My maiden voyage as curator of an art show: Art & Object’s DENVER ART SHOWCASE

ART always has caught my eye.

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.

Click here for more information on the Denver Art Showcase.

Joe Cocker’s Mad Dog Ranch: the late singer’s home sweet home in Colorado

The architect John D. Kelley designed Joe Cocker’s 16,000 square feet home situated on 243 acres. The property sold in 2017 for $3.875 million

I’ve been a fan of Joe Cocker’s music since Leon Russell produced  “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” in 1970, so this assignment from Colorado Expression magazine to write about the late singer’s Colorado estate was a high note.

“We can safely assume that the British Blues-rocker Joe Cocker sang in the shower at Mad Dog Ranch,” I wrote. “Yet the home was intentionally designed without a music studio, according to the gritty-voiced Grammy-winner’s widow, Pam Cocker. Her favorite place in the mansion was the library.

The architect John D. Kelley’s primary influence was Glencraig, an estate in Newport Rhode Island, designed in 1926, by Harrie Lindenberg.

Chuck Morris: Colorado’s music man is a rock star of concert promotion

Gregory Alan Isakov, one of hundreds of artists promoted by AEG Presents, performs at Red Rocks.    — Photo by Colleen Smith

 

Chuck Morris’s half-century career in the music industry is well documented.

So is his signature look with a laid-back wardrobe akin to Neil Young’s and a collection of eyeglasses to rival Elton John’s. A native New Yorker, Morris perhaps more than any other individual has struck chords in Denver’s live music scene, growing the concert market into one of the most vibrant in the nation.

I reported on Morris, who heads up AEG Presents Rocky Mountains, for the Denver Business Journal. For my article, I interviewed the former governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper, and the founder/CEO of MOA (Museum of Outdoor Arts) which owns Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, the largest outdoor concert venue in the region.

Having reported on live music for many years, I was interested to learn more about how the music business runs. “It’s not a science,” Morris said.

 

 

Old skis repurposed as new furniture

Colorado/Photo by: Colleen Smith

Old skis never die: they turn into furniture

For avid skiers, after making countless turns in the rarefied air through the powder, over the bumps, around the trees, one’s sticks become like a couple of very close, reliable friends. When ready to retire a pair of skis, many keep their trusty planks out of the landfill and in their life by repurposing skis as wall mounts, fences, racks for coats or bottles of wine, even sleds.

As I wrote in my article published in The Denver Post, “Old skis never die. They turn and turn and turn and turn and then turn into furniture.

At least that’s the case at Colorado Ski Chairs in Manitou Springs. The small business founded by Adam Vernon and operated with his son Keagan Vernon repurposes up to 200 pairs of old skis per week.”

For more about repurposed skis that preserve mountain memories, here’s a link to my feature article:

 

 

 

 

“He’s not a surrealist and not a realist. He’s Scott Fraser.”

Photo of Scott Fraser’s book cover

SCOTT FRASER is one of the nation’s most talented still-life painters, and he has a new book that beautifully presents his work. The Colorado-based artist shows his paintings, which range from large canvases to miniatures on copper, in 25 galleries across the nation.

My feature on the artist was published by Art & Object and includes a wonderful slide shows of his fascinating paintings.

The Gates Family Foundation Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Denver Art Museum, Timothy Standring said of the artist, “He’s not a surrealist and not a realist. He’s Scott Fraser.”  

To see more of Scott Fraser’s work, check out his website.

 

Tracy Stuckey’s Satirical Western Paintings

My article from December-January Colorado Expression  magazine profiling Tracy Stuckey

Tracy Stuckey’s satirical Western paintings might lead one to believe that the Old West is heading south. Stuckey kicks the dust off the Western icons and pours on satire. For the December-January issue of Colorado Expression magazine, I profiled the artist — who’s an adjunct faculty member at Colorado State University — and found his paintings both amusing and thought-provoking.

An excerpt from my article:

“Stuckey’s oil paintings suggest quirky narratives that both amuse and disturb. He presents human figures in ironic scenarios. Contemporary cowboys wield plastic squirt guns or ride toy horses. Intriguingly attractive young Anglo hipsters wear Levi jeans and chic sunglasses, cowboy boots and mini-skirts, fur coats and feathery Native American headdresses.

“Or they wear just their birthday suits. A robust sexual tension underlies many of Stuckey’s paintings. He peoples his canvases with nudes or figures in various stages of undress: a Vegas showgirl, a cowboy with his jeans down, and bikini-clad, nubile young women near desert swimming pools or teepees.

“Stuckey says, ‘I’m interested in our ideas about the American west and its history, and how it continues to find itself within our mainstream culture, the interaction with the real past and the romanticized.’ “

To see more of Stuckey’s paintings, check out his website.

Growing food in greenhouses: practical and profitable

Photo by RJ Sangosti of The Denver Post

In food deserts and in climates with short growing seasons, the wave of the future may well be found in greenhouses. Within the controlled environment of a greenhouse, growers can produce yields of salad greens, strawberries, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables.

The future of food includes greenhouses, vertical gardening, hydroponics, aquaponics and other urban horticultural practices that can deliver better quality food with fewer chemicals and less water.

At Pickens Technical College in Aurora, Colorado, the new head of the department, Sam Shroyer, is leading the charge. Learn more in my feature published by The Denver Post.

Expert tips for setting a memorable table

Photo by John Leyba of The Denver Post

 

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but these tips apply to any table for any special occasion. My article published in The Denver Post includes tips from a Sur la Table chef and two design experts from an events company celebrating their 70-year-old anniversary this year. Whether rustic or elegant, there’s something for everyone.

Transition outdoor living space from summer to fall and winter

Photo: Helen H. Richardson of The Denver Post

Autumn is upon us, with summer a memory and Old Man Winter not far away. Now is a perfect time to spruce up the garden for fall and beyond. We’ll likely have plenty of days to enjoy outdoor living, and a few adjustments will make your garden, patio or porch more appealing and more comfortable.

In my article for The Denver Post, professional designers share their expert tips. And there’s a beautiful slide show that might spark your creativity, too.

Celebrate autumn with fall container gardens

The end of summer doesn’t necessarily mean the end of container gardens. You can swap out leggy, tired plants and pop in a few fresh plantings or replant fall containers entirely for a fresh autumnal look that will last. If you live in a climate with cold winters, many plants will even tolerate a frost.

My article published by The Denver Post includes lots of tips from landscape designers who specialize in fall container gardens. You may read my article at this link.