November 12th, 2007 admin
I do not remember exactly when I started to notice this style of street art around Old Town Fort Collins, but I know it has been well over a year. The artist is using the free labels available at the post office and markers. These can be found all over Old Town, on dumpsters, electric boxes, signs, and alley walls. I thought I would share a few in case you have not noticed them.
Posted in Art, Fort Collins | 2 Comments »
November 11th, 2007 admin
What: The Nan Groves Art Show
Where: The Bellvue Store (North of Fort Collins, through Laporte Left at Vern’s at the mouth of Rist Canyon)
When: November 17th and 18th from 10AM to 5PM
The details: Featuring original art work, prints, cards, art supplies small pottery items, large matt cutter, jewelry, Christmas items and baskets. Any questions please call Mary Landis at 456-1593 or Ramsey at 482-7172
Posted in Event, Fort Collins | No Comments »
November 9th, 2007 admin
Cole Thompson is a local photographer who produces amazing black and white images. In his recent newsletter he told a story about this photograph:
The following is a glimpse into the artistic process we don’t often see:
Sometimes people think, including photographers, that great images come from extensive planning, great hardship and long waits. While that sometimes produces a great image, I’m usually just lucky enough to stumble onto something great and I take the time to photograph it. Here’s how I came to create “Clouds;”
My family and I had been in the car for 3 straight days as we drove home from San Francisco at the end of a 3 week vacation. We were tired; tired of hotels, tired of restaurant food and tired of driving. The kids were even tired of watching movies!
We were two miles from home and everyone was stirring, excited about getting out of the car and seeing the animals. In mere minutes we would be home!
But then I saw it, an enormous thunderhead, the largest I had ever seen in my life!
My first thought was; “I have to stop.”
My second thought was; “The family will kill me!”
My third thought was; “You made a promise that you’d never pass by an opportunity again.”
So I told my family that I was stopping for a photograph, and while they were screaming at me I quickly set up my equipment and took the shot. Because the cloud was so large (the above mentioned meteorologist said it was about 20 miles wide) I took a photograph of the left side, the center and the right side.
When I got home and looked at the images , I knew I had something special, but I also knew that a lot of hard work would have to go into it before it was perfect (see one of the original images below). First I “stitched” the three images together to make the large panoramic image you see above. Then I had to convert the image to black & white and bring out the power and fury of the cloud. I did this by “dodging and burning” the details in the cloud with a graphics tablet. It’s a bit like painting on the photograph to bring out the highlights and darken the shadows to improve the contrast.
My goal was to have the viewer feel some of the size and majesty that I felt standing there that day. Unfortunately the small image above does not do it justice, you really need to see the five foot version and then say to me “Wow! Where was that taken?”
-Cole Thompson
This is one of the original images used to create that beautiful black and white cloud image:
Please click here to check out Cole’s website and more of his work.
Posted in Art, The Process | No Comments »
November 7th, 2007 admin
Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art
Upcoming Events at FCMOCA:
Lecture with FCMOCA Executive Director, Marianne Lorenz –
Historical Perspectives on Politics & Art
November 13 at 7:00pm
FCMOCA invites you to an Evening with Bret Price
November 15th 5:30 - 8 pm
generously hosted by Jim &
Wendy Franzen at their home
located at: 342 W Douglas St
Join the Roz Spencer Collectors Circle and selected guests to meet nationally-acclaimed sculptor Bret Price.
Watch a movie of him producing his work in New Bremen, Ohio. Then bid on his 2006 sculpture, Tangles. Hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served.
Auction proceeds will support Price’s exhibition at FCMOCA in January 2009.
RSVP by November 9 to Gloria Boresen, FCMOCA Business Manager,
at 482-2787 or gboresen@fcmoca.org
FORT COLLINS MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
201 South College Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80524
www.fcmoca.org | 970.482.2787 | info@fcmoca.org
Posted in Event, Fort Collins | No Comments »
November 7th, 2007 admin
Amelia Caruso is a beacon in our community, supporting and encouraging new and established artists and building our art community in Fort Collins for years. She has given so much, and now she is in need of a bit of help battling uterine cancer.
Pay if forward for Amelia Caruso a Benefit and Silent Auction, an
artists’ benevolent event to offset medical expenses. Nov 9th 7:00pm to
10:00pm at the Bellvue Store 5032 W Cty Rd 52E. Door prizes, silent
auction, kissing booth, cake walk, food and fun.
The silent auction will run Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm and Sunday
10:00am to 4:00pm at the Bellvue Store.
Silent auction art has been donated by the following artists:
Bob Coonts, Laurie Fowler, Shelly Hearne, Cole Thompson, Sibyl Stork,
Marcie Silverstein, Jeanie McKensie, Lisa Cameron, Diane Findley, Chris
Wolf, Dre Williams, Leonard Pettus, Laua Kadlec, Don Vogel, Amber
Lovelace, Bev Perina, Jan Brett, Robert Howard, Lynn Fecteau, Mark
Howard, Mickey Bookstaber, Maggie Kunzie and more daily.
Many local business have donated as well:
Hixon Interiors, Maya Bleu, Pudge Brothers Pizza, Fiona’s Catering,
Grease Money, Johnson’s Corner, Big O Tires, Journey magazine, Europa,
EsScentual, Coopersmiths and Toolbox Creative.
For more information call Bev Perina 556-0887 or Janet Scott
690-5507.
Posted in Art, Event, For Change, Fort Collins | No Comments »
November 5th, 2007 admin
Selling art is often the goal. So it is worth asking why people buy. Robert Genn has some good thoughts on that in his latest post on The Painter’s Keys website.
In the post he quoted Shaw as saying “When you know the artist you think less of the art.”
Is that true? I disagree but would like to hear some other thoughts.
Read “Why Do They Buy?” by clicking here.
Posted in Art, The Process | No Comments »
November 1st, 2007 admin
Who knew that folk music had a duo that are considered “bad boys?” The documentary film The Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose is about those bad boys, Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber. Why am I tell you this? Because the film is coming to Fort Collins.
What: The Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose
Where: Lyric Cinema Cafe, 300 East Mountain Ave., Fort Collins
When: November 9th, 2007 @ 7PM
Click here to learn more about the film as well as read some reviews.
Posted in Event, Film, Fort Collins | 1 Comment »
November 1st, 2007 admin
Grab that blank notepad, pick up a pen and start writing because today begins National Novel Writing Month. Here is a statement from their website:
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.
Who: You! We can’t do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let’s write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.
When: Sign-ups begin October 1, 2007. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
I tend to be a glutton for punishment so I am going to go for it. I admit I comforted by the fact that they do not stress quality, just quantity. So I can think of it as National Novel Draft Writing Month. I’ll try to remember to keep you posted on my progress as I attempt to put down 1666 words on paper a day.
Click here to read more about National Novel Writing Month.
Posted in Art, Art on the Web, The Process, Written Arts | No Comments »
