“Seen/UnSeen: an invitation to presence” by Staci Dickerson, Shelly Franklin, & Brenda Peters
“The Shadows” by Staci Dickerson (cold wax medium)
Thank you, Sponsors!
“Seen/UnSeen: an invitation to presence” is generously sponsored by Kat and Pete Rich who are longtime supporters of the arts and creativity in the Roaring Fork Valley. Thank you!
Enjoy the Artist Talks from opening night, August 18, 2023
Carbondale Arts presented a group exhibition featuring artists Staci Dickerson and Brenda Peters alongside floral artist Shelly Franklin who joined together to highlight the liberation that abstract work inspires & explore the beautiful differences these three artists created.
This show ran August 18 through September 21, 2023. The opening reception took place on Friday, August 18, from 5-7pm at The Launchpad, with an artist talk at 5:30pm.
A group show “Tiny Shiny Guild” curated by Natasha Seedorf and featuring 17 of her CMC jewelry students opened the same night in the first gallery space.
These 3 featured artists are long time Roaring Fork Valley residents. Staci paints on a variety of substrates primarily using oils, cold wax medium and other mixed media. Shelly uses natural materials and florals to express her designs and also creates the ceramics vessels that embrace her compositions. Brenda paints on canvas with acrylics, but using a stick rather than a brush to blend color to reflect the many moods of her works.
Staci Dickerson, Carbondale, CO
Staci Dickerson, a 43+ year Carbondale resident, began her journey as an artist in the late 90’s. She has not stopped exploring her artistic voice since that time.
She is a staff member of Carbondale Arts; a dynamic art organization that nurtures and supports her passion for the arts in her own life, in the lives of her fellow artists and in that of our communities.
She shows her work frequently in local and regional art shows winning numerous awards including, the prestigious Carbondale Arts Valley Visual Art Show Peoples Choice Award in 2006, 2012 and 2017; Jurors Choice Award, First and Second Place Professional Category Glenwood Springs Fall Art Festival. As well, she has displayed at the Colorado State Capitol and had a solo exhibit at Morgridge Commons, a CMC ArtShare Gallery.
Being the consummate student, Dickerson, throughout the years, has studied painting, drawing and the creative process with a wide variety of teachers. She completed the Art 2 Life-Creative Visionary Program in 2018 and the The Artists Mindset Program in 2022. As often as possible, Staci attends Anderson Ranch courses and lectures as well as continued self-study in the arts.
Learn more about Staci and her work on Instagram @stacilane72
Shelly Franklin, Aspen, CO
Originally from California, I am a long time RF valley resident, and have raised my family here. I am formally trained in floral design, and am a student of Sogetsu. I am committed to my practice, and love the disciplined freedom required for this art form.
As an abstract floral artist, I strive to create original arrangements using plant material. Sofu Teshigahara, the founder of Sogetsu, (the avant garde school of Ikebana) uses " a fresh approach" as one of his guiding principles. I embrace this principle, along with color, line and mass, to connect nature to any space or place of my choosing. The perishable quality of this work creates frequent opportunities to grow and expand.
Brenda Peters, Carbondale, CO
Brenda J Peters is an artist from Carbondale Colorado. Brenda’s paintings illuminate abstracts with a unique expression of colors and shapes. Her early works focus on an abstract-contemporary style while her recent works exhibit some impressionistic styling. She is inspired by nature, the weather, and changing moods and colors both bring.
Brenda was born and raised in Leamington Spa, England, and moved to London as a young woman. She enrolled in a textile design class where her raw talent was exposed. She completed a one year pre-diploma course at Ealing Art School, London, and then went on to earn a diploma at Portsmouth Polytechnic, where she graduated with First Class Honors.
Working from a studio in Canterbury, Kent, following Art school, she continued painting for several years. It was here she shared her space with an artist from Boulder, CO for one year, and thought about moving to the United States.
In 1976, she had an opportunity to earn a Masters in Fine Art degree at Eastern Illinois University. After this, she settled in Boulder and met and married her husband. She continued painting until 1985, when she took a hiatus to spend more time with her children. Five years later, she moved to Carbondale with her family to live in a more rural part of the state.
Surrounded by nature and abundant beauty from every window, Brenda was inspired to begin painting again in 2010. She paints from her studio on the grounds of her home which is perched high on a hill overlooking the Roaring Fork Valley, with majestic Mt. Sopris in the background.