Art Walk just before Telluride Film Festival opens, 8/1

Start with the bling at Lustre, an artisan's gallery, 171 South Pine Street, is hosting a trunk show featuring the classic 24K gold jewelry by the metal artist Gurhan Orhan, renowned for his pioneering work in the revival of pure 24 karat gold jewelry. His signature technique was inspired by the art of ancient goldsmiths.

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 tweaked them using contemporary technology: pure gold is hand-worked, aged through a heating process, and given a stable form that results in a beautiful work of wearable art. The collection at Lustre includes bronze artifacts from the late Roman and Byzantine empire, beautiful stones, diamonds and pearls.

"As well as looking wonderful, I want my designs to cause wonder. Handcrafting each piece of jewelry takes time; perfecting every detail demands patience. The result is an heirloom to be treasured," explained Gurhan.

And there is more wonderful jewelry at the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art, 130 East Colorado Avenue, with the work of Lori Rodkin, Barbara Heinrich and Abigail Heche to name a few "rock" stars.

Over the River proposes 5.9 miles of luminous fabric panels high above the water on the Arkansas River in eight separate areas between Salida and Canon City in south-central Colorado. The deadline for public comment is nearing (extended to the 14th of September). The Telluride Gallery of Fine Art invites clients and friends to stop in for information and stamped postcards.  

In addition, the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art is holding a joint exhibition of the work of Julee Hutchinson and Michelle Curry Wright at the Ah Haa School, 30 South Townsend. 

New wood sculptures by Christian Burchard and Will Clift are also on display at TGFA.

The Stronghouse Studios, 283 South Fir Street, features new work, "Transitions," by Telluride local/landscape painter Corinne Schemann. Her images tend to represent the artist's emotional response to landscapes (internal and external). Colors are surrogates for mood, a la Wassily Kandinisky.

The Schilling Studio Gallery, 151 South Pine hosts the work of Jeff Scher, a painter who makes experimental films and an experimental filmmaker who paints. Scher's  work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Hirshhorn Museum. He has a monthly online film with the New York Times and has been screen at the Pompidou Center in Paris and at the New York and Telluride Film Festivals. Who knows: One of Scher's films may be featured in this year's event. That information will be released around noon today.

Sapsucker Studios, 299 S. Spruce Street presents "Your Face Here" by Auntie Graffiti, who prefers to be known as a scandalizer not a vandalizer. Auntie Graffiti (aka Jane Goren) travels the world painting portraits on paper toilet seat covers and has presented these pieces at renegade exhibitions in the toilets and WCs of renowned museums and galleries around the globe. Now she has come to Telluride with these portraits and more for a world-class exhibit at the Sapsucker Studio.  Auntie Graffiti sez : “You will never forget a face you’ve sat on.”

(For detailed information about what's happening at other venues and a map, go to www.telluridearts.org).