Will work for art: The A.V. Club goes looking for quality art that won't bust your wallet.
Mini #15 by Amanda Marie
In a financial climate where Top Ramen sales are at an all-time high, budgeting for fine art may seem impractical. But here in Denver, plenty of local artists and galleries have cheap, original pieces that look incredible and could even later prove to be a sound fiscal investment. The A.V. Club went shopping for this city’s best recession art and came up with more than our dollars' worth.
Lucas Richards, "Hornaments"
Professing to be the discoverer of a lost civilization of furry, big-eyed Horndribbles, Lucas Richards earned a unique place in Denver's art scene as a textile artist with a Fraggle Rock edge. This year, Richards scaled his cuddly little monsters down into 85 original Christmas tree "Hornaments." The furry, miniature creatures are on display and available for purchase for $30 to $40 at City, O' City through Dec. 31.
Professing to be the discoverer of a lost civilization of furry, big-eyed Horndribbles, Lucas Richards earned a unique place in Denver's art scene as a textile artist with a Fraggle Rock edge. This year, Richards scaled his cuddly little monsters down into 85 original Christmas tree "Hornaments." The furry, miniature creatures are on display and available for purchase for $30 to $40 at City, O' City through Dec. 31.
Sandi Calistro, paintings
Sandi Calistro's strangely striking paintings may not be extravagantly sized, but their 1920s-inspired aesthetic and stylized appeal pack a lot of punch into a small space. The whimsically unsettling images depict surreal mythology, dreamlike characters, and general misfortune. Signed Giclée prints of the paintings are $35 to $65 at IndyInk.
Sandi Calistro's strangely striking paintings may not be extravagantly sized, but their 1920s-inspired aesthetic and stylized appeal pack a lot of punch into a small space. The whimsically unsettling images depict surreal mythology, dreamlike characters, and general misfortune. Signed Giclée prints of the paintings are $35 to $65 at IndyInk.
Doug Erion, etchings
Loveland-based painter Doug Erion's large-scale images of architecture and landscape may be out of reach for those struggling to balance fine art and utility bills, but his small-scale etchings are a steal at under a hundred bucks. His intimate yet comfortable images of the human form are sweetly abstract rather than erotically charged, making them a more subtle—and affordable—way to own a nude or semi-nude. Erion's pieces are available at Gallery East in Loveland.
Loveland-based painter Doug Erion's large-scale images of architecture and landscape may be out of reach for those struggling to balance fine art and utility bills, but his small-scale etchings are a steal at under a hundred bucks. His intimate yet comfortable images of the human form are sweetly abstract rather than erotically charged, making them a more subtle—and affordable—way to own a nude or semi-nude. Erion's pieces are available at Gallery East in Loveland.
Jim J. Narcy, pinup photography
Westword photographer Jim Narcy turns his lens away from the mean streets of Denver and toward ladies in stockings with his vintage-inspired pinup art. While Narcy keeps busy with his infamous pinup parties (like the Tupperware kind, but with more corsets), a select number of his prints are available for purchase for $75 to $125 at Tooey's Off Colfax through Dec. 31. Showcasing tattooed women and politically provocative themes, these are not your granddaddy's girly pictures.
Westword photographer Jim Narcy turns his lens away from the mean streets of Denver and toward ladies in stockings with his vintage-inspired pinup art. While Narcy keeps busy with his infamous pinup parties (like the Tupperware kind, but with more corsets), a select number of his prints are available for purchase for $75 to $125 at Tooey's Off Colfax through Dec. 31. Showcasing tattooed women and politically provocative themes, these are not your granddaddy's girly pictures.
Amanda Marie, miniatures
Amanda Marie's miniature paintings offer all the exuberant, unabashedly winsome charm of her larger pieces in a tiny, 6-inch-square package. Depicting subject matter as diverse as a robot attack, safety at crosswalks, and cheerful pterodactyls, the artist's quirky stencil-and-paint techique works even in the wee, tile-like format of miniature. A wide selection of her pieces are available at Andenken Gallery for $100 each, tempting even stingy art buyers to collect the whole set.
Amanda Marie's miniature paintings offer all the exuberant, unabashedly winsome charm of her larger pieces in a tiny, 6-inch-square package. Depicting subject matter as diverse as a robot attack, safety at crosswalks, and cheerful pterodactyls, the artist's quirky stencil-and-paint techique works even in the wee, tile-like format of miniature. A wide selection of her pieces are available at Andenken Gallery for $100 each, tempting even stingy art buyers to collect the whole set.
Scot LeFavor, collage/painting
Using found objects, textual elements, and his own deeply fertile imagination, Scot LeFavor's work brings a 21st century toughness to his Roy Lichtenstein aesthetic. While his larger pieces can draw up to and over $3,000, LeFavor's smaller works are available for as little as $50 on his website. Combining graphically intense icons with a graffiti artist's sensibility, even LeFavor's smaller works have a lot to say.
Sarah Haney, photography
Sarah Haney plays with Barbie dolls in ways even the most jaded of little girls probably never imagined. Disturbed by the toy's ever-present smile, Haney decided to explore a world where Barbie has a cheating man and a pink Corvette in hock. The photographer's stark black-and-white images of the plastic icon's darker side show Barbie turning tricks and doing lines, while Ken cross-dresses and fools around behind closed doors. Haney's framed pieces fetch $200, but unframed, the 5 inch by 7 inch dry-mounted prints of Barbie's underworld escapades are available at her website for $60.
Using found objects, textual elements, and his own deeply fertile imagination, Scot LeFavor's work brings a 21st century toughness to his Roy Lichtenstein aesthetic. While his larger pieces can draw up to and over $3,000, LeFavor's smaller works are available for as little as $50 on his website. Combining graphically intense icons with a graffiti artist's sensibility, even LeFavor's smaller works have a lot to say.
Sarah Haney, photography
Sarah Haney plays with Barbie dolls in ways even the most jaded of little girls probably never imagined. Disturbed by the toy's ever-present smile, Haney decided to explore a world where Barbie has a cheating man and a pink Corvette in hock. The photographer's stark black-and-white images of the plastic icon's darker side show Barbie turning tricks and doing lines, while Ken cross-dresses and fools around behind closed doors. Haney's framed pieces fetch $200, but unframed, the 5 inch by 7 inch dry-mounted prints of Barbie's underworld escapades are available at her website for $60.
Lindsey Kuhn, serigraphs
Skulls, fantasy warrior queens, and scary three-eyed clowns are ubiquitous in Lindsey Kuhn's feverish, screen-printed reality. With a background in graphic art, Kuhn crafts work that focuses on the re-imagining of commercial images in sometimes disturbing ways. Kuhn's super-saturated colors and rock-poster look bring a playfulness to his work, which ranges in subject from skateboarding antics to a Pokémon lynching. Big (22- and 26-inch) serigraphs are available from the artist's website or through Andenken Gallery's online shop.
Skulls, fantasy warrior queens, and scary three-eyed clowns are ubiquitous in Lindsey Kuhn's feverish, screen-printed reality. With a background in graphic art, Kuhn crafts work that focuses on the re-imagining of commercial images in sometimes disturbing ways. Kuhn's super-saturated colors and rock-poster look bring a playfulness to his work, which ranges in subject from skateboarding antics to a Pokémon lynching. Big (22- and 26-inch) serigraphs are available from the artist's website or through Andenken Gallery's online shop.
