Be Unbroken is Flair Robinson's newest large-scale installation highlighting the healing power of the natural world. "Many people are in a state where the world feels broken. When we separate ourselves from nature, we are not at our best. Being out there in it is being whole." Robinson's imagery, colors, and environment remind us not only of our universal place, but also the confluence of the earthly and the eternal. A vibrant orange coyote anchors the installation as the guardian and harbinger. The cleansing rain, the attentive moon, the persisting waterfall, and other symbolic images unify to create an atmosphere both grounding and mystical. Although a personal journey for the artist, Be Unbroken carries a resonant and timely message.

Andrea Martens is a visual artist focused in mixed media printmaking, living and working in Durango, Colorado. In addition to creating in the studio, she teaches art at Fort Lewis College and at the University of Maine at Augusta’s Distance Education Program. Andrea received her MFA in Printmaking from Colorado State University and received her Post-Baccalaureate Certificate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Virginia Tech with minors in art and biology.  In her art, she uses a combination of materials and processes to examine the human/animal relationship, as well as its connection to our environment in contemporary industrial society. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. 

Telluride Arts’ HQ gallery in Telluride, Colorado presents work by Patrick E. Felsenthal, a writer, filmmaker, musician, graphic designer and artist. He releases music best described as art rap under the name Apoc and creates art and design pieces as PFels. On October 5th he will be launching a show at the Telluride Arts HQ Gallery that incorporates both of these projects. Apoc’s newest music video, Hurricane Goddamn! will be premiered in the US during the October 5th Art Walk. Props, costumes, and storyboards from the production will be on display throughout the exhibition. Also being featured will be Optalgia, a mixed-media body of artwork by Pfels. The Art Walk opening reception will be held Thursday, October 5, 5-8 p.m.

Margaret’s work develops intuitively.  It is composed of a confluence of multiple sensations drawn from her own experiential landscape.  There is an all-consuming mental grind in the creative process, and her objective is to achieve visually arresting images.  The goal in this series is to make the apparently simple relationships of form and color charged with as much force, feeling and meaning as possible.

On a simple level, Micheline Klagsbrun began with the intention to display side-by-side work done in her East Coast studio with work done here in Telluride. She has always been interested in the sense of place in art. At a deeper level, Klagsbrun is also fascinated by the parallels that can be found between cultures widely separated by time and geography.

In our world that grows ever smaller, as the wonders of nature and the universe become more commonplace due to digital photography and affordable travel, the idea of the flawed explorer who travels the expanse of the mysterious world before him, yet never observes the amazing creatures around him—only focusing on “What else is out there? What am I missing?”—is a humorous observation on our digital lives. Dave Pressler’s exhibit, “Exploring Imaginary Worlds” focuses on these concepts.

“There is an undeniable sense of danger and power in using fire to create a drawing; and there lies a grotesque, but grounding, beauty in using bacon to create a painting. Perhaps the combination of the two is American.” Anderson is interested in the way environments and their people shape how one interprets their experiences. Oscillating between energetic moments of inspiration and long periods of study and focus is essential to Anderson’s practice. Sketches and drawings from travels formed with careful but emotional mark making weave a history of journey among the creatures.

The nature of this show has evolved and changed as the work emerged. What was once a wildly conceptual installation has transformed into a simple statement of Beaver’s inner self. Never being given the opportunity to explore art as a path in life, this creative outlet has become a way for Beaver to express different aspects of himself. This body of work is a genuine exposure and emergence. While the mediums vary throughout the show, they each reflect an uncharted territory of, what Beaver describes as, his “inner sanctuary.” The things that Beaver finds most sacred in life and the marriage of those beliefs are the guiding influence in all of the work. 

Next Move is inspired by an Albert Einstein quote, “Life is like a bicycle.  To keep your balance you must keep moving.”  This work demonstrates some of my “moving”--- recent visual exploration to continue developing my vocabulary and sensibility.  Abstracted shapes mingle with more figurative elements and old ideas and concerns struggle to find new expressions. The paintings are metaphors for past experiences and memory.

Alyce Levy is a graphic designer, and creator of her line, Modern Slice. Modern Slice art pieces have a mid century soul. They begin with a single piece of perfectly imperfect wood with rings and whorls that tell us a story of time and life, visual respresentations of who an individual is in strong, decisive lines and colors working together with a message to send, a song to sing, an all day long smile in the heart, and as unique as every living creature or thought on this planet.

Rebecca Harrell’s work is rooted in an interest in evolving landscapes, human interventions with the natural world, and geologic formations. She is interested in the contrast between slowly evolving natural forms and rapidly expanding, urban settings. The result is a visual dialog around scale, source imagery and space. Harrell exaggerates that tension through material and formal choices.

March 1, 2017 - May 30, 2017

I have often heard that an artist has to have a good story to go with their work. My paintings tell their own story. They are rich in history. Layers of images. Every viewer sees something, their own story, a relative, a friend and that is what I think attracts them to my paintings. If someone asks me what one of my paintings is about, I say, “you tell me”. When I paint I feel alive and free. For a few hours nothing else matters. My hope is that my paintings can make the viewer feel that way too, if even for a moment.

February 1, 2017 - February 28, 2017

This series of paintings is a compilation of pieces done by the artist while driving around the Western US in her Chevy Astro Van, combined with pieces done in her Salt Lake City studio at the culmination of her trip. Gomez’s visual journal and sketchbook explode with ideas she captured on her journey through nature – from striking Natural Parks and Forests, to the serenity of the ocean. Each painting is wrought with vivid colors, deep textures, and gestural movements, as this is the vocabulary built from experiences and expressions of what she observed. Living in the mountains, smelling the pine trees each morning, or waking up to a salty breeze; Each painting is a product of the studies Gomez had done and continues to explore in her evolution as an artist.

February 1, 2017 - February 28, 2017

The colorful, humorous, and hopeful fabric works of New Orleans artist Chris Roberts-Antieau are coming to the Telluride Arts District for Mardi Gras season. Antieau’s subject matter ranges from joyfully candid cultural commentary depicting unbelievable true stories (such as James Brown’s Funeral: And The Tragic Aftermath) to more personal reflections on nature, perception, reality and truth. Antieau further explores her interests through sculpture and installation, creating elaborate dollhouses of famous murder scenes and elegant gowns embroidered with birds of prey eviscerating small animals. 

Songline, named appropriately for the mythological Aboriginal calling to follow a mysterious dream track, is a show about Stephanie’s own creative walkabout. “I have embarked on a journey into my own art process and have created imagery that illustrates some significant discoveries along the way.” This allegorical body of work is the continuation of an ongoing theme centered on relationships between land, humans, animals and the great unknown.