“I really like stuff,” Gretchen Dietrich tells me, her emphasis on the last word suggesting an orthographic marker somewhere between italics and ALLCAPS. “And I like order.” We are seated at a small round table in Dietrich’s office on the top floor of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Her […]
It is not unusual for an artist to layer paint in a way that allows parts of the underpainting to show through in the final work. Nathan Florence, whose work is currently on display at the Kimball Art Centerin Park City, has taken this process a step further: He uses […]
photos by Zoe Rodriguez Finding Leslie Thomas in her studio is akin to looking for Waldo in a rabbit warren. She and her artist husband, Mark Knudsen, are nestled in a back corner of the maze of studios, galleries, classrooms and frame shops cobbled together from three old […]
“Of Two Minds” by Emily McPhie The predicament of art that takes the human figure as subject matter today recalls Dickens on pre-revolutionary Europe: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” On the one hand, with reading on the decline and the graphic […]
It’s hard to find a frame shop around town that doesn’t secretly want to be a gallery. They may start off with the intention of simply framing art, but somehow, whether through the relationship with their artist clientele or their own passion for art, hosting exhibitions becomes an […]
by Curt Hawkins “Shadowed Arch” by Kate Starling, 30″ x 40″. Watching Colleen Howe set up her easel during the “wet paint” painting session is a defining moment. I get it. On the spot painting. I watch Colleen Howe squeezing tubes of oil onto her palette, squinting into the […]
Though many arts venues either call it quits for the summer or cool down their programming, other summer-specific events step in to heat things up. Galleries and exhibition spaces may have fewer shows, but almost every town has an arts festival of sorts. Though you can catch the […]
The return to regular routines for children and adults alike this week marks an unofficial end to summer for most of Utah, including those of us at 15 Bytes. During most of the summer we have taken a break from our hectic routine, both on the blog and […]
As you’ll see from the video below Zane Lancaster has a very understated presence. Put him on a stage with a mic and we don’t think he’ll do much for the audience at your local comedy club (even a very inebriated one). But Ruth Lubbers thinks the art […]
“Those Pretty Arches,” a wall-mounted sculpture by Nadra Haffar on view as part of The Face of Utah Sculpture VI, is made of enamel pit-fired onto several long, battered, torn, and twisted strips of galvanized roofing. The use of ‘arches’ in the title tells us that it rises—rather than […]
Perhaps it’s my fascination with layering paint that attracted me to the printmaking work of Erik Waterkotte, a recent printmaker-in-residence at Saltgrass Printmakers. With a lecture at the Salt Lake Art Center, and a class at Saltgrass, as well as an opening reception for his exhibition there, I had […]
On Thursday, August 5, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, one of our community partners, is holding a free performance and panel discussion entitled “Arts and Social Change: Can art initiate change in a community?” The event will take place in the Leona Wagner Black Box Theatre of the Rose Wagner […]
When Adam Price became the Director of the Salt Lake Art Center at the end of last year the fate of the non-profit art experiment he began in 2007 and named for its original incarnation, the 337 Project, was left in limbo. The Project’s Art Truck, which currently features an interior installation […]
A native Utahn, Michael Christensen is currently enjoying public sector work as the folklorist/cultural specialist at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, an organization dedicated to enriching and strengthening communities by promoting the expression of the arts, education, opportunities for economic development, and the celebration of human diversity. Michael oversees […]
When we arrive at Silvia Davis’ house in Teasdale, Utah, we are greeted by two calm and friendly dogs. They don’t belong to Silvia and her husband Paul , they just like their place. It is a charming, peaceful setting, with an old gingerbread-trimmed house set back from […]
In Utah’s Dixie a unique piece of public art was recently installed by artist Edward Hlavka. “The Mustangs” features five equestrian statues that encircle the Snow Canyon Roundabout in Ivins, Utah. The five mustangs, one featuring a rider, are placed around the large rocks in the center of […]
A successful printmaker and key figure among local artists, Stefanie Dykes insists she doesn’t like to question appearances. Instead of digging in search of concealed causes, she prefers the commonsense approach: assume things are largely as they seem and try to see them clearly. That’s probably why her prints have […]
The Utah Cultural Celebration Center’s exhibit The Face of Utah Sculpture VI, opening this month and continuing through August 26, gives Utahns the opportunity to take a look at the work of over fifty Utah sculptors working in a variety of media. As a primer for the exhibit, […]
Probably the biggest challenge in learning to paint plein air landscapes well is dealing with the confusion presented by the details of the scene. The first thing an artist usually notices about a subject, details can turn into a stumbling block when they become the focus of a […]
Stewart Seidman creates expressive acrylic works on canvas and with recycled FedEx envelopes that once served as his paint palettes, transforming everyday materials into compelling contemporary art.
To discover more artists, visit our Utah Artists Directory
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