Susan Anderton
"With nature as my inspiration, making art has been my calling since early childhood. Raised in the north of England, my family loved to be outdoors, especially in the mountains and by the sea in the more remote places in Wales and Cornwall. Thus I developed my love of nature, mountains, and small, historic villages.
Even so, when I came to Crested Butte from England at the end of 1969 it was quite a culture shock. From “Swinging London” to a tiny town isolated in a high mountain valley in the Rocky Mountains. There were approximately 300 residents, mostly old Crested Butte families who had stayed on after the Big Mine closed. The fledgling ski area was bringing some new life to the town, and there were a handful of new young people doing whatever they could in order to live here. I was immediately impressed by the warm welcome I received from the community, young and old alike. Everyone was so kind, friendly and helpful. That is still true today.
Fascinated by the town’s character and architecture, in 1970 I began an ongoing series of pen and ink drawings and etchings, which has since become a record of Crested Butte’s evolution from a mining town to a resort. Over the years I have explored a variety of mediums to best express my varied subject matter: pen and ink, printmaking (intaglio and silk-screen), oils, acrylics, watercolor, gouache and pastels.
I’ve seen many changes here, much growth and many cycles of economic ups and downs, yet Crested Butte retains it’s beauty, charm and a strong sense of community. The historic town, it’s magnificent setting, the changing seasons, and the glorious wildflowers are an endless source of inspiration and joy. It has been a privilege to live in such a special community in this magical place for almost 50 years.
I am honored to be a member of the Paragon Gallery. I hope my work will convey a sense of place, and have meaning to you."
970.349.1202 andertonstudio@aol.com
Will Tintera
Woodcarver, calligrapher, puppeteer, & teacher.
I began drawing at an early age & added whittling & wood carving after college. My grandfather had given me his carving tools & with them I often made gifts for friends & relatives. When I arrived in Crested Butte in 1976, someone suggested that since I carved I should make signs.. & that was the beginning of a career! Though largely self-taught, I took a calligraphy class at that time to augment wood carving, & also began brush lettering. I have been learning & combining media ever since, employing screen & block printing, pen & ink drawing, wood-burning, scratchboard, & enamels in the production of graphic art.
In current projects, both carved & illustrated, I tend to favor animals & natural subjects, ie: all things outside, taking inspiration from the mountains & open spaces around us. Box lids, cribbage boards, clock faces, & wood plaques with quotations have all become places to draw or carve, making the useful also ornamental. I use the hard woods principally in my carving, especially cherry, walnut, maple & basswood.
I greatly enjoy teaching and regularly offer classes in calligraphy and other media. Of special interest to me is puppeteering, and I like carving hand-puppets, stick puppets and marionettes. You may catch the shows at festivals and special events, and in the local libraries and theaters.
Laura Elm
Laura Elm is a typical renaissance artist - a master potter and painter whose expressive work is brilliantly detailed and multifaceted. Her openness to experience and theoretical temperament are integral to a passionate pursuit of a wide variety of art forms. She possesses the rare combination of being incredibly focused and detail-oriented while retaining optimism, idealism and vision.
A prolific maker of lyrical things; searching for sublime and hidden meaning; she uses a painterly palette of high key color – difficult to achieve in studio ceramics, that segues seamlessly with her painting and works on paper. Elegant forms and expert drawing are developed from analytical observation of the natural world and then re-tooled, tweaked and intensified imaginatively.
The graphic quality of her work stems from a love of anything beautifully designed and well crafted; especially calligraphy, typography and the printed page. Book arts and textiles form a cohesive connection with pattern and repetition.
Laura’s clay work encompasses functional vessels and sculptural forms overlaid with painterly content like tattoos on skin. The Tattoo Foo Seriesimparts inherent luck, often blind; sometimes dumb, to traditional tomb figures aka Guardians of Soul. These figures are the domain of Heaven and Hell based on the metaphorical fine line humans tend to walk. Inspired by classic literature and romantic poetry, common features in her work include a strong graphic use of black and white, the sun and moon, and time. The progression of this subject matter ties in nicely with charming Creatures of Habit showing off familiar quirks and playful mannerisms.
During more than a few paradisiacal island years, while living in Micronesia, Elm traveled extensively embracing and incorporating the history, mythology, archeology and art of many cultures including her own oddly American heritage. The overlapping spheres of influence are evident.
Julia Adams
Inspired by nature & created with love, Moonrise Designs specializes in unique metal & natural media jewelry; style that melds simplistic elegance with bold ferocity.
Captivating minerals, beads, feathers & bones are paired with metalsmithing in silver & copper, gold & brass. My work also encompasses large sculptural mosaics of cut glass & stone on animal skulls, various styles of antler compositions + wood jewelry with stone inlay.
As a native of Colorado, I grew up immersed in the wilds of the natural world & many of the components featured in my work are sourced from the surrounding environment. Through creative self-expression we celebrate our inherent humanity. I seek inspiration in everyday magic -- in the personality that each develops as it traverses creation, in dwelling on the fringe where jagged edges meet clean lines, where raw meets polished, geometric meets organic.
I studied Fine Art at Western Colorado University, & currently reside in Crested Butte, Colorado. My metal-smithing journey began 6 years ago & I have been creating jewelry of various styles for 20+ years.
Kara Chambers
Kara Chambers considers herself an exploratory artist. She has a bachelor’s degree in studio art and art education. She is currently the Studio Manager and a teacher at the Crested Butte Clay Studio. Her appreciation of ceramics comes from her deep connection to the earth and art. Pottery allows her to combine her passion for the natural world with every day function and use. Kara finds the physical connection with clay to be therapeutic and meditative. She uses an earthy touch in her glazing style and surface decoration.
“There is a relationship we create with objects that we use ritually like a coffee mug. Simple vessels can become treasures in our daily lives.”
She loves sharing her passion for ceramics with others and learning how art and science are woven together in this art form. She is a life-long student as well as a teacher. The joy of creating is multiplied by sharing it with the community. From North Carolina to Colorado her background is diverse. Kara volunteered with Arts for Life in NC teaching art to children with serious illnesses, worked a summer in wilderness therapy with teens with substance abuse issues, spent a decade in the performing arts fire dancing and street performing, has taught art to children at the Bascom Art Center in Highlands, NC and the Sawtooth Center for Visual Art in Winston Salem, NC, created programming and taught art for the Trailhead Children’s Museum in Crested Butte, CO, and was a middle school art teacher for a year before falling in love with Colorado and making the leap!
When not working she enjoys exploring the outdoors looking for inspiration in the beauty that surrounds. She loves her family, her dogs, climbing, camping, hiking, yoga and coffee.
Follow her @kara.chambers.pottery on Instagram.
Christina Loizeaux Stillwaggon
Christina Loizeaux Stillwaggon is a glass artist and educator based in Crested Butte, Colorado. She has over fifteen years of experience working with glass including enameling, etching and fusing. She graduated from Alfred University with a BFA with a concentration on glass art in 2014. In February 2016, she moved to Crested Butte and made her home here inspired by the local community and landscape. She also makes multimedia pieces ranging from collage, sculpture and paintings. She teaches glass workshops such as stained glass, fusing, etching and glass enameling locally in Crested Butte. She is currently showing her stained glass pieces at the Paragon Gallery.
The color and illimitability of glass is a consistent source of inspiration for my work. Most of my pieces are drafted alongside the glass verse drafting the pattern out beforehand. Imagery, patterns and found objects from Colorado’s natural world are my main subject matter. I use a variety of art glass techniques and materials to create a visual relationship between the material and subject matter.
instagram @xstillwaggon
Chelsea McKenzie
I have an earnest appreciation for life, nature, and love. I strive to express a veneration toward mortality through my work, to make my audience feel beneath the surface of our world and search for deeper meaning. I hope to create art that inspires understanding and respect for the circle of life and all its participants.
Wood burning, (also known as pyrography) is a passion of mine that I find very therapeutic. Years ago I fell in love with the slow-paced work, the scent of wood smoke, and the feeling of creating something unique, durable, and somehow both elegant and rustic at the same time. Over time, I have endeavored to improve my artistic skill by working from photos, while also exploring creative ideas. I also paint, tattoo, and create handmade jewelry using natural, foraged materials.
Mary Tuck
"Creating is life’s breath to me! Even as a child I drew and colored on everything, books, walls, mirrors, my face etc. My parents were not happy about most of it until they recognized my talent and encouraged it through proper channels, I’ve never stopped learning and experimenting.
Now the walls are murals, paper and canvas are painted, silk is dyed and river rocks are pets or wildlife!
The advertising industry called to me; after years of experience I became an adult educator teaching Commercial Art. When I retired I moved to Crested Butte, my childhood summer stomping grounds.
I still teach art, silver clay jewelry and I am involved in the CB Mountain Theatre as actress, singer and director. My mother was a Hollywood starlet and big band singer, she trained me well. My father was Navy retired and a rancher in south eastern Colorado. I have enjoyed CB when Elk Avenue was dirt with farm animals and wildlife roaming it. Come to think of it the only change is the paving and tourist!"
Life is a gift and so is this town. ENJOY!
970.901.6348 marytincb@gmail.com
Teri Winget
Growing up in Ohio, I always loved filling my spare time by creating. After moving to Colorado in ‘99 with my husband and raising our two boys, I decided to find my art again. I started drawing, wood carving, furniture making, painting and slowly settled on creating pieces out of stained glass.
Stained glass creates a unique image that changes with the changing light. I enjoy the puzzle I need to create to reveal the image I want to express. The surrounding nature and spiritual images move me to create my pieces. You can still find me carving or painting a piece or two when it hits me.
I create my pieces out of traditional copper foil and solder, a technique taught to me by a local Conifer, Colorado master, over 12 years ago.
Being in Crested Butte for the last 8 years has exposed my family and I to the natural surroundings that I continue to fall in love with. If I’m not creating something you’ll find me, on the slopes, in the dirt, on the rock or in the water.
Feeding my soul, one moment at a time.
Alyssa Moore
I have been an apprentice jeweler to my father throughout my life. I was raised in the breathtaking valley of Crested Butte, nestled deep in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. I was surrounded and inspired by the beauty of nature constantly during my upbringing, while admiring the beauty of cities from afar. By pulling the influences of pristine nature and city bling together, I have developed a style that is unique to my work and reflects my personality, but is also enjoyed by many others. I hope that you find as much enjoyment out of my creations as I do.
AlyShine.com
Patrick Duke
Art Education: Bachelor of fine arts degree from Western State Colorado University in Gunnison, plus workshops at Santa Reparata International School of Art in Florence, Italy, and the Sahli School of Art in Evergreen, CO.
"Art and creation have always been a huge part of my life. However landscape painting never appealed to me until I moved to the Gunnison Valley and was fortunate to spend nearly every waking hour surrounded by the untouched, natural beauty of this place I now call home.
My paintings are depictions of the inspiring scenes and phenomena that I've experienced during my many fishing and outdoor endeavors."
Commissions available.
artandangling.com
Patrick.Duke@ArtandAngling.com
Bren Corn
Bren Corn is a grounded individual who is respectful of, and loyal to person beliefs. This painter reflects an American spirit while continually tapping into her European roots. Her energy remains focused and progressive making this artist infectious. This awareness translates into a deep understanding of self, and ultimately defines a style of evolutionary work.
Bren graduated Summa Cum Laude from Western State University in 2000 with a Bachelors in Fine Art. She has sold over 800 original works via festival, exhibition, commission and gallery throughout the United States. This was accomplished raising her three children and remaining a Gunnison Valley resident for over 25 years.
Driven by many components and moods, abstracting life from her environment remains a constant. Corn’s current subject is compiling imagined compositions of Crested Butte.
brencorn.com
Jim Garrison
"I started my second career as a photographer in 1985. During the summers of 1987-1990 my family and I toured the state of Colorado doing arts festivals. We saw every part of the state and chose the Gunnison Valley as our home. We moved here in 1991. My focus is area photography, the Paragon Gallery and guiding fly fishing for Dragonfly Anglers. I am lucky to have vacations that allow me to enjoy and share the beauty that God has created."
970.379.6860
Leslie A. Locklear
"I am a rust-o-holic, if it looks like it's gonna rust, I gotta have it. I live in a rustic house. I drive a rusty car. My yard is full of rust and my barn is full of barn wood. I don't like to limit myself to one medium. Leather goes great with rust and barn wood. Actually, I was hooked on hide before rust grabbed my eye. At one point it was rawhide drums. Today, it's recycled belt bracelets, barn wood signs, and painted reclaimed old relics. Tomorrow? Well, watch out world! My home, studio, & Antique shop are located in rustic ol' Jack's Cabin, Colorado where I live with my collection of rust, antiques and barnyard animals."
970.642.0904
jackscabin135@aol.com