LAC Garden Tour 2011 by Ann Quinn

It was another successful year for the garden tour! If you’re like me, you always look forward to the opportunity to see what others have done with their yards, get new ideas about plants, and have fun talking with other like-minded garden lovers! This year was no different. I was to handle tickets at the Miller Street garden in the afternoon, so I started out right before 8:30 a.m. (when the air was delightfully chilly) to visit all the other locations! Several of the gardens were a distance apart from the others, but having done my homework, I had a planned route ready.


Karen Hoff welcoming the visitors to the Golden garden

Golden Garden

My first stop was the calm, serene garden in Golden. A large yard in the cool morning tempted me to sit a while with a cup of coffee under those tremendous trees –and how many big, beautiful clematis did they really have? Observations at additional gardens taught me a great deal about what I needed to try in my own yard. The “secret garden” tucked in a corner behind a large tree in the Marshall Street yard was a great idea. I definitely need one at my house to get away from the world occasionally! The sculptor’s garden on W. 35th was an inspiration with the many separate areas (water, curved tree grove, play area, workshop, and patio) creating a “fun to discover” garden on a large lot. The numerous pieces of large, modern sculpture created by garden owner Kevin Robb made this garden especially memorable.

Marshall Street Garden

Marshall Street Garden

Marshall Street Garden

Marshall Street Garden

Robb Garden

Robb Garden

Robb Garden

Robb Garden

The Miller Street garden where I spent the afternoon was relatively young at six years in the making, but already the basic structure of the layout had been determined to take advantage of sun and shade. Compost piles and an efficient work area were set up near the terraced vegetable garden, and the centerpiece was a small stream/pond, professionally designed by owner Dave Garton. Especially fun were the vegetable plants mixed in with the more traditional annuals and perennials (corn in the front yard!)

Miller Garden

Miller Garden

My rushed schedule meant that I was unable to have lunch at the gallery, but I know it was well-attended, with great food from all the cooking volunteers as well as conversation from the attendees! I look forward to next year’s event!

Co-Op Gallery gets a face lift!

The main floor of the LAC Art Center was a busy place over the weekend. Co-Op members brought in new work to be displayed...but first, lots of patching and painting was done. Matching that white paint was no easy task, but a close shade was mixed from a small sample by the folks at Ace Hardware. It was good thick paint and a rough, stucco roller was used to fill all the holes from past hangings - which had become a distraction from the wonderful artwork on display. With Kathy wielding the roller and Charlie doing the detail work with a brush, the place got a nice fresh look. After drying overnight, the walls were ready for hanging. As usual, the furniture was rearranged to display the stained glass and three dimensional work to its best advantage. And..if you haven't been in recently, you'll notice the used book shelves have been moved out into the main gallery and the classroom opened up. Everything is labled with new i.d. tags identifying the Co-Op work. So come on in and see the results - there is lots of new artwork to view!

Lakewood Arts Week..Fun, Fun!

Lynnette and Cindy A. being creative!

Lynnette working on mosaics

Well, we sure had a fun time this week! The City of Lakewood designated May 31-June 5 as Lakewood's Arts Week - an event they hope will become an annual occurrence from now on. Under the skilled direction of Lakewood's Cultural Arts Specialist Lorene Joos, a committee composed of representatives from most of Lakewood's cultural organizations had met for over a year to plan this special celebration. Arts Week was kicked off with an open house on the plaza in front of the Lakewood Cultural Center. We had a booth on site with LAC members Lynnette Kupferer and Cindy Ahrenkiel on hand to meet the public and to provide art demonstrations. Both were busy throughout the afternoon - Lynnette worked on a small mosaic and let some of the young visitors "help" glue down the glass. Cindy worked on her oil painting and told people all about LAC. Other members stopped by during the event. Pictured are Marje & Glen Walsh chatting with Ann Quinn. The event concluded with a wildly popular performance by our own Borscht Brothers, Bruce Geller & Jay Halpern. The afternoon was lots of fun thanks to wonderful help from the City of Lakewood staff - and of course the volunteer participation by our members! We got to meet many new people from the community as well as learn more about the other arts groups located throughout the City.

Cindy A. chatting with a visitor

Marge and Glen Walsh visiting with Ann Quinn


The Borscht Brothers entertaining the crowd

And Even More Fun Pictures from Artists Choice!

Kathy Berls "Best of Show" Congratulations Kathy! We're so proud of you...

Display at the Cultural Center of the Award Winners

Bill Moore "Second Place" Congratulations Bill and thanks!!!

Award Winners! Congrats!

Mezzanine Level Gallery at Lakewood Cultural Center

Fun Pics from Artists Choice Reception

Merit award winner, Jeff Herring, and son

Harriet taking in the exhibit


Artists Valorie Snyder (and guests) and Saundra Galloway


Artists Lynnette Kupferer, Kathy Berls, and Barb Benik


Artist Miriam Ritter partaking of the great food!

LAC Founder Barbara Tobiska looking lovely in purple

Artists Choice Award Winners

Congratulations to all our award winners! Please stop by the Lakewood Cultural Center (on the mezzanine level) to see all the art up close and personal. While we attempt to photograph the artwork as best we can, the cultural center has a ton of reflections which makes it very difficult to photograph.

Best of Show
"Koi Splash" Oil by Kathy Berls

Second Place
"Red Hinge", Watercolor by Bill Moore



Third Place
"The Corner Bench", Watercolor by Jude Schmieder

Merit Award
"Warming Up", Oil by Barbara Benik

Merit Award
"Calliope", Photograph by Celeste Cottingham

Merit Award
"Sunflower", Wood by Jeff Herring

Merit Award
"Wild", Pen & Ink by Beth Vallieres

Interview with Artists Choice Juror, Janet Nunn

A Big Thank You to Janet Nunn who juried the annual LAC's Artists Choice Exhibit now on display at the Lakewood Cultural Center. More information about Janet and her colorful watercolors can be found at her website http://www.janetnunnwatercolors.com/.

Falling Leaves on Little Raven, W/C 30" x 41"

1. What art principles do you try to employ when you jury an exhibit?
One of the first art principles I tried to employ was design. In a few of the paintings the designs lead the viewer into the image to see all of the interesting parts of the piece. There were a few images that were outstanding, yet could have been better with a bit of design to invite more of the viewer.

Elk Parade,W/C 21" x 7"

2. I enjoyed looking at your exquisite watercolors on your website, and couldn't help but be enthralled by your use of color. For those artists struggling with the use of color, do you have any advice or pitfalls to avoid?

For those artists struggling with the use of color my advice it to be fresh with the paint, water, and the surface. Currently I have been using the Dr. Ph. Martin’s Hydrus Watercolors. These colors offer the freshest truest color in my use of painting. What I mean is in tube paints I spent so much paint squirting it right out of the tube only to have it dry in a few hours. With the Dr. Ph Martin’s paints they are fresh every time I use them because they are hydrated and ready to paint. Clean water is a must for watercolor painters! And the last thing is good quality paper or surface. If an artist is going to spend their time on a painting why not us good paper, or board. The mediums mix so well with good materials.

3. We would love to have your thoughts as you were jurying the Artist's Choice. If you have any words about the award winners that would be fabulous.

I was truly impressed at the group of artists and their variety of style. Half of the entries had to be rejected and that was a tough thing to whittle down. Getting rejected is tough, yet is a growing process. A lot of the artists were thinking of spring and I was truly happy with the variety of the floral entries. As for the award winners: Best of show has great design, wonderful use of color and playfulness in the painting with the Koi fish. Second place was a simple piece of a red hinge on a rotted piece of wood. The depth of the red against the detail of the old wood caught my attention. Third place was a group of flowers on a deck and was a nice piece. The way bits of white were used to separate the various blossoms was a nice show of painting skill. As for the merit awards the wooden sun was excellent in the design and the detail of work. This is truly an excellent display of a woodworker who understands their craft! The pen and ink of the horse was another fine display of craft of pen and ink. Every line in the drawing had a purpose. The photograph of the wood and leaves leads you to a change of seasons. The color of the fading leaves and the way the wind had blown them was intriguing. I had about 5 more pieces that I felt could have been award winners. The thing about the winners was the piece of art conveyed an idea that I personally enjoyed.

Frasier Valley, W/C 21" x 10"

4. What does a day in the life of Janet Nunn look like?
My day is a fun day. I enjoy the business side of being an artist. So I respond to many emails, call on vendors, find new vendors, and keep up with my workshops and classes. The craft side of being and artist means painting, drawing, and looking at the world in a different way. The painting and drawing I love to do at all times of the day and night. The looking at the world is fun with long walks on the golf course or cross country skiing in the yard to a bit of traveling. These all amount to how I view my surroundings.

5. Do you set artist goals? If so, what are yours for the next 3-5 years?

Yes, I set artist goals. Usually I find an area I want to paint. For example I have not put many people in my paintings over the years. So for the last few years I have been putting more of the people I see in my images. Another part to that goal is creating more animals in the paintings. There is a different learning curve in introducing new items in the landscapes. This is a bit scary but I always tell myself I have lots of paper so if I am not too happy with the final product I have learned a lesson along the way and I will start again. Another goal I have is to teach more people how to enjoy painting. Most people can and enjoy painting, however, they have become lost because of many reasons. Classes are a way to jumpstart those creative juices and find that inner joy in creating a piece of art. The classes are as rewarding for me as they are to the participants. Always learning means always growing as an artist!

Cascade of Roses, W/C 8" x 20"