Telluride’s First Thursday Art Walk

04 Mar Telluride’s First Thursday Art Walk

 The 2010 First Thursday Telluride Art Walk continues Thursday, March 4, 5-8p.m. at galleries around town.

Sponsored by the Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities, the Art Walk is a day-long showcase of our local fine arts scene, galleries, studios and arts organizations staying open “late ‘til 8” the First Thursday of every month.  The event, which kicked off three years ago, includes galleries located in and around Colorado Avenue (Main Street), all within walking distance of one another.  Stop by after work, après ski, or on your way to dinner and add a little art to your life. 

The free Art Walk brochures, available at any participating venue (and our hotels and coffee shops), offer a self-guided map of the participating establishments. 

Stronghouse Studios, 283 South Fir Street: "We Were Once One," assorted works by Kevin Gillette II, fluidly melding color and emotion. The artist describes his work in detail: "The work  here is a collection of emotions accumulated over the last decade. Many recycled and discarded items have been used as a medium for texture. Much of my work has an intentional use of items  commonly regarded as “unusable”. This new body of work represents the growth and the process of abstraction an artist must go through in order to find his own artistic style. In order to know where he is going, a person must first look at where he has been. As the barriers of reality and form fade, only pure color and emotion remain. Enough has been said, let the art speak for itself."  

Sapsucker Studios, 299 S. Spruce Street, welcomes ink painter Jared David Paul. JDP shows art inspired by Apollo Rockets, tipis, solar eclipses, comets, ice, ink, and indigenous myth. The artist works in various mediums. Most recently, he designed a line of fashions for the Telluride Aids Benefit under the name "New Brave."  "This work gave me an opportunity to be a bit more political. People look at fashion more than art, so I wanted a message to be attached, sometimes obvious sometimes subtle." Come sip wine and interact with the work.

Wildcat Studios, 224 E. Colorado Avenue, features local artists, photography and custom framing

Schilling Studio Gallery, 151 S. Pine, has an show highlighting artwork from its current stable.

Lustre, an Artisan Gallery, 171 S. Pine, hosts an artist's reception for Michele Scrivner, 4 – 7 p.m.  Michele, a Colorado artist, sums up her work: “ I feel privileged to live in a beautiful setting surrounded by dramatic mountains, trees, rock outcroppings, and expansive skies. What intrigues me and what I try to capture are the rich colors, depth, and texture found in nature.  The art I create conveys a sense of earthiness juxtaposed with a contemporary edge. My work represents the elements of earth, sky and water. I blur the line between the elements to illustrate the trickle-down effect, that what is done to one impacts the other. It is my desire to share with viewers the beauty of the simple lines, rich colors, and complex textures observed in nature.”

Telluride Gallery of Fine Art, 130 E. Colorado Ave, hosts a solo exhibition of 28 new oils by figurative painter Malcom "Skip" Liepke, an artist known for his lush use of paint and color, and emotional intimacy. His art has been on the covers of Time, Newsweek, Forbes, and Fortune, and is widely shown and exhibited (including Smithsonian Institution and Brooklyn Museum collections). Artist reception and wine tasting by Wine Mine at Pacific St. Liquors. 

Ah Haa School for the Arts, 300 South Townsend:
Adam Field — Pottery, Daniel Tucker Gallery
"I am fascinated with antique artifacts, the way they can speak of mastery of lost peoples, places, and cultures.  This inspires me to create works that both radiate history and capture my own place and time. I work toward a clean aesthetic that celebrates the masterful simplicity of antique Far Eastern pottery, while retaining the modest utility of colonial American wares. The surface of my pottery is meticulously carved with intricate designs that borrow from nature and incorporate the human touch.  Much of the carving on my work is informed by the pattern languages found in indigenous fiber art, such as Hawaiian tapa, Incan cordage and Zulu basketry. "

Audrey Leigh Mann — Photography, East Room Gallery
"The work features photographs from my months on the open road, Maine to California, and everywhere in between, moments and objects documented for posterity or for my own personal amusement. On my journey, I found my way to Telluride, Colorado, and fell in love. Cradled in the canyon walls, deep breaths of fresh air, and the gentle rustle of aspens, I experienced sun on my skin and cold nights under starry skies, desert and ocean, towering buildings and busy streets, long hikes and rainy days reading in my tent. Watching the canvas of terrain pass under my tires I felt small below expansive skies. With these photographs I have attempted to capture the small details of a much bigger picture. This is the country the way I see it." Welcome home.

La Cocina De Luz, 123 East Colorado Avenue. features  original oil paintings by Sean McNamara. Sean paints, skis, works, and digs life in the Ophir valley. Using an old wooden shed for a studio, he enjoys painting for the peace of mind that it brings. His paintings are in numerous private collections and he is represented by the Princess St. Gallery in Harbour Island, Bahamas. This show will include a sprinkling of island images along with scenes from the Norwood Horse Races and local landscapes.

For more information about the Art Walk, pick up a free brochure at any participating venue, or visit the TCAH website.