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Sangre de Cristo Arts Center Winter Exhibits
Works by Duesberry, Johnson, Oliver, Pikes Peak Pastel
Society, Recchia and Ace on display
The American West
Joellyn Duesberry
November 10 through January 26
Joellyn Duesberry is nationally recognized for her dynamic landscape paintings.
Her canvases are remarkable for their rich and intense use of color, and for her
distinct interest in the geometry of cityscapes and landscapes. Duesberry’s
paintings, though clearly contemporary, echo very large western landscapes. Her
use of light, shadow, scale and texture culminates in paintings that are both
visually and emotionally arresting.
Duesberry divides her time between studios in Denver, Colorado, and Millbrook,
New York, and has painted plein-air around the world for 40-plus years. She
began exhibiting in New York City in 1979, and has since had ten New York solo
exhibitions, with recent retrospectives at the Century Association and Denver
Art Museum.
A pivotal point in Duesberry’s career came in 1986 when she was awarded a
National Endowment for the Arts grant that enabled her to work with Richard
Diebenkorn, who encouraged her to try monotype print-making. Since then, she has
been actively producing and exhibiting her monotypes along side her plein-air
paintings.
In 2005, a PBS documentary was made of Joellyn Duesberry’s life, work, and
creative process titled “Joellyn Duesberry: Dialogue with the Artist.”
Pastel to the Limit!
Recent Work by Pikes Peak Pastel Society
November 3 through January 9
Pastel to the Limit! is an exhibit that explores a wide selection of subject
matter through the beautiful medium of pastel. Pastel lends itself to endless
degrees of subtlety, interpretation and artistic styles. The Pikes Peak Pastel
Society was founded in 2000, and currently has a membership of 30 members. The
goal of the society is to promote excellence in soft pastel painting and to
increase the awareness and appreciation of pastel painting to the general
public. Membership in the organization is juried in order to maintain a high
level of quality and integrity of work.
Liz Johnson’s: The Silence of Water
November 15 through February 2
Liz Johnson, an artist who teaches photography and digital arts at Colorado
State University-Pueblo, presents a study of water and its form in The Silence
of Water. “My compositions are abstract yet I view these images as a kind of
portraiture; they are a record of my interaction with the waters’ energies.”
Johnson began photographing water in the spring of 2004, as she hiked along
Newlin Creek after the winter thaw. The force and the presence of the water were
so compelling, she returned the next day with her camera.
Through the process of photographing, Johnson felt like she collaborated with
the subject while capturing images created by the flow of water and light.
Johnson continues to photograph through the seasons, portraying the water in its
myriad forms. When looking at the diversity in her images, Johnson feels that
she could explore this subject endlessly and never exhaust its countless
possibilities.
Graphic Statements in Pencil and Charcoal:
Works by Robert Hench
November 15 through February 2
Local artist Robert Hench is a true Renaissance man—a visual artist, pianist,
art critic, archeologist, and is fluent in several languages. The well-rounded
Hench will present Graphic Statements in Pencil and Charcoal: Works by Robert
Hench, at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center starting November 15. In his
multi-dimensional manner, Hench talks about his work, “I find it intriguing that
the act of drawing can parallel the development of a mathematical equation... a
drawing—like a mathematical equation—inevitably gains a momentum in itself and
determines its own outcome.”
Hench’s show includes pencil and charcoal drawings that he labels “graphic
statements.” These statements focus primarily on people, although Hench is
hesitant to label them as portraits. “I try to avoid the limitations of both
strict portraiture and complete abstraction. My preference instead is based on
the visual possibilities that occur when the two approaches are intuitively
combined.” While introspective and modest about his work and other talents,
Hench’s life is rich with experience including: a former employee of CSU-Pueblo,
an expert on the Maya calendar, a participant in Maya archeological digs, and a
drawing instructor at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center.
Jan Oliver’s Saints and Angels
November 15 through February 2
A two-part show from local artist Jan Oliver, Saints and Angels explores the
role of angels within our culture. Appearing throughout the ages, biblical texts
recount stories of angels acting as messengers, protectors and guides to those
in need. In her unique and colorful style, Oliver interprets angels within our
Southwestern landscape. Providing protection, they hover over pilgrims on their
long journey to Santuario de Chimayo each Easter season. Atop a sturdy mount,
another angel depicted in Spanish colonial regalia declares a message of peace.
And in a playful depiction from a childhood tale, an angel presents greedy King
Midas with eggs made of gold—providing a reminder to us all that riches alone
will not satisfy all longings of the heart.
Moving outside the traditional depictions of saints, Oliver also presents a
series of paintings in response to the question: “If you could invite any saint
to dinner, who would it be?” Here, Oliver presents “An Evening with the Saints”
engrossed in conversation, sometimes with other surprise “dinner guests.” Each
painting has an underlying theme and message represented symbolically. In each
of these playful works, Oliver challenges the viewer to decode the common link
between the saints and their distinguished dinner guests.
Louis Recchia/ Zoa Ace
November 15 through February 2
Regionally recognized artists, Louis Recchia and Zoa Ace have created art for
over 30 years in the Denver area. Both artists’ colorful and exquisite imagery,
usually on a large scale, have been in museums such as the Denver Art Museum, as
well as the Museum of Modern Art and the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, Austria.
Recchia focuses on themes of vulnerability and the idea of innocence and
innocence lost. He also uses well-known paintings by modern masters, pop
imagery, and 3-Dimensional objects to inspire his art.
Ace’s work includes symbolism or shapes that recall other styles, such as vivid
patterned elements in the fashion of Matisse. Her figures come from her
imagination with the influence of magazines. Inscrutable party scenes or
encounters also make up many of her paintings.
A free public reception with the artists, in conjunction with the opening of the
Own Your Own Art Show & Sale, will be held on Wednesday, November 14, from 5-8
p.m. in the Helen T. White Galleries. The reception and the Arts Center’s
exhibitions are sponsored by Mark and Kitty Kennedy.
Admission to the Arts Center is $4 for adults and $3 for children. Members of
the Arts Center receive free admission. For more information, please call
719-295-7200 or stop by the Arts Center located at 210 N. Santa Fe Ave., just
off of I-25, exit 98b.
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