Arapahoe Libraries proudly hosts rotating art exhibits each month at Eloise May, Koelbel, and Smoky Hill libraries, with quarterly exhibits at The Space. Our 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.
Elaine Campbell and Susan Kane
Elaine Campbell and Susan Kane are both members of the Colorado Watercolor Society. Each works in watermedia, but with different approaches, leading to very different results.
Elaine Campbell
Website: elainecampbellart.com, opens a new window
Elaine’s primary medium is watercolor and pencil, and occasionally acrylic. Her works are studies in color; paintings that are spontaneous, joyful, intentional, and hopefully full of light. She hopes her pieces invite you to pause and enjoy the simple moments and common but beautiful images around you.
My work reflects an interest in the shapes, colors, lines, and reflections all around us. When viewing my world, I am constantly drawn to the contrasts- lights against shadows, bright hues next to dark backgrounds, beautifully busy scenery next to calm and quiet alleys. These are captured in my paintings in ways that perhaps open the eyes of others.
What is your favorite piece in this show and why?
"My dearest places in the world are wherever my family is. 'Fancenia's Garden' is probably my favorite piece in this exhibit as it reminds me who I was with, where we were, and what we were doing. I had taken my aging mother to see family in Virginia, and my niece, Fran, had brought a bouquet of amazingly varied flowers from her garden for us to enjoy. She casually yet artistically placed them into my sister's vase. We had a lovely visit and it was the last time they saw each other. I painted this after my mother passed."
What motivates you to paint?
" I am motivated by observing God's hand in this amazing world and feel the need to create. Not to copy His hand, but to share in His creations with gratitude. When I see shadows and colors in unexpected places, I feel compelled to capture that beauty. I love sunlight on objects, but also need the contrast of shadows under that light. My motivation would not be as keen without this contrast. It reminds me of life- we cannot recognize the light in our lives without experiencing the dark times as well."
What message do you want your art to convey to the viewer?
"Simple beauty is all around us- to give us joy, lift our spirit, bring meaning to our lives. Our surroundings, even barren or plain, if seen through the lens of the Master's hand, can be seen as awe-inspiring- desiring to be looked at again and again. For the viewer to see the world differently because of something I have captured brings me the greatest joy."
Susan Kane
Website: susankanestudio.com, opens a new window
Susan paints with acrylics on canvas and panels. The paint is applied more thickly and opaquely than traditional watercolor, giving a result that looks a lot like oil paintings. They evoke a sense of tranquility and connection to the environment of the Intermountain West.
My paintings are the result of many years of exploration in the backwoods. A landscape painting functions as a portrait of a place, displaying that location’s individuality. I focus on capturing the essence of a place, what makes it different from everywhere else.
What is your favorite piece in this show and why?
My favorite piece in this show is Above Timberline. I always like fall colors in landscapes. The warm and cool colors, the snow, the rocks, the brutally cold water – it all just says high mountains to me.
What motivates you to paint?
I just think if you have a talent, whatever that talent is, you should use it, try to develop it.
What message do you want your art to convey to the viewer?
There’s a whole big beautiful world out there. Get out and enjoy it.
Patti Teklits
Website: outsidethedoor.artspan.com, opens a new window
Instagram: @outside_the_door_pat, opens a new window
Painting is my way of slowing down and truly seeing the world around me. As a landscape painter working primarily in oils on canvas or board, I sometimes turn to still life's to study light and texture. Through this process, I hope to gently remind viewers that beauty is always present woven into nature, everyday objects, and the details we notice when we pause long enough to look.
What is your favorite piece in the show, and why?
My favorite piece in the show is Crystal Peartet. I often use still life painting to explore composition, light, and texture, and this piece brought those elements together in a way that feels especially personal. As I painted, the small flaw on the fourth pear drew my eye to the individuality of each one, creating a quiet tension against the crystal’s precision. The way the light played across the dish, revealing unexpected colors within the crystal, became a gentle reminder to look for beauty beneath the surface. Whether it was timing or intuition, that hidden message continues to hold deep meaning for me.
What motivates you to create?
Painting gives me the chance to slow down and reconnect—with myself and with the world around me. It encourages me to notice the quiet details I might otherwise overlook and helps me step out of my head and into the present moment.
What message do you want your art to convey to viewers?
I hope my work gently reminds people that nature’s beauty is always near, even in the most ordinary places. When we pause, look a little longer, and allow ourselves to be still, we begin to see light, color, and detail that often go unnoticed in the rush of daily life.
Looking Up: Accessible, Sustainable Fine Art by Steph George
Website: stephgeorge.art, opens a new window
Instagram: @stephgeorgeart, opens a new window
Steph George is a local Colorado artist finding inspiration in observation; cultivating a curiosity to capture explored worlds while working with sustainable materials to build accessible fine art collections. Living with a dynamic disability shapes the photographic process, allowing snapshot moments to showcase the experience of connecting with a wheelchair wilderness. Looking Up is dedicated to dreamers who dare to keep their heads in the clouds.
Steph George grew up down the street from Koelbel Library which helped foster a lifelong love of getting lost in wonderful stories.
What is your favorite piece in the show, and why?
The centerpiece of Looking Up is a twilight photograph, taken on a whim, which provided that final puzzle piece for a cohesive series of Colorado skyscapes.
What motivates you to create?
To make the world a more beautiful place while sparking conversations around accessibility & sustainability.
What message do you want your art to convey to viewers?
It’s always worth taking time to notice the everyday beauty which surrounds us, even when obstacles overwhelm our path, we can always look up.
Mike Cashino
Showing at The Space February-April
Website: mcashino.com, opens a new window
Instagram: instagram.com/mikerubinocashino, opens a new window
My work is an ongoing conversation with myself—an evolving archive of what I need, question, or seek at different moments in my life. I move between nature, human connection, and joy as subjects, using art as a tool for self-exploration and reflection. This experimental process resists a single style; instead, it traces the shifting landscapes of my inner world.
What is your favorite piece in the show, and why?
One of my favorite works in the show is Partners from the Cosmo series. It’s a paper-mâché piece that embodies the feeling of mutual support—leaning on someone who is also leaning on you. The Cosmo works function as symbolic lessons that help me move beyond fear-driven ego and into a more expansive, relational mindset. Partnership feels central to survival and meaning—something to cherish, something to lean into.
What motivates you to create?
I create out of curiosity and a desire for self-understanding. Making art is how I explore my inner world and build a deeper relationship with myself. It’s also how I communicate with and connect to others—inviting shared reflection, resonance, and community.
What message do you want your art to convey to viewers?
I hope my work encourages people to make art simply for the sake of making, and to use creative practice as a way to explore themselves. Art doesn’t need permission or perfection—it can be a mirror, a journal, and a pathway inward.
Show Description
This exhibition is a collage-like collection of works that map my journey as an artist and a person. Each body of work functions as a time capsule—capturing distinct emotional, philosophical, and environmental phases of my life. Together, they trace a path of learning, experimentation, and becoming.