over 20 years ago after a near fatal car accident which almost took my legs: 'let’s put it this way, you will never become a ballerina.'… OR… the struggle I had with my now ex-fiancé whether he was 'the one'… OR… simple paintings of women in different poses and gestures… OR… I have used patterns as a medium for several years based on an interest in identity, thought patterns and the landscapes we keep in the context of impermanence and fragility. Revealing transparency and mystery within change allows me and the viewer to question underlying assumptions and projections which overtake a sense of openness.
"Finally, my day job is to run a small tea company based out of Oakland, California called Numi Organic Tea. The paintings exhibited are small vignettes, many inspired by my brother and co-founder’s photos. These lush far-away landscapes and dreamscapes adorn all of our tea boxes. "

Reem is not able to be in town for the opening. However, locals Nicole Finger and Michelle Montague, also artists in Amy's stable, will be on hand to talk about their work.

At other venues

Last chance to see Amy Jean Boebel's "Seventeen Scrolls of Screen," fanciful reliefs fashioned from wire screen and shadow, at Stronghouse Studios. 283 South Fir.

East Meets West is hosting three artists: landscape oils by Karen Kristin, pastel and oil landscapes by Greg Barnes, and underwater photography by Christopher Pulitzer Leidy.

At Dolce, 226 West Colorado, owner Beau Staley is featuring the newest pieces by award-winning jeweler Alan Friedman, rose-cut diamonds, rubies, turquiose and black diamonds in intricate one-of-a-kind designs. In addition, there are bronze sculptures by Kevin Box, Gil Bruvel, James Vilona and Warren Cullar.

For further information about Art Walk and other TCAH initiatives, pick up a free brochure at any venue and or TCAH website, www.telluridearts.org.