A Day at the Denver Art Museum January 08 2024, 0 Comments

We love looking at art. So does everyone at our company. Spending the day immersed in beautiful objects never ceases to be a blessing. So when it comes to throwing a company party, we all get together and do something we love. Recently, we took a trip to the Denver Art Museum (DAM) for a fun day.

Having reopened the last few of its galleries earlier this year after a major, multi-year renovation project, we were all excited to get back to the DAM and see the completion of the institution’s vision. The Gio Ponti designed building is a gem in our state and stands as the only completed project by the noted Italian designer in the U.S. Of the art inside, Ponti says, “Art is a treasure, and these thin but jealous walls defend it.”

The highlight of our day was visiting two major works by artists we are honored to represent in our galleries. Thus, we found ourselves drawn to the 7^th floor to peruse the Western American Art collection. The galleries on the museum’s top floor house paintings and sculptures spanning two centuries, with the oldest work dating back to 1822. A 48” tall by 60” wide Tracy Felix painting titled “Longs Peak and Flatirons,” created in 1995, hangs proudly amongst the collection. The painting depicts an idealized, almost surrealist view of Rocky Mountain National Park’s tallest mountain, Longs Peak, set behind the Flatirons, the jagged and rocky peaks found further south in Boulder, Colorado. Felix’s expert use of color blocking makes the painting appear almost three-dimensional despite a decided lack of texture. Interestingly, the painting has a broader color palette and a lower focus on the clouds than the works Felix is creating today. Additional paintings we took note of are Birger Sandzen’s “A Mountain Symphony,” Andrew Dasburg’s “Chantet Lane,” several stunning works by Victor Higgins, and perhaps my personal favorite, “Pueblo Series, Acoma” by Raymond Jonson. His influence on Tracy Felix’s wife, artist Sushe Felix, is ever present in this painting! Other greatest hits were the always iconic works of Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran, a brightly colored work by Herbert Bayer, and so many more. The collection does a phenomenal job of highlighting the history of American art as told through a western perspective. For our friend Tracy Felix to have a significant painting amongst such a distinguished collection of art made us all quite proud.

On the 3^rd floor, in the Indigenous Arts of North America Galleries, hangs a 96”  tall by 60” wide acrylic on canvas work by our friend Gregg Deal. Titled “Kill the Indian, Save the Man, Save the Indian, Kill a Man,” the painting was acquired through the museum’s Native Arts acquisition funds during Deal’s residency at the museum in 2016. The painting depicts two men, who happen to be father and son, with one dressed in traditional Pawnee clothing and the other in a suit and tie. The background is a stylized American flag turned on its side, with plus signs (representing the four directions) in the place of stars. As is the case with much of Deal’s work, the painting is a commentary on how Indigenous culture fits into the modern American world. This painting in particular deals with stereotyping, asking us how we view each of the men depicted based on their clothing. Do we fear the father, dressed in native regalia, and respect the son, dressed in clothing that helps him fit into corporate America? Additional works in the collection that caught our attention were the Fritz Scholder titled “Massacre in America: Wounded Knee”, which shares a wall with Deal’s painting. Kent Monkman’s “History is Painted by the Visitors,” a work done in the Hudson River School style with a two-spirit Indigenous person painting and surrounded by white people lounging around the landscape is a highlight. A lovely installation of 60 porcelain arrows by Nicholas Galanin caught our gaze. Other pieces not to be missed include a Dan Namingha painting titled “Hopi Eagle Dancer,” a sculpture by his son Arlo Namingha, a collaborative piece by Tammy Garcia and Preston Singletary and, of course, countless historical artifacts.

Currently on display on the museum’s 1^st floor is the travelling exhibition titled "All Stars: American Artists from the Phillips Collection.” Sam, one of our phenomenal sales consultants, was born and raised in Maryland and spent time in-between her two tenures at our galleries working at The Phillips Collection. Seeing many of her favorites here in Denver was quite the treat. Additionally, she is a huge music fan and The Phillips Collection is known for always exploring the relationship between music and art so the DAM had music playing throughout the galleries. It was ever fitting. Highlights of the show were two interestingly juxtaposed works by Marsden Hartley titled "Mountain Lake - Autumn” and “Wild Roses.” Georgia O’Keefe’s “My Shanty – Lake George” is serene and exudes a quiet beauty. “Composition with Sinuous Forms” by Jackson Pollack was a pleasant surprise for its departure from his typical works. Adolph Gottlieb’s “Equinox” radiates with layered bursts of color. City scenes by Stefan Hirsch and Edward Hopper served as wonderful architectural studies.

It would be impossible to visit the DAM and not mention the collection of stunning Impressionist works on display. Walking through the museum quickly brings you to the Hamilton Building’s 2^nd floor, where the temporary exhibition “The 19^th Century in European and American Art” is on display. Van Gogh’s “Edge of a Wheat Field with Poppies” greets you and immediately takes your breath away. Renoir’s “Young Woman in a Garden” shares the wall. Around the corner, the Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro collections are incredible. We spent a ton of time in this gallery talking art history, dissecting specific works and what makes them great and simply admiring some of the finest art the world has ever seen.

All told, a visit to the Denver Art Museum is highly recommended and we are thrilled to have such phenomenal collections close by!

Houston Llew...How It Began December 15 2023, 1 Comment

Jared and Nicole Davis, A Feature in Vail Valley Magazine February 15 2022, 0 Comments

Art Around the World, A Commission with David V. Gonzales December 05 2021, 0 Comments

The Story Behind Kate McCavitt's "Primal Elegance" Series March 07 2021, 0 Comments

Roger Hayden Johnson: Inspiration Behind the Paintings August 16 2020, 0 Comments

Thane Gorek Interview June 13 2020, 0 Comments

A Colorado Landscape in Your Non-Colorado Home May 21 2020, 0 Comments

Collecting Sculpture May 08 2020, 0 Comments

Do I Have Good Taste in Art? May 01 2020, 0 Comments

Finding the Perfect Work of Art for Your Home April 23 2020, 0 Comments

Marty Goldstein Interview April 16 2020, 0 Comments

The Benefits of Art in the Home April 09 2020, 0 Comments

Kay Stratman Interview March 26 2020, 0 Comments

Judy Greenan Interview February 07 2020, 0 Comments

Rolinda Stotts Interview January 13 2020, 0 Comments

Scy Caroselli Interview November 07 2019, 0 Comments

The Sushe Felix Interview October 02 2019, 0 Comments

Spotlight on Pete Zaluzec : Wildlife Photographer February 01 2018, 0 Comments

Pete Zaluzec has worked in mediums across the board, including wood carvings of detailed life-life birds to less representational bronze sculptures of bison.  He has always researched his subjects firsthand in the wild, all the while taking extensive photographs.  This collection of skilled photographs lead t his own unique photographic process. The intriguing image compels the viewer to look more closely and inquire about the process of creating such eye-catching imagery.

November and December Gallery Exhibitions November 08 2017, 0 Comments

Experiential shopping is a big deal to us. When you visit our galleries, it ought to be an experience far more fun and informative than your visit to any other gallery or store. One of the best ways to experience the art world is to meet the artists that have excelled in their careers to the point that they are shown in prestigious gallery collections. Watching them work and hearing the stories behind their creations can be mind-blowing. Thus, we have packed our winter season with an exhibition and artist demonstration schedule that is sure to satisfy!

The Frontiers Collection - New Spiritiles by Houston Llew June 06 2017, 0 Comments

Moving Mountains - from The Catalogues Vail/Beaver Creek Summer 2017 Issue May 18 2017, 0 Comments

Colorado's landscapes are grand, beautiful, diverse and so much more. The state has the kind of views that so many of our visitors wish they could bring home with them. While it would be impossible to move the mountains, Colorado's artists are skilled at capturing their surroundings. Many of them are adept at doing so in ways that present far more than an exact representation of the landscape. They create works that capture the memories and emotions experienced while exploring Colorado's grandeur. And they do so with artwork that can certainly be moved from state to state, or even from country to country.

Kristof Kosmowski in the Breckenridge Gallery July 25 2016, 0 Comments

Kristof Kosmowski was a prodigy in the European art world. He was awarded with 25 one-man shows in the largest cities of his native Poland by the time he was 25. He was also honored to show his work in the countries of Germany and Finland at such a young age. Kosmowski's training at both the Escola Massana Centre d'Art in Barcelona, Spain and the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland intensified his focus and furthered his career.

Today, he resides in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. We are a state fortunate to have such a skilled artist amongst us. This weekend, he will be making appearances in the downtown Breckenridge gallery, Art on a Whim on Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 pm.

Casey Horn's Newest Bronze Sculpture June 15 2016, 0 Comments

Our bronze sculptor, Casey Horn, known for his incredible three-dimensional renditions of Chinese written characters, has created a new series of sculptures. The new series is called "The Heart." Currently, Casey has two pieces completed, "Heart" and "Mindfulness," and is in the process of creating others for the series. The pieces will be grass script - a simplified fluid way of writing the characters - and some will be kinetic. Typically "Heart" will form the base for each sculpture in the series, with another symbol on top to create an exquisite symbol and sculpture. Because edition sizes will be small (typically nine castings per piece), we will be taking pre-cast orders.

Vail Film Festival Events April 08 2016, 0 Comments

The Pro Cycling Challenge in Paint September 08 2015, 0 Comments

A bike race is intense. Adrenaline pumps through the rider's veins. Their pedals spin furiously with each push of the legs. Their faces are full of focus and determination. Viewers rarely catch more than a glimpse of the riders. Despite the fleeting moment they are left with an abundance of energy from the rush of flesh, metal and rubber that just flew by them. Translating a moment so quick, yet so powerful, into a work of art is a challenging endeavor. David V. Gonzales has built quite the fine-art career by mastering the motion and energy that makes bike racing so enthralling.

Cynthia Duff Showing in Vail April 05 2015, 0 Comments

Organic. Unique. Contemporary. Classic. Combined, each adjective perfectly sums up the work of Cynthia Duff. Her wooden canvases literally pop off of the wall. Each piece undulates with a perfect combination of form, color and composition. Duff's show, hanging at the Art on a Whim gallery, presents a wondrous experience of discovering what can be accomplished when an artist steps outside of the box and literally bends their medium in new directions.

Ellen Woodbury Exhibition in Vail through February 1st January 20 2015, 0 Comments

Name a Disney movie between 1985 and 2005 and chances are Ellen Woodbury worked on it. Here are a few: Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and The Beauty and the Beast. Having been born in the early 1980’s myself; Woodbury spent her career bringing the stories that shaped my childhood to life. As a Directing Animator at the company that brought us The Magic Kingdom, Mickey Mouse and more, Woodbury’s career is marked with highlights and prestige. This weekend, she is meeting collectors while showing a collection of her sculpture at the Art on a Whim gallery in Vail Village.

David Gonzales' Exhibition, December 2014 December 10 2014, 0 Comments

Movement, energy and speed are intrinsic to skiing and snowboarding. The sports embody the spirit of interacting with nature. Combine their speed with big, pristine mountains and you will find an unrivaled sense of freedom and joy. David V. Gonzales seeks to capture all of the above in his lively acrylic paintings of skiers and snowboarders.

Cynthia Duff: Contemporary and Earthy Wall Sculpture October 13 2014, 0 Comments

Cynthia Duff’s sculpted wooden canvases embody the contemporary side of Colorado. Each piece undulates with a perfect combination of form, color and composition. Hailing from Grand Junction, Colorado, the artist’s work literally pops off of the wall. Her show, hanging at the Art on a Whim gallery, presents a wondrous experience of discovering what can be accomplished when an artist steps outside of the box and literally bends their medium in new directions.

The Pro Cycling Challenge in Art - Original Work by David V. Gonzales August 29 2014, 0 Comments

Vitreous Enamel: Luminous and Ancient Art Form July 31 2014, 0 Comments

Vitreous enamel is an ancient art form. The medium dates back thousands of years but it is rarely seen these days. This weekend, two of the artists chiefly responsible for keeping vitreous enamel alive are in Breckenridge to show off the wide ranging collections of their work. The stories of how they began working with such a unique process are as steeped in history as the medium itself.

Listen Hard, Walk Softly. A Work in Bronze by Ellen Woodbury July 22 2014, 0 Comments

I have been carving stone for 8 years.  It has happened during those years that I am struck with an idea for a sculpture that cannot be safely sculpted in stone because the possibility of breakage is too high.  Until now, I have simply abandoned those ideas and moved on.  However, the inspiration for “Listen Hard, Walk Softly” was too powerful for me to ignore.

Marty Goldstein and his Playful Bronzes Visit Vail and Breckenridge June 26 2014, 0 Comments

Playful only begins to describe the work of sculptor Marty Goldstein. The bronze dogs that make up his “Harvey Dogs” series are all full of personality. Every single piece is sculpted with one purpose: to bring laughter and joy to the lives of the people who collect his work. If a piece doesn’t bring a smile to his lips while he is sculpting the clay form, it doesn’t get put through the arduous lost wax process to be cast in bronze.

Houston Llew and Chris Lundy Shows in Vail January 26 2014, 0 Comments

This is a great article that ran in the Vail Daily over the weekend:

Art on a Whim in Vail: Our Background, Our Concept and Your Time to Party! December 26 2013, 0 Comments

The Art on a Whim Gallery has arrived in Vail with a unique concept. Art should be fun. It should make us smile. While beauty is ever present in the Art on a Whim collection, the gallery derives its distinctive presence from the belief that pushing the envelope and having fun while doing so is what makes art worthwhile. As a result, you would be hard pressed to leave their Bridge Street locations without a smile on your face.

Why a New Website? November 27 2013, 0 Comments

Why do we have a new website? There are many reasons for it, but the primary reason is security. Our new website allows us to provide the highest level of online shopping protection you can find on the web. With Level 1 PCI compliance, you can be assured your information is always secure. This allows us to offer something we've always wanted for our frequent online shoppers: the ability to create a customer account for our site. This will allow you to safely store your information and greatly reduce the amount of time you spend checking out of your online shopping cart by eliminating the need to retype your information for every purchase you make through our site. You'll be able to add multiple ship to addresses, select your shipping method and see shipping costs prior to checkout, use discount codes and more. It should make the online ordering process much, much easier.