Kristen Schiele at David B. Smith Gallery

Kristen Schiele, Industrial, Oil on Canvas, 21"x30"

Three of Swords, 2008, 48" x 46", oil on canvas

I finally got over to David B. Smith gallery to see the current group show. I really enjoyed these two pieces by Kristen Schiele and had a nice chat with Dave about gallery name change (from Limited Addiction) and all that 2009 has in store for him (books? prints? new artists! Josh Keyes show!).

If you haven't seen the show that's up right now, do. I thought it was more diverse than their previous group shows and represented a broader range of painting and sculpture - broader than the typically narrow scope of the Juxtapoz/low-brow/pop-surrealism/whateveryouwanttocallit scene that they often (perhaps unfairly) get lumped into. I'm excited to see their scope grow as their gallery grows and I'm really looking forward to their upcoming shows this year.

Josh Keyes (again)

Limited Addiction Gallery just posted a preview of the new Josh Keyes exhibition (opening Saturday) online which sold out in a day. Impressive. There are some great new pieces up to see, including this one called "Tic Toc"made specifically for this Denver show - with the inclusion of "Bronco Buster", a statue in Civic Center Park near the Library and Art Museum downtown.

"Bronco Buster" photo by Erik Holmberg

Josh Keyes, "Tic Toc", Acrylic on Panel, 18x24"Josh Keyes, "Treadmill #2", Acrylic on Panel, 30x40"

Upcoming Exhibitions to Look Forward To

Mark your calendars - because October is an action packed art month. This week is what's left of Denver Arts Week and there are great shows opening this weekend in Fort Wayne, IN and Carrboro, NC (see below). Next weekend, everyone should be at Limited Addiction on Santa Fe Dr. in Denver for the opening of the new Josh Keyes exhibit. I've mentioned the work of Josh Keyes previously, and I'm really looking forward to that show. Also next week is the opening for the artist in residence at Platte Forum. Here's the outlook:

Kat Rohrbacher, "Chair" Oil on Paper, 11x8"

"Regional Winners"
October 12 - November 21, 2007
Three winners from last year's Regional Exhibition include Dianna Huxhold - clay, Audrey Riley - mixed media, and Kat Rohrbacher - oil painting.
Arlink Gallery, 437 East Berry Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802

"Let's Rebuild", New Works by Ryan Helsel - Opening October 12, 6-9 pm at Nested, 118b E. Main St., Carrboro, NC 27510

Ryan Helsel

Ryan Helsel

Rory Golden

Rory Golden
Exhibition opens:
October 18, 5:30 – 8pm; continues through November 2, 2007
Platte Forum, 1610 Little Raven Street, Suite 135 | Denver, Colorado 80202

Josh Keyes, and Oliver Vernon at Limited Addiction Gallery. Opening October 20
Limited Addition Gallery - 825 Santa Fe Drive • Denver, CO 80204

Josh Keyes, "The Long Afternoon #2", 2006, 12"x9", pencil and gouache on bristol

Josh Keyes, "Treadmill", 14"x17", acrylic and pencil on bristol

Alex Lukas Drawings

Alex Lukas, "BUILDING ON FIRE #3", 2007Acrylic, ink, gouache, enamel, and spray paint on paper, 10' x 9'
Alex Lukas, "FACTORY ON FIRE #6", 2006 Acrylic, ink, gouache, enamel, and spray paint on paper, 9' x 12'.

Alex Lukas refers to these pieces as drawings on his website, but as you can see by the materials involved they could easily be categorized as paintings or mixed media. He is currently showing at the Limited Addiction Gallery (page 3 of current show) here in Denver. These are very small scale works that possess exceptional attention to detail without sacrificing spontaneity in the spray paint smoke clouds.

Denver First Friday : March

In a new, monthly segment I will be covering the highlights of the "First Friday" gallery exhibitions in Denver. By far, the most memorable gallery of the night was the inaugural group show of the "Limited Addiction Gallery." I generally refer to the genre of art they exhibited as the "Juxtapoz"-type art or west-coast art - though it does not consider every work being shown, those of you familiar with the magazine might understand the reference or genre. Their own description of what they show is "otherwise labeled Pop-Surrealism, Urban Contemporary and 21st Century Figurative Art." The gallery was packed (both with art and attendees) and represented many great artists from across the country including Tim Biskup, Dalek, Audrey Kawasaki, Dan McCarthy, Tra Selhtrow, Jeff Soto, and more. *Check the links to Dan McCarthy and Tra Selhtrow especially - they have great limited edition silk-screened prints available online for very reasonable prices*

The walls at Limited Addiction were hung salon-style, often four or five pieces high but there was enough similarity of genre to keep it from feeling disorganized or cluttered. I'm looking forward to future shows there. We have now added this signed print from Audrey Kawasaki to our collection:

Mia & Mai

giclee print on archival paper
13" x 22" on a 15" x 24" sheet
signed and numbered
limited edition of 100

The work of Josh Keyes at Limited Addiction Gallery was also quite interesting. It has a science text-book diagram type of feel. I especially liked these pieces:

"Interlock #3", 12"x9", 2007, pencil and gouache on bristol board


"Envelop #1", 2007, 9"x12", pencil and gouache on bristol board

Another artist worth mentioning from last night was Armin Muhsam - whose work can be seen at the Kanon Gallery on Santa Fe Blvd. I was especially taken back by this piece:

Armin Muhsam
"Recent Earthworks"
16x48 Oil on Panel(s)

There was also a strong opening by Tracy Barnes and Eric Havelock-Bailie a the Sliding Door Gallery. Being the most recent addition to the Sliding Door co-op, I was glad to see a good turn-out and well planned show. Here are a few shots of the opening: