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JeffreySchafer NEW YEAR'S EVE Telluride is experiencing an art attack.

Since Monday, 30 top plein air artists have been in the region for the Telluride Plein Air event, painting the town fuzzed up, fluid, atmospheric, and tonal in the style of the Impressionists, reducing subjects to dots, dashes, blobs, and swaths of scintillating color to reflect our changing light.

On Thursday, July 2, the Sheridan Opera House hosts an Artists' Choice Gala Premiere/Silent Auction/Wine Reception, showcasing the work produced during the week. The event is an exclusive chance to bid on the paintings and meet the artists. At 8 p.m., Imagine, A Beatles Tribute Band performs.

July 2 is also the first Thursday Art Walk of the summer season, a daylong showcase of Telluride's fine art scene, including galleries and studios, which stay open late until 8 p.m. The Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities conceived of the event as a way to deepen ties between the town's  business and cultural economies, exposing locals and guests to emerging and established artists and the town's retail scene. Almost all participating venues are located in and around Colorado Avenue, within walking distance of one another, and many hold opening receptions, 5 – 8 p.m.

02 July, 2009 /

Plein Air artists in Telluride (see Slide show of their work below)

This week, 30 nationally recognized artists have been painting in and around Telluride for the Sheridan Arts Foundation's 6th annual Telluride Plein Air event.

Bottom line: Impressionist style plein air painting is an old idea updated by new blood.

Eugene Boudin was one of the more adventurous 19th-century painters, known primary for his beach scenes and seascapes of northern France, and luminous skies. When Boudin taught his young student, Claude Monet, the importance of painting a scene directly from nature in the light, in the air, just as it was, painting en plein air was born. In the stroke of Monet’s agitated brush, the dark palette of Realism (and the Barbizon School) gave way to the brighter highlights of painting directly from nature.

02 July, 2009 /

Pellham Telluride's Nugget Theatre has one more showing of Disney's "Earth" on Friday, July 3 at 6:00 pm. The movie is rated G and is the story of one year on Earth, with an emphasis on its wild creatures.

The rest of week the movie is "The Taking of Pelham 123", rated R, with Denzel Washington as a New York subway dispatcher with an intimate knowledge of New York underground against criminal genius, John Travolta, in a race against time to save the hostages aboard the subway train.

For trailers and reviews, see the Nugget website. Please note revised showtimes.


02 July, 2009 /

17Nemirov This week, a group of 30 artists, the winners of a juried process, are in Telluride for the Sheridan Arts Foundation's Plein Air event, culminating with a show of their work over the Fourth of July weekend. These painters are visiting town from all over the country, except for two: locals Wayne McKenzie and Meredith Nemirov also made the cut.

Both McKenzie and Nemirov  were selected to participate Telluride Plein Air 2008, when Nemirov won the Sheridan Arts Foundation's Quick Draw & Sale, happening this year, Thursday, July 2, 10:30 a.m. – noon, Main Street.

A longtime contributor and instructor at the Ah Haa School for the Arts, Meredith Nemirov is teaching two classes at the school this month.

01 July, 2009 /

Unknown  Starting Monday, July 29, 30 carefully vetted artists, including locals Wayne McKenzie and Meredith Nemirov, are gathering in and around Telluride to synthesize the light hitting town and mountain scenes into color on canvas. The group is part of the 6th annual Telluride Plein Air event, produced by the Sheridan Arts Foundation to support its year 'round programming.

This year, the general public gets its first peek at the work at two venues in the Mountain Village.

The  Masterpiece Showcase & Sale takes place at Mountain Village Heritage Plaza, June 30 – July 2, where gallery quality works selected by the artists will be on sale. 

30 June, 2009 /

Tpf_logo_1 On Wednesday, July 1, the Telluride Playwrights Festival opens with a reading, 6 p.m., in the Gallery Room of the Sheridan Opera House.

Nicholas Day and local Jennie Franks will read "DR. FREEMAN & HILDA," a 40 minute one act black comedy written by Franks about the famous lobotomist Dr. Walter Freeman, who specialized in frontal lobotomies from the 1930's to the late 1960's. The dark doc performed over 6000 lobotomies.

$10 Donations accepted.

29 June, 2009 /
[click "Play" to hear Mark Galbo on Rock 'n Roll Academy]

Ladies Rock n Roll at SOH 085 These 10 Telluride ladies have always rocked. But until last October, they never rocked out.

Last fall, under the expert guidance of Mark Galbo, founder/CEO, Telluride Rock & Roll Academy, the women began a journey of self-empowerment that culminated in a performance on the stage of the historic Sheridan Opera House last  January. Tuesday, June 30, 7 – 11p.m., is their long awaited encore.

Join  “Mach Schau”  – Suzanne Cheavens, Baerbel Hacke, Molly Papier, Cindy Carver, Kathleen Erie – and "Mamalicious"  – Suz Remec, Melissa Plantz, Libby Ball, Melanie McDonald, Wendy Fulton – for  their second full-tilt rock 'n roll show and dance party.

"Being in a band and playing rock and roll is all I've ever wanted to do. I love the work and how making music makes me feel: exhilarated, happy, whole. Like I've hooked into some divine mystery. I wish I could do nothing except play my guitar," said Suzanne Cheavens, writer/KOTO's music director – and lead guitar.

28 June, 2009 /
[click "Play" to hear "John Lennon" (Tom Coburn) talk about the group and the Telluride set]


Telluride's historic Sheridan Opera House welcomes "Imagine," a Beatles tribute band.

2009 Promo Pic Imagine we are all one country, one world, one people. John Lennon did – then he put his thoughts into the words of a song ranked #3 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. "Imagine" is part of a holy trinity that includes The Rolling Stone's "Satisfaction" and Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone."

As famous as John Lennon was in life  – he famously said he and The Beatles were more famous than Jesus – he remained a folk hero after his untimely death.

Now imagine John Lennon returned to life and coming to Telluride to perform. He did and is, sort of, in the form of Tom Coburn of the Beatles tribute band, "Imagine," in concert Thursday, July 2, 8 p.m., at the historic Sheridan Opera House for an evening of family entertainment.

28 June, 2009 /
[click "Play" to hear Citizen Cope]

123032810001 Telluride Mountainfilm and Telluride Bluegrass are known far and wide as festivals for folks with a come-to-the-neighborhood feel. On the other hand, the Telluride Wine Festival, this weekend, June 25 – June 28, is perceived to be highbrow, for a sleek, well-heeled fraternity, who are all about Reidel, not KOTO plastic beer cups. It's for "them," not "us." Right?

Wrong. What better proof of the event's parochial bent than beer – yep, brews as well as wine and spirits this year – and another Telluride Wine Fest first: a concert Saturday evening, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m., featuring brooding urban poet and musical mixologist Clarence Greenwood, aka, Citizen Cope, a uncommon performer with a common touch.

27 June, 2009 /
click "Play" to hear Maria Bachman on the Festival and Philip Glass]


Telluride 2009 5 Devotees of the Telluride Musicfest have already gotten their tickets. For Festival virgins, the following is the schedule:

All Concerts at 7:30PM
    •    June 24 CONCERT #1 at Mai Home (at Skyline Ranch)
    •    Featuring Trio Solisti, founding ensemble
    •    Mendelssohn Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op 49
         Schoenfield Cafe Music
         Mendelssohn Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op 66

    •    June 28 CONCERT #2 at Mai Home (at Skyline Ranch)
    •    Artists: David Harding, viola; Wendy Sutter, cello; and Trio Solisti
         Beethoven Duet with Obligato Eyeglasses for viola and cello Woo 32
         Ravel Sonata for violin and cello
         Mendelssohn Sonata in D major for cello and piano
         Brahms Piano Quartet in C minor

27 June, 2009 /