Arapahoe Libraries is proud to host art exhibits each month at Eloise May, Koelbel and Smoky Hill libraries. Library galleries offer the community a place to view a variety of art at no cost while also providing visibility to local artists. A volunteer art selection committee selects exhibits based on artistic quality, variety of exhibits and the suitability of format for each exhibit space.
Have a question about the galleries or interested in showcasing your art? Visit the Art Galleries page for more information.
Lannie Pihajlic
Lannie Pihajlic is a local artist that enjoys making paintings, sculptures and digital art. He has been lucky enough to have won numerous art awards and sells his artwork nationally. When not making art, he is teaching for his art education company, Art for Life Colorado.
What is your favorite piece in the show and why?
It’s difficult to say I have an absolute favorite, but I do like Descent quite a lot. It was one of my first in my Outdoors Colorado series and the composition just sings to me.
What motivates you to create?
I’m not a big believer in free will so you would have to ask my subconscious this question. But, if I did, I suppose because something about whatever I make calls to me. It could start with a ‘I wonder what this would look like’ or ‘can I pull that off’? Also, it’s just fun. Most of the time.
Who are your biggest artists influences?
Oh boy, painters I like are Don Tiller, Greg Manchess, Scott Fischer, James Jean, and Erin Hanson.
What message do you want your art to convey to viewers?
I suppose I want viewers to be transported. I want them to fall into my art, enough at least that it takes them some place other than here. Maybe it sparks a memory or a better place emotionally. If I succeed, even a little, then that makes me happy.
Leslie Miller
Leslie Miller is a mixed-media artist who is inspired by shape, color, pattern, and texture. Leslie loves the way they all come together to create a feeling or atmosphere, sometimes even a sense of motion, all within the confines of the two-dimensional surface. Leslie’s work these days ranges from representational to abstract and everything in between.
What is your favorite piece in the show and why?
My favorite piece is 3201 Clarkson Street. This painting perfectly captures the character of this wonderful old Denver neighborhood where garbage pails are kept right in the front yard and people grow vegetables in the strip of earth between the sidewalk and the street!
What motivates you to create?
I find the act of creativity extremely engaging and absorbing. When really I get into the flow of the piece, it’s hard to stop (and I’ve ruined many a painting because of this). If I’m happy with the finished work, it provides a fulfillment that few other things can.
Who are your biggest artists influences?
I love many of the old masters and have even copied several Monets! But these days, I am most inspired by living artists such as Erin Hanson, Jed Dorsey, Marla Baggetta, Bob Burridge, and so many more I couldn’t possibly list them all.
What message do you want your art to convey to viewers?
I don’t really have a message, but I always hope my paintings will delight or intrigue the eye of the viewer. I love it when someone Stops to look, steps back, then steps in close, and finds things in the painting to keep them interested for more than just a passing glance.
Website: lesliemillerartworks.com, opens a new window
Boris Skomorovskiy
I am committed to the style of impressionism combined with decorativeness. The very essence of this creative method is to reflect the variability of the surrounding reality. As an artist, I try to catch the elusive moment and express the mood of the moment on the canvas. In my paintings, I try to capture the moment "here and now", taking into account the lighting, time of day, weather, angle of view. I mainly work in dry pastels, still lifes and landscapes.
