“Amazing artists”

Navajo rugs are among the many artistic expressions you’ll see during the next Moab Art Walk on Saturday, May 14, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Lema’s Kokopelli Gallery at 70 N. Main St. is one of nine Moab venues open that evening during the second Art Walk of the season. Gallery co-owner Tony Lema Sr., will give a presentation about the rugs and how they’re made. There will also be a mini-loom displayed to show people what a traditional loom looks like, said Kristie Lema, who does bookkeeping and sales at the gallery.

The owners have had relationships with Native American artists for more than 27 years, Kristie Lema said. In addition to Navajo rugs, the shop showcases Native American pottery, baskets, Hopi kachinas and other artwork.

“We have 16 different Native American artists represented in the store,” she said.

Across the street at Gallery Moab, 87 N. Main St., Carolyn Dailey will be around for Saturday’s Art Walk, and her show at Gallery Moab will run until June 10. Both framed and unframed paintings of the local area will be for sale. She is Gallery Moab’s guest artist for the month of May. Her paintings include oil, acrylic and encaustic, an ancient painting technique that uses wax.

Gallery Moab is an 18-member artist collective, including member Kristi Peterson, the featured artist for May. The collective always shows the work of its members, and also invites guest artists such as van der Steenstraeten, whose work is shown at the gallery for a month, Peterson said.

“Usually, the members come in and mingle (during Art Walk),” Peterson said. “We have some really beautiful artwork here; we have amazing artists.”

Peterson does mosaic work with bits of colorful broken glass. She creates both mosaic wall hangings, and 3-D art, such as birdhouses.

“I’m known as the mosaic shaman,” Peterson said. “I do healing work based around mosaics. I make a lot of meditation mandalas.”

Dailey has been painting the red rock canyon country since the late 1980s. Her plein air landscapes are known for capturing the natural light and beauty of Moab’s favorite places. Her paintings are frequently on display at the Grand County Public Library, as well as in local and regional shows, where she has won top awards.

Born in Virginia, Dailey has lived in the Southwest since she moved to Boulder, Colorado, in 1968 to attend college. After working in the administration at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, she first moved to Moab in 1987 for five years. It was in Moab that she became a full-time artist and learned to paint outdoors.

A dedicated plein air painter for over 30 years, Dailey paints solely in oils and has studied with some of the best living landscape painters in workshops and at the former Fechin Institute in Taos, New Mexico.

Beyond Gallery Moab, the second Art Walk of the season is also an opportunity to be creative at the Moab Arts and Recreation Center, 111 E. 100 North.

The MARC will have a crafts table for all ages set up during Art Walk. Additionally, the works of Karen Chatham and David Brown will be featured in the MARC’s gallery.

Chatham works in several mediums, including painting, photography and leaf casting. Brown is a photographer who has worked in many countries. He’s lived in Moab since the early 1980s, Moab City Arts and Special Events Manager Meg Stewart said.

Outside the MARC that evening, various vendors will be selling both wearable and visual artwork from 6 to 9 p.m. Fire dancers will perform at 8:30 p.m.

The Museum of Moab at 118 E. Center St. is also participating in Art Walk, along with Tom Till Gallery at 61 N. Main St.; Moab Made at 82 N. Main St.; Triassic at 7 N. Main St.; the Framed Image at 59 E. Center St.; and Moonflower Community Cooperative at 39 E. 100 North.

Other upcoming art events include the Visual Art and Open Mic Show for Mental Health Awareness Month at the MARC on Friday, May 20. The 24th annual Moab Arts Festival is on Memorial Day weekend, May 28 and 29.

Moab Art Walk returns to nine venues on May 14

“We have some really beautiful artwork here; we have amazing artists.”

When: Saturday, May 14, 6 to 9 p.m.

Where: Various locations in downtown Moab

Cost: Free

Information: www.moabartwalk.com; or 435-259-6272

For more information, go to www.moabartwalk.com, or call 435-259-6272.

Author: Sharon Sullivan

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