A Noisy Silent Auction

                                  (photo by Charlie Casper)

“How can this be called a silent auction when there’s so much noise,” quipped Charlie Casper at the Lakewood Arts Council’s silent auction Thursday evening.  There certainly was a lot of noise being made with attendees’ lively bidding and happy chatter. 

                                 (photo by Charlie Casper)

  A variety of items up for bid included donated figurines, handcrafted jewelry, a woven throw, original paintings, and my favorite, a whimsical sculpted horse by Marcia Nowak, which I made sure to get the highest bid on! 

Kathy acted as auctioneer, keeping everything organized as usual.

  Between munching on appetizers, desserts and enjoying a glass of wine, conversing with friends and watching bids, everyone had a great time and raised a good amount of funds for the LAC.

LAC Garden Tour

Judging by the excitement from the crowd at the luncheon, this year's LAC Garden Tour was a tremendous success.  From about 11:15 to almost 2:00, people stopped in at the LAC Art Center to enjoy a delicious picnic-type lunch of hot dogs, spinach salad, caesar salad, fruit salad and dessert.

 Three of us were busy keeping those serving bowls full and ready for each wave of the over 100 visitors.  It was a noisy and happy group, who enjoyed the good food, nice conversation and a way to get cool!

 With seven gardens to see, located from Arvada to Green Mountain, people were eager to get on their way so as not to miss any of the great locations.   Everyone seemed to have their favorite spot, with comments such as "Be sure to see the lovely lily ponds at the Arvada site"; "Don't miss the Lakewood garden with the train in the backyard"; "I loved the log house in the backyard of that one garden"; "How nice to visit with the folks from Wild Birds Unlimited"; and "I didn't know Ann Quinn had such a wonderful yard". We are already working on plans for next year's tour, so be sure to let us know of any wonderful gardens you might know!

Special thanks to our volunteers, who hosted at the different locations!  Jan & Charlie Casper were invaluable help during lunch at the Art Center.  Special thanks go to Cindy Ahrenkiel, Kate Cissell, Patty Echelmeyer, Mary Elghandour, Gail Firmin, Arlene Krogstad, Anita Lamprell, Ellen Masters, Loraine Miller, Marcia Nowak, Myrna Smith, Christina Taylor, Barbara Tobiska, Ellie Walker and Patty Wulf. And always....our thanks to all of you who bought tickets to support this fund-raiser bringing over $2,100 to LAC!   And of course, to our events coordinator Melinda Fiscus for putting it all together!

Now, we're on to the next activities, which will be the silent auction night on Thursday, 6:00-8:00pm and then coming in August will be the annual garage sale!  Hope to see many of you at one or both events.

submitted by Kathy Berls

More on the Garden Tour

Garden lovers didn’t let Saturday’s triple digit heat keep them from attending the LAC’s Annual Garden Tour and Luncheon.  As a volunteer manning the garden gate (greeting visitors and selling tickets) at the northernmost garden in Arvada, I saw most visitors at the beginning of the tour.  These early risers received the benefit of cooler temperatures and good light for photography.

And what a treat for photographers, artists and gardeners!  Bonnie and Glenn Thompson’s garden at 14336 W. 69^th Dr. offered a fish pond with blooming pink water lilies and other aquatic plants,

 an apple tree loaded with fruit, blackberries hanging on the vine,

 and vividly colored daylilies bursting out amongst other blossoms in well manicured flower beds. 

  Bonnie’s bronze sculptures of playful children added a touch of whimsy throughout.

                                            (photo by Kate Cissell)

After another volunteer relieved me of my duties, I was able to visit Cici Kesler’s four-acre property with pond in Applewood.  

 Not having visited this part of the city before, I was amazed at the amount of farmland and open space near this area of Arvada and Applewood.  The Kesler’s property (currently for sale) included a pond promenade encircled with crabapple trees, current bushes, holly with dusty blue berries, and beautiful views across the water. 

  Below the house was a greenhouse full of vegetable plants and graced with a flourishing grapevine in front.

I had time for one more stop before grabbing a bite to eat at the LAC Gallery’s picnic lunch. 

 The garden at 28 Morningside, accessed through a honeysuckle entwined arbor and tended by the Cookes, boasted artfully arranged flower beds, highlighting rustic antique implements, garden tools, even an old dirt cart from Mt. Olivet cemetery abundant with lavender. 

 A seating area at the top of the garden allowed for beautiful views of the foothills.  A nearby rosebush with pink, yellow and peach blossoms was stunning. 

 Tom Cooke attributed its variety of colors to the dried banana peels they dig into the dirt.  When queried about how they can keep the garden so beautiful, he jokingly answered, “I just buy my wife kneepads”.

After experiencing such a peaceful respite among the foliage, finding inspiration for new paintings and meeting so many delightful people on the garden tour I didn’t mind so much missing the luncheon at the gallery.  Somehow time flew and it was now 2:00 pm – time to head home.  But by the looks of Charlie Casper’s photos  -- everyone who made it back to the gallery enjoyed a wonderful lunch, and hopefully had a chance to view the "Floral Bouquets" and "From the Earth" exhibits upstairs.

Organizing a garden tour such as this required a lot of planning and volunteer hours I’m sure, and the generosity of the homeowners to open their yards to the public.  I’m thankful it was another successful event and fundraiser for the LAC and hope next time to make it to all the gardens, and lunch!

                                         Barb Tobiska manning the garden gate.
                                                        (photo by Kate Cissell)

LAC's New "Library Lounge"

The next time you visit our Art Center and Gallery, be sure to check out the new "library lounge" area we've created upstairs. 

 You'll find the popular used book section located there,

as well as the Mountainside Art Guild lending library where members of MAG and LAC can check out art books, videos and DVD's.



















You'll also find an expanded recycled gift area,

 and information on other arts groups and their activities.

 Sit down and relax for awhile as you enjoy the current show in the Loft!  This new arrangement will not affect the number of works we can include in our open, rental and juried shows upstairs. There is still enough wall space and lots of display panels and pedestals.  We will still be able to include from 100-125 pieces in these exhibits and we've gained some much needed space on the main floor for the LAC Gallery and for our classes and events.  We invite you to come in and take a look!
submitted by Kathy Berls

Exhibit a Smile

After a spring and early summer of hailstorms and searing heat, hungry deer and nibbling rabbits, the flowers in my garden that have survived are showing crooked smiles on their usually cheery faces.  But the flowers in the “Floral Bouquets” show at the LAC Gallery are colorful, bold, graceful and frame-worthy, and sure to put a smile on your face.  

Artists were free to interpret the theme, incorporating flowers or plant life into their artwork.  Mediums ranged from oils, acrylics, watercolors and photographs to the glowing mosaics created by Lynnette Kupferer.

                                                 Lynnette's mosaic and Gail's watercolor

Also on display in the upstairs gallery are the 3-D works which comprise the “From the Earth” exhibit.  Gretchen Larson’s popular clay pots with their humorous expressions combined with beautifully finished wooden vessels,  wire and stone sculptures and whimsical figurines offer a wide range of artistic expression. 

Pottery by Gretchen Larson

It was fun to view all the different characters and features of Teryle Wilder’s clay and acrylic figures that clown around, swing on hoops, or pick flowers. 

Teryle Wilder and Barb Tobiska enjoy Teryle's clay figures

Charlie Casper also contributed a sculpted scene with his take on a visit to the dentist, which will generate a laugh.

Charlie Casper's sculpture

Thursday evening’s reception for both shows brought out a nice crowd who enjoyed the exhibits, sampled the delicious refreshments and took advantage of the opportunity to view and bid on silent auction items. (Online viewing of auction items is also available.)

“Floral Bouquets” and “From the Earth” will be on display through July 27.  Take the time to stop and smell the roses.  Come on out to the Lac Gallery and leave with a smile!

 Kathy Berls, Gail Firmin and Lynnette Kupferer 

photo by Charlie Casper