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Walker Fine Art : Monthly Showcase of National Highlights - March 2023

Arts and Entertainment

March 3, 2023

From: Walker Fine Art

Christopher Warren has just opened his solo museum exhibit at the Littleton Museum in Littleton Colorado titled "REinterpreting REcreating nature". The show features work from across all of Warren's career, from the first ever topographic experiments he did just out of college, to sculptures created this year and large scale installation pieces. The exhibition runs until May 14th. 

Warren will also be exhibiting his watershed sculptures in conjunction with the Telluride Aids Benefit and Telluride Gay Ski Week at Slate Gray gallery through March 19th. A percentage of proceeds from the sale of artwork will be donated to the Telluride Aids Benefit. 

Air of the Ancients curated by Hamidah Glasgow from the Center for Fine Art Photography includes installation work of Melanie Walker along with Angela Faris Belt and Natascha Seideneck in conjunction with Artworks in Loveland where the exhibition can be viewed. This exhibition is a part of Denver’s Month of Photography and is on display until April 1. There will be a virtual talk on March 11 at 2 PM. More information and a link to registration can be found here.

Walker writes of her installation, ‘Our ancestors watched the skies. They used the sky as a way to monitor change, from solstice to solstice, to navigate their way through time and space. Some think that clouds are the shared collective breath of the ancestors. Clouds make the atmosphere tangible, visible.

Heather Patterson just finished her eighth label for the new Sparkling Cuvee at Imagery Estate Winery in Glen Ellen, CA.  This winery has a unique partnership with artists where they select certain artists to design labels for their fabulous wines.  The artwork always includes Imagery's landmark "parthenon" structure in it that is on site at their sister property Benziger.  Heather has been partnering with Imagery since 2009.  The new bubbles will be ready to cheers with later this year!

Eileen Roscina will be exhibiting at MCA Denver as part of Breakthroughs: A Celebration of RedLine at 15  On view from Friday, February 24 to Sunday, May 28, the show will be a collaboration with RedLine Contemporary Art Center to celebrate their fifteenth anniversary of artist residencies and fostering education and engagement between artists and communities to create positive social change. Breakthroughs: A Celebration of RedLine at 15 will present a juried group exhibition featuring the work of RedLine alumni artists, including past participants in RedLine’s Artist Resident and Resource Artist program. 

Rob Mellor has been busy preparing for a show of new paintings for the Julie Nester Gallery in Park City. He'll be showing with Hunt Rettig, both new artists to the roster. The show will run from February 21 to March 21. Rob also had the large scale triptych The Wilds (2022) placed into a Los Angeles collection by Ann Connelly Fine Art in Baton Rouge. Two additional private commissions round out a very busy beginning to what is expected to be an outstanding 2023.

Ana Žani? is currently showing a series of watercolors in "New Directions" at Gallery 1871, Chicago.

Žani? gave an Artist Talk earlier this month in her solo exhibition "Arcadia", at Laura A. Sprague Art Gallery in Joliet, IL. This thirteen-year retrospect of Zanic's work is on view through March 3rd, 2023.

Farida Hughes is excited to share about a collaboration she has been working on with percussionist Matthew Keown exploring both generative and erosive powers of volcanic activity as parallel to artistic creative processes. An art and music performance event will take place on March 31, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland, showcasing light-box artwork by Hughes and a new solo percussion composition by Keown. This project is supported in part by a grant from Maryland State Arts Council.

Give me the basics.
I was born in Colorado and grew up bouncing around the mountains on weekends with my parents since my dad was a geologist. I went to college and received my art degree in Savannah, GA (at SCAD), which has its own beauty, but I was drawn back here for the mountains and lifestyle. My studio is currently in Fort Collins, CO.

Tell me about your art journey.
It is a winding path where I got a little lost and then found my way. I studied painting and photography in college and fell in love with the magic that photography creates. When I left school, I entered the corporate world through various events and fortunately or unfortunately, was good at other skills and pursued those. The fortunate part is it afforded me the money to continue to make art since it can be expensive, but unfortunately, it didn’t allow me much creative time except very early mornings. 

My life changed when I found a community of photographers in Fort Collins, and every fiber of my being screamed, "Yes, more of this!" Through another series of life events, I started pursuing art more seriously and focusing on my work again and what I really value in my life. I took additional classes and have never stopped learning. Although my art is considered interdisciplinary since it spans encaustic, collage, and fabric to some extent, it all revolves around photography and photo-based ideas as my starting place.

What inspires you?
So much inspires me daily. Nature always is a constant source of inspiration. Whether it is just a daily walk noticing the light and shadows and birdsongs, gardening, or hiking somewhere remote, I always try to be present in the earth's sights and sounds. Watching the cycles and rhythm of what is happening is grounding and a good reminder of how well nature adapts to change and moves on its own time schedule. As temperatures warm, I am noticing more of these changes. The curiosity and the idea that the world has a lot to teach me if I am just open to all its wonder is a huge factor in what inspires my work.

Poetry is also an inspiration when I feel stuck. I can read Rumi, Mary Oliver, or Audre Lorde and instantly feel motivated again to create. Lastly, I am inspired by all the incredible work being done by women and historically marginalized communities in the arts who show their creative power and insight, cross disciplines with science and history, and forge new paths the art world has yet to fully appreciate. 

What are you most proud of in your art career? 
 I am proud of being persistent in my work and challenging myself to try new things, even if they are not always successful. One thing I am most proud of in my career is the work I have done as a volunteer board member for the Center for Fine Art Photography. I have learned so much there and met many amazing people who are now friends. Finding a community as an artist is often difficult, but people I have met through the Center have helped me grow and thrive. I, in turn, have had the opportunity to learn and be an advocate for people who are doing profound work but perhaps are not as recognized in the art world because of their gender or ethnicity. I hope I have given back some of what I have received from that experience so far.

What are you looking forward to this year?
I have applied for a few artist residencies to really go deeper into my practice, so keeping my fingers crossed there. I look forward to visiting new places this summer and fall, exploring new hiking trails, and paddleboarding with friends and family. Time spent like that and in the studio is truly a gift.

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