Annie Thayer, Nederland. The May 2019 Art at the Center demo show and opening reception highlighted new art techniques and new artists. It is perhaps the most diverse collection of art that has yet been shown at the community center—and the demos were fantastic.

The interactive demo allowed participants to paint on gesso board with vibrant acrylic inks after first sketching with a black water-soluble pencil and softening the lines with water. The paintings were finished with various thicknesses of black pens that were used to create texture and “doodles,” and finally a white pen for added depth and sparkle. Gail Pederson led each participant step by step through the process, and gave encouragement and helpful tips. Each painting was unique and vivid, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the process.

Juliette Nelson demonstrated how she paints using a program called Procreate on her iPad. She showed how to use different tools to take a scanned original drawing to a finished colorful painting. 

The watercolor station was also a popular spot, where participating artists took turns helping those who wanted to try their hand at watercolor painting. 

New artists include Bonnie Hanna with her beautiful and intricately hand painted pottery, showing in the upstairs lobby corner display case; Kate Schlosser with three large oil paintings on the first floor, and three beautiful photographs in the upstairs lobby; Kirk Byers with beautiful watercolors of Rocky Mountain landscapes; and Rick Dallago whose humorous depiction of The Brady Bunch was one of the attendees’ favorite.

The People’s Choice award went to Brent Warren, whose drawings and paintings show a wide range of subjects and techniques. Three artists tied for second place: watercolorist Wolfy Wolf, photographer and owner of R Gallery in downtown Boulder, Rob Lantz and watercolorist Kirk Byers. 

A special thanks was given to Susan Schneider, a long-time volunteer for Art at the Center. We’d also like to thank all the volunteers who make this event possible, and especially the dedicated team who hangs the shows—Lee Kennedy, Sharon Ferguson, and AATC Coordinator Annie Thayer; and also those who helped hang the current show—artist Wolfy Wolf and his wife Edna, and Brent Warren.

The show will be up until the end of September, so do stop by the Community Center and take a look. You won’t be disappointed! And we will look forward to seeing you at the next AATC reception on October 3rd. 

(Originally published in the May 23, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)