Larry Grieco, Gilpin County.  The 2016 Artists-in-Residence were selected by the Gilpin County Public Library, and yes, there are two of them. Heather Carr and Danea Fidler, a team of Colorado based wildlife artists and fantasy illustrators were selected by a committee of the Friends of the Library and will offer a series of art workshops during the months of June, July and August. They live in Black Hawk and look forward to sharing their knowledge and passion for animals and art with all ages. They are both experienced teachers of wildlife art and fantasy illustration, and work in graphite, pen and ink, acrylics, oils, and soft pastels.

Heather Carr started in wildlife art back in 2000, creating over fifteen scratchboard designs which appear on Land Rover tire covers around the world. She is currently collaborating with fantasy author C.L. Wilson, illustrating prints and products for the New York Times’ bestselling Tairen Soul series.

Danea Fidler has done fantasy illustrations since 2009. She graduated from Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design with a degree in illustration in 2013. She has received several awards for wildlife painting in acrylic.

Their residency begins on Saturday, June 4, with a workshop at the library called “Everything You Need to Know Before You Paint.” This class will run from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon. You will find a complete schedule of workshops on the library’s website, Facebook page, and, of course, at the library itself.

This is the ninth annual Artist-in-Residence program at the Gilpin County Public Library.  This program was the brainchild of library director Larry Grieco back in 2008, when a Poet-in-Residence, Christine Weeber, presided over a series of summer writing workshops.  The next year two visual artists, Virginia Unseld and Gail Watson, offered a round of sessions on painting and craft works. In year three, Andre Mallinger was our Musician-in-Residence, and enthralled us all summer long with musical programs, featuring exotic instruments from around the world.  In 2011, Lori Phillips, theater artist, worked with a small group over the course of the summer, which culminated with the actual production of a live melodrama, The Shame of Black Hawk.  Quilter-in-Residence, Dana Jones, offered a summer of patterns, sewing, and craftwork in 2012. Julie and John Black, husband and wife team of photographers, were our Photographers- in-Residence in 2013. In 2014, we had another visual Artist-in-Residence, Emily Cook. Last year’s artist was the delightful Mia Lucero who taught the intricacies of jewelry making to workshop participants.

As always, the series of workshops are offered free of charge, but sign-up in advance is required. For a copy of the schedule, or if you have any questions, contact Larry Grieco at the library (303-582-0161, or email lgrieco@co.gilpin.co.us) to let us know which classes you would like to take. They will be offered mostly on Saturday mornings throughout the summer, with a few in the afternoon, due to scheduling conflicts. This program is made possible by a generous grant from the Friends of the Gilpin County Public Library.