Moab Happenings Archive
Return to home

GALLERY HAPPENINGS August 2008

Cat's Lair Collection Shows Unique Art

Cat’s Lair Collection is a Contemporary Art Gallery in Moab, Utah. We feature local, regional, and international artists. You will find sculptures, beautiful pottery, glass, wood and metal works, most unique photographs and thought provoking paintings, azurite crystal roses, hand spun wool & silk, light & colour.

Moab is a small town located in the red rock desert of southwestern Utah. It is world famous for its spectacular natural beauty and is one of the greatest places for hiking, biking, river trips and jeeping adventures. Nevertheless, in this beautiful surrounding there are many talented and devoted artists who live and work here, quietly interpreting the natural beauty around them into stunning works of contemporary art.

So, we are searching for the hidden and known talents in our region and beyond, so you, our visitors, will enjoy the refreshing experience of original art.

This month we would like to talk about three artists which we have been enjoying to represent in our gallery.

Richard Bailey (Oil Painter)
Richard Bailey Oil PaintingRichard Bailey was born and graduated from school here in Moab, where he still has numerous relatives. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Utah. He received his Masters degree in Political Science from the University of Southern California. He is a retired lieutenant colonel of the U. S. Air Force where he was a pilot, instructor and examiner.

While living in the Netherlands for several years, Richard developed his artistic style which presents a raw natural talent in combining color and texture in a variety of medium and evolving newly discovered painting technique. A few of his paintings were purchased by two Art Museums in the Netherlands. Richard has many of his works in private collections through out Europe and other countries. Now he lives in Las Vegas, where he is represented by “Gallery P” and for the last 5 years he has been a part of a docent program in Las Vegas Museum of Art.

Mike and Penny Stevens (Blown Glass Artists)
Stevens Blown Glass ArtistsHusband & wife, Penny and Mike Stevens take turns working as the “gaffer” in their Salt Lake City Glass Studio.

The gaffer creates the design with chalk on the studio floor. The gaffer also gathers the hot molten glass (2000 degrees Fahrenheit) from the crucible inside the furnace onto a blowpipe. They use wooden blocks (molds) and a marver (steel plate) to shape, form and cool the glass. The blowpipe is continually returned to the heat of the glory hole to reheat the glass so the gaffer can continue to blow and shape the art. Once shaped, it is transferred to another pipe called a punty. This allows the gaffer to use a tool called "jacks" to open the shape into the desired final form. The art is then put into the annealing oven for cooling and tempering. Each piece is signed by the gaffer, numbered and dated and is a unique individual piece of art glass. Their glass works displays a beautiful and vibrant colors of free flowing glass forms and colorful balls.

Terry Horton (Fused glass Artist)
Horton Fused Glass Artist“As an apprentice in a glass studio, I discovered my passion for the art of fusing. It was not long before I purchased my first kiln and started to let my imagination and creativity shape the future of my designs. I have committed myself to the study of hot glass art. One of the things I enjoy the most is my classroom experience teaching others the art of fusing glass.”

“Several of my fused glass art projects are accented by a bold splash of color, a whimsical charm or a unique accent. I love the challenge of incorporating various mediums and findings with my own original glass shapes, styles and patters. This collaboration of elements has helped me create a festive collection of personalized works. I’m always looking for and inventing new ways to display the works of my craft.”

As long as you are here in the gallery, check out the new and unique jewelry by Olga Martinova. Olga works at her jeweler’s bench and greets her customers, who appreciate the opportunity to meet the artist and watch her work. She makes many custom beaded earrings and necklaces upon request; you can watch her make your piece while you wait.

Her strong designs are naturalistic, resembling leaves and vines and desert thunderstorms, but her materials and techniques result in pieces that are sleek and modern. Her new designs are incorporation of fiber techniques into a metal.

She also spin wool and silk. Often you can see her spinning when you walk into a gallery. She gives demonstrations to customers who have never seen this ancient art practiced in real life.

Of course we have something special for people who love to play and create with fibers - hand spun wool and silk! We also have a nice selection of stone beads for all the people who like to express their creativity in jewelry making. If you’re passing through Moab, we’d like to invite you to take a few minutes to stop in and enjoy the refreshing experience of original art! In Eddie McStiff’s Plaza, where you see the big yellow cat above its rocky lair, you know you’re in the right place!

Cat’s Lair Collection
59 South Main St.
Moab, UT 84532
(435) 259-2458
www.catslaircollection.com

Return to Archive Index
return to home
 
Return to home