John Scarffe, Central City. Gilpin County Arts’ Washington Hall will host three solo shows in February. A show by local artist Virginia Unseld is called Navigations: a year of quARanTine. Roger Doak will be showing photography called Captured: Moments in Nature, and Maggie Smiley will be showing Resurgence – A New Beginning.

Roger Doak’s show opened February 6. Smiley and Unseld’s shows open February 20 and all end March 27. They will not have a reception due to Covid-19. 

The exhibit will be in Washington Hall Gallery, 117 Eureka St., in Central City, Colorado. The gallery is open Thursday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Roger Doak is an award-winning photographer born in upstate New York who moved to Colorado as a young boy. Living in the scenic beauty of the Gunnison area, he developed a profound appreciation for nature. 

This appreciation proved to be the impetus of his passion for photography. In 2005, he received two first-place honors in a photo competition judged by esteemed photographer John Fielder. 

This recognition, along with encouragement from friends and family, inspired Roger to start his business, Roger Doak Photography at www.rogerdoak.com. Since then, his photography has been acknowledged with a number of awards. Roger’s clients include hospitals, galleries, corporations and government.

Utilizing his creative perspective, Roger’s photography celebrates nature: majestic and intimate landscapes, serene beauty and stately wildlife. He believes an excellent photo needs to be technically accurate: lighting, color, form and composition. 

He also understands an exceptional photo captures a unique moment that engages the viewer and provides an emotional attachment. Achieving the aforementioned objectives allowed Roger to create the inspiring images visitors will see in this exhibit at the Gilpin County Gallery. 

Maggie Smiley is a long-time potter who resides in Evergreen. She developed her love for clay at Loretto Heights College in Denver and has pursued it ever since. Maggie went on to complete her master’s degree in arts education at Adams State College in Alamosa.

Maggie taught art K-12 in Gilpin County and continued on in Jefferson and Denver counties. It was her mission to help others recognize and foster the artist within. After retiring from teaching, Maggie opened Artonomy, a business hosting art workshops for kids and adults, through themed camps and one-day creativity workshops. 

After closing Artonomy, she returned to working with clay full time. She is presently a member of the Colorado Potters Guild. The guild offers an opportunity to collaborate with other potters and participate in two annual shows in the Denver area. 

She enjoys making functional pots that are intended to be used daily. She continually works to create strong forms that are complemented with splashes of color. She enjoys the process of throwing and altering pieces to make her ware unique. This body of work in this exhibit is called Resurgence - A New Beginning. 

To receive information on upcoming events you can reach her at artonomy@gmail.com.

Virginia Unseld said this is the largest solo show she has ever assembled, and she is excited about the work that has developed during this extremely difficult year. Art galleries are the safest place to be because they are usually empty, and she can also arrange a private viewing for you.

Virginia’s exhibit called Navigations: a year of quARanTine consists of about 50 paintings done in the past 12 months. The gallery is a beautiful space where she has been painting since November, thanks to the Gilpin County Arts Association. It seemed like the appropriate place to exhibit her work. The large room will feature acrylic paintings on canvas.

“Most people are familiar with my pastel paintings but these will be acrylic paintings on canvas and oil and cold wax on panels. The theme for the oils is Winter Woods, many layers of collage and paint. I call them visual haiku, deceptively simple,” Virginia said.

The acrylic paintings came about because she wanted to do some larger paintings and did not have space in her small studio, so she negotiated with Gilpin County Arts and leased a room in the gallery beginning in November and will use that space until end of March. These paintings are from photos of places she has traveled to and love: Alaska, Croatia, New Mexico and California. The studio will remain a working studio during the exhibit.

In early February she took a workshop on working with oils and cold wax. Then she began applying her new knowledge to landscapes. 

“My home studio was my safe place with no virus, no politics. I am surrounded by woods and embarked on what became a series called Winter Woods. 

Virginia Unseld has been painting the western landscape for more than 40 years. Her work is about the act of joyous mark-making as much as about the subject she is painting. 

Virginia is primarily a plein air painter. Her studio and home are at 9,200 feet in the Colorado Rockies. Virginia has exhibited extensively and has won many awards for her work.  

She is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of Colorado and the Colorado Watercolor Society and a member of American Women Artists, the Plein Air Artists of Colorado and Plein Air Painters of New Mexico.

The artists invite all to visit the gallery during these three shows.

(Originally published in the February 11, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)