Sean Brown and Studio 12 Gallery invite artists to submit work to the 2nd Annual Open Show to be held at 209 Kalamath St. #12 from July 6 to August 17, 2012. This non-juried show is one of the most attended of the year at the gallery and is a great opportunity for emerging artists to showcase and sell their work. The first 100 pieces will be accepted given they meet the size, weight and hanging specifications. Deadline for submission is June 22 at midnight and work must be dropped off at the gallery between the 23rd and the 29th of June.

To submit work please visit www.studio12gallery.com and click show application. Download the entry form for specific instructions on how to enter online or in person and for other important dates. The $15 entry fee per piece may be paid with Cash, Check, Credit Card or Money Order. Each artist may enter up to 5 pieces in a two- or three- dimensional format.

Studio 12 Gallery will be hosting two receptions during the very popular First Friday Artwalks on July 6 and August 3 from 4-9 pm. The show will also be open during regular business hours Monday-Friday 10-6 and Saturday 11-4.

Colorado Artist David Ekedahl’s landscape inspired artwork brings together color and form to create aesthetically powerful works of art.  This exhibition bravely meets the challenge of expressing order in chaos through perception of environment.  His works achieve a harmonious balance between these conflicting forces.

Taos Contemporary: A 21st-century update of the unique and influential art colony, revealing a continuing tradition of innovation and independence.

Opening Reception Thursday, May 31
6-7pm   Members Only
7-9pm Public Reception

Reception features some of the fifty-six artists included in this amazing exhibition. Enter a drawing to win a vacation package to Taos!

Opening reception and open hours free to the public (with exception of Members Hour, 6 -7pm on opening night).

Exhibition runs May 31 through August 11, 2012

Hours: Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm, Saturday 12 - 5pm

During exhibitions, CVA is open until 8 pm on First and Third Fridays.

Location: 965 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204

Described as Denver’s very own Terri Gross, Denver Mastermind Katie Taft will talk with 3 artists who are in the Artists Book Cornucopia III exhibit: Christine Martell, Heather Doyle-Maier and Sammy Seung-min Lee.

This is also the closing day of this international juried artists’ book show.

Elise Fabricant will introduce you to the practice of yoga in a safe and comfortable way. You’ll learn basic yoga postures through an easy, step-by-step approach which focuses on proper form and alignment. These poses help stretch, strengthen and release tension in your body while developing concentration and awareness. Elise will welcome questions and provide answers which will help you develop good practice habits from the start. This workshop is also wonderful for more advanced yogis who want to get back to the basics.  - 6-7:15pm, FREE!

Sara Grout, holistic nutritionist and sports physiologist, will talk you through an accessible way to turn your stressed energy into positive and effective energy, creating a new, sexy you!
7:30pm - $15 investment at the door.

Opening Reception: Friday, May 11, 6 - 9 p.m.

In the CORE Main Gallery

Spirituality
Juried by Hilary De Polo, Visual Arts Consultant

How does contemporary art address the idea of spirituality? 

How do artists working today analyze and portray commonly held assumptions about faith, religious dogma and symbolism?

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
-Pierre Teilhard de Chardin  

“The whole concept of spirituality is a gift from the artists of the world to the world. If writers had not written there would be no scriptures. If sculptors had not sculpted there would be no gods found in the temples. If painters had not painted there would have been no visuals to meditate on.”  - Harish Johari

Art has been a vehicle for the spiritual for as long as humans have been making art. What does spirituality mean to you?

 
In the CORE Annex

Johnny Nicoloro
Visions of Virgins
“A unique look at the most beloved woman in the world”

Johnny Nicoloro is an award-winning artist whose double-exposure compositions created entirely in his camera produce unique and visually compelling pieces.
Most recently, Johnny completed a five-month, highly acclaimed, exhibition at The Latino Museum of History, Art and Culture in Los Angeles entitled Virgins of Los Angeles. The Latino Museum is a fan of Johnny’s art; having previously displayed a four-month exhibition entitled Las Virgenes - Visions of Inspiration.  Eight pieces from that exhibition were acquired for the museum’s permanent collection. 

Johnny says it was natural to focus of his camera on the Virgin Mary, one of the most revered and iconic figures in the world.  “She has always been a place where I would go in my spiritual journey if I was having difficulties,” Johnny recounted in the article “Chasing Virgins” for Cafe Libre.  “I feel blessed that I have a natural affinity for spirituality. It came very easy for me. Growing up Catholic and saying the Hail Mary - it’s such an easy prayer to say…”

His affinity for the Virgin Mary led to a solo exhibition “LA Virgin” at Lot 44 Gallery in downtown LA.  Curator-at-large Lui Sanchez described Johnny’s work this way: “His creative mix of the spiritual icon with commercial, political and community imagery gives rise to the passion and compassion the Virgin Mary evokes as an iconic image. 

Johnny’s imagery of double and triple exposures, blurred textures and off-kilter compositions vibrate the spirit of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe and other incarnations of the Virgin Mary amongst the frantic streets and alleys of Los Angeles.  His Virgins explore and expose our own spiritual, political and economic struggles and perhaps counters such struggles with a glimpse of passion, spirituality or faith that many Latinos recognize but may also speak to non-Latinos, parishioners and Atheists.”

Call for Entries

“Gone To The Dogs” August 17 – September 22, 2012
4nth annual Juried show of works depicting the dog.
Presented by Niza Knoll Gallery

All media accepted, oil, acrylic, watercolor, drawing, ink, assemblage, collage, prints, photography and sculpture (stone, clay, wood, paper, paper mache, bronze).

Jurors: Rik Sargent and Kara Duncan

Requirements:
Art must be original, no reproductions, and must have been created in the last 3 years. All 2D work must be ready to hang with a secure wire on the back. No saw tooth or triangle hangers. All 3D work must fit through door, and not exceed 50 pounds. Sculpture must be sturdy and stand-alone. If the 3D work is to be hung on the wall it cannot exceed 25 pounds. 

Original artwork must be brought in person to the gallery. Please do not ship art, bring images, CD’s or other reproductions of your work. Artists are solely responsible for delivery and pick up of all artwork.
                 
Schedule and Deadlines:
Work Drop off: Sunday, August 12, 2012 from 12-3 pm at 915 Santa Fe Drive, Denver.

Announcement of accepted work via e-mail: Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Work not accepted into show must be picked up by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 from 4–6 p.m.
Work not picked up in a timely manner will be donated.

Exhibit Dates: August 17 - September 22, 2012
Opening and Artists Reception: Friday, August 17, 2012 from 5-8
Closing date: Saturday, September 22, 2011
Work pickup: Saturday, September 22, from 4-6 pm
Other special events to be announced.
 
Fees:
Maximum 3 entries.
Entry Fee: $15 per entry or $35 for 3 entries.
Call for entry fees may be paid with cash or check at the time of drop off. No debit or credit cards accepted.

Accepted work must be for sale at the exhibit. A 40% commission will be taken off the sale price.

Awards
Awards of recognition will be given. Specific categories are to be determined.

Contact: Niza Knoll
915 Santa Fe Drive
Denver, CO 80204
303-953-1789
nizak@mac.com
www.nizaknollgallery.com

Celebrate the 20th year of this amazing free outdoor art fair with 270+ local artists, live entertainment, artist demonstrations, food, beer, a wine garden and kids’ art activities. June 9 & 10, 2012, 10:00am - 5:00pm - Art Students League of Denver, 200 Grant Street, Denver

Georgia Amar

Georgia Amar was born in Mogador, Morocco and started painting at the age of 13.  She studied at the Alliance Française in Morocco and Israel earning a French Baccalaureate.  Ms. Amar achieved a Baccalaureate in philosophy and literature at York University in Toronto, and acquired her Baccalaureate in education and her teaching certificate at the University of Toronto.

The artist is proficient in the mediums of oil painting, screen-printing, stained glass and 3—dimensional murals.  Georgia Amar’s landscapes, created during a 35—year observation from her property overlooking Lake Ontario in Canada, are in corporate and private art collections in Europe and North America.

In 1988 the artist designed and executed sixty—feet of stained glass, six glass doors and the eternal light for the Beth Tikvah sanctuary in Toronto, Ontario, using her unique laminated and layered stained glass approach.

Join us for the Glass Artist’s Fellowship
4th Annual Glass exhibit at Co-Art Gallery
May 15-26, 2012
Opens Tue. May 15, 11 am.
Closes Sat. May 26, 5 pm.
Opening reception: Friday, May 18, 6-9 pm.
Gallery hours: Daily 11 am-5 pm.
(Co-Art will be open 7 days/week for this show)
www.glassartistsfellowship.com

Sponsors: SGN Publishing,
Fletcher-Terry, Inland Craft Products,
Canfield Technologies,
Wardell Publications, H.L. Worden,
Paul Wissmach Glass Co.,
Uroboros and Denver Glass Machinery

Featured artists in the entry are painters Ann Spaeth and Lee Rose. Guest Artist Megan Tutin’s interesting depiction of light and composition in her photographs will catch your eye.  In conjunction with the YSL exhibit Lee Rose, fashion illustrator for Joslins for 40+ years when all fashion advertising was drawn by hand, is exhibiting several of her fashion illustrations from the 1980’s, including the printers’ comments and directions. 

Co-Art is coordinating with the Denver Art Museums Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective and the Style Pass.  Bring your Style Pass (you can get one if you attend the YSL Retrospective exhibit at the DAM) when you visit Co-Art Gallery for a 10% discount on most of the art in the gallery (guest artists may opt out).  You can receive 10% off any art work that enchants you and that you simply can’t live without!

Abstract art is indeed alive and well in such talented hands as those of Mel Strawn.  Bold, vibrant and confident, the dramatic pattern paintings of Strawn are grounded in line, plane,  form and color with stunning visual impact.  “Series Last”, was part of a 14 year investigation and invention of complex shape structure compositions using only four shapes.
Professor Emeritus and past Director of the School of Art at the University of Denver, Strawn’ holds an MFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts Including work with Richard Diebenkorn and Sabro Hasegawa, one of the first “abstract” Japanese artists.  Mel Strawn is an icon in Colorado’s art history in his ever-evolving art making process.

Renee Ziccardi Life is a gift, Live it, Enjoy it, Celebrate it, and Fulfill it..
Renee Ziccardi has been designing jewelry, tiles, and various art forms since 1984.
Renee has been active at the Arvada Center as a studio assistant since 1994, specializing in Raku.
Her work can be seen at the Littleton Depot Fine Art Gallery and at Grace Gallery Fine Art.

In addition to Cheryl’s amazing nature photography this exhibit will feature her award winning photo “Alaskan Brown Bear” that is currently being shown in Washington D.C. at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History as part of their exhibit “Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards Exhibition”.

Cheryl Opperman is a nationally acclaimed nature photographer who has traveled to every continent in the world capturing spectacular images of nature, wildlife, and indigenous cultures. Widely published, her photographs have appeared in print, on the web, on television, and in solo and group exhibits, resulting in a list of clients or credits which include The American Humane Association, Overseas Adventure Travel, The Denver Post, the National Geographic Society, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Cheryl’s esthetic compositions, artistic use of light, and exquisite detail have been honored with several prestigious awards from organizations including The Earth Day Network, Nature’s Best Photography, the International Photography Awards, and the National Wildlife Federation. She was also featured as a leading female nature photographer by Outdoor Photographer Magazine in 2010. Using the power of photography to inspire interest in the environment and other cultures, she has presented slide shows or classes on various topics to schools, camera clubs, the Intermountain Regional Headquarters of the National Park Service, and the North American Nature Photography Association. Cheryl is a 1992 honors graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in Industrial/Scientific photography.

“inBEtween” is a collection of paintings that each come from their own source, pulling inspiration from the emotional impact of the mundane and the profound.

“CANOPY ” Paintings by Susan Rubin

“BOUNCE ”  Collages by Janice McDonald

“HEELS” Works by Rolland Bernier in the North Gallery

Rene Gagnon will be holding his second solo art exhibit “Between Here and All Knowing” at Black Book Gallery during the month of May 2012. Rene brings a fresh body of work that moves into greater abstraction than his previous exhibit “Urban Flowers”. Many of the same techniques were used to create the new pieces but the concept behind “Between Here and All Knowing” is much more personal:

“Many artists draw inspiration from their dreams. When I speak to someone who can’t recall their dreams, I feel sorry that they never experienced the sense of flying, or feeling your body dissipate into pixels while traveling through a worm hole, or sitting on the moon with a good friend and hearing the dull roar of the earth spinning.

It is said that when we die we enter into a state of ‘All Knowing’. In many of my dreams I have experienced what I can only refer to as this ‘All Knowing’ state of being. I’ve experienced being encompassed by energy in the form of written words, equations, particles whizzing and bouncing about, and form, shape, and color that I have no words to describe.

This body of work represents the transition from the compartmentalized nature of our ‘real’ world and the collision of knowledge, beauty and chaos that define my ‘All Knowing’ state of being.”

Rene Gagnon “Between Here and All Knowing”
Opening Reception:
May 4th from 6pm – 1130pm
Artist will be in attendance
Event is free and open to the public

The trajectory of Matt Sesow’s life is mirrored in his art. While it is not always pretty, it never fails to garner attention. As a young child, his left arm was amputated after a traumatic accident. Eleven years later, he began to share his paintings with the world and hasn’t stopped since. Access Gallery at 909 Santa Fe Drive is proud to present this internationally known artist in a one-person show entitled “Trickle Down”. The show has a very limited run of May 18 through June 9, 2012 and Matt will be in attendance at the gallery for only 3 days. Community members are encouraged to take advantage of this rare opportunity to meet the artist and participate in the following special events:

Listen to an interview with Matt on the Untitled Art Show Podcast: Wed. May 16, 8 pm at www.untitledartshow.com
View Matt painting live in the studio: Thursday, May 17 & Friday, May 18 10 am-2 pm
Meet Matt at the Artist Reception: May 18 from 6-9 pm
Participate with Matt in Community Art Day: Saturday May 19, 12-3 pm (Free! Just drop in to join in an art project)
First Friday reception: Friday June 1, 6-9 pm (artist will not be in attendance)

Matt’s work includes symbolically rich compositions with raw, almost tribal sensibility and rapid, muscular techniques. Dense with detail and fraught with emotion, his works combine a brazenly subversive political wit with street-influenced style. The pieces Matt creates while painting live tend to reflect his reaction to the city he his visiting.

Trickle Down is a nod to the buzzwords and posturing Matt sees everyday from his studio in Washington DC. Being in our nations capital gives Matt plenty of inspiration for his paintings. Each day in July Matt takes a headline from the Washington Post and paints an entire painting based on the headline. In shows from New York to Europe, his vivid colors, frenetic lines, and contemporary aesthetics have been called, raw, emotional and intense. Matt claims Willem deKooning and Frances Bacon as inspirations, along with the punk music soundtrack of the 1980’s that is usually playing loudly in the background while he paints. “I spend most every day of the week painting, including Saturdays, Sundays and most federal holidays.” Says Matt, “I do it because I love it. Painting has become the meaning of life for me”. 

When Matt was 8 years old he was struck by the propeller of a landing airplane, ultimately losing his dominant hand as a result of the accident. Untrained and self-taught Sesow started painting n 1995 as an emotional reaction to his disability. Matt says he has learned to paint “from the gut”.
When collectors of folk, visionary and outsider art started buying his paintings, Matt states that he did not understand the attention to his work and that he was just “painting in reaction to my life, to my passion, and to my disability”.

Also showing in the Studio Gallery at Access is “Excessive Force” by Javier Flores.

VSA Colorado/Access Gallery is an inclusive nonprofit organization that engages the community by opening doors to creative and educational opportunities for people with disabilities to access and experience the arts. The gallery is located at 909 Santa Fe Dr., in Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe and welcomes visitors Tuesday-Friday 10am- 5pm and First Fridays until 9pm. For more information call 303-777-0797 (TTY 303-777-0796) or visit www.accessgallery.org.

Linda Gleitz says, ” I am honoring our feathered friends, the beauty of the flock, and the social aspect of migration. Several recipe paintings illustrate birds ... we eat them, we buy chicken breasts at the grocer, and hardly think of them as beautiful winged beings.” “About Birds” visually alludes to the idea of mindful eating.

Gleitz is also showing her new ceramic “bird people” presented as spiritual morphs, part human, part feathered friend. For more information, visit www.lindagleitzart.com

Featured Image; Turkeys, chicken, green chile - 30"x30” oil on canvas