Telluride Arts: Art Walk Highlites

04 Feb Telluride Arts: Art Walk Highlites

Magical image by Scott Rhea

A major New York show, up now at the International Center of Photography, begs the question: “What Is A Photograph?” At the dawn of the 21st century a photograph is not necessarily the result of light exposed to film or even lens-based. According to a New York Times article on the subject: “The iPhone, the scanner and Photoshop are yielding a daunting range of imagery, and artists mining these new technologies are making documentation of the actual world seem virtually obsolete.”

Scott Rhea is one fine example of an artist whose work embodies the shift from fact to fiction. His ethereal images are literally the stuff of dreams.

Rhea hails from Louisiana. “An Inevitable Consequence,” his collection of ethereal underwater photography, was inspired by the destruction and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The images exploring themes of cause and effect are beguiling examples of Magic Realism: strange circumstances and juxtapositions infuse the ordinary with a sense of mystery that both beckons and threaten the viewer. To create, this slow-moving aquatic fantasy world, Rhea and his subjects and props are submerged in tanks or pools.

Scott Rhea’s work is now on display at the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art, part of a show opening to coincide with Telluride Arts First Thursday Art Walk, February 6, 5 – 8 p.m., a walk about town to view the latest and greatest from local, regional, even national artists at venues all over town. Listen to Open Art Radio on KOTO from 12-1 p.m. on first Thursdays to hear interviews with the artists. Maps are available at participating venues and at the Telluride Arts offices located in the Stronghouse Studios + Gallery at 283 South Fir Street.

Also on display at the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art are works by the gifted painter-illustrator Bart Forbes, a new member of Will Thompson’s impressive stable of diverse talent. Over a career spanning 45 years, Forbes developed a reputation for  loose painterly approach to the realistic scenes he captures in oil on canvas.

Moonrise by Bart Forbes

Jeweler Amy Schilling works intuitively with the ancient symbols she discovers she discovers in her travels and research, preserving them in precious metals. Schilling’s line includes bangles, earrings, necklaces, wedding bands, and stackable rings in 22k gold, palladium, sterling silver with styles including uncut pink sapphires and diamonds.

Other highly recommended shows include:

Ah Haa School for the Arts, 300 South Townsend, “New Works By Regional Artists.” This juried exhibition features fresh, innovative, new work by a large pool of regional artists in all media: painting, ceramics, sculpture, mixed media, photography, printing, fiber, metals, and more. At 7 p.m., the sole juror, arts advocate Amy Kimberly, announces the “Best of Show” winners and votes will be counted for the “People’s Choice Award.”  (See related post by Suzanne Cheavens for further details.)

Redwall Reflections, Sheri Worth

Dolce, 226 West Colorado Avenue, currently  featuring a new jewelry line by designer Monica Rich Kosann.

Sterling silver lockets, Monica Rich Kossan

Kosann is a fine-art portrait photographer and jewelry and home accessory designer who has worked for many years with people to integrate their memories and cherished possessions into their daily lives. She recently opened a shop in Bergorf Goodman to display and sell her jewelry and home accessories. Dolce is carrying her latest line of lockets and charms starting at $275.

Gallery 81435: Contemporary Telluride, 230 South Fir, Nancy Anderson, “Seeker.” The  unique exhibit is all about the iconography, symbolic nature, and lure of the heart. The show is part of Anderson’s ongoing attempt to express how we feel in our soul, which is directly intertwined with our most precious organ, the heart. To create her work, Anderson, a self-described modern-day hunter, uses found objects, jewelry bits, stones, ephemera, tintypes, antique books, keys, all trophies of days gone by.

“I attempt to expose my heart however secret or mysterious through my work. I think that is the pilgrimage of all artists. I also believe where the wound is, is also where the gift is.”

Unbridled Love Belt Buckle, Nancy Anderson

Anderson is a self-taught artist, craftswoman and teacher, who founded Sweet Bird Studio (now located in Ridgeway, CO) in 1988 and has had a successful career ever since she followed her own heart.

Lustre, an Artisan Gallery, 171 South Pine. The gallery hosts an artist reception featuring Telluride’s own Dalen Stevens, a talented ceramist and musician who pours heart and soul into his artistic passions. The creation of a single porcelain vase or platter is a multi-year endeavor because Dalen mixes his own porcelain, working it as it seasons throughout the year. He specializes in large thrown works that are hand cut and decorated. After a multitude of firings, Dalen’s creations explode with color and the unique detailing of his hand mixed-crystalline glazes. With muscularity, finesse and music, Dalen brings sand to life.

Tall Vase, Dalen Steves, Luster Gallery

Melange, 109 West Colorado Avenue, “Red.” Red is the color of energy, passion and action. Featured are the Panoply Project, from Durango, CO., a wide- ranging and impressive array of materials, special dresses, and equipment. Also on display: Jill Rickers’ metal hearts, paintings by Veneta Nikolova, and prints by Kellie Day.

Heart by Jill Rikkers

Stronghouse Studios & Gallery, 283 South Fir: “Chimera: 2D/3D, an exhibit by Amy Levek.” The artist manipulates two-dimensional photographs into sculptural forms utilizing a variety of techniques and materials. Levek prints the photos on fabrics such as cotton and silk organza and layers translucent images and materials to achieve compellingly different effects. Some of the images are sewn onto aluminum creating sculptural pieces from bending and stitching the materials.

Amy Levek

Also happening during Art Walk, the Sheridan Arts Foundation, Telluride Historical Museum, Telluride TV, and Town of Telluride are hosting a screening of our recently commissioned film at the Sheridan Opera House celebrating Telluride’s historic landmarks. The 12-minute film made by Telluride TV screens three times on February 6: 5:30, 6 and 6:30 p.m. Admission is free. Learn about Telluride’s Historic “Period of Significance” and the Sheridan Opera House.