Last week my partner & I took a few days off to go explore Telluride and do some skiing.  It wound up being the perfect time to go because we were between weather systems –  there was snow on the ground, but the skies were sunny and the temperatures warm.

Telluride was settled with miners back in the mid-1800s and it still has much of it’s old town charm. While the mountain village overflows with tourists, I got the sense that the actual town itself is a community of locals. There are plenty of restaurants, shops and galleries to appeal to visitors and residents alike.

Of course, I took a few breaks from the slopes to check out the local art scene, a half-dozen galleries and a handful of studios.

The three that really caught my eye were

1. Gallery 81435  I am still not sure who was manning the store – I went in twice and never did see anyone else there.  The show was beautifully minimal, with black and white sculpture, woodblock prints and photographs.  I fell in love with Antonio Marra’s sculpture and Meredith Nemirov’s drawing series of tree details.
2. Oh-Be-Joyful Gallery  This gallery was a treat: the series of rooms were filled with landscape paintings from regional and national artists.
3. Telluride Gallery of Fine Art  Probably the most commercial of the galleries, they focus on contemporary photography, painting, sculpture and jewelry.  I caught the tail end of their winter “White” show and especially liked the ceramic works by Marc Leuthold and the encaustic panels by Shawna Moore.

Oh Be Joyful Art Gallery

Marc Leuthold at Gallery 81435

Shawna Moore at Telluride Gallery of Fine Art

Marshall Noice at Lustre Gallery

Telluride

Views everywhere we turn in Telluride

Skiing in Telluride