Own an Original
57th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit dates: November 4 - December 31, 2022
Theme: Labyrinth
Juror: Molly Casey
Submitted: 153 artworks from 65 artists
Juried Selections: 35 entries from 25 artists
Participating Artists:
Stephen Austin, Diane Bauerle, Matthew Bollinger, Jay Benedict Brown, Teresa Castaneda, Niri Cath, Cayce Gates, Stephanie Genser, Mitchell Gomez, Lorraine Herrera Bonilla, Tara Kelley-Cruz, Emily Lamb, John Long, Tim McKay, Jake Meyer, Elizabeth Morisette, Michael Morris, Linda O'Neill, Frederick Pichon, Stacey Roberts, Jacqueline Shuler, Randall Steinke, Barbara Veatch, Gail Watson, & Sean Yarbrough.
The City of Littleton Fine Arts Board is proud to present the 57th Own an Original juried fine art exhibition. The competition is open to all artists residing in Colorado working in any medium except photography. This year’s exhibition theme is “Labyrinth” and was juried by Molly Casey from the art consulting firm, NINE dot ARTS.
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. It was intended to hold the Minotaur, a mythical creature that was part man and part bull. Daedalus had so cunningly crafted the Labyrinth that he could barely escape it. In modern day English, the definition of a labyrinth is anything confusingly intricate or complex and difficult to navigate. It has become synonymous with the word maze - a network of paths and passages that is hard to find one’s way through. However, a maze refers to a complex branching puzzle with choices of path and direction, while the classical labyrinth was unicursal: having only a single path to the center. A labyrinth in this sense has an unmistakable route to the center and back and presents no navigational challenge.
Labyrinths are frequently seen as an ancient symbol of wholeness where circle and spiral combine into a meandering but purposeful journey. For some, the labyrinth represents a journey or path to our own center and back again out into the world. Often, walking a labyrinth can serve as a metaphor for life’s journey or as a symbol that creates a sacred space and place and takes us out of our ego and into our spirit within. With this concept in mind, labyrinths have long been used in meditation and ritual and are increasingly found in hospitals and hospices for therapeutic use. Depending on one’s perception of the term, a labyrinth can either be confusing and restricting or directional and liberating.
Winners:
- Best of Show: Niri Cath, The Park, $1,000 award
- 1st Place: Randall Steinke, Keyhole, $500 award
- 2nd Place: Stacey Roberts, Hidden Place, $250 award
- 3rd Place: John Long, Imaginary Time, $100 award
- Honorable Mention: Emily Lamb, Enlightenment
- Honorable Mention: Elizabeth Morisette, Lean In
Juror Bio:
As NINE dot ARTS Chief Curator, Molly Casey leads, mentors, and supervises interdisciplinary creative teams through the research, curation, acquisition, and installation of a range of national art experiences. Her leadership and consulting expertise includes working directly with private and public sector clients on everything from curated corporate art collections to robust community art plans. Molly’s innovative approach to art consulting includes building a global community of artists and supporting education, advocacy, and career-building opportunities. She and co-founder Martha Weidmann formed NINE dot ARTS in 2009 with the vision of building a forward-thinking art consulting company that both curates incredible art experiences and advocates for art and artists. Since then, the firm has completed over 900 projects in real estate development across 35 states and five countries, generating more than $40 million in revenue for the creative economy. Currently, their artist app, Dotfolio, features over 10,000 artists from around the world. See her website
56th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit dates: November 12- December 31, 2021
Theme: Together (Again)
Juror: Catherine Chauvin
Participating Artists:
Alicia Bailey, Ileana Barbu, Matthew Bollinger, Julia Bright, Lisa Calzavara, Alissa Davies, Scott DeWeese, Carolyn Doran, Victoria Ekelund, Robbi Farschman, Leigh Cabell, Lauren Lipinski Eisen, Anne Feller, Jutta Gola, Gary Haddan, John Henley, Pat Isaacs, Aicha Jacob, Mary kay Jacobus, Ashton Lacy Jones, Emily Lamb, Michelle Lamb, Tom Linker, David Norwood, Linda O'Neill, Kevin Oehler, Joy Redstone, Lydia Riegle, Karen Shaw, Blaise Simonelli, Rhoda Singer, Jeff Stoddard, Marlea Taylor, S. Tuke, Barbara Veatch, & Susan Wechsler
The City of Littleton Fine Arts Board proudly presents the 56th Annual Own an Original art competition. Open to Colorado artists, the competition is for any art medium except photography. This year’s exhibition aspires to bring us “Together (Again).” After a long year apart due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the time has come to gather again, and celebrate all that was missed during social distancing. Whether to laugh with one another, empathize, or mourn, being together is integral to society and humanity. It strengthens our common bonds and lets us feel supported and part of a greater purpose.
Winners:
Best in Show:
- Best of Show ($1000.00) – Michelle Lamb Global Murmuration
- 1st Place ($500.00) – Barbara Veatch, Vortex
- 2nd Place ($250.00) – Emily Lamb, Vacillation
- 3rd Place ($100.00) – Anne Feller, Passing On
- Honorable Mention #1 – Scott DeWeese, Basket of Illusion #022
- Honorable Mention #2 – Pat Isaacs, Ravel 2
- Honorable Mention #3 – Ashton Lacy Jones, Rain in Peacock Park
Juror Bio: Catherine Chauvin
Catherine Chauvin is an associate professor at the University of Denver, teaching drawing, common curriculum, and all forms of printmaking. After earning an MFA at Syracuse University, she trained at the Tamarind Institute and has since collaborated with artists such as Gladys Nilsson, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, and William Wiley in New Mexico, Texas, and Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado. These experiences as a collaborative printer and artist combine in multiple ways in her artwork and teaching. Residencies in Ireland, Spain, Norfolk Island, Oregon, and Wyoming have allowed her to develop bodies of work based on landscape.
Her research interests include observational drawing, contemporary printmaking processes and environmental topics. Her immediate focus is looking at how parasitic plant growth is complex, beautiful and a metaphor for something being revealed as it overwhelms other systems. For Chauvin, the tangles of plant growth hint at both our current complicated world and how opportunistic elements can affect us all. See her website
2020 Own an Original Best of Show Winner
I & We: Ashley Allen and Aleksey & Olga Ivanov
Exhibit dates: May 21 - July 17, 2021
The City of Littleton Fine Arts Board is pleased to announce an upcoming exhibition of fine art, Best of Show, featuring the artwork of Ashley Allen and Olga and Aleksey Ivanov. The artists won the award “Best of Show” for competitive exhibitions in 2020; Allen for the 2020 Eye of the Camera exhibit, and the Ivanovs for the 2020 Own an Original exhibit.
Through a curated selection of these artists’ recent works, I and We, explores the concept of the individual versus the duo when considering artistic inspirations and processes.
2020 Eye of the Camera Best of Show: Ashley Allen
For Ashley Allen, whose work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, photography is a medium to explore questions about identity. Where do we fit in the world with each other and with our environment? How do we identify ourselves within our landscape or within our family? How do we maintain, realize, or lose our personal selves within the relationships that we hold most closely? By photographically investigating these questions, she finds a deeper understanding of self. Allen, whose work explores the role of the individual within familial groups, as well as one’s relationship with nature, focuses on using photography to explore one’s identity in the larger world. In contrast to the unique and dynamic role of the individual, is the delicate and harmonious balance of a partnership.
To explore more of Allen’s work: ashleyallenfineart.com.
2020 Own an Original Best of Show: Olga & Aleksey Ivanov
Olga and Aleksey Ivanov experienced an intense classical art education in Russia, which gave them an “exceptionally strong foundation for our artwork—a springboard we use to translate the modern world around us.” Inspired by Russian iconography and European Renaissance artwork, and exceptionally skilled with egg tempera, the duo considers “each painting with an open heart, building up the surface with thousands of tiny strokes, one on top of the other” to intensify the depths and luminosity of each image. The Ivanovs are spouses who have worked together on paintings for over twenty-five years. They collaborate symbiotically on each egg tempera painting they create, reflecting the strong bond they share as life partners.
Visit their website: oaivanov.gallery.
Virtual Tour
55th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit dates: November 20, 2020 - January 2, 2021
Theme: Liberating Humor
Juror: Sarah Magnatta, Ph.D.
The City of Littleton Fine Arts Board proudly presents the 55th Annual Own an Original art competition at the Littleton Museum. Open to Colorado artists, the competition is for any art medium except photography. This year’s theme is “Liberating Humor” and the juror is Sarah Magnatta, Ph.D., magnattaart.com
We are living in a time where people are suffering in a variety of ways. For this year’s Own an Original fine art competition, we are looking at the human condition with a lighthearted mood using the theme of “Liberating Humor.”
To liberate is to provide freedom from the limitations of thought or behavior. Humor can be comical or funny, but it can also describe a state of mind. Together, “liberating humor” can provide a freeing experience, like how a good belly laugh can lighten one’s mood.
A digital version of the exhibit is available by clicking the button below.
Digital Exhibit
Winners:
- Best of Show ($1000 and joint Best of Show exhibition in 2021) – Olga & Aleksey Ivanov, My Las Vegas Money
- 1st Place ($500) – Anne Feller, Embrace
- 2nd Place ($250) – Matthew Bollinger, Chromaticism VI
- 3rd Place ($100) – Will Barker, Upheaval
- Honorable Mention #1 – Jesse Guess, Talk to the Moon
- Honorable Mention #2 – Heidi Rounds, The Sprinkler
- Honorable Mention #3 – Shara Oliman, Carrot-ish
2019 Own an Original & Eye of the Camera Best of Show Winners
per·spec·tives: Gabrielle Graves and Courtney Cotton
Exhibit dates: May 22 - August 2, 2020
The Littleton Museum presents the artwork of Gabrielle Graves and Courtney Cotton, 2019 winners of the Eye of the Camera and Own an Original exhibits, respectively.
While both of the artists’ current body of work focuses on the idea of "perspectives," each artist approaches it with her own unique emphasis and skillset. Cotton’s conceptual painting is meant to bring awareness to mental wellness and emotional intelligence by using visual metaphors and color to embody concepts such as transformation, and possibility. Graves explores the complex narrative of identity and its intersection with consumption and mental health. Her process employs photography, painting, video, and installation to create intimate experiences revolving around changing landscapes and internal dialogue.
2019 Eye of the Camera Best of Show: Gabrielle Graves
Gabrielle Graves received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Art & Design from the University of Michigan in April 2017. Shortly after graduating, Gabrielle moved to Snowmass Village, CO to work in the Photography & New Media and Painting departments at the internationally known Anderson Ranch Arts Center. She has also worked as a studio assistant for Isa Catto Studio. Her work has been featured in group exhibitions such as the Patton-Mallott Gallery at Anderson Ranch and the Littleton Museum, and she has collaborated with other artists to create installations such as DECONSCIOUSNESS: Three Levels of Consciousness, which was shown at the Stamps School of Art & Design in 2017. Gabrielle’s practice employs photography, painting, installation, and writing to divulge honest articulations of the psychological space. She is inspired by relationships and forms of identity.
2019 Own an Original Best of Show: Courtney Cotton
Courtney Cotton is a Denver-based visual artist who is unafraid to express herself by giving visual expression to feeling, which can be seen in many of her paintings and collages. Other inspiration stems from music, mindfulness, and objects that give her a visceral reaction. Whatever the impulse, the result is the fruition of a process, usually grounded in personal discipline that may be spontaneous and rapid or labored and introspective. What transpires, ideally captures the inspiration and transforms it into an exuberant explosion or a contemplative and solemn stillness. Cotton studied art and architecture at the University of South Carolina, Rhode Island School of Design, and Queens College.
Her work sometimes poses more questions than answers, but it offers room for interpretation and new perspectives. It connects to something universal and hence touches a lot of people. Cotton says, "I have more than one visual voice and some find it hard to define or categorize my style." Sometimes her work is thematic, but just as often she has the impulse to create something without representing anything. Some of her favorite pieces just came about from the act of playing with paint and paper. She explains, "I consciously react with the medium, the activity of creating is paramount, and therefore the results happen automatically with the unconscious influence of experiences and emotions."
54th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit dates: November 22 - December 29, 2019
Theme: Destination
Juror: Dr. Gwen Chanzit
The City of Littleton Fine Arts Board proudly presents the 54th Annual Own an Original art competition. Open to Colorado artists, the competition is for any art medium except photography. This year’s exhibition explores the concept of “destination.” In recent years, American culture has idealized the saying, “it’s the journey, not the destination.” A destination is really the end for which someone or something is going or sent. With so much focus on the journey, has the end point lost its meaning? What if the reason or objective of the journey held more value than the voyage itself?
2019 Winners:
- Best of Show ($1,000 & 2020 joint exhibit) - Courtney Cotton, Landing, 2019, Acrylic on canvas
- 1st Place ($500) - Pat Finley, Dreaming of Africa, 2019, Acrylic & Resin
- 2nd Place ($250) - Linda O’Neill, Beyond Ordinary Limits, 2019, Acrylic, acrylic paint pen, collage, caran d’ache crayon
- 3rd Place ($100) - Olga & Aleksy Ivanov, Wishbone, 2018, Oil
- Honorable Mention #1 - William Rohs, Wonder of the Other Side, 2019, Acrylic and charcoal on panel
- Honorable Mention #2 - Katherine Walter, Floating the Arkansas, 2019, Acrylic on linen canvas
- Honorable Mention #3 - Barbara Veatch, Migration of Equus Ferus Caballus, 2018, Pastels, charcoal, acrylic ink & collage
Juror Bio:
This year’s theme of “destination” will be juried by Gwen Chanzit, Curator Emerita of Modern Art and the Herbert Bayer Collection and Archive at the Denver Art Museum. Over her 36-plus years at the Denver Art Museum, Dr. Chanzit organized more than 30 exhibitions, including over a dozen on Bauhaus artist Herbert Bayer. She has published several books highlighting Bayer's wide-ranging artistic contributions. Her major curatorial project, Women of Abstract Expressionism, opened at the Denver Art Museum on June 2016 and was on tour for a year.
Dr. Chanzit holds a Ph.D. in art history and contributes to future generations of museum professionals as director of the Art History graduate program's concentration in museum studies at the University of Denver's School of Art and Art History.
2018 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Within and Without: Works by Nathan Abels
Exhibit dates: September 20 - October 27, 2019
The Littleton Museum is proud to present Within and Without, an exhibition of artwork by Nathan Abels. In a series of paintings and drawings, Abels depicts a speculative future after climate change. Residents of this future world have chosen to either try to leave the planet, or to withdraw from the larger remaining culture. The success of those who have migrated away from the planet is doubtful, but the desire to leave is understandable. Alternatively, is the withdrawal from culture creating a sort of “monastic option.” The hermits and solitary people in these works are neither heroes, nor are they doomsday preppers. Instead, they are changing the depth of the remaining culture, not the direction of it.
Winner of the 2018 Littleton Fine Arts Board Own an Original competition, Nathan Abels brings his distinctly enigmatic style of pencil drawings and oil paintings to the Littleton Museum.
53rd Annual Own an Original
Exhibit dates: November 16, 2018 - January 6, 2019
Theme: Ritual
Juror: Joshua Field
Call for art: We are seeking fine art submissions (excluding photography, video, and audio) which explore the concept of "Ritual." Practiced at regular intervals, rituals are a set of collectively or individually observed actions. Every society on earth features ceremonial activities and events performed in set sequences. It is the process of a ritual which holds such powerful meaning to people around the world. Artworks can be representational or non-representational. Surprise us with your interpretation!
- Best of Show: Nathan Abels
- 1st Place - Robyn Sean Peterson
- 2nd Place - Michelle Lamb
- 3rd Place - Johnny Plastini
Juror Bio:
Artist Joshua Field earned his BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. He recently moved to Colorado from his home state of Massachusetts to join the faculty at the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design in Denver. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, from Chelsea, New York City, to Berlin, Germany.
Working in painting and collage, Field's work has a distinctly dream-like quality. Utilizing a visual language of familiar images, he creates highly surreal, poetic narratives, which investigate isolation on an individual level, as well as a vast array of sociological issues. As an Assistant Professor of Foundations and Fine Arts, Field brings a sophisticated eye to this year's Own an Original exhibition, and the theme of 'Ritual.'
2017 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
The Dark That Was Is Here: Paintings by Paul Gillis
Exhibit Dates: September 21 - October 21, 2018
"We've always been surrounded by other animals, by some kind of spirit world, by a world of buildings and machines. I like to keep in mind where we're coming from, and that it's also where we're going." - Paul Gillis
Deeply interested in the human narrative, Colorado artist Paul Gillis takes common themes from across history to construct highly complex worlds within his paintings. Set like stages, the complexities of these worlds are confined to a few symbolic actors and relationships, making for powerful scenes. Gillis uses images of ghosts, robots, animals, ancient scripts and objects to explore how the experiences of people remain constant across time.
Winner of the 2017 Littleton Fine Arts Board Own an Original competition, Paul Gillis brings his distinctly animated style of watercolor and oil paintings to the Littleton Museum. Referencing a poem of the same name by Eli Siegel (1957), The Dark That Was Is Here: Paintings by Paul Gillis reflects the artist's imaginative storytelling.
52nd Annual Own an Original
Exhibit dates: November 17, 2017 - January 7, 2018
Juror: Kathryn Charles
Winners:
- Best of Show - Paul Gillis
- 1st Place - Christina Carfora
- 2nd Place - Frederick Pichon, Sea Arches, mixed media on medium-density fibreboard
- 3rd Place - Heidi Rounds
Juror Bio:
Kathryn Charles was born in Denver and grew up in Littleton where she attended public school and enjoyed several outings to the historic Littleton Museum. She received her M.A. in art history from CU Boulder, and served as curator for William King Museum in Virginia where she collaborated with curators from the Corcoran, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Kelly Collection of American Illustration, and the Ansel Adams Center for Photography. Kathryn directed the Emmanual Gallery in Denver, and the University Memorial Gallery in Boulder. She has designed several independent exhibitions and venues, including the Colorado State Capitol, Boettcher Hall, and Loveland Art Museum. Recently, she directed a large-scale permanent art installation for Lackland Air Force Base with two prominent Colorado public artists.
2016 Own an Original: Best of Show Winner
Procession of Spirit: Sculpture by Kaminski
Exhibit Dates: September 22 - October 22, 2017
Winner of the 2016 Littleton Fine Arts Board Own an Original competition, sculptor Kim Kaminski utilizes her deeply personal life experiences in her works. Creating tangible sculptures in bronze and steel, Kaminski transforms universal human emotions and values into a broad spectrum of ritualized forms. Each piece is weighted with symbolism and imagery rooted in her travels, beliefs, and collections. Together, the works speak to her life's journey.
51st Annual Own an Original
Exhibit dates: November 18, 2016 - January 8, 2017
Juror: Sandra Clark
Winners:
- Best of Show: Kim Kaminski
- 1st Prize - Austin Howlett, Desert Walkers, painting
- 2nd Prize - Sean Paul Yarbrough
- 3rd Place - Stefan Begej
Juror Bio:
Sandra Clark earned her BFA and MFA in fiber art at Colorado State University. She currently teaches in the art department at the Community College of Aurora in Aurora, Colorado. Sandra has served on the board of directors for the Handweavers Guild of America and Rocky Mountain Weavers Guild. Clark focuses on introducing both the fine art and craft potentials of fiber to an ever-increasing audience. In addition to sharing her artistic passions in and out of the classroom, she is actively involved in regional and national exhibitions.
2015 Own an Original: Best of Show Winner
In Suspension: Mobiles and Paintings by Mattie O.
Exhibit Dates: September 16 - October 23, 2016
Working in the small town of Monument, Colorado, sculptor Mattie O. uses hand-made papers, metals, acrylic paint, and natural materials to create suspended sculptures and mobiles, as well as collages and wall pieces.
Regarding her fine art hanging mobiles, Mattie states, "There is something fanciful about mobiles. They snag our imaginations and spirits. I'm a huge fan of Alexander Calder. Of his whimsical mobiles it was said, 'His mobiles occupy one's mind without constraining it and guide one's thoughts along blissful pathways.' That's my aim."
In this exhibit, In Suspension, Mattie O. explores the fleeting moments of life such as a drifting cloud, the arc of a blade of grass, an open blossom, an autumn leaf, and youth. Through this, she finds a transient, delicate beauty, later held suspended in our memories. Mattie finds wonder, enchantment, and delight in our natural world.
50th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit dates: November 20, 2015 - January 26, 2016
Juror: Reven Marie Swanson
Submitted: 107 artists submitted 305 pieces
Juried Selections: 67 works by 52 artists
- Best of Show: Mattie O.
- 1st Place - Heidi Rounds
- 2nd Place - Tomiko Takeda
- 3rd Place - Robert Gray
Juror Bio:
Growing up in rural Colorado, Swanson built forts in ditches, swung on the backs of wild horses and chased lizards with her sister. It was a childhood experience that ran closely with the rhythms of the natural world. In an expression of that relationship, her sculptures remind us of peering through a colorful canopy, a flickering prairie moon or mountainous horizon. Using kinetic motion, her work invites us to watch and observe the invisible wind currents. Fascinated by how the human figure creates a powerful expression, using lines that capture negative space and energy, each figure Swanson creates is autobiographical.
Swanson began her career as a professional sculptor following graduation from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1988. Her career began as a stone carver and eventually lead to an opportunity to live and work in Italy. After returning to the United States, she embarked on an apprenticeship with the monumental sculptor, Robert Mangold. Today, her work resides in numerous public and private collections, both national and international, with commissions being placed throughout the Rocky Mountain region and the West.
2014 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Stephen Austin Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: September 18 - October 25, 2015
"If I can make one person see the magnificence of the drama playing out on our earth by depicting the light, shadow, form, and infinite possibility of arrangement, I will deem my work successful. Should the observer experience a similar sense of awe and inner peace as I have in witnessing these scenes, then I shall have shared insight." - Stephen Austin
49th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: November 21, 2014 - January 11, 2015
Juror: Tom Lundberg
- Best of Show - Stephen Austin, Mount Evans, charcoal on panel
- 1st place - Shanelle Deater, Moon Rise, San Joaquin Valley
- 2nd place - Ronnie Cramer, Teller, watercolor
- 3rd place - Helen Shaffer, Maine Boatyard, casein painting
2013 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Eldon Ward Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: September 19 - October 26, 2014
"Selective manipulation for aesthetic consideration, I believe, is what art is about. I'm particularly interested in compositions that combine recognizable/representational and more abstract elements. I paint with acrylic, wood stain, and, occasionally, other water-based media on panels fabricated from salvaged hollow-core doors and other "up-cycled" building materials. I like the idea of a window or door as a visual or physical conveyance between the security of a familiar place and the less certain world beyond; and I want to demonstrate this media can be a flexible, viable alternative to canvas. I frequently assemble multiple doors - or parts of doors - into more traditional proportions or into unconventional shapes. My artwork may have Pop, Precisionist, and Abstract ingredients, but I'm not really concerned with any specific 'style' or most traditional studio techniques. I missed the class when they taught that a frame should do on the outside of a painting.
I was born and raised on the plains of eastern Colorado, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Colorado State University in 1975. Since returning full-time to artwork in 2010, my paintings have received a number of awards, including Best of Show at Littleton's Own an Original exhibition in 2013." - Eldon Ward
48th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: November 22, 2013 - January 12, 2014
Juror: Margaretta Gilboy
Winners:
- Best of Show - Eldon Ward, Winery Afternoon, acrylic on wood panel
- 1st Place - Rita Derjue
- 2nd Place - Ileana Barbu
- 3rd Place - Anna Kaye
Juror Bio:
Margaretta Gilboy was born in Philadelphia and received her BFA from the Philadelphia College of Art, graduating as valedictorian. She received her MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Gilboy's art is in many public collections including: The Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; The Colorado Collection, University of Colorado, Boulder; Amoco, Denver; and Kaiser Permanente, Denver.
"The eyes are said to be the windows to the soul. I consider this work realist because I paint what I see either from life or photographs (as in my portraits). If others have difficulty putting my paintings in this category they might agree to call the work journalistic because my desire to report and depict what is before my eyes far outweighs any impulse to interpret or invent it. You could say ‘some eyes!' My teacher Bob Keyser, who painted biomorphic surreal abstractions, also claimed that he was painting what he saw. The clash of cultures high and low, European, American, Middle Eastern, Asian and their connections and intersections engage me as does still life, figurines, tchotchkes, puppets and the domestic, natural, and commercial worlds. Modernism, the Renaissance, the Baroque, and Japanese wood block prints have helped to shape my artistic point of view. The study of Chinese QiGong informs my philosophical outlook and these eyes." - Margaretta Gilboy
2012 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Being There: Ralph Nagel
Exhibit Dates: September 20 - October 27, 2013
Solo show, 2012 Best in Show Winner for Pine Needle Branch
Ralph Nagel began painting seriously prior to the conclusion of a successful career as founder and president of Meridian Retirement Communities. Educated as an architect and city planner, he continues to pursue business and philanthropic projects in parallel with a full painting schedule.
Nagel paints in the classic "en plein air style" and will often create larger oils from his on-site studies in his downtown Denver studio. The spirit of Nagel's paintings is seen in the spontaneity of his brushwork, and his attention to detail and color tone. His success as a plein air artist lies in his ability to quickly capture the subtle atmospheric innuendos between the transitions of light and dark that are challenging to this style of painting.
Nagel's paintings are in private collections in the United States, Argentina, Australia, France, Italy, Brazil, Thailand, and New Zealand. He is a member of the Paris group Les Rats de Champ, and co-founder of "Studio 2008," a group of Colorado painters painting and showing together from 2004-2010. From 2007 to 2011, Nagel hosted a collaborative teaching space in the River North District (RINO), shared by premier painting teachers in the area.
Through their generosity, leadership, and dedication to the arts, Nagel and his wife Trish are responsible for Nagel Art Studios, Nagel Residence Hall and Collection, and renovation of the College of Arts and Media at the University of Denver.
Nagel's paintings have been exhibited in many regional and national juried exhibitions, including the Loveland Art Museum, the Wildlife Experience Museum, Foothills Art Center, and the Colorado State Capitol.
47th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: November 16, 2012 - January 13, 2013
Juror: Sandra Kaplan
Juror Bio:
"As realistic as my work periodically becomes, most of my artistic issues have had little to do with representation. My work has dealt with patterns found in nature, flowers as evocations of isolation or intimacy, the human presence in the landscape and the ironic contrasts to which that presence can lead. Most of all, I'm interested in perception, how and what we see.
My paintings are my way of making sense of the world's complexity by constantly changing my artistic lens. To this end, I have viewed objects from distorted perspectives, and paintings frequently have been named after shadows or after what is not seen.
This artistic lens may shift from scientific and mathematical explorations of the growth patterns of flowers to images of landscapes that incorporate unexpected changes of scale. Because all my work is connected to the world as we perceive it, part of what I do is to employ different focal lengths in the same painting - emphasizing differing aspects of what we do (or don't) see.
Trained in more abstraction than representation, I've often searched for a path between the two, and this search remains an important part of my work today. At times, I've used mathematical concepts to offer an intriguing, perhaps even mystical connection between these supposedly irreconcilable worlds: abstraction and representation.
I've also used geometric constructions to change the context in which people view my work because I don't see the natural world as fixed or rigid set of 'scenes,' but rather as a dynamic and on-going process. The so-called real world and the abstract world don't necessarily clash, but are forever united, simultaneous expressions of a deeper and perhaps insoluble mystery. As an artist, I tend to focus on the purity, intensity and beauty of this condition." - Sandra Kaplan
2011 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Joyce Sheldon Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: September 21 - October 28, 2012
46th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: November 18, 2011 - January 15, 2012
Juror: Rita Derjue
Best of Show: Carol Pierce & Joyce Shelton
Juror Bio:
"I grew up in Rhode Island, a moderate wild kid, running on beaches and hiking through the woods. I had a great high school art teacher from the Rhode Island School of Design, and I also graduated from there in 1956, and went to Europe. The Munich Academy accepted me, and I loved it, plus all the traveling I did. I never stopped painting or finding a new country for painting and drawing, as in Mexico in 1958; Peru in 1977; Asia 20 years later.
I married Carle Zimmerman, got an M.A. at Cornell, and went to Europe again; moved to Colorado in 1963.
Then I got busy. We have two children. I taught at Arapahoe Community College and Loretto Heights and for twenty summers at Truro Center for the Arts on Cape Cod. Found a retreat at Como, Colorado and renovated four houses, and dug into historic preservation. Served on several boards, juried exhibits, became President of Colorado Watercolor Society. I have been represented by notable galleries and solo museum exhibitions and my paintings are in the collection of Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, the Kirkland Museum, Loveland Museum, Littleton Public Library, Rhode Island Historical Museum, Historic Littleton Inc., Denver Public Library and the Littleton Museum. I have been published in five or six books. More recent awards have been the Lone Tree, Colorado Annual Exhibition, 2008; Colorado Watercolor Society State-Wide Exhibition, 2010; and in 2011 Colorado Watercolor Society's 'New Trends.'" - Rita Derjue
2010 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Victoria Morris Ekelund Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: September 16 - October 30, 2011
Best of Show Winner for Reading the Metropolis, oil
"To my great good fortune I was born into a military family, which resulted in spending my formative years in Europe. Growing up in such an environment I was deeply affected by the sense of history and culture that surrounds you in day to day life. Early influences included the flora and fauna of Albrecht Durer, Michelangelo’s life affirming frescos, and Vincent Van Gogh's bold color and brushwork.
I moved to Denver to attend the Colorado Institute of Art, where I studied Advertising Design. I still work in that field, while expanding my horizons as a fine artist. My background in graphics is a strong influence in my painting. Studying under Kevin Weckbach's direction in the year long Master Painting class brought me to a new level in my art; I have learned how to both read and write a painting. By that I mean to follow what the artist's intent was and to be sure I know what story I want to tell. I continue to be inspired and encouraged by my teachers, fellow artists, and those who have taken an interest in my work. This show is the accumulation of all that has come before." - Victoria Morris Ekelund
45th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: November 19, 2010 - January 16, 2011
Juror: Susie Hyer
Juried Selections: 101 paintings and sculptures
Winners:
- Best of Show - Victoria Morris Ekelund, Reading at the Metropolis, oil painting
- 1st Place - Alix Evendorff, Cantar
- 2nd Place - Janet Anderson, Long Day, oil painting
- 3rd Place - Julie Makely, Purse Obsession Series I, ceramic
Juror Bio:
"I look at the relationships between the big value shapes and their proportions, and try to find some kind of a visual pattern in them with the goal of having a solid abstract design underneath the painting. How I put the paint down is my response to either the subject matter, the specific materials and surfaces I'm using, or how I'm feeling at the time. While I may have a specific goal for the painting in terms of what I want to explore, if I'm lucky, I can let go of having to have it turn out a certain way, surrender to what is happening and allow it to evolve by itself without my brain getting too much in the way. Those are the paintings I usually like the most." - Susie Hyer
Susie Hyer knew from the time she was 4 years old that she would grow up to be an artist and began drawing from that early age. She studied fine art at Moravian College, the Baum School of Art, the University of West Florida, and the Art Students League of Denver, studying with such notables as Kin English, Mark Daily, Kevin Weckbach, Ron Hicks, and Quang Ho among others. Her work is in many private and public collections and she has won numerous aways for both her studio and plein air paintings, including two international design awards. Another area of interest, study, and participation is in botanical art. A previous national vice president of the Women's Caucus for Art, she is now a member of Women Artists of the West, Plein Art Artists of Colorado, and Oil Painters of America. She maintains a studio in Evergreen, CO, and travels many times a year to paint en plein air. Her work has been seen in Southwest Art Magazine, she was a featured artists in Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine last year, and was one of the artists whose work was chosen for the celebrated Landscapes of Colorado by Ann Daley of the Denver Art Museum. She is represented by several Colorado Front Range galleries and participates in numerous plein air events including Sonoma, Aspen, and Telluride Plein Air.
2010 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Lisa Calzavara Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: September 17 - October 31, 2010
2010 Best of Show - Lisa Calzavara, Country Meal, oil
Lisa Calzavara has been a self-employed artist since 1993, participating in juried shows and studio exhibits. She is trained in multiple media including oils, acrylics, and watercolor, with a strong background in encaustics and portraits. In addition to the juried shows and exhibits, her work has been shown in The Colorado Gallery of the Arts, Littleton Museum, Bemis Public Library, Foothills Art Center, Spark Gallery, Ice Cube Gallery, and the Strecker Nelson Gallery. She is currently a member of the Sync Gallery. In August 2007 she was awarded 1st place in the Kaleidoscope Show hosted by the Arts Alliance of Littleton. She was awarded Best in Show in 2008 and 2009 for the Own an Original Show held at the Littleton Museum.
44th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: October 23, 2009 - January 3, 2010
Juror: Lewis Sharp
Juried Selections: 56 artists showing 71 works
Winners:
- Best of Show - Lisa Calzavara, Country Meal, oil
- 1st Place - Jeff Velarde, Haitian Dream, oil
- 2nd Place - Chuck Danford, Hidden Image, watercolor
- 3rd Place - Jutta, Whimsy, ceramic/iron
Juror Bio:
Lewis Sharp, Director of the Denver Art Museum. As director, Sharp oversaw the extension to the Denver Art Museum, the Frederick C. Hamilton building by architect Daniel Libeskind, and the exhibition and installation of new galleries. From 1982 to 1989, Sharp was Curator and Administrator of the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Sharp holds a PhD from the University of Delaware, and an MA from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture from the University of Denver.
2008 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Lisa Calzavara Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: July 17 - September 13, 2009
- Best of Show - Lisa Calzavara, Illuminated Plant, oil
Lisa Calzavara has been a self-employed artist since 1993, participating in juried shows and studio exhibits. She is trained in multiple media including oils, acrylics, and watercolor, with a strong background in encaustics and portraits. In addition to the juried shows and exhibits, her work has been shown in The Colorado Gallery of the Arts, Littleton Museum, Bemis Public Library, Foothills Art Center, and Spark Gallery. In August 2007 she was awarded 1st place in the Kaleidoscope Show hosted by the Arts Alliance of Littleton.
43rd Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: October 17, 2008 - January 4, 2009
Juror: Robert Gratiot
Juried Selections: 62 artists showing 84 pieces
Winners:
- Best of Show - Lisa Calzavara, Illuminated Plant, oil
- 1st Place - Norine Rhudy, Cave Fox, oil
- 2nd Place - Bur Reitsema, In Jeep Territory, oil
- 3rd Place - Rita Derjue, January 25, Zion National Park, water media/acrylic
Juror Bio:
Robert Gratiot received a BA in Art from the University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA), studied for three years at Art Center College in Los Angeles, and earned a BFA in Painting from Denver University. He has been painting and teaching in Denver for thirty years. Currently Robert is teaching at the Art Students League of Denver. Robert's work is in corporate and private collections from coast to coast. His award winning paintings have been shown nationally and internationally.
"My acrylic paintings have two strongly different subject orientations, with quite a few aesthetic and conceptual overlaps between the two.
In most of the city scenes I am interested in seeing the illusion of several different planes of space overlapping each other and standing side by side. There is certain mystery about approaching windows and doors, and my paintings enhance this mystery by simultaneously keeping the viewer out and letting the viewer partially into the pictured space.
My still lifes also combine a strong sense of abstraction and realism. This is especially apparent in the John Lennon Glasses in Cellophane and in Marbles in Baggies paintings. There are often areas that are passive, assertive, receding, or exploding outward from these pieces. I would hope that both the still life and cityscape paintings would make the viewer more conscious of and excited about his or her visual environment.
My paintings are very painterly, and as such represent a loose form of photo-realism.
The fish are carved out of bass wood oil painted, and have tin cans for fins. They are based on real fish, but with shameless artistic license taken in each case. I feel they represent a nice combination of Folk Art and Contemporary Art. They are very different from the canvasses, but they are inventive and help me keep the remnants of sanity that I have been able to hold onto for this long." - Robert Gratiot
2007 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Carol Pierce Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: July 25 - September 28, 2008
Best of Show - Carol Pierce, Headed for Slaw
International artist Carol Pierce lives in Denver, Colorado and San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico. She is represented by Galeria Bellas Artes in San Carlos and shows her paintings at various venues in Denver.
"Painting is my passion. I am inspired by the smell, the richness and the pliability of oil paint as well as the subject I have selected. Using color, composition and texture I transform the subject into a visual language. I described my style as 'Contemporary Realism' - sometimes distorting and exaggerating the subject for impact and interest.
I am pleased and honored to win Best of Show at the 2007 Own an Original show and to have the opportunity to have a solo exhibition at the Littleton Historical Museum." - Carol Pierce
42nd Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: October 19, 2007 - January 2, 2008
Juror: Patricia Aaron
Best of Show:
- Suzanne Bartlett, Red Rock Canyon
Juror Bio:
Patricia Aaron is a respected Denver artist who has exhibited both regionally and nationally during the past 20 years. Aaron holds an M.F.A. degree from University of Denver School of Art and Art History and a B.S. from University of Maryland (Heidelberg, Germany campus).
Aaron exhibits her sculpture locally at SPARK Gallery in the Santa Fe Arts District in Denver and at Shidoni Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Aaron has also shown in solo exhibitions at the Sandra Phillips Gallery, Curtis Arts and Humanities Center, and Studio Aiello in Denver. In addition, Aaron completed public art commissions for Museum of Outdoor Arts in Englewood and for the Tobacco Free Kids Campaign in Washington, D. C. Nationally, Aaron has exhibited in Florida, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, Washington D.C., Wyoming, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, and New Mexico.
In 2007, Aaron was awarded an Artist Residency at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, Colorado. In addition, Aaron has also held Artist Residencies at the Santa Fe Art Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Virginia Center for Creative Arts in Sweet Briar, Virginia.
Aaron continues to teach sculpture classes at University of Denver, University of Colorado at Denver, Regis University, Art Students League of Denver, and Arapahoe Community College.
2006 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Suzanne Bartlett Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: July 20 - September 30, 2007
2006 Own an Original Best of Show winner for: Adam Falls, watercolor
"Creating art is my happiness. Many years ago, a beginning watercolor class started me on a path that gave me a new dimension to my life, the joy of creating art.
Becoming a painter is a challenge. Study and instruction are ongoing and forever! Many workshops with prominent watercolorists have provided the know-how's of the many techniques of painting and have been inspirational. Awards have been encouraging.
My body of work is eclectic; using watercolors, acrylics, inks, and making impressions, monoprints, collages, and abstracts. My subjects are whatever attracts me; the wonders of nature. The challenge is to transfer my feelings of the moment onto paper. To design a painting is my happiness. To quote Picasso, 'Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.'" - Suzanne Bartlett
41st Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: October 20, 2006 - January 2, 2007
Juror: Maynard Tischler
Juried Selections: 53 artists showing 72 pieces
Best of Show:
- Suzanne Bartlett, Adam Falls, watercolor
Winners:
- 1st Place - Celine Krueger, Famous Faces, acrylic
- 2nd Place - Dolores Hartman, Boondi, watercolor
- 3rd Place - Joni Lynn Tomasetti, Venice Italy, watercolor
Juror Bio:
Maynard Tischler studied interior design, painting, and art education at Syracuse University in the 1950s earning both his undergraduate and graduate degrees. In the early 1960s, he decided to concentrate on clay and received another master's degree from Alfred University, one of the leading ceramics programs in the country at the time. At Alfred, he studied with Daniel Rhodes, Val Cushing, Bob Turner, and Ted Randall. After graduation in 1963 he went to work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 1966 began his career at the University of Denver having been hired by Vance Kirkland, head of DU's art department as the University's first full-time ceramics professor.
Tischler is known for his ceramic sculptures, vessels, and tapestries. He continues to teach at the University of Denver. His work is on exhibition at the Best of Colorado Artists exhibition at DIA where he is one of 70 artists chosen to display his work best representing the state. The exhibition continues through January 2, 2007.
2005 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Garnie Quick Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: July 20 - October 2, 2006
Garnie Quick, Provence Fields, watercolor
Garnie Quick has been learning the medium of watercolor for over 20 years. She became enamored when she attended a watercolor workshop at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico in 1984.
Since then, she has studied with many well-known artists both here and abroad. Her travels have taken her to New Mexico, California, Mexico, Italy, France, Ireland, and the Caribbean. Her paintings reflect her impression of all that she has experienced.
Quick has been awarded many honors in her field including the Juror's Award in the All Colorado Show - 2000; various awards from the Great Frame Up and the Depot Art Center; and at various competitions throughout the state.
"Painting my impressions of the world around me in watercolor is my passion. Whether painting on site or in my studio, the challenge is pure joy. Watercolor adds its own dimension to the process with its ability to surprise me by the capricious way it sometimes responds." - Garnie Quick
40th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: October 21, 2005 - January 4, 2006
Juror: Jo Cole
Juried Selections: 71 artists showing 115 works
Winners:
Best of Show: Garnie Quick, Provence Fields, watercolor
Acrylic:
- 1st Place - Kaz Moreci, Alaskan Sandbar
- 2nd Place - Epimenio Garcia, The Road Builders
- 3rd Place - William Fulk, Still Life with Roses & Plums
Ceramics:
- 1st Place - Jutta Golas, Disc with Sphere
Fiber:
- 1st Place - Meredith Willson, Cyclamen
Mixed Media:
- 1st Place - Lisa Clayton, I'm Not June - My Name Is Lisa
- 2nd Place - Millie Roberg, Let the Good Times Roll
- 3rd Place - John Moser, Autumn
Oil:
- 1st Place - Cynthia Drew, Orchid #2
- 2nd Place - Debbie Hansen, Pears
- 3rd Place - Gary White, Horse Wrangler
Pastel/Prints/Drawings/Graphics:
- 1st Place - Sue Crosby Doyle, White Picket Fence
- 2nd Place - Susan Nelson, Windswept
- 3rd Place - Estelle DeRidder, Specimen Studies of the Hillarious Stelliferous
Sculpture:
- 1st Place - James Makely, Captive
- 2nd Place - Gary Yarrington, Barefoot
- 3rd Place - Darlee Whiting, Practice, Again, Again
Watercolor:
- 1st Place - Rosanne Sterne, Bouquet
- 2nd Place - Pat Newell, Perky Prickly Poppies
- 3rd Place - Patricia Montano, Peonies in Pink
Juror Bio:
Jo Cole is Cultural Arts Coordinator for the City of Greenwood Village's Curtis Arts and Humanities Center. In this capacity she manages the facility, and coordinates exhibits, workshops, and programs. She has a fine arts degree from Metro State College and a masters in progress in Non-Profit Organization Management at Regis College. She wrote the art column for the Villager Newspaper for five years. In 2000 Cole was honored as the "Colorado Museum Education Art Educator of the Year," and was nominated for the 2005 CAPE award.
2004 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Anne Sunderwirth Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: July 28 - September 7, 2005
Anne was born in New York City and has been a resident of Colorado for the last forty years.
She received a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art from Pittsburg State University and her K - 12 teacher certification in art from Metropolitan State College of Denver.
Awards and Juried shows include the Depot Art Center, Littleton; Aurora Art Club; Canon City Blossom Festival; Black Forest Art School; Foothills Art Center, Golden; Glenwood Springs Art Guild; the Colorado State Fair; Belmar Museum, Lakewood; and others throughout the state.
Anne has been awarded several one person shows, including National Center for Atmospheric Research, First National Bank of Denver, HiLine Family YMCA, Aurora Fox Art Center, Aurora Public Library, Koelbel Library, and the Women's Bank of Denver.
39th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: October 21 - December 7, 2004
Juror: Susan Elliot
Juried Selections: 60 artists showing 95 works
Winners:
Best of Show:
- Anne Sunderwirth, Piano, watercolor
Acrylics:
- 1st Place - Pamela Hake, Standing Guardian in the Golden Triangle
- 2nd Place - Epmenio Garcia, Now and Then
- 3rd Place - Bill Fulk, Vegetables #5
- Honorable Mention - Carolyn Tegeder, Ancient Messages
Drawings:
- 1st Place - Estelle DeRidder, The Commuter
Graphics:
- Honorable Mention - Chris Warot, Regeneration
Oils:
- 1st Place - Laurie Harbert, Splash
- 2nd Place - Mary Lou Pape, The Victor
- 3rd Place - Robert Michaud, Arroyo at Dusk
Pastels:
- 2nd Place - Eric Echeverria, Seasons
- 3rd Place - Betsy Duzan, Another Lost Landmark
Sculpture:
- 1st Place - David Marc Williams, Lefty
Watercolor:
- 1st Place - Karla Horst, Junkyard Antiques
- 2nd Place - Robert Gray, Church Goers
- 3rd Place - Dick Diebolt, After The Party
- Honorable Mention - Rita Derjue, Vail, Winter
- Honorable Mention - Dick Diebolt, Checkmate
- Honorable Mention - Jerrilyn Emison, For The Defense
- Honorable Mention - Garnie Quick, Strettura
Juror Bio:
Susan Elliot, who is on the faculty at Arapahoe Community College, will be the juror for the 2004 Own an Original art show. She teaches all levels of drawing, figure drawing, and watercolor at ACC and from time to time travels with her students to France to study watercolor.
2003 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Julie E. Anderson Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: July 29 - September 1, 2004
Juror Bio:
Anderson is a native of Colorado who moved to Littleton in 1958 and continues to live in her family home.
She has some formal training in the arts but has learned mostly from extensive travel, experimentation, and from gifted mentors who shared their knowledge. Her interests vary widely and include many mediums. She works in both two and three dimensions. Her pieces often cause the viewer to create their own story lines or fantasies about what they see.
You and your imagination are invited to view her work and she hopes that it makes you smile!
38th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: October 17, 2003 - January 2004
Juror: Gary Michael
Best of show:
- Julie Anderson, Razelfratz, Caretaker of Wonder, sculpture
Oil:
- 1st Place - Susannah Vandyke, Open Space Grazing
- 2nd Place - Roy Swanson, Chukker I
- 3rd Place - Ann Hutchinson, Wyoming Winter
Watercolor:
- 1st Place - D. V. Donovan, Iris Interlude II
- 2nd Place - Pamela Hake, Two Toms
- 3rd Place - D. V. Donovan, Ball and Jacks
Acrylic:
- 1st Place - Janet Leach, Chrissy's Room
- 2nd Place - Zdana Feduschuh, The Serenade
- 3rd Place - Joyce Shelton, Rest Stop
Pastels, Prints, Drawing, Graphics
- 1st Place - Julie Woods, Grey Wolfe
- 2nd Place - M. Riney, Golden Lilies
- 3rd Place - Ann Sunderwirth, Brooklyn Bridge
Mixed Media:
- 1st Place - Karen Repper, The Concubine
- 2nd Place - Pat Dall, Chickens & Checks
- 3rd Place - Karen Repper, Mariposa
Ceramic/Fiber/Jewelry:
- 1st Place - Julie Anderson, Here Birdie Birdie
Sculpture:
- 1st Place - Donna Gordon, Amber blown glass vase
- 2nd Place - Nancy Nixon, Avebury Cycle - fountain
Juror Bio:
Gary Michael, teacher and professional artist, has taught art classes and workshops in Colorado at various locations including the Denver Art Museum, the Art Students League, and the Colorado Art Institute as well as in Taos, Sedona, Dallas, Tulsa, and Acapulco and Oaxaca, Mexico. Gary Michael is a landscape artist who evokes the spirit of countrysides he paints. His intense paintings of the Southwest and the Rocky Mountains, as well as California, Europe, Mexico, and Nepal, capture the colors and majesty of those scenes he depicts. He is also a portraitist concentrating on artists. This passion, turned hobby, began in 1986 when he painted a small portrait of gallery owner Lemmon Saks. Today, he has over 100 portraits of famous artists.
2002 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Jane Bunegar Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: July 31 - September 2, 2003
While living in Japan and Iran, Jane, a private pilot, and her first husband, a commercial pilot, traveled to many parts of the world. Through her travels she was exposed to many cultures and art from around the world and was able to study fine art in Japan, Iran, New Jersey, and San Francisco. In 1979, when the Shan of Iran was overthrown, Jane and her family moved back to the United States.
In 1985, Jane was widowed and she and her two teenagers returned to her family and roots in Denver. She continued to pursue her passion for fine art and studied with Doug Dawson, Jerry de la Cruz, Mark Daily, Quang Ho, and Kevin Weckbach as a member of the Art Students League.
Jane has shown in a number of galleries and shows in the region and is a proud member of the Denver 10, a group of artists striving for excellence and recognition in the art community.
37th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: October 17 - December 3, 2002
Juror: Marsha Wooley
Winners:
Best of Show:
- Jane Bunegar, Spicy Relish, oil
Acrylic:
- 1st Place – Charles E. White, Where the Buffalo Roamed
- 2nd Place – Jane R. Denison, Blending
- 3rd Place – Karla A. Horst, One View of Cabo
Ceramic/Fiber/Jewelry:
- 1st Place – Carrie Doman, Untitled
- 2nd Place – Josephine Schwartz, Silver Earrings
- 3rd Place – Evelyn M. Thebus, Girl in Blue
Mixed Media:
- 1st Place - Millie Roberg, Party For Two
- 2nd Place – Carolyn Tegeder, Dreamscape
- 3rd Place – Eve Danner, Shaman Dance
- Honorable Mention – Phyllis Vandehaar, The Garden
Oil:
- 1st Place – Lynn Simonson, Sedalia Barnyard
- 2nd Place – Jeff Velarde, Made in the Shade
- 3rd Place – Linda Sivertson, Feel The Thunder
- Honorable Mention – Amy B. Deneweth, La Veta Vista
- Honorable Mention – Anne Hutchinson, They Go Anywhere
- Honorable Mention – Marilyn Thompson, ‘Tis A Gift
Pastels/Prints/Drawings/Graphics:
- 1st Place – Sally Perisho, Evening I
- 2nd Place – Melinda B. Laz, Aspen Grove Fall
- 3rd Place – Chris Warot, Farmer Johnson’s View
- Honorable Mention – Johanna Hammond, In the Distance
Sculpture:
- 1st Place – Betty Ney, Fisherman’s Village
- 2nd Place – DiAnne L. Cooper, Alexander & The Poisoning of Hephaistion
Watercolor:
- 1st Place – Rita Derjue, September Creek
- 2nd Place – Mildred Kelly, River Bend
- 3rd Place – Garnie Quick, Sunrise
Juror Bio:
Marsha Wooley is Art Department Chair at Arapahoe Community College and is the Drawing, Painting, and Design Coordinator. She holds a B.A. with emphasis in Painting and Drawing from Metropolitan State College of Denver, and an M.F.A. with emphasis in Painting and Drawing from the University of Pennsylvania.
"The artist Edward Hopper once made a statement concerning the likely future of American Painting. 'Painting must deal with life and nature's phenomena to become great.' This is the underlying theme that I acknowledge to be the springboard of my work. I am deeply and personally committed to the unique expression of nature in order to understand and redefine our connective web of human experience..." - Marsha Wooley
2001 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Catherine Calkins Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: August 1 - September 3, 2002
Catherine Calkins was born in Webster Groves, Missouri and received degrees from Webster College and St. Louis University. She attended Washington University for the beginning of her art education.
She worked with Barbara Kowalski in acrylic and mixed media, and was introduced to printing techniques, soft ground etching, collograph, chine colle, and linocut by Jane Peters. She studied monoprint techniques with Ron Prokrasso, Tony Askew, and Michael Vikil from Sante Fe and Taos. During these workshops, Calkins found that she was able to include all of the printing techniques she had used previously. The advice and encouragement of these teachers allowed her to exercise a special kind of freedom. She has learned to have confidence in her creativity and is motivated to go beyond her past accomplishments and continues to develop a unique style of her own.
36th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: October 18 - November 29, 2001
Juror: Michaele Keyes
Winners:
Best of Show: Catherine Calkins
Pastels/Prints/Drawings/Graphics:
- 1st Place - Susan Crosby Doyle, Into the Light II
- 2nd Place - Chris Warot, The First Thing I Saw
- 3rd Place - Bonnie Crouch, Lee's Gulch Barn
Oil:
- 1st Place - Marilyn Thompson, Autumn at the Botanical Garden
- 2nd Place - Charles White, San Francisco Bay, 1892
- 3rd Place - Leslie Allen, Monet's Garden III
Acrylic:
- 1st Place - Orrel Schooler, Porch Chairs
- 2nd Place - Charles White, Our Town
- 3rd Place - Amy Denweth, Gates of Ladore
Watercolor:
- 1st Place - Celeste Hodges, Memory of Losses
- 2nd Place - Deanne Chamberlain, Buildings and Balloons
- 3rd Place - Robert Gray, He's Bluffin
- Honorable Mention - Rita Derjue, Mountain Munchers
- Honorable Mention - Marge McMonagle, Nasturtiums
Mixed Media:
- 1st Place - Susan Blosten, The Antique Dealer
- 2nd Place - Mille Roberg, Walking in the Spring Rain
- 3rd Place - Carol Dietrich, Untitled
Ceramic/Fiber/Jewelry:
- 1st Place - Evelyn Thebus, Chintz
- Honorable Mention - Anne Astrella Redmond, Peaceful View
Sculpture:
- 1st Place - Jutta Golas, His and Hers
- 2nd Place - Diana Dietvorst, Siren Song
- Honorable Mention - Keely Kuhl, Fox
2000 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Jane Denison Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: August 2 - September 4, 2001
Jane Renau Denison, a native of Kentucky, has lived in Colorado since 1969. After an active family life, in 1991 she rekindled her art interests and in 1997 set up a studio pursuing her talent more fully. Some of the juried exhibitions she has been in include the Colorado Watercolor Society Show, Roxborough Park Fine Art Show; Heritage Fine Art Guild 7th Annual Statewide Multimedia Exhibit, among several others. She is past president of the Littleton Fine Arts Guild (1998-1999) and is a member of the Foothills Art Center of Golden, the Art Students League of Denver, and the International Society of Experimental Artists. Her paintings and photography are in both public, private, national, and international collections. Denison lives in Sedalia, Colorado.
35th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: October 16 - November 28, 2000
Juror: Jane Mathews
Juried Selections: 46 artists and 75 pieces
Winners:
Best of Show: Jane Denison,Styles, watercolor
Oil:
- 1st Place - Lynn Simonson, Highline Pond
- 2nd Place - Ann Hutchinson, Standing Out in a Crowd
- 3rd Place - Pat Krekorian, Great Gerberas
- Honorable Mention - Carol Heitz, Uplit Model
Acrylic:
- 1st Place - Rita Derjue, Rural Economy
- 2nd Place - Fred Johnson, The Dunes
- 3rd Place - Mary Elliot, Country Road
Mixed Media:
- 1st Place - Eve Danner, Dreams and Nightmares
- 2nd Place - Joan Pechman, The Pride of St. Elmo
- 3rd Place - Joanna Bearden, Morning in Ubud, Bali
- Honorable Mention - Karen Valdez, Conservatory IV
Pastels:
- 1st Place - Lee Rose, Keith Wayne-Drum
- 2nd Place - Bob Olson, Bourbon Street
- 3rd Place - Karen Valdez, First Snow
Prints/Drawings/Graphics:
- 1st Place - Catherine Calkins, Contemporary Rainbow
- 2nd Place - Nancy Garretson, Turnips
- 3rd Place - Sue Crosby Dole, Sketches from Spain
Watercolor:
- 1st Place - Delores Peterson, Wednesday Market
- 2nd Place - David Gardner, Silver Plume from the Creek
- 3rd Place - Karen Pepper, Flowers and Material
- Honorable Mention - Robert Gray, Market Square
- Honorable Mention - Trisha Maher, Tulip Two-Step
1999 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Robert Gray Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: August 2 - September 5, 2000
34th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: October 23 - November 30, 1999
Juror: Miles Hardiman
Juried Selections: 64 pieces by 44 artists
Winners:
Best of Show: Robert Gray,Comparing Wares, watercolor
Ceramic:
- 1st Place - Frank Gray, Raku Vase
- 2nd Place - Ann Priestman, Bandoher Vase
- Honorable Mention - Frank Gray, Raku Plate
Drawings/Graphics:
- 1st Place - Sandra Williams, Josh, pencil
- Honorable Mention - Nancy Garretson, Geisha
Mixed Media:
- 1st Place - Paula Butler, Cosmos
- 2nd Place - Linda Sivertson, Genesis
- 3rd Place - Iris Turell, Spring Snow
- Honorable Mention - Adelene Voils, High School Reunion
Oil:
- 2nd Place E. Joseph Barani, Cripple Creek Street
- 3rd Place - Paula Butler, Winter Lace
- Honorable Mention - Bill Hastings, Out to Pasture
- Honorable Mention - Drew Thurston, Beauty and the Beast
- Honorable Mention - Ann Hutchinson, Winter
- Honorable Mention - Mary Cornish, Mountain Meadow
- Honorable Mention - Todd Vandyke, Magpie AM
Pastel:
- Honorable Mention - Rebecca Gale, Tea with Lemon
- Honorable Mention - Julie Woods, Fred and Bill
Sculpture:
- 1st Place - C. Lisa Whitworth, River God Grants Fish
- 2nd Place - Dale Smith, Show Time
- 3rd Place - Norma Collier, An American Woman
Textiles:
- 1st Place - Joan Pechman, Borscht
- 2nd Place - Nancy Garretson, Geisha
Watercolor:
- 1st Place - Robert Gray, Comparing Wares
- 2nd Place - David Wicks, Autumn in Water Canyon
- 3rd Place - Charles Danford, Taos White
- Honorable Mention - David Wicks, Lake of Glass Rocky Mountain National Park
- Honorable Mention - H. Moseman, Wildflowers '95
- Honorable Mention - Robert Gray, Aspen Brook
- Honorable Mention - Nancy Garretson, Botanical Fantasy
- Honorable Mention - Fran McDermott, Blossom Time
- Honorable Mention - E. Joseph Barani, West Creek Canyon
- Honorable Mention - Paula Butler, Half-way There
- Honorable Mention - Rita Derjue, Cinque Terra, Italy
Juror Bio:
Miles William Hardiman, this year's juror, has been practicing art for several years and has won numerous awards for his art work.
His successful career began with creating advertising campaigns for businesses such as Yamaha, Honda, DuPont, General Electric, Coors Beer, among others. Some of the awards Hardiman has received are the Alfie, Andy, Print, and Artist of the Year by Artist Market Magazine Publications. His tremendous versatility is demonstrated by his ability to render from photographs, blueprints, or actual product. His subject matter is not limited to one specific area and he is very adept at using many mediums including oil, watercolor, airbrush, and pencil. Hardiman is co-owner of Cornerstone Gallery.
1998 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Jeanne Lamar Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: August 7 - September 7, 1999
Location: Bemis Library
Jeanne Lamar, an accomplished artist, has exhibited in many selected art shows. Her paintings can also be found in corporate and private collections. Among some of the exhibitions were the Annual Exhibition, Denver Art Museum; National A.M.C. Show, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York; Colorado Colors Exhibition, Colorado History Museum; and the Seven Women Show, Curtis Arts and Humanities Center, Greenwood Village, CO. Corporate and private collections include Amoco Oil Corporation, Atlantic Richfield Company, Strum and Ballard, Inc. and the Littleton Historical Museum.
"Art has been foremost in my life since childhood. This continuing journey has been exciting and has seen many changes. My work has progressed from abstract to realistic; occasionally combining the two. Instead of limiting myself to a single medium, I prefer to let the subject determine the choice of materials. The subject varies, but frequently depicts the red and ochre rock out-croppings of Roxborough Park, where I have lived for 26 years, or intimate still lifes which are part of my studio and home. Occasionally I veer off on a flight of pure fantasy. My most successful paintings encompass my strengths which are strong compositions with a hint of fantasy and intense illuminating color.
All of my work combines intellect with instinct, with instinct eventually the winner." - Jeanne Lamar
33rd Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: 1998
Location: Bemis Library
Best of Show Winner: Jeanne Lamar
32nd Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: 1997
31st Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: 1996
Juror: Miles William Hardiman
Location: Bemis Library
Best of Show: Diana Carmody
30th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: 1995
Juror: David Clark
Location: Bemis Library
29th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: 1994
Best of Show: James Robert Kithcart
1st Place:
- John Simms, oil & acrylics
- Janet Nolden, Drawings/prints/graphics
- Diana Carmody, watercolor
- Karen Crain, sculpture/metalwork/ceramics
- Carol Rhodes, pastels & Mixed media
28th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: 1993
Juror: Mark Thompson
Location: Bemis Library
Best of Show: Rita Derjue
27th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: November 7 - December 5, 1992
Juror: Kim English
Location: Bemis Library
Best of Show: Rita Derjue
26th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: November 2 - 30, 1991
Juror: Doug Dawson, Art Students League
Location: Bemis Library
25th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: November 3 - December 1, 1990
Juror: Merrill Mahaffey
Location: Bemis Library
24th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: 1989
1987 Own an Original Best in Show Winner
Delores Peterson Individual Show
Exhibit Dates: August 14-26, 1988
Location: Bemis Library
Delores Peterson, a well known regional water-colorist, was encouraged by her father and an aunt to fulfill her childhood dream of becoming an artist. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Denver University and has attended Bergman Art School in Denver. Peterson teaches at the Littleton Community Center, conducts workshops for clubs and organizations and gives private lessons to adults and children.
Delores Peterson finds inspiration in architectural themes such as streets, churches, old mines and even boats. Scenes from her extensive travels are featured in her current works. She advises her students "not to use a camera. The primary source, the true light, is what makes a painting live."
23rd Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: 1988
22nd Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: 1987
Best of Show: Delores Peterson, watercolor
21st Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: November 9 - December 5, 1986
20th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: November 4 - December 8, 1985
Juror: Bruce Cody
Location: Bemis Library
19th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: October 28 - December 1, 1984
Location: Bemis Library
18th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: October 30 - November 27, 1983
Jurors: Doug Dawson & Katherine Holt
Location: Bemis Library
Best of Show: Neva Fischer
Crafts:
- 1st Place - Ben Ray
- 2nd Place - Arlene Glover
- Honorable Mention - Chloranna Bruce
Graphics:
- 2nd Place - Rosanne Gibel Trilling
- 3rd Place - Rosanne Gibel Trilling
- Honorable Mention - Betty Carlson
Oils:
Watermedia:
- 1st Place - Rita Derjue
- 2nd Place - Arlene Kunz
- 3rd Place - Adeline Voils
- Honorable Mention - Neva Fischer
- Honorable Mention - Virginia Clayton
5th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: 1970
Juror: Richard Hicks, Gallery Director of Gilpin County Gallery Arts
Location: Bemis Library
4th Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: November 16 - December 5, 1969
Juror (Paintings): Darrell Johnson, Denver University
Juror (Crafts): Bill Alexander, Denver University
Location: Bemis Library
3rd Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: 1968
2nd Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: December 3 - 16, 1967
Juror: Dr. Charles Qualley, CU & Maynard Tischler, DU
Location: Bemis Library
1st Annual Own an Original
Exhibit Dates: 1966