Arts and Fall Colors in Vail CO
By Eileen Ogintz
VAIL CO — Cristoff Keyonnie couldn’t have picked a better time to visit Vail for the first time—it was peak weekend for leaf peeping… glorious yellows and oranges everywhere you looked.
But that was just a bonus for Keyonnie, an Arizona artist ([email protected] and @cederspringsstudio). He was one of the 50+ artists here for the inaugural Artisan Rhapsody festival that took over Vail Village with artists showing and demonstrating their work.
There were jewelry makers, photographers, painters, furniture makers, clothing designers, potters and more. Keyonnie, who specializes in native American and Western art especially appreciated the variety of the artists. “You can stand out more,” he explained.
“With such a mix of artists, everyone can stand out,” agreed Ashleigh Cochran (www.ashleighcohranstudio.com) who creates beautiful needlepoint pieces.
“This highlights local artists and that’s important,” said Connie Terrado who can customize beautiful wood pieces on the spot (www.peaksedge.com,) as well as selling hats with stick on stickers for kids.
We were staying at The Hythe, a luxury collection hotel at Lion’s Head, about a mile from Vail Village. The hotel was busy with leaf peepers and wedding guests—two weddings at the top of Vail Mountain this weekend. Few were aware of the new arts festival.
“100 per cent this is good for Vail,” agreed Ramsey Cotter, who makes cowboy boots beautiful with repurposed materials and works with her dad at J. Cotter Gallery here in the village for decades (www.jcottergallery.com). Cotter, who grew up in Vail, said she believes events like this encourage curiosity and help people to find common ground. “I think the creative industries are making a comeback here,” she said. “I Love it.”
But not everyone does. “There are too many festivals,” grumped one Vail Village store owner, explaining her business is down whenever a festival takes place.
Others were enthused by the workshops — zooming with a well-known German artist or learning how to turn your photos into art with the use of light, for example, as well as painting and glass art workshops through the Vail Valley Art Guild. There were food trucks—bao buns, sushi, pizza, brisket sandwiches, and Colorado wine tastings.
“It’s fun to see the artists actually painting… you don’t see that at art festivals,” observed Liz Gladitsch, who lives nearby in Edwards.
“It makes you feel good, seeing all the art and artists,” agreed her friend Courtney Kline, also from Edwards.
What’s also nice is there is a range of price points –- from custom tee shirts, napkins, and bags,) to large paintings and photographs for thousands of dollars. Keyonnie, for example, had prints starting at $30; There were plenty of jewelry for under $100.
“I really think this gets people inspired, even if they aren’t creative,” said Jaimme Leigh, showcasing her spectacular framed photographs of nature and the outdoors. (www.jlphotoartgallery.com) “It’s a delightful surprise for people who didn’t know about the new festival and came for the leaf peeping.
“Even if I don’t sell anything,” said Shannon McFate, who was working on a large painting, “This is a great experience.”