Translations Gallery artist Jim Pittman has work in the Denver Art Museum

Translations Gallery's current exhibition of work by Jim Pittman and Mark Bowles is getting a lot of attention from both the press and the general public. Both artists create large scale, abstract, minimalist landscape paintings.

These too esteemed artists both have work in the permanent collection of the Denver Art Museum. While Bowles' piece, Intersection was recently acquired by the museum in 2009, Pittman's piece, Marble Canyon was accepted into the permanent collection in 2003. The museum stated "that the painting Marble Canyon was timeless and a perfect fit for them as it could be exhibited in either the contemporary or western collections" (from Denver Art Museum Press Release 12/03).

Translations Gallery is proud to display Jim Pittman and Mark Bowles together through the month of September. All work is for sale.

Image: Jim Pittman, Marble Canyon, acrylic on canvas, 54"w x 48"h

New Artist Cheryl Dietz Joins Translations Gallery

We are proud to announce that Cheryl Dietz is now a represented artist at Translations Gallery. In Cheryl Dietz’s work, orientation is not a rule. Her contemporary landscapes involve overlapping transparent images and multiple viewpoints. Invisible boundaries, transient exchanges, and the spaces in-between ordinary life intermingle with the textures of the Southwestern landscape and encroaching urban life. What is built, what grows, what is felt and what is imagined are all combined to express an environment of disruption and unpredictability. Dietz is interested in movements out of proportion, possibilities of unstable equilibrium and interpretations that are not to be found by simple observation. Cheryl is from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Translations Gallery currently has Cheryl's work on view. Her amazing 8ft x 8ft piece titled Midnight Burn will be on view for the month of October.

Image: Cheryl Dietz, Haughty Mangle, 36"w x 30"h, oil on canvas

We're a Best Bet in this Week's Denver Post

Denver Post Art Critic Kyle MacMillan chose our current exhibition, Mark Bowles and Jim Pittman as one of this week's Best Bets for Entertainment in Denver. Kyle noted that Mark Bowles is an emerging name in the Denver market. The Denver Art Museum recently accepted one of Bowles' pieces into their permanent collection.

Director of the Denver Art Museum's Petrie Institute for Western American Art, Thomas B. Smith states about Bowles' work, "Mark Bowles’ color fields celebrate the simplicity of the western landscape. He does not labor over specific locations but instead composes studio rendered impressions that have seared his consciousness and reflect the symbolic essence of place. His use of color and aesthetic nuances creates an intimate dialogue in which the viewer equally shares his delight for painting.”

Mark Bowles is showing alongside Boulder, Colorado artist Jim Pittman, who celebrates the Southwest landscape. While Mark Bowles is inspired by the plains, Jim Pittman is inspired by canyons, kivas, and other land forms that are present in the Southwest.

Images: (top) Mark Bowles, A Change of Seasons, 60"w x 48"h, acrylic on canvas
(bottom) Jim Pittman, Kiva, 60"w x 72"h, acrylic on canvas

See Rob Williams Aspens at Mateo Restaurant in Boulder, Colorado

Art by Colorado artist Rob Williams will be on display at Mateo Restaurant in Boulder, Colorado through mid November 2010. Mateo Restaurant features cuisine that is inspired by the Provence Region in Europe. The art on Mateo's walls is from the Aspens exhibition that was on view at Translations Gallery, a Denver art gallery, in July 2010. Several of Rob's floral pieces are also on display.

Mateo Restaurant's minimal and streamlined design are the perfect setting for Rob's work. The urban design also compliments the bold color palette and contemporary graphic quality of the pieces. (All artwork will be for sale while on view at Mateo Restaurant).

Image: Rob Williams, Suddenly I See, acrylic, ink and graphite on wood panel, 24"w x 69"

Downtown Denver Art Galleries

Visit Denver recently wrote an article for their website about shopping for art in Denver, Colorado. They did not mention the top area to shop for artwork and visit art galleries, which is downtown Denver. Wazee Street has five high caliber art galleries including Translations Gallery, Robischon Gallery, Visions West Gallery, David Cook Gallery, and David B. Smith Gallery. You can also find Plus Gallery, Great Western Art Gallery, and MCA Denver just a few blocks away.

Artwork can be found in a wide range of prices in these galleries, both affordable and high value. You may also simply browse and enjoy the artwork. Be sure to stop by Translations Gallery on Thursdays for Dessert Day. The gallery offers complimentary desserts to snack on while viewing exhibitions.

These galleries also offer their spaces for event rental. LoDo is the best neighborhood in Denver to have events with convenient access to public transportation and the best hotels and nightlife spots in the city.

The downtown Denver art galleries are located in LoDo, just 1 block from the 16th Street Mall shuttle and Union Station. Wazee Street is also home to great restaurants like Mangiamo Pronto and Big Game.

Translations Gallery Artist Rachel Darnell has Two Pieces in the New Four Seasons Hotel, Denver

The new Four Seasons Hotel in Downtown Denver has nearly 1,200 pieces of contemporary art. Included in this amazing art collection is work by Translations Gallery artist Rachel Darnell. The artist was commissioned to complete two 54" x 54" pieces for the space outside of the Ballroom. She worked off of an existing piece entitled Mystic Mahogany (shown above). The process for this piece includes torn strips of canvas reassembled and painted with silver leaf. Her pieces are large, impressive, and will add contemporary glam to the ballroom space.

Denver Magazine recently wrote about the new art collection in their August 2010 issue, but did not mention Darnell because she is from New Mexico, not Colorado. Read the article here.

You can view more of Rachel Darnell's work at Translations Gallery, a Denver Art Gallery located only blocks from the Four Seasons or by visiting their website.

AARP's My Generation to film Sandhi Schimmel Gold at Translations Gallery

We are proud to announce that AARP will be filming during our upcoming Exhibition Opening with artist Sandhi Schimmel Gold for their tv show My Generation. "Each week, My Generation features celebrities and nationally known experts covering issues from health and money to relationships and volunteering. The program includes award-winning stories of reinvention, pursuing your passion, and making a difference" (from aarp.org).

Sandhi's unique approach to the contemporary portrait with use of recycled materials has put her in the spotlight. She recently had a piece acquired into the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum in Florida. She was also named one of 5 Artists to Watch in the March 2010 issue of Phoenix Home & Garden. The large banner of Pixie is still up on the back of the Buell Theater on Champa Street in Denver, Colorado. The Exhibition Opening will be August 6th, 5:00 - 8:30pm.