Exhibit Wall: Wall 10

On Water’s Edge, Deb Komitor, Gouache on Paper

Artist Statement 

“Pay Attention. Be astonished. And tell about it.” Mary Oliver
I am a heart centered artist with a deep connection and emotional ties to nature. I feel the trees as they bend in the wind and as they vibrate with awakening energy in the spring. On quiet warm summer days, I feel their shadows loving embrace. Nature provides multiple metaphors for how we live our lives. My work shows the complimentary of opposites, the calm and the chaos, the joy, and the sadness, the dark and the light, but always hope. My vision is to awaken in people the awe, wonder, and healing powers of a walk in the woods. I paint what I’ve loved since childhood — tall trees, fallen trees, creeks, trails and sometimes the creatures of the forest. All seen through the eyes and expressed through the heart.

Take to the Wind, Nell McGinnis, Oil on Board

Crystallized Trees, North Cheyenne Canon, Melani Tutt, Photograph

Artist Statement 

The solitude of photography is my respite from the busyness of life. It allows me to put my voice quietly out into the world. It is my way of sharing the grace I see with others.

In my work with nonprofits, my camera allows me to be a bystander. It lets me observe and subtly connect with individuals of all ages and circumstances. I can share in and present each unique, and often poignant, story with insight.

In nature there is a sacredness, even in the profane. Immersed in a burn scar, I revel in the contrast of light and dark; fire blackened and whiteness of snow; heat and cold; death and rebirth. All are beautiful and compelling.

My photographs are a part of my legacy and a testament of our time.

Artist Biography

Melani Tutt is a graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography in California with a Bachelor of Arts degree in large format film photography. She has worked commercially for over 30 years, most recently devoting her photographic efforts exclusively to helping nonprofit organizations in the Colorado Springs area, including Early Connections Learning Centers, Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Club, Pikes Peak Community Foundation, the Tactile Gallery at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and many others.

Finding our natural surroundings a place of respite and reflection, Melani worked with Garden of the Gods Resort and Wellness Center to create fine art images for their rooms, casitas, and cottages reflecting that ethos. This project led to the publishing of her first photography book The Sacredness of Everything. Her next book on Cheyenne Cañon will be available in December of 2024.

Melani’s images are intimate portraits of the simple beauty which surrounds us daily. Turning tragedy into beauty, many of her recent pieces are taken in burn scar forests and printed on fine art photographic paper. She is a purist who works in black and white as well as color. Each print is archival matted, numbered, and signed.

Neighborhood Watch, Heather Oelklaus, Fine Art Print

Stardust, Marisa White, Fine Art Print

Dahlia, Angela Crews, Alumitype

Artist Statement 

As an artist, I have gravitated towards photographing the landscape, my surrounding environments (large and small) and discovering how the hand of man has had a negative impact on our wild spaces. With classical training in photography, my choice to use traditional film and 19th century photographic processes (wet plate collodion, dry plate negative, cyanotype) have always been paramount in my work. I enjoy the art of process. The alchemy of mixing and handling the chemistry and having a hand in the creation all aspects of the artform is important to me. And, as a nod to my predecessors in the history of photography, I want my work to be as compelling and move people to notice the everyday things in the same way my heroes in the field helped me to do.

Focusing on the loss of authenticity and “-ness” (as in Wester-ness) in our Colorado towns, the delicate and short life of flowers reminding us Memento Mori, and the impact of man on our open spaces are all subjects that inform my storytelling. I have long-term projects where I enjoy exploring new routes to add to an existing body of work. These three main topics continue to be of great interest and research as I map out my next moves. Telling the story of our landscapes and wild spaces, remains for me, an effort to ensure future generations discover and revel in the importance of their adopted lands.

Earth and Sky, Lori DiPasquale, Encaustic

Artist Statement 

My art is a creative self-expression, often a reflection of thoughts and feelings I am processing at the time.
I am moved by lyrics and poetry and find myself painting images of what a song evokes for me. I am inspired by
nature and light, the beautiful color combinations that nature so effortlessly displays; the changing light and shadows cast
inspire, delight and challenge me. My work continues to evolve and change, just like me. I am grateful if my work can touch one’s heart, stir a memory or create a feeling of peace.

Everyday Holiday, Lupita Carrasco, Oil on Board

Artist Biography

Lupita Carrasco was born an artist.

At the age of four she was already pouring out dreams and ideas onto paper. Drawing felt like the only thing she had control over. Lupita grew up an only child, raised by her mother who suffered from severe mental illness. During Lupita’s early years she was periodically shuffled between her home in San Diego and family in Michoacan and Watsonville, when her mother’s chaos became unbearable. Art in many forms was a much needed coping mechanism for her tumultuous upbringing.

Lupita’s vibrant Mexican culture and traditional Roman Catholic upbringing command a strong presence in her work. Her paintings are as rich in emotion as they are in color and detail. Lupita’s creative process reflects her lifelong compulsion to investigate and merge the images and themes that surround her and live in her imagination.

Over the years Lupita has continued adapting to life’s growing responsibilities, such as taking over full-time care of her mother at the age of 24 and raising a growing family. The arduous task of caring for a sick parent coupled with raising six children is a daily challenge. Through it all Lupita has remained passionate and dedicated to her art, always seeking out new knowledge from other artists and experimenting with a variety of mediums and techniques to better express her emotions and views on the human experience.

Untitled, Sofia Hernandez Crade, Oil on Board

 

Ursine Cycles, Darla Slee, Mixed Media

Artist Statement 

As a child, I always wanted to go on an adventure. One in which I would travel to distant lands (or the distant past), encounter a bit of danger, and meet fantastical creatures. Since these things aren’t easily done by children, I turned to my imagination to escape from the ordinary and spent many hours drawing and making paper toys for myself. These early pastimes engendered in me a lifelong passion for creating. As an adult, I find inspiration from folklore, history, speculative fiction, music, and the Colorado landscape. I endeavor to create fantastical realms with fun characters in order to delight, provoke thought, or leave the viewer feeling unsettled. I have taken various drawing classes, but remain in many ways self-taught. Currently, I reside in the Springs with my witty partner, Jeremiah, and a goofy cat named Kira.