Telluride Arts: September Art Walk

29 Aug Telluride Arts: September Art Walk

Telluride Arts’ First Thursday Art Walk is a festive celebration of the arts in downtown Telluride for art lovers, community, and friends. Participating venues host receptions from 5 –8 p.m. to introduce their new exhibits and artists. A free gallery guide offers a self-guided tour that can be used any time to find galleries open most days. Guides are available at participating venues and at the Telluride Arts offices located in the Stronghouse Studios + Gallery at 283 South Fir Street. Listen to Open Art Radio on KOTO from 12-1 p.m. on First Thursdays to hear interviews with the artists. 

About 30 years ago, Amy Schilling was hiking in the desert just south of Santa Fe, New Mexico, when she stumbled across a piece of Southwestern history in the form of rock art long associated with prehistoric people. Something about the ancient symbols pecked into stone struck a chord that initially resonated in the form of  jewelry, metal pendants, and earrings.

Later, a trip to northern Italy upped the ante: the artist made sketches that evolved into what became Amy’s signature work: striking encaustic paintings.

Magician’s Hat

Schilling’s latest series, which again manipulates pigments through the hot wax process, “Calm, Quiet, Serenity,” is featured throughout September at the Slate Gray Gallery, 209 East Colorado, Unit A. The opening coincides with Art Walk, September 1, 5 – 8 p.m.

Encaustic – the name derives from a Greek word meaning “burnt in” – was one of the the principal styles of painting in the ancient world, dating back to 5th-century B.C. The technique involves melting dakar crystals, a pine sap, in beeswax to which dry colored pigments are added. The hot liquid or paste is then applied to the surface, which hardens quickly. Once the wax paint cools, additional layers can be added to achieve depth and texture, color layered upon color, to create vibrant color fields of burnt orange, sea blue,  blood red, and more onto which Amy can make her marks with carving tools: stipples, scratches and stylized shapes, the glyphs of Amy’s unique iconography: stick figures, suns, indeterminate squiggles – all razzle-dazzling with metallic paint, all characters in a dreamscape.

But what does it all mean?

“I am excited to share with you a glimpse of my new series of encaustic paintings, my continuing story of petroglyphs. By pairing the paintings with a poem as I always have, my stories continue to evolve through the confines of space and time. However, through an ongoing ever deeper exploration of my own senses, this new series displays a different energy, a more subtle state. The quiet subtlety of this work has the power to gently move a viewer audience into a meditative mood. The work is powerful in its serenity.”

What (and in this case, also who) inspires Amy?

An Idea is born, a sketch made. A story comes to life.

Amy’s focus on color changes the story in interesting ways.

For over 25 years, Amy Schilling’s work has been featured in Telluride and internationally. For over 15 years, her jewelry has been a staple at the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art.

Amy has called Telluride home since 1991.

Slate also features a trunk show of jewelry by Manhattan-based metal artist Eli Halili, an Israeli jewelry designer, whose collection embodies his worldly travels. Eli’s  handmade pieces reinvent the classical moods of foreign and ancient cities into avant-garde treasures. The fineness and rich depths of his jewelry are not only reflected in the tangible stories told through each ring or bracelet, the work evokes the feeling of strolling through an ancient city’s streets, reinforced in the high-carat gold used to make these precious pieces.

Top & left: Eli Halili. Right: Amy Schilling

September Art Walk also features a show by former Telluride local Richard Lowenburg at the Ah Haa School; a closing reception of paintings by New-York based artist Ryan Cronin at Telluride Arts’ uber hip Gallery 81435; and MiXX features “Architectural Anatomy.” In Mountain Village, at Madeline Hotel and Residences, check out an ongoing display of original paintings inspired by the Colorado landscape; also graphite portraits by Adam W. Carlos. Telluride Arts’ newest space, soul & matter presents “High Altitude Robots,” an exhibit by artist Dave Pressler, along with fine jewelry by Veldt Marfa.

Featured Art Walk Venues: (Detailed information below.)

Adam W. Carlos Fine Art
Ah Haa School For the Arts
Alpine Wellness
Baked in Telluride
Dolce
Elinoff & Co. Gallery
Gallery 81435
Gold Mountain Gallery
Kamruz Gallery
La Cocina de Luz
La Marmotte
Lustre Gallery
LDGiles Art & Design Gallery (aka. Happy Print)
Lustre Gallery
Madeline Hotels and Residences
MiXX projects + atelier
Murphy Modern Gallery at Arroyo
Oh-Be-Joyful Gallery
Picaya
Randy Stephens Photography
Slate Gray Gallery
soul & matter
Studio G
Stronghouse Gallery
Telluride Gallery of Fine Art
The Turquoise Door Gallery
Tony Newlin Gallery
Wizard Emporium

Exhibit Information, highlights:

Adam W. Carlos Fine Art, Mountain Village Core, Suite 102

Art Walk expands to Mountain Village this year with Adam W. Carlos Fine Art offering exclusive graphite pencil portraiture. Adam’s patience and attention to detail yields stunning images that capture the true character and personalities of his subjects. His painstaking dedication to accuracy makes Adam’s portraits, landscapes, and equestrian drawings become the centerpiece of a room without overpowering the space. The Portrait and Landscape Gallery is located in the Mountain Village core next to Reflection Plaza.

Ah Haa School for the Arts, 300 South Townsend 

Ah Haa features “Shot in the Dark: At the Movies,” a show by Richard Lowenberg in the Daniel Tucker Gallery.

Richard Lowenberg lived and was creatively involved in Telluride from 1979 to 1996. From 1984 through 2002, he developed a body of artworks derived from and addressing our “Information Society,” issues of privacy, surveillance, information warfare, and terrorism, with overt assistance from defense contracted companies, military research labs, and intelligence agencies.

Richard also “covertly” photographed audiences in the dark at theaters around the U.S., including at the Sheridan Opera House, especially during annual Telluride Film Festivals. While part of a larger body of work, all exhibited images were shot in the dark in Telluride.

Also featured in the Daniel Tucker Gallery is Kate Kurtz. Her exhibition is “Summer Solstice.” This work is about summer celebration. Kurtz is always inspired by her surroundings in Telluride, its dramatic light and the bright array of colors, a perfect formula for painting. But what makes a painting more compelling to Kate is the way people interact with others, strangers, friends, and family, so she chooses to have a figure or figures in her landscapes.

“I want the viewer to be a part of the moment I have captured.”

Baked in Telluride, 127 South Fir 

Baked in Telluride is displaying the bold and colorful acrylic paintings by Telluride local artist Carol Lee. Join the Bakery for coffee, cookies and conversation.

Gallery 81435 presents the closing reception of “Open This Side,” a contemporary art exhibit by New York-based artist Ryan Cronin.

For over two decades, Cronin has used Rust-Oleum paint to create his own unique iconography. His work is often described as Pop, but teetering between abstraction and representation. It is a mash-up of high and low culture, driven by a deep sense of color and placement. It is large-scale, bold, and marked by a signature gloss finish. It is accessible and emotional, with a playful edge.

“What interests me is using color to steer the eye across the picture plane. I present the subject, but the meaning is not dictated. That is left to the viewer. I look to find that perfect balance where less is more.”

Ryan Cronin has exhibited his work in galleries, museums, and art fairs throughout the United States. He has completed several large-scale projects including the silo at Tuthilltown Spirits/Hudson Valley Whiskey and a mural in Wynwood during Art Basel. In May 2015, Ryan and his wife opened a gallery in New Paltz, New York, which features a mix of Cronin originals, museum-quality prints, sculpture, and a line of housewares designed by Cronin.

Cronin was born in 1972 on the front seat of a late-60’s Plymouth station wagon. After that bold entrance into this world, he has kept his family, friends, and fans on their toes ever since. From as far back as he can remember, his father told him “you can be the garbage man, you can be the president.” Those words stuck with Cronin and help shape the artist he is today.

Ryan Cronin will be present for a meet-and-greet. He will also be selling merchandise featuring his artwork.

LDGiles Art & Design Gallery (aka Happy Print), 307 East Colorado 

LDGiles Art & Design presents “An Eclectic Retrospective,” reflecting work done over the past several decades in a variety of media.

MiXX projects + atelier, 307 East Colorado 

This month MiXX presents “Architectural Anatomy,” featuring two of their “greats”: Marco Grassi and Nick Veasey who, despite  the fact their work is very very different, both use their mediums to explore and interpret the architecture of the human body. Originally an architect, Marco took up the canvas as a new venue in which to explore shapes and forms in all their beauty, fluidity, and elusiveness. X-ray photographer Nick Veasey takes a very literal approach in his exposure of what lies beneath the surface.

Murphy Modern Gallery at Arroyo, 220 East Colorado

Murphy Modern features paintings by artist Danielle DeRoberts: “A Union.”

DeRoberts explores the intimate connections between the physical and non; between two sentient beings; between the metaphysical strands that unite us all. The artist believes we constantly develop these unions, whether we are aware of that fact or not.

Unions can be the simple and romantic: the love found between two people or the casual eye contact with a stranger down the street. Unions can happen between the human and the mountain, the dog and his owner, and even the experience found within one’s self.

DeRoberts expands further on these concepts by incorporating the element of time; the idea that past lives, communicates, and unites throughout the human experience. This element is represented through titles such as “Timeless Awareness” and “Interconnectivity.”

To literally represent the concept of a union, DeRoberts incorporates cut-and-sewn layers of fabric that overlap with the next. In addition, transparent dye merges two forms into one and interconnected thread throughout the installations. Taking cues from her Southwestern Colorado environment, the viewer will enjoy light desert tones, deep flowing rivers of fabric ink, and the simultaneously beautiful and haunting aspen trees from high in the hills of Telluride. The split images of two different canvases unite as one final piece. 

As many familiar with DeRoberts’ work will observe, each piece incorporates song lyrics and inspirational quotes; a backlit illumination that creates a subliminal experience; and a foreshadowing of the next series.

soul & matter, 135 West Pacific

Telluride Arts’ new office space just across from the Library contains a contemporary gallery space: soul & matter. The gallery, which will feature new artists and jewelers monthly, presents the closing reception of “High Altitude Robots,” a show by David Pressler, along with the fine jewelry of Veldt Marfa. A musician will also be present for the reception.

Dave Pressler is a Los Angeles-based artist and character designer who has used sculpture and illustration to fuse two of his primary passions: fine art and the world of pop entertainment. Over the past 20 years, he has designed characters and worlds for a variety of kids entertainment companies. Most recently Dave has dived into the universe of TV animation.

Veldt-Marfa is the creation of Glen and LéAna Clifton, an artistic duo living in Marfa, Texas. The hand-made porcelain forms, designed and made exclusively in their tiny studio, offer them the ultimate form of self-expression. Beautiful, minimal and sensual shapes, distilled to their essence. Art that you can feel and wear. Using a unique process, the pieces have a buttery-smooth, highly tactile surface. The naked porcelain is fully vitrified, which makes it one of the most durable materials on earth. A natural fit for their minimal jewelry. Being handmade means each piece is slightly different from the piece that came before, and therefore uniquely personal.

Stronghouse Studios + Gallery, 283 South Fir

With the Telluride Arts Offices relocated, the Stronghouse Studios + Gallery is brimming with artists and will continue as a program of Telluride Arts for as long as possible. The gallery space will feature artwork created by the artists in residence at the Stronghouse Studios. The featured artists in July include Josephine Fallenius, Clarissa Fortier, and David Brankley, and Kevin Pashayan, a passionate young artist specializing in graffiti and stencil art.

David Brankley

Kevin Pashayan

Telluride Gallery of Fine Art, 130 East Colorado

Telluride Gallery presents Barbara Heinrich, who is showcasing her new studio jewelry. World-renowned goldsmith, Barbara will exhibit her newest 18k gold creations. With over 30 years experience, her surface work technique is unmatched. Telluride Gallery of Fine Art also has an eclectic mix of gallery favorites on the walls; Paintings by Susan Sales, Malcolm Liepke, Shawna Moore, Gordon Brown, Merrill Mahaffey and photographs by Dan Budnik.

For more, go to Telluride Arts.