Pastels make for appealing exhibit

Orchard Road closure a ects gallery access

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A catalog note in the current catalog of the 19th Mile High International Pastel Exhibition says that there were 328 entries received for this semi-annual exhibit and 84 were selected by juror Aaron Schuerr for this show, which runs until July 1 at Curtis Center for the Arts, 2349 E. Orchard Road, Greenwood Village. (Note: Orchard is blocked west of the Curtis Center and we had to drive over to University and approach it from that direction. e center is at the northwest corner of Orchard and University.)

e paintings in this appealing exhibit lean strongly toward landscapes, but there also is still life — look for Mary Cassidy’s “Color of Nature,” freshly dug carrots and radishes — and the winning piece: “Peek-a-Boo” by Je Slemons of Greeley, featuring a very inviting chocolate glazed doughnut, with the rst bite already gone from it! e Award of Excellence from Terry Ludwig Pastels went to Stacy Roberts’ “Just Before the Morning,” with a gray wolf looking back at the foothills landscape it had been visiting ... the viewer thinks there’s some sort of story there ... perhaps something had been especially tasty!

First place was awarded to Yidan Guo’s “Immigrant Women Series — Self Portrait,” with dramatic lighting on the face, colorful clothing and a hazy background. Guo also has an appealing portrait of “Dee” in the same Immigrant Women Series. A dinner party is planned, it seems, in Leslie Trujillo-Batts’

“Black Tie A air,” with a stemmed silver bowl and tray o ering beautifully colored fruits: grapes, pear, berries, plums ... and a silver, bonehandled fruit knife, like my grandmother would serve after dinner with pears.

Big skies appear in all sorts of weather: behind a snowy peak, in a summer blue sky with a river owing toward it, just at sundown in “Golden Hour” by Betty E erson. Bouquets vary from E erson’s “Ending the Journey,” tired sun owers, to Tatsiana Harbacheuskaya’s perky “Sun owers on a Turquoise Tablecloth.” Julia Lesnichy’s pink “Morning Roses” are probably really fragrant if one were to stand next to them in person ... while Sarah St. George presents tired roses: “Better Days.”

Sarah Blumenschein drew a stack of teacups and saucers that look like a visit to grandmother’s house, with cups from di erent sets, while Becky Johnson takes us to big sky country with her “Wyoming Road.”

Curtis Art Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.