AT KOELBEL LIBRARY
ART COLLECTION
Arapahoe Libraries is proud to display artwork at each of its' locations. Learn about some of the artists on view now at Koelbel Library.
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Brigitte Thompson
Paul Bond
Paul Bond
Paul Bond
LEOBARDO ESPIRITU
TRES CIRCULOS
ARTIST BIO
Leobardo Espiritu is a Mexican artesan. He and his family have dedicated their lives to make Amates. These skills have been passed on from past generations, and originate from the Otomi tribe, located in San Pablito, Mexico.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Amate paper has been used by Hispanic cultures for hundreds of years for different types of symbolic religious writings and different ways of creating art. Still using pre-Hispanic techniques, bark paper is transformed by hand into different art pieces. Every single piece is unique in its kind, with different sizes, weavings and earth tone colors.
GREGG DEAL
UNTITLED (DARKNESS)
ARTIST BIO
Gregg Deal (Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe) is a provocative contemporary artist who challenges Western perceptions of Indigenous people, touching on issues of race, history and stereotypes. Through his work—graphic design, paintings, murals work, performance art, filmmaking and spoken word—Deal critically examines issues and tells stories of decolonization and appropriation that affect Indian country. Deal’s activism exists in his art, as well as his participation in political movements.
ARTIST STATEMENT
This work was part of a body of work using old "relic" images from the turn of the century. In these works I mix what amounts to a contemporary space, something that counters the historical and often "old" feelings and thoughts accompanying these types of photographs. The entire idea is challenging the perception of Native people being considered old, relic or even extinct, and placing them in a space that is contemporary, modern and out of the norm from where you might find these images. While a simple application, it challenges the perception of Indigenous people, which is often based on the perception of our existence, rarely on the reality of our existence.
JAN FORDYCE
RADIANT HEAT
ARTIST BIO
Jan Fordyce's water paintings tell a story, a metaphor for human experiences. The ripples in the water suggest ripple effects in our lives, and seeing the surface makes us ponder what lies beneath. Her paintings express a sense of tranquility, while giving importance to water as a resource, vital to our existence, yet so often taken for granted. Inspiration and reference for Fordyce's paintings come from her travels to lakes, rivers and other places—the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, the High Sierra mountains, the iconic Colorado River near her home. Each location presents a unique sense of place and environment, which she captures in the rich color of oil paint on canvas.
ARTIST STATEMENT
As a visual artist, I am constantly intrigued by painting the abstract qualities of water. The reflected and refracted imagery, hinting at the surrounding environment, is broken by the movement of water, creating fascinating shapes, patterns and colors that swirl into and out of each other. I capture a moment of time as the water is stopped in its movement.
ROBERT LANG
RADIANT HEAT
ARTIST BIO
Robert J. Lang has been an avid student of origami for over fifty years and is now recognized as one of the world’s leading masters of the art, with over 800 designs catalogued and diagrammed. He is noted for designs of great detail and realism, and includes in his repertoire some of the most complex origami designs ever created. His work combines aspects of the Western school of mathematical origami design with the Eastern emphasis upon line and form to yield models that are at once distinctive, elegant, and challenging to fold.They have been shown in exhibitions, opens a new window in New York (Museum of Modern Art), Paris (Carrousel du Louvre), Salem (Peabody Essex Museum), San Diego (Mingei Museum of World Folk Art), and Kaga, Japan (Nippon Museum Of Origami), among others.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Vertical Pond III transposes the familiar peace of the koi pond to an unfamiliar orientation, via a transposition of the ancient art of origami into the 21st century via an original origami design by the artist. Just as the pattern in every koi fish is unique, the pattern in each of these fish is unique, and is incorporated into the paper during the paper-making process at Origamido studio.
DENISE BOHART BROWN & SANDY GRAVES
RADIANT HEAT
ARTIST BIO
Artists Denise Bohart Brown and Sandy Graves met in 2006 as two founding members of an artist-owned gallery in Steamboat Springs; they have worked closely ever since, in business, as artists and as friends. Sandy’s stylized bronze wildlife sculptures are unique for their use of negative space and often elongated legs. Denise’s abstract contemporary pieces in kiln-formed glass are inspired largely by nature and the beauty of the Colorado mountains. Both women live and create in Steamboat Springs.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Our dragonfly installation “Of Puddles and Ponds” is the result of a collaboration born out of a 17-year friendship. We have long been inspired by dragonflies, creatures with such lightness and quickness of movement; there is a sense of magic to them, and around the world they are viewed as symbols of transformation and self-realization. We felt it was very appropriate for them to take up residence in a library – a place of knowledge and exploration from which life-changing experiences can spring.
DETOUR
MLK, Nina Simone, Judge Jackson, RGB, Malala
ARTIST BIO
Thomas Evans, aka Detour, is an all-around creative specializing in large-scale public art, interactive visuals, portraiture, immersive spaces and creative directing. His focus is creating work where art and innovation meet. A born collaborator and “military brat,” Detour pulls from every conceivable experience that shapes his landscapes and perspectives. Explaining his work is no easy task, as his practice continually expanding with experimentations in visual art, music and interactive technologies. With an ever-evolving approach to art, Detour’s work expands customary views of creativity and challenges fine-art paradigms by mixing traditional mediums with new approaches—all the while opening up the creative process from that of a singular artist, to one that thrives on multi-layered collaboration and viewer participation.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Detour is a Denver-based creative who focuses on work where art and innovation meet. A born collaborator and “military brat,” Detour pulls from every conceivable experience that shapes his ideas and perspectives. This allows him to explore a multitude of mediums, ranging from traditional canvases and murals, to photography and interactive technology. Threaded throughout much of his work, is the idea of using color to shift perspectives and evoke emotions. This has ushered Detour into a space where his work is distinctly unique and recognizable. With his ever-evolving approach to art, Detour’s focus is on expanding customary views of creativity and challenging fine-art paradigms and breaking rules
ADRI NORRIS
Dr. Justina Ford, Audre Lorde, Maria Tallchief, Rigoberta Menchu, Dolores Huerta, Katherine Johnson, Shirin Ebadi
ARTIST BIO
At an early age, I knew I wanted to be an artist. Throughout all my life's changes – moving from Barbados to New York to New Mexico, and then joining the Marines – art was the one thing that persisted. I was raised to be a leader and to see myself as someone who could help people and improve lives. It was only in the last few years that I figured out how I would do that. The “Women Behaving Badly” series was born from a desire to educate people about women from the past. Their stories have been lost over time, and this loss is a disservice to these women, to women and girls living now and to society as a whole. By sharing these stories through my art, I hope to inspire young girls with role models they’ve never seen before. These stories also make adults think more about what they have and what they have to gain by listening to the voices of the unheard. I feel I am at the beginning of my journey. My list of women numbers in the hundreds and I have barely scratched the surface. I intend to be in it for the long haul.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Adri Norris creates artwork centered around women in history. Her work is inspired by her personal journey, which includes moving from Barbados to New York to New Mexico, attending an international boarding school and joining the Marines. She has always had a passion for art and learning about our shared humanity.
Norris’ "Women Behaving Badly" series is a significant part of her art, aimed at educating people about lesser-known women from history. She believes that sharing their stories through her artwork serves as inspiration, especially for young girls who may not have encountered these role models before. Additionally, the series encourages adults to reflect on the value of listening to the voices of those who have been unheard. Norris’ paintings have been shown across the Denver Metro area and have sold all around the country. She has collaborated with educational institutions like Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, History Colorado and the Denver Public Library to help spread the knowledge and stories of the women who made an impact on our world.
MATT CHRISTIE
St. Vrain, Noon Light
ARTIST BIO
Painter by nature and printmaker by trade, Matt Christie has contributed works to numerous private and corporate collections since the mid-1970s. He is inspired by natural form, color and movement – the constant elements linking his stylistic developments. Since 1980, Christie has collaborated as a printer with distinguished artists on innovative printmaking projects. He has served as director and master printer of Anderson Ranch Editions, a limited-edition, fine-art print publishing enterprise at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado. He served as professional printer at Shark’s Ink in Lyons, Colorado for more than 15 years.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work is informed by the natural environment. Artistically, I'm inspired by the artists of the Hudson River School. I use landscape as a metaphor and devise to explore my own psychology, asking myself why I react to nature as I do, why am I the person I am.
BRIGITTE THOMPSON
Solace
ARTIST BIO
Brigitte Thompson sees art as a vehicle to explore the complex relationships individuals have with reality, the hyper-real and the imaginary. To Thompson, art is a form of therapy that can be used to release emotions, create energy and generate discussion. In this way, she is able to communicate concepts and ideas about reality that may be hard to articulate through any other means.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work focuses on the boundaries that set us apart in life and what lies in between them. Through my art, I try to visually manifest this realm that cannot be seen but affects us nonetheless: the colors of our emotions, the beauty of the soul and the bonds that keep us tethered to one another.
PAUL BOND
ARTIST BIO
Paul Bond’s award-winning oil paintings live in the spaces between dreaming and reality. Born in 1964 in Guadalajara, Mexico, Bond’s paintings draws from the Latin American genre of magic realism, where symbolic and fantastic elements blend with realistic atmospheres, unveiling a world where anything is possible. He often refers to them as “fairy tales for adults.” By merging and altering familiar objects, infusing them with whimsy, wonder and mysticism, Bond’s works delight the imagination and stir the soul.
ARTIST STATEMENT
The Yogi
My work is informed by the natural environment. Artistically, I'm inspired by the artists of the Hudson River School. I use landscape as a metaphor and devise to explore my own psychology, asking myself why I react to nature as I do, why am I the person I am.
ARTIST STATEMENT
A Hymn to the Summer of My Long Ago
This painting speaks to the power and romance of memories. We all have a particular time in our recollected childhoods when we felt eternally safe, when we loved the world and it loved us back. For me, that feeling was solidified growing up in a small seaside community. I believe these memories, while undoubtedly filtered to exclude unpleasant experiences, are there to serve us later as emotional markers. In other words, if as adults we can access the emotional vibration of when we felt most nurtured and happy, it gives us a place to tap into – an ideal blueprint – when creating our ideal lives today.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Approaching the Sacred
This painting speaks to the power and romance of memories. We all have a particular time in our recollected childhoods when we felt eternally safe, when we loved the world and it loved us back. For me, that feeling was solidified growing up in a small seaside community. I believe these memories, while undoubtedly filtered to exclude unpleasant experiences, are there to serve us later as emotional markers. In other words, if as adults we can access the emotional vibration of when we felt most nurtured and happy, it gives us a place to tap into – an ideal blueprint – when creating our ideal lives today.
