Denver, CO
Arts at Denver, October 21-November 12
Margaretta Caesar, Farm Fantasy, oil, 30 x 40.
This story was featured in the October 2016 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art October 2016 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
On Friday, October 21, Arts at Denver presents a show of recent works by three Denver-area artists: Margaretta Caesar, Mikael Olson, and Jody Rigsby. “Margaretta’s and Mikael’s works are very painterly,” says gallery owner Paula Colette Conley. “Everyone just loves their work. Jody’s paintings are charming and unique, and she really gets her animals.” The show opens with a reception for the artists from 5 to 8 p.m. and runs through November 12.
Caesar brings works featuring horses as well as her well-known Front Range landscapes in vibrant colors that are “wacky and rich and lustrous,” she says. “The brush strokes are so important in my paintings. I try to keep them loose and free. I love to see the bristle marks, the layering of paint and colors.” Caesar says these pieces show a shift in her process as she works to balance the spontaneity she brings to her canvases with the knowledge and experience she’s gained over time.
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- Jody Rigsby, Memories of Spring, oil, 10 x 20.
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- Margaretta Caesar, Shadow Magic, oil, 18 x 36.
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- Mikael Olson, Geese, City Park, oil, 36 x 36.
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- Margaretta Caesar, All Uphill From Here, oil, 14 x 11.
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- Jody Rigsby, Paisley and Gold, oil, 11 x 14.
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- Jody Rigsby, Singing the Blues, oil, 12 x 9.
For Olson, the subject matter of his work is secondary. In his slice-of-life canvases, whether urban scenes or still lifes of everyday objects, his focus is on abstracting the subject matter down to its essential light and dark patterns. He explains, “I want viewers to see the painting as a whole. I want them to see the abstraction first, before they see the representational subject.” For the works in this show, he continues to refine his process and to “push that envelope of abstraction and representation,” he says.
While continuing on her themes of florals, still lifes, and animals, all of Rigsby’s works for this show are impacted by a major life change for her and her husband. “In April we sold everything and are traveling the United States,” she says. “I’m learning to paint in a small space and am very inspired by where we go and what I see.” Her animal paintings have shifted from domestic pets to wild animals and, she says, “The energy of moving constantly is incredible. I am trying to focus that energy on the canvas.”
“These three artists are such free spirits,” says Conley. “They love what they do. They could all be painting the same thing, and you’d get three wildly different interpretations.” —Laura Rintala
contact information
303.722.0422
www.artsatdenver.com
This story was featured in the October 2016 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art October 2016 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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