Denver: Lino Tagliapietra.
Exhibition: July 17, 2010 - September 17, 2010
Opening Reception: July 17, 2010 6-8pm

Born in 1934 on Murano, a small island in the Venetian lagoon, Lino has been surrounded by glass his entire life. He left school at age 11 to begin working in the glassmaking industry, mastering the age-old techniques and working his way up to maestro by the time he was 22.

In 1979, at the age of 45, Lino came to the United States for the first time to teach at the newly-created Pilchuck Glass School founded by American artist Dale Chihuly near Seattle. He spoke no English, but wanted to explore the artistic opportunities available in America where the American studio glass artists were eager to expand their technical knowledge and skill. Lino shared his extensive knowledge, returning each summer to the school. He continued to collaborate with various artists and designers until the mid-1990s, when he decided to concentrate on his own work.

Lino Tagliapietra is, without question, one of the most important glass artists of our time. He has had a major and historical impact and influence on the world of glass art. His work is shown in museums throughout the world; the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum hosted an exhibition of Lino's work in 2008 - the first major solo exhibition of a non-American artist at the Renwick.

Aspen: Scott Fraser. Transforming the Common.
Exhibition: August 5, 2010 - August 31, 2010
Artist Reception: August 5, 2010 5-8pm

This exhibit boasts twenty-two still-life oil paintings by Fraser. The grouping includes a range of sizes and styles - from small gems to large masterpieces, from traditional to more playful. This show provides a wonderful opportunity for collectors to experience works by a significant American artist whose paintings are included in the permanent collections of over twenty museums and art institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Denver Art Museum.

Fraser refers to his painting style as "contemporary realism." Working from life, he brilliantly combines a traditional style that practically rivals nature with subject matters that are current and witty. In his work, he achieves near perfection in the imitation of his objects, reminiscent of 17th-century Dutch and Spanish masters. He brings this older style up to date by painting surprisingly harmonious combinations of recognizable, everyday objects such as Saltine crackers, Hershey's kisses, or tins of Jiffy Pop popcorn. He says: "There's a kind of common quality I'm attracted to - something that might be found in a paper plate or Styrofoam cup rather than a beautiful Delft object, Persian rug or rarified treasure." Fraser's brilliant fusion of two fascinating worlds makes his paintings appealing to both viewers interested in contemporary and traditional work.

Highlights of the show include Fraser's Study in White VIII, a large masterpiece representing a grouping of cups and saucers artfully arranged atop a kitchen table. As the title suggests, the painting is a composition in white that uses light and shadow to play with various gradations of this supposed absence of color. For the more avant-garde collector is Fraser's much anticipated Monkey Inferno, a composition of a monkey with matchsticks that teems with life and anticipates the imminent ignition.