When one of my longtime publishers, Art & Object, recruited me to curate their Denver Art Showcase, I couldn’t say no. I’m a longtime contributor to Art & Object — a national/international art news site, and I’ve reported on the arts in Denver for more than 30 years. I had a lot of contacts.
Here’s a link with more information, but no annoying paywall or pop-up ads.
The Denver Art Showcase includes some of Colorado’s most innovative galleries and dozens of Colorado artists. Works in the showcase range from pure abstraction to masterful hyper-realism of Daniel Sprick and Scott Fraser. Media include oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings; ceramic and bronze sculpture; fine art photography, textile art and mixed media works.
Once regarded as a cow town, Denver has grown into a destination art metropolis. The Mile High City is home to world-class art museums, numerous art districts, scores of galleries and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, a tax collected and distributed to nearly 300 cultural organizations in the seven-county Denver metro region, including Museum of Outdoor Arts, the vFair’s partner.
In curating the Denver Art Showcase, in many cases, I opted for related works by artists or works in a series. I often chose for works different from what a particular artist is known for, a case in point being still life works by William Matthews, a watercolorist famous for his cowboys, or abstracted landscapes, an evolving style for the painter Susiehyer.
An avid gardener, I included a lot of floral works in a lot of different styles. The florals seem perfect for a show the first week of August.
I also chose a lot of landscapes in various styles. You can’t live in Colorado without being staggered by our dramatic landscapes. Denver is a city with a view to the west dominated by the Front Range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains that inspire so many artists, along with our dramatic skies and sunsets. The landscapes in the showcase capture the regional rugged beauty and the intense light of the American West.
Works in the show are for sale by the gallery or the artist, and the vFair offers an opportunity to exhibit to a wider audience for less cost and more ease. And while it goes without saying that seeing fine art in person is preferable, the virtual exhibition is open to the world, bringing the best of Colorado art in the Denver Art Showcase to art-lovers everywhere.
Friday Jones Publishing 