Park Hill Fine Arts Festival Turns Three

60 Artists Represented at May 20-22 Event

GPHN Staff report

For the third year, Park Hill Arts Festival founder Darren Skanson of CCM Events is presenting a juried fine arts and fine craft show showcasing 60 fine artists from Colorado and beyond.

The arts festival is Friday, May 20 through Sunday, May 22 at the Park Hill Masonic Lodge grounds at 4819 E Montview Blvd. Admission is free.

This year’s featured artist is watercolorist Carmel Walden. Other artists represent the range of mediums, from oil, acrylic, watercolor pastel, charcoal, and mixed media paintings, as well as bronze, stone, metal, mixed media, and glass sculptures. Others specialize in functional stoneware, raku ceramics, inlaid wood turned bowl, one-of-a-kind jewelry, silk fabrics, and color and black & white photography.

“I love to be able to invite these artists to be a part of the show in my own neighborhood, where people are so supportive of the arts,” said Skanson, a longtime Park Hill resident, arts promoter and musician. “In putting this together, I wanted to make sure we have artists who can appeal to all range of buyers. That said, this is a fine art show, it’s not a craft show.”

Prices for the various works range anywhere from $50 to $20,000, Skanson said.

Every day leading up to the event, Skanson is featuring an artist who will be showing at the festival, on the organization’s Park Hill Arts Fest Facebook page. On the Saturday during the festival – as they did last year – organizers will hold a drawing for a $1,000 art spree at 3 p.m. Past winners used the $1,000 toward a higher-priced painting, as well as jewelry and a porcelain vase, Skanson said.

People can ask any artist at the show for a ticket to enter the drawing. There is no cost, but they must be present to win.

In addition to the art, Skanson and his musical partner, Gregg Hansen, will perform throughout the weekend, blending classical and contemporary sounds.

For more information about the festival and the artists, check out www.parkhillartfestival.com