Robert Rauschenberg’s first solo show in Colorado

On assignment to report on the upcoming Robert Rauschenberg solo exhibition at Museum of Outdoor Arts (MOA), I wondered what I might add to the already vast body of scholarship about the influential artist who altered the trajectory of painting, sculpture and photography with his innovative work. 

Fortunately, I found four sources who had known the artist personally. These individuals shared anecdotes about the artist, and all remembered his charisma and his sense of humor, in addition to his talent.

In researching Rauschenberg, I came to appreciate the man as much as his art. He collaborated with artists around the world as a humanitarian and became a philanthropist supporting many causes as close to his heart as his art.

“Rauschenberg: Reflections and Ruminations” opens February 24th and shows through June 13th at Museum of Outdoor Arts (MOA) located in Englewood Civic Center.

 Read the full article here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2020/02/07/rauschenberg-art-exhibit-englewood.html

 

#MuseumofOutdoorArts #MOA #DenverBusinessJournal #ByColleenSmith #DBJ #RobertRauschenberg #MuseumofContemporaryArts

“Rauschenberg: Reflections and Ruminations” opens February 24th and shows through June 13th at Museum of Outdoor Arts (MOA) located in Englewood Civic Center.

Madeleine O’Connell creates art and joy

Madeleine O’Connell is a third generation artist, following in the creative footsteps of her grandmother, who attended the Art Institute of Chicago in the late 1920’s and her mother, who held a Master’s degree in calligrapher and taught at Iowa State University.

O’Connell is a multi-talented artist working not only as a widely appreciated painter, but also a designer of jewelry, textiles and merchandise that features her art on everyday utilitarian items such as dinner plates and napkins.

Learn more about O’Connell in my feature for Colorado Expression magazine:

https://www.coloradoexpression.com/featured-stories/madeleine-oconnell

“What I enjoy is the making. This is how I’m happy. This is fulfilling.”

Gregory Alan Isakov’s “Evening Machines” skyrockets to Grammys

Grammy-nominated Gregory Alan Isakov missed our scheduled telephone
interview initially, but apologized profusely and had a good excuse: “My sheep were
attacked by coyotes,” said the singer-songwriter, who oversees his organic farm in
Colorado when not touring internationally.
Isakov’s “Evening Machines” didn’t win the Grammy for Best New Folk Album. The
award went to Patty Griffin, who opened for Isakov at Red Rocks a few years ago.
Isakov, in turn, will open for The Lumineers on part of their upcoming tour for their
third album titled “III.”

For my interview with and feature on Gregory Alan Isakov published by the Denver
Business Journal click here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2020/01/24/gregory-alan-isakov-evening-machines.html

For my interview with Jeremiah Fraites of The Lumineers and my feature on the
band published by the Denver Business Journal click here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2019/05/24/lumineers-new-album-denver-band.html

To read my review of Gregory Alan Isakov’s headliner debut at Red Rocks, click here:

https://theknow.denverpost.com/2016/09/06/gregory-alan-isakov-home-red-rocks-headlining-debut/120735/

 

Photo by Rebecca Caridad

Photo by Rebecca Caridad

#GregoryAlanIsakov #EveningMachines #TheLumineers #PattyGriffin #RedRocks #ColoradoMusic #GrammyAwards #DenverBusinessJournal #BestFolkAlbum

Spruced-up Minturn Cabin offers alpine escape

A cabin by definition is cozy, but this second home in the Minturn Racquet and Trout Club goes well beyond the typical cabin standards. For one thing, this Vail Valley residence near the confluence of Cross Creek and the Eagle River is much larger than most cabins. Read about how an interior designer updated the interior and added space, seating and floor plan flexibility without adding square footage.

Read the full article here:

https://www.coloradoexpression.com/featured-stories/griffin-design-source

 

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#SliferSmith&FramptonRealEstate #GriffinDesignSource #Minturn #MinturnCabin #ColoradoExpression #logcabins #VailValley #MinturnRacquetandTroutClub #MainStreetinMinturnCrossCreek #EagleRiver #HolyCrossWilderness #Colorado #Honka #LogHomes #AlpineRetreats #MountainCabins #ColoradoCabins

Coors Western Art show corrals best of the west

The Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale rounds up the best of the west in terms of paintings, sculpture and other fine arts in contemporary Western realism. The exhibit, free with a stock show ticket, includes paintings and sculptures from Western contemporary artists from across the nation. Learn more in my piece published by Art + Object:

https://www.artandobject.com/blog/coors-western-art-corrals-best-contemporary-west

Plexiglass saddles by Maeve Eichelberger exemplify the edge of contemporary Western realism in the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale, part of the National Western Stock Show in Denver.

#KarenRoehl #LeonLoughridge #MaeveEichelberger #CoorsWesternArtShow #NationalWesternStockShow #contemporaryWesternartists #stockshow #DenverStockShow #DenverColorado #contemporaryart #horsepaintings #stockshowart #Denverartists #Denverart

The golden age of yoga mats

We live in the golden age of yoga mats. When I began practicing asanas almost 28 years ago, sticky mats came in only a few colors: pea green, turquoise blue and violet. Today, yoga mats are available in every color of the rainbow, as well as wild patterns. Sticky mats are made from different materials, some of them much more eco-friendly than petrol-chemical-based mats of old. A yoga mat is a highly personal item, once a practitioner gets past using the communal mats provided by a studio. For Yoga Digest, I wrote this essay titled “My yoga mat, my bridge to myself” about yoga mats I haveknown: https://yogadigest.com/my-yoga-mat-my-bridge-to-myself/

#ByColleenSmith #YogaDigest #YogaMat #YogaMats #Yoga #Ecofriendly #Asanas

 

Beach warrior: no mat required

An executive VP and attorney offers her tips from the top

Anne Lee Benedict has a little boy and a big job. A single parent, she’s executive vice president and chief legal officer of Summit Materials, a construction company. Consequently, she’s something of an efficiency expert, and she shared some of her success strategies in this article I wrote
for Denver Business Journal: https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2019/12/24/life-in-balance-anne-lee-benedict.html
#ByColleenSmith #DenverBusinessJournal #DBJ #AnneLeeBenedict #SummitMaterials #Starbucks #LifeInBalance #Business #Construction #DenverBusiness

“I try to take a more holistic view of the different areas of my life.”

Coors exhibit corrals best contemporary western artists

For the past 27 years at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale has rounded up some of the best contemporary artists. Featuring paintings, prints, sculptures and more, the exhibition is free with stock show admission.

For Denver Business Journal, I interviewed Rose Franklin, curator of the show for the past 24 years, as well as two of my favorite Denver-based artists: painter Karen Roehl and printmaker/watercolorist Leon Loughridge.

Dive into the full article here: https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2019/12/20/arts-culture-coors-western-art-exhibit-preview.html?fbclid=IwAR3BJ9dA_0KshF7WJZtVU3M0T-dTEy9KrzjrDpaxb6ne5gLpSz9OxH3otso

#KarenRoehl #LeonLoughridge #CoorsWesternArtShow #NationalWesternStockShow #contemporaryWesternartists #stockshow #DenverStockShow #DenverColorado #contemporaryart #horsepaintings #stockshowart #Denverartists #Denverart

Details of horse paintings by Karen Roehl, a Denver-based artist in her sixth Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale.

Details of horse paintings by Karen Roehl, a Denver-based artist in her sixth Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale. Photos courtesy of Karen Roehl

Oil painter Karen Roehl portrays horses using her process of layering strokes of realism rendered in neutrals over colorful abstract mark-making. Photo by Kathleen Levine, Denver Business Journal

Ninja Nation CEO stretches physical and mental limits

Wayne Cavanaugh is Type A+. Driven and disciplined, the founder and CEO of Ninja Nation creates obstacle courses and knows how to overcome his own obstacles.

“Nobody is born good at anything,” he said. “You learn through repetitive hard work.”

Interviewing Cavanaugh for Denver Business Journal, I asked him, “What is your superpower?”

He responded, without missing a beat, “To authentically communicate and connect with people around me positive motivation to help kids and adults to find the hero version of themselves they never thought possible.”

For Cavanaugh, his company aligns with his life purpose.

“Ninja Nation is not just a business with a fun brand, but the culmination of my soul-searching to find a way to combine career and make a tremendously positive impact on the people around me.”

More details in my article published by Denver Business Journal:

https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2019/10/25/life-in-balance-ninja-nation-wayne-cavanaugh.html

#DBJ #DenverBusinessJournal #LifeinBalance #NinjaNation #WayneCavanaugh #Obstacles #ObstacleCourses #CEO

Wayne Cavanaugh cited his meditation practice using Coherence HeartRate+ and “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle as two of his favorite inspirational tools. 

Zachary Zorn Designs: An emerging artist creates sculptural furnishings

Zachary Zorn’s designs mingle unexpected materials including reclaimed walnut trees, vintage airplane wings and piano parts. An emerging artist, Zorn brings an element of Zen to his simple yet captivating works, many of which are functional furnishings such as tables. My feature for the December-January issue of Colorado Expression magazine offers more details, along with photographs of the art and the artist.

Read the full story here: https://www.coloradoexpression.com/featured-stories/zachary-zorn-designs

Visit Zachary Zorn’s website: http://www.zacharyzorndesigns.com/

#ZacharyZorn #ZacharyZornDesigns #RecycledMaterials #Recycle #ReclaimedWood #Furnishings #Sculpture #Steampunk #CustomFurniture

“I always pick things that aren’t supposed to go together and make them go together.”