Show Preview | Governor’s Invitational

Loveland, CO
Loveland Museum/Gallery, April 27-June 2

Carol Jenkins, Altona Grange, oil, 16 x 24.

This story was featured in the April 2013 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Order the Southwest Art April 2013 print issue, or get the Southwest Art April 2013 digital download now…Or better yet, just subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!

The annual Governor’s Invitational Art Show & Sale opens with a celebratory gala from 5 to 9 p.m. on April 27. This year’s presentation at the Loveland Museum/Gallery features 55 Colorado painters and sculptors who reflect a broad spectrum of styles and influences, ranging from traditional realism to impressionism. All genres are represented in the show, including still lifes, landscapes, and figurative works as well as fine-art craft pieces. Among the participating artists are Patti André, Pem Dunn, Claire Evans, Martin Lambuth, Jeff Legg, David Mayer, Karen Vance, and Lani Vlaanderen. Watercolorist Selina Karim and contemporary landscape painter Alyson Kinkade are new additions to the show.

Martin Lambuth, American Idle, acrylic, 36 x 48.

This year’s opening day also includes an intriguing art performance by Colorado-based painter Scott Freeman from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Bill Reed Middle School. “Art theater is a storytelling medium using light, music, movement, and paint,” Freeman explains. “My aim is to create a transcendent experience for the audience. People are accustomed to seeing music performed, but, for many, the experience of seeing choreographed art created in front of them is very engaging.”

Many of the painters participating in the show, such as Carol Jenkins and Cydney Springer, capture the natural wonders of the Rocky Mountain area. For Jenkins the inspiration for her painting ALTONA GRANGE came from an alluring scene near her home in Nederland. “I was struck by the beautiful blue snow shadows contrasted with the golden grasses and trees,” she says.

Cathy Sheeter, In Hot Pursuit, scratchboard, 36 x 24.

Likewise, in GOLDEN LEAVES CLINGING, Springer captures a grove of aspen trees on Fall River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, which is about seven minutes from her front door. The landscape painter recalls the scene as “a complete sensory delight. In the late-afternoon  light of an autumn day, the sun’s rays intensify across the tops of tawny meadow grasses, highlighting the edges of evergreen trees set against a backdrop of deeply shadowed blues and backlighting the golden aspens,” Springer says.

Cathy Sheeter was inspired to create in HOT PURSUIT after watching a pack of wolves playfully chasing each other. While their intent was play, Sheeter says, the wolves’ expressions were probably similar to when they are chasing prey in the wild. “My goal was to create a piece of artwork that would have a lot of impact and also capture the energy and intensity of this magnificent species as it pursues its prey,” she says.

Proceeds from artwork sales benefit the Loveland Rotary Foundation, which funds clean-water projects in Nicaragua and Burma, provides medical supplies for those in need around the world, and awards art scholarships to local students, among other causes. “The Rotary charity efforts thrive on community support, so continued participation of popular local artists is appreciated,” says Nanci Garnand, member of the Loveland Rotary Club and chairman of the show. “The artwork is the real draw and creates a unique opportunity for buyers and enthusiasts, so we’re looking forward to another successful year.” —Bonnie Gangelhoff

contact information
970.663.0919
 www.governorsartshow.org

Featured in the April 2013 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art April 2013 digital download
Southwest Art April 2013 print issue
Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!