Canyon Courier : Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Last Friday Gallery Walk takes art to heart

By Stephen Knapp
09/05/2007

So what did you do last Friday night?
Drive 45 minutes to bowl three frames in rented shoes?
Keep a barstool warm?
Reality (gulp) television?

That’s a pity, because the happening scene was on Main Street at the Last Friday Gallery Walk,

an artful monthly alternative to another uninspired weekend evening.

From splendid Central American sculptures and ceramics at Latino Arts, to finely crafted Southwestern jewelry and textiles at Silver Arrow, to evocative works by local painters at the Wild Eye Gallery, the

 happy hoards strolling Evergreen’s short, sweet main drag last Friday enjoyed a broad sampling of

 some of the best the art world has to offer.

At the cooperative Shadow Mountain Gallery, superb works by new members Brianna Walker of Bailey and Evergreen’s Arlynne Stark held places of prominence. Brianna creates magic with oil on leather; Arlynne performs miracles using humble paper. And because nobody can fully appreciate beauty when peckish, all seven Main Street galleries offered superior vintages and nourishing snacks to help sustain their guests along the 2-block pilgrimage.

"It used to be First Thursdays, but they changed it to Last Fridays of every month three months ago," explained Jeff Gilbert of the Holly Berry, one of many downtown merchants keeping late hours to accommodate the 5-to-8-p.m. crush. "It was a good move, and it benefits the merchants as much as the galleries. A lot of people will come down on a weekend that wouldn’t on a work night, and we’re getting

a lot more people up from Denver. The big thing is that it offers something to keep locals in Evergreen instead of going down the hill for entertainment."

Kathy and Rick Fasold of Conifer didn’t go looking for fun below 6,000 feet last Friday, and they persuaded some Denver friends to come up and sample the cultural diversions available along Bear Creek.

"It’s sort of hard to get Denverites into the mountains," Kathy said, leading her husband out of Evergreen Gallery’s stunning collection of precious things and into the natural photographic brilliance of the Timberline. "Evergreen’s so beautiful; I know they’ll really like this."

It’s just possible, of course, that what suits the goose ain’t much with the gander.

"I love the galleries," Kathy explained. "He doesn’t."

Happily, art comes in many forms, and some of them feature beefy V-8 power plants and yards of chrome. About the same time the downtown galleries started revving up on the weekend, Napa Auto Parts owner Rob Walker and the Evergreen Downtown Business Association put together the Historic Heart of Evergreen Car Show, a gleaming convocation of classic Detroit iron guaranteed to keep Mars content while Venus rubs elbows with local impressionists. Framed by Model A’s, suped-up ’50s roadsters and sleek ‘70s muscle cars, Main Street looked more historical than ever.

"It gives the guys something to do while the gals look at paintings," Walker said. "Next month the show’s going to be juried, with prizes for best classic, best hotrod and best overall."

After scoping carvings, canvasses and cars all evening, some folks decided to crown their tour with a stop at the Center for the Arts Evergreen, while others opted for some culinary artistry at a Main Street restaurant. It was a picture-perfect evening from every angle.

"The last Friday of the month is a good time to be in downtown Evergreen," said Mark Anthony King of Stoneheart Gallery. "There’s a lot going on."
 

June 2007 Mountain Connection            

by Maurissa Moore

At Stoneheart Gallery, you will be taken away by one of Evergreen's most intriguing galleries. To owners Mark Anthony King and Haydee Maria, art is life. They know how intimidating some galleries can seem and go out of their way to create a no-pressure environment where the focus is on art, and just looking is is always a welcome phrase. Both owners are extremely approachable and like to step back to let the exhibits speak for themselves.

 Just as trends in the art world continuously evolve so do pieces at Stoneheart Gallery.

One Year ago Stoneheart Opened with 10 artists. Now they are proud to have grown to feature over 25 locally and nationally recognized artists to offer one of the most diverse collections the mountain community has ever seen. Latest editions include the works of Jennifer Yoswa and Pedro Saldarriaga.

Mark Anthony and Haydee Maria take their time when choosing artists, being sure to choose work that will fit all elements of this inimitable community. With artists such as Laura Guese, Kevin Scofield and Lance Green, something is bound to grab your attention. Take a look at Stoneheart's website for more details on artists and exhibits. Be sure to explore the "Insights" page where Colorado artist Gary Burditt and his absolutely enchanting writing desk are featured.

Whether you are adding to an already established collection or starting from scratch, the personal service at Stoneheart goes unmatched.

They offer art that fits all budgets, encouraging anyone to start a new collection. They go out of their way to ensure your complete satisfaction and would never sell you a piece that did not fully compliment your home.

If you have a hard time deciding on a piece Mark Anthony will bring a variety of of pieces to your home so you can see how each works with your decor. If you do not find exactly what you desire they will search for for new pieces to bring into the gallery or will find an artist to work with you to create a customized piece.

Haydee Maria and Mark Anthony thank the community of Evergreen for it's tremendous interest and support. Everyone is invited to Stoneheart's one-year anniversary reception on Friday June 29th from 5pm until the party ends. Many of the artists will be available with new pieces as well as food, refreshments and live music. Ongoing receptions will be held on the last Friday of everymonth as part of the Last Friday Gallery Walk.

June 26, 2007 Canyon Courier

Evergreen was last stop for Stoneheart owners

By Anne Hopper-Vickstrom
06/23/2007

Just over a year ago, Stoneheart Gallery became part of the gallery community in Evergreen.

We had no idea what was going to hit us.

During this past year, owners Mark and Haydee King, who “fell in love with Evergreen while traveling and just couldn’t bring ourselves to leave,” launched Stoneheart Gallery with no expertise other than their love of art. They brought a new vision of art to Evergreen and were the driving force to make the former First Thursday Gallery Night become, as of June, and this Friday, the new Last Friday Gallery Night.

“I’m so excited that the Evergreen Gallery organization was open-minded and community-minded to make this change. Now people can come and enjoy our galleries and not have to worry about working the next day,” said Haydee King.

Mark King added: “It seemed like our gallery nights were only a local event. I want Evergreen to be known regionally and, for that matter, nationally. We need people outside, as well as those of our community, to understand just how incredibly diverse and interesting the galleries of Evergreen are.”

As the Kings celebrate Stoneheart’s first anniversary, “which was actually in April, but we waited for it to coincide with Last Friday Gallery Night,” Mark said, they happily look back on the past year and know their impulse to stay was the right one.

“The past year has been wonderful,” said Mark. “We’ve learned a lot about different styles of art. Originally we represented artists that we were drawn to, but artists have taught us a lot this past year. We’ve come to better understand different techniques, and respect different types of art.” What Mark King sees most clearly is that “we’ve learned that this community wants a wide diversity in art. Many people have thanked us for bringing in art that wasn’t available to them before.

“We started with 10 artists, and today we represent 27.”

The couple live close enough to walk to work, and the Kings have invited their full slate of artists to join in the fun of Last Friday Gallery Night. Drop into Stoneheart this Friday and let the artists themselves explain their techniques and what their works mean to them.

Mark quoted The Galleries of Evergreen mantra, “Come for the Art — Stay for the Weekend.” The Galleries of Evergreen made the change to encourage business for not only themselves, but also the local bed and breakfasts, restaurants and other shops. It is their hope that Last Friday Gallery Walk will attract people from Denver, Boulder and across the state to think of Evergreen as a weekend destination.



Anne Hopper Vickstrom writes from her Evergreen home, where she lives with her husband, three children and her three dogs. She wouldn’t live anywhere else.

New Art at Stoneheart

Anne Hopper Vickstrom - Canyon Courier - December 3, 2006

An estimated 1500 people that attended last weekend’s Holiday Walk left with the gift of discovering the thought-provoking and feel-good art that is featured at Stoneheart Gallery. If this latest member to the Evergreen Galleries has yet to be discovered by you, there is no better time to visit than during the holiday season.

Owners Mark and Haydee King have intentionally set-out to discover art that is unique to their gallery, and during the past month they have discovered some of the best.

Kimberly MacArthur Graham and Bonnie Ferrill Roman, both represented artists at Stoneheart, come together for a special exhibition this month in collaborative works.

These artists discovered each other and recognized that their works, both that could be described as organic, could be great together. The current show at Stoneheart proves they were right.

Graham “realized I was more interested in texture than figures. I began to make strange things, internal, organic textures. I like taking abstract textures and blowing them up further, like the inside of organic structures.” Her paintings are presented on canvas structures rather than flat canvases, giving each piece yet another dimension. “I use oils, and then acrylic paint or medium, to create seeds and pods. I have recently begun to use metallic paints to create something that reminds you of nature, but then use really bright colors. By using colors not found in nature, it’s like creating a cooler version of what’s really there.”

Roman’s art is mixed media, using handmade paper and natural twigs to create fascinating wall sculptures and even organic light covers. It is simply impossible to pass by her work without stopping and taking it in. Special to this show, Roman has introduced small vessels that can either rest on a flat surface or hang from a wall. Each presents natural colors that draw you in to look closer, where you’ll discover surprises of a feather, a pod, a banana bean, a peach pit, and even a lock of golden hair.

“People can buy just one or two,” explained Mark King, “while others may want to purchase enough to cover an entire wall, like we’ve done here in the gallery.”

The collaborative works are the best of both. Peering inside a sculpture, the beauty of the textured canvas is revealed. Painting on the rough textures flatters Nature’s work, and if it were possible, would even inspire new growth.

In addition to these two artists, the Kings have brought in some of Evergreen’s favorite artists that have not been seen in galleries for some time. Bev Endsley’s gentle spirit is found in both her portrait of a Native American as well as her delicate image of a nude. Susan Simon’s spirituality is revealed in her paintings in which she, like Graham, takes painstaking care in creating texture that speaks from beneath the small figures that dot her canvas. Kathy Beekman’s chalk pastel landscapes transport the viewer back to their childhoods on rolling farmlands or retrieve memories of panoramas that stole our breath.

The Kings truly have added something rich to our gallery community. “When I see new art that I really like, I figure others will also want it,” said Mark. King himself provides the gallery with his own outstanding photography.

This is a gallery that year-round, soothes the soul after a hassled day; but with the holiday season upon us, it is also a gallery that can provide an unforgettable gift for hopefully, someone that shares your walls. 

Susan Miller Simon

Anne Hopper Vickstrom - Canyon Courier - December 11, 2006

Stand before a Susan Simon painting and you cannot help but feel a spiritual presence. Each painting holds a depth in texture as well as image that mirrors the spirituality of the woman who turned a simple white canvas into a work of art that touches the soul. “I like to paint things of beauty; things that are in my heart and soul,” she said.  

Artists often prepare a canvas with a wash before setting out to paint. Simon takes this simple task to a new level, working hours and even days to create the perfect background. She lifted one canvas and held it at arms length. “I just love the way this turned out,” she smiled. The canvas had an ochre hue that seemed to move before your eyes, its center, nearly white as if blending into another space. Never willing to hurry a painting, “I can have 25 paintings going at a time.” 

After mastering the perfect base, she then paints delicate images that recall images of petroglyphs of natural objects and animals. While visiting with her we looked out the studio window, tucked into the forest beside her home, and saw a deer grazing on winter grass above the snow. It seemed that even the animals understand the depth of this woman.

“I like to have themes to my paintings,” she explained. “Art allows us to put convictions in visual form. I’m not a traditional landscape artist; I’m more interested in common, small every-day miracles. We all have stories to tell.” Her Pathfinders series comes “totally out of experiences. Imagine the story of a butterfly that migrates 1500 miles…” And so, the butterfly appears on her canvas. After a recent trip to Africa “a zebra showed up on my canvas.” 

Raised in a traditional home, Simon has found herself on a new path. She truly embraces elements of many religions, and these elements often are revealed in her paintings, and lately her new venture of creating strands of stunning beads.

“I was raised Catholic, so the Rosary was a part of my life,” she explained. “These beads are meant to be handled in the same way.” She keeps several of the large strands, finished off with horse hair, on the table in her living room. “People will come to visit, and I find they pick them up and start to touch the beads, handle them, without even realizing what they’re doing.”

Each bead is carefully selected. Simon gathers intricate Asian beads that feature tiny wire designs, volcanic beads, natural stones, glass and even manufactured beads that recall life in the 50s and 60s. “I intended them to be held, but one woman told me that she wore hers as a necklace. When her husband went into surgery, she hung on to the beads to comfort herself. That means so much to me.”

Simon has created a life of beauty. Her studio floor is covered with a beautiful carpet, candles burn and soft music plays. “I don’t watch TV,” she said. “I read. When my husband is away, I get reclusive.” Simon’s husband, Peter, is an accomplished concert pianist. Their son Saling spent years traveling with his father, performing along side him. “Saling took an early retirement at the age of 16,” Simon laughed. Her daughter Chloe is a violinist, “and a terrific painter and draftsman.”

Their home is tucked into the forest with a stunning view of Mt. Evans. Throughout their home are relics from their travels across the world, each reminding them of the people and experiences they enjoyed. And throughout it, there is a peaceful calm that invites guests to slow down and appreciate the joys of life. Her paintings seem to encapsulate the environment in which they were created.

Trying to prepare for the holidays, as well as for yet another upcoming travel adventure, Simon received a note from one of her galleries that presented her in a solo show. “I had just sent them a number of pieces, and all of them sold within the first 48 hours of the show.” The gallery wants more. It’s a nice problem to have.

Simon’s work is available locally at the Stoneheart Gallery in Evergreen, 303-674-0565.

September 20, 2006 edition of Canyon Courier

Scofield’s photos veer from the ordinary

By Anne Hopper-Vickstrom
09/20/2006

If you’re a little quirky, curious and ready to experience new and unique things, a visit to the Stoneheart Gallery is a must. The photographic works of Kevin Scofield are on display to enjoy, entertain and definitely to provoke thought.

Scofield uses digital photography and then works his magic. “I print on fine art watercolor paper and apply digital manipulation,” he said. “I think people frowned on (digital art) at one time, but now they get it.” This artist brings creativity into photography. “I love to print on canvas; it takes away the digital-techno feel,” he said. “I’ve also applied acrylic on it and sometimes gel to create a completely different feel.”

His education has definitely been applied to his art. He earned a bachelor of fine art in photography and minored in philosophy. This background helps explain the works on display.

Scofield’s sense of humor is obvious in “Deer Creek Saucers,” an image of fall colors amongst vivid evergreens — with three flying saucers hovering above a charming mountain home. He then communicates his spiritual side in “Shaman Shadow,” which takes the viewer’s eye to a shadow image, turning our back to the actual being.

His art is extreme. From a peaceful Western image of a rope hanging on a fencepost in “Lasso” to the bizarre, colorful image of an alien peering through an altered mountain vista in “Middle Earth,” each photographic image gets thoughts moving.

Scofield has applied his significant talents in other fields as well. He worked for 10 years as a photojournalist; ran his own freelance photography business; worked in television, where he earned an Emmy Award; worked for various TV news affiliations, including NBC, UPN, CBS and FOX; and currently is a news operations manager at FOX in Denver, where he manages 30 photojournalists.

Stoneheart Gallery owner Mark King “connected with Scofield the first time I met him,” he said. “At the opening of the show, people were so comfortable they were sitting on the floor, relaxing and having great conversation about Kevin’s art.”

For more information about Kevin Scofield, see  www.kevinscofield.com. Stoneheart Gallery is located on Main Street in Evergreen, across from Creekside Cellars. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment Monday and Tuesday. Call 303-670-0565 or visit www.stoneheartgallery.com.



Anne Hopper Vickstrom writes from her Evergreen home, where she lives with her husband, three children and two dogs. She wouldn’t live anywhere else.

April 19, 2006 edition of Canyon Courier

New downtown Stoneheart Gallery warms the artistic heart

By Anne Hopper-Vickstrom
04/20/2006

After months of anticipation the brand new Stoneheart Gallery has opened in downtown Evergreen.

Located at the east end of town, next to Marmalade and across from Creekside Cellars, Stoneheart Gallery is certain to become a favorite stop in town. Its spaciousness allows distant viewing of the carefully selected works of art. “We didn’t hurry this,” said gallery owner Mark Anthony King. “We spent months and months researching artists and we’re really happy with those we’re representing.”

Stoneheart is currently showing the works of gouache and soft pastel artist Laura Guese. Guese will demonstrate her art at the gallery tomorrow evening, April 20, from 5 to 8 p.m.

“We hope to have demonstrations about every other week,” said King.

Other artists include Evergreen native Kym Allison who describes her mixed media and oils on sewn canvas art as Ecocentric Expressionism. These colorful and expressive works have to be seen. Likewise are the three dimensional works of Bonnie Ferrill-Roman of Arvada. She combines branches, handmade paper, beeswax, chalk, pastel and natural objects into wall sculptures that steal the show.

King has filled the opposite far wall with the energetic work of Lance Green. These works feature western themes with a slap in the face punch of vivid colors. The steer wrestler’s struggle is seen in his purple face, as the bull’s dark red eye reveals his own fight. Next to it hangs Anasazi with a Balloon. These paintings make you smile.

There is also the beauty of King’s own nature photography, revealing in