Rocky Mountains Art Events

Art events from around the Rocky Mountains

ZENITH BY MICHELLE TORREZ

Honoring American Art
The second annual show celebrates today’s representational artists
DENVER • Collectors, mark your calendars. The second annual American Art Invitational takes place at Saks Galleries this month, bringing together top representational sculptors and painters from around the country. The fine art exhibition and sale, which is co-sponsored by Southwest Art, features works by more than 45 artists, including William Acheff, Gordon Brown, George Carlson, Kim English, Ron Hicks, Quang Ho, Milt Kobayashi, David Leffel, Sherrie McGraw, Jay Moore, Laura Robb, Wayne Salge, and Michelle Torrez. Show co-founder Catherine Saks says the event was conceived in 2007 as a way to recognize the continued popularity of representational art among collectors and the general public, as well as to spotlight the talents of some of today’s best representational artists. The event includes a new Best of Show award of $10,000 to be donated to the winning artist’s favorite scholarship or charity. The show runs October 7-31, with a gala opening party on October 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. The following day, the gallery is open at 10 a.m. for collectors to browse the invitational at a relaxed pace. For more information: 303.333.4144 or www.americanartinvitational.com.


One of the Best

TELL ME ALL OF YOUR SECRETS BY SARAH KINN

BOULDER • Artists open their studios to the public this month for the 14th annual Open Studios. For two consecutive weekends, October 4-5 and October 11-12, artists allow the public to take self-guided tours of their private studios. More than 125 artists, including painters, sculptors, woodworkers, and photographers, are on hand to answer questions about their creative process. Participating artists include Sarah Kinn, Mary Scrimgeour, Jane Braley, Jason McPhillips, and Bruce Campbell. John Villani, author of The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America, calls the tour “one of the best in the nation.” For more information: 303.444.1862 or www.openstudios.org.


Balance & Beauty
DENVER • Two very different subjects inspire Colorado native Jill Soukup—cityscapes and animals. She uses her complex knowledge of color to express both balance and beauty in her organic paintings of horses and linear compositions of the city. Abend Gallery features a solo show of Soukup’s work from October 10-31. For more information: 303.355.0950 or www.abendgallery.com.


Zion’s Centennial
ST. GEORGE • Zion National Park will turn 100 years old in 2009, and a unique art exhibit is on display at the St. George Art Museum to celebrate the milestone. A Century of Sanctuary features works from artists both past and present who have been inspired by the majestic canyons of Zion. Over the last century, the park has gone from a barely accessible hidden treasure to an American icon that sees more than two million visitors every year. The juried display presents the evolution of the park through the eyes of the artists who have documented its beauty. The exhibition includes such famed artists as Thomas Moran, Ansel Adams, and Maynard Dixon, as well as 65 additional contemporary artists such as Doug Martin, Kate Starling, and Bonnie Posselli. The show runs through January 24. For more information: 435.627.4525 or www.sgcity.org/artmuseum.

STILL LIFE WITH BOWLS BY CHRISTOPHER THORNOCK

Ordinary Objects
SALT LAKE CITY • From paper bags to teacups, ordinary objects become extraordinary when Christopher Thornock paints them. Thornock spends hours trying to translate the initial visceral response of looking at an object into an artwork. He is fascinated by naturalism, and he often gets lost in the unending subtleties of what he observes. He says he has a desire to share what he sees with others, conveying the initial spark and intense study that takes him through each painting. A Gallery gives Thornock the chance to do just that this month with a solo show of his new work, opening October 19 with a reception from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The show runs through November 21. For more information: 801.583.4800 or www.agalleryonline.com.


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