Bud Werner Memorial Library

Artposia: A public forum designed for people who appreciate literature, contemporary art and the multidisciplinary exploration of ideas.

Spend an evening with the Colorado Art Ranch artists in residence  for the 2012 Art + Land/Water Residency at The Nature Conservancy's Carpenter Ranch. As their one-month residency comes to a close, join the artists for a slideshow and talk about their creative work and its intersection with the land and water in the Yampa Valley.

About the Art + Land/Water artists and their September projects

Wendy Pabich is an environmental scientist, educator, adventurer and artist obsessed with all things water. As the founder and president of Water Futures, Inc., Wendy works to find innovative solutions to one of the planet’s most pressing problems – the quest for sustainable water. During her residency she .is creating a series of paintings intended to raise awareness and appreciation for water as a precious resource as part of an integrated project that includes the written word, verbal presentation, two-dimensional artworks, and an installation.

Camille DiTrani is exploring hydraulic fracturing for oil on the surrounding landscape via 150-160 balanced rock sculptures made from 632 various sized rocks inside a mock evaporation pond. She says, "The very current issue of hydraulic fracturing was my “inspiration” for this idea. It speaks to the direct threat of contamination to land and water perhaps right underneath the very spot my work would be installed. I see the balanced rocks as a metaphor. They represent the fractured stone. They are “teetering on the edge” oftentimes becoming unbalanced and falling. I work to find the balance."

Amy Laugesen is a sculptor and returning artist-in-residence. Founding American Quarter Horse sires, Hayden’s Old Fred and Peter McCue, were the sources of inspiration for a series of daily ceramic horse sculptures called the Hayden Herd, she created in September 2010. Her intension for this residency is to create a second series of sculptures that goes more in-depth into Hayden's rich horse heritage. Laugesen specializes in the creation of mixed media sculpture and public art. Her fragmented animal abstracts create a statement housed in both an ancient and contemporary context.

About Colorado Art Ranch
Colorado Art Ranch is a nomadic arts organization founded on the belief that the arts are an agent for change. It travels to Colorado towns each year to sponsor one-month residencies for visual and literary artists from around the world. Colorado Art Ranch also hosts a public forum to promote conversations on how art, and science intersect with land and social issues. Colorado Art Ranch envisions a world where creative interdisciplinary thinking is cultivated, valued, and used to solve land and social issues.