Spotlight on Colorado Artists Installed

Juror Joanne Burney, instructor from the Art Students League, was happy to know she wouldn't have to reject any entries. She diligently set about selecting the award winners.

Article by Kathy Berls

Wow - what a show! I'm happy to say that the new exhibit is now up and ready for the opening on Thursday, Oct 6th. For awhile there, there was some doubt as to whether it would all fit. When all the registrations came in, we noticed that there were several three dimensional pieces. Since they don't take up wall space, Barbara Tobiska, exhibits co-chair and I decided we'd take a chance and accept all the entries. We knew it would be a big show, but seemed a great way to end our juried exhibits line-up for 2011. Little did we know that many, many of the works would be really, really, really big! Needless to say, once it was all up, I breathed a sigh of relief. The challenge is always how to group the works together so that each piece has a chance to shine. Grouping the pieces according to color harmony, taking into account sizes and dimensions, the artwork is first placed all around the room to see where it will fit. But, it's not until I actually start hammering in the nails that I can be sure. Now it's done and the results produced a wonderful, exciting and diverse show that is not to be missed. Thank you to all the artists who supported this exhibit and a special welcome to those of you who have entered for the first time.

The winners circle

Best of Show winner: Dragon Tails, a stunning wood piece by Arvada artist Jeff Herring.

 A Special memorial award was presented this year in honor of past member Margwyn Steinbach. The award went to "Flutterflies" by Andy McKelvy.

The walls are full of wonderful artwork, including many 3-d pieces.

Boy, could he make that violin sing!

 



Violinist Johnny Neil gave us an outstanding show on Friday night at our "Wine, Cheese, and Music" event. Trained as a classical violinist, Johnny is equally proficient in classical music and good ole cowboy foot-stompin tunes. He is incredibly knowledgeable about the violin and it's history. What was scheduled as a one hour performance turned into an hour and a half....and nobody was ready to go home even then. Johnny's fingers lightly danced along the strings as he created music that ranged from selections that made you dreamy to sad to full of joy. He has had an amazing career, from playing with symphonies, to western bands, to appearing in movies. If you missed this event, you really missed something special!

Supper Night at LAC

It was a great party!

Give us a good assortment of delicious soups and a glass of wine (or two or three) and we will definitely be in a party mood. Add in the incredible talents of magician Jim Wright and the evening is sure to be spectacular. Our wine and soup tasting event is quickly turning into an annual affair. Many of those attending had joined us last year and they said they could hardly wait for it this time. People arrived early and stayed late - there was lots of laughter, "tasting" of the goodies, and rousing conversation. One of the most fun things to watch was the expression on faces as Jim performed his magic - lots of "Oh my gosh" and "How did he do that??"

 Jan Casper

 Ann Marshall and Nancy White

 John and Mary Edgar

 Magician-Jim Wright

 Magician-Jim Wright

 Ann Quinn (left) and her Mother-In-Law (right)
Lynnette Kupferer and Cindy Ahrenkiel (back)

 Ted Kupferer, Jan Casper, Dick Berls, Charlie Casper

Walshes (front) Marge and Glen

Hi Ladies in the back!!!

Special thanks to all our board members who provided the soup and wine - boy do we have good cooks

Wire Sculpture - not as easy as it seems!

Katy and her creations


What a great time we all had on Saturday as artist Katy Haas showed us how she creates her intricate wire sculptures. Not only did she explain her process but she also challenged each of us to create a "simple" piece ourselves. Explaining that this process is largely one she developed on her own, she told us about the different wires and tools needed to bend and twist the wire into a recognizable shape. She works from her own designs, creating a contour drawing of the subject to use as a pattern for each sculpture. As her agile fingers make the wire conform to the pattern, it seemed so easy to get all the little shapes needed. But then it was our turn - we each had a pattern for a bear to work from. It became very obvious from the start that bending that wire to fit this shape was not so easy. Sometimes it seemed as if we were all thumbs, but we kept at it until amazingly the creature began to take shape. There was lots of laughter and excitement and sharing of the experience as Katy patiently worked with us individually to get the desired results. By the end of the hour we could all proudly display our little wire critter.

Thanks, Katy, for providing us with such a wonderful demonstration!
Cindy Ahrenkiel and friend


Beautiful work!

LAC Co-Op Meeting

The Co-Op members had a short meeting Wednesday at the Gallery to discuss upcoming changes in the next year. In anticipation of increased expenses for next year, Kathy has been doing her usual creative thinking and has developed a Member’s Wall within the classroom area at the gallery. This wall will be available for rent to members wanting to display their work..what an exciting idea! Sort of like a personal gallery! It’s available for viewing now, so come take a look. The first members’ exhibit will be up soon! (See the exhibit area to the left and right of the photo)


As Co-op members we will be hanging more work in less space, so there will be some interesting changes when the gallery items change in October!

We are also beginning to think about the fall and winter activities, so Kathy is asking for donations to our Green Rack at the rear of the classroom area plus items for the ever-popular gift baskets for the holiday season. Keep your eyes open for great things to donate!

I am woman...hear me roar!

All the ladies attending the August 20th luncheon stood a little taller after hearing the presentation from guest author Charlotte Waisman about her book "Her Story - A Timeline of Women Who Changed America". This well informed and entertaining speaker presented many stories of women who made an impact on American history - both big and small. Some are relatively unknown but their accomplishments were great. Do you know why Lane Bryant first created her line of clothing? Or who the woman was who identified the HIV virus? Along with co-author Jill Tietjen, Charlotte has created a chronoligical order of women and their achievements in a largely pictoral format. Not only did we hear about these interesting people, we learned how the book came into being, how the two women met, and the problems they faced in getting their book published. Many of us bought an autographed copy of the book to take home and enjoy - but it can also be found at your local library. The feeling was this book should be part of the school curriculum and would make a perfect gift for any young woman starting college.

The delightful afternoon included the usual delicious lunch and time to relax and enjoy a conversation with friends.

Children's Exhibit Brings in the Crowd!

This show just keeps getting better every year. We had a huge crowd at the opening reception on August 11, attended by proud kids, parents, grandparents and friends! They were all having such a good time and the excitement was contagious. Both floors of the gallery were filled to capacity with folks even congregating in the parking lot. And the show is worth all the attention. If you want to lift your spirits and get your creative juices flowing, be sure to stop in and see this wonderful exhibit of colorful dragons, flying people, carefully formed pottery, interesting cartoons, colorful paintings and sensitive charcoal portraits. A special thank you to Jim Olsen and the City of Lakewood for bringing this very special show to our gallery.