“Shaken, Stirred, Savored”, Solo Exhibitions by Lydia Riegle and Jean S

D’art Contemporary Art Gallery, in Denver’s Santa Fe Art District, Hosts “Shaken, Stirred, Savored”, Solo Exhibitions by Lydia Riegle and Jean Smith. 

D’art Gallery, located at 900 Santa Fe Drive, hosts “Shaken, Stirred, Savored”,Solo Exhibitions by Lydia Riegle and Jean Smith. The exhibition runs from Thursday, August 26 through Sunday, September 19, 2021.

Lydia Riegle and Jean Smith host an Opening Reception on Friday, August 27 from 5 – 9 pm. D’art Gallery participates in the “Sundays on Santa Fe” hosting a reception on Sunday August 29 from 11 am to 4 pm with artists talks from 1 – 3 pm. D’art Gallery will be open for Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe First Friday on Friday, September 3 from 6 – 9 pm. On Sunday, September 19 from 1 – 4 pm, the artists offer a “Meet the Artists” opportunity. 

“Shaken, Stirred, Savored” 

With a new twist on “Modernity at Play”, Riegle and Smith view their exhibition as a recipe for personal expression:  Combine equal parts: Creativity, Color, Iconic Form and Timelessness.

Seasoned art makers Jean B Smith and Lydia Riegle give the elements of creativity, color, iconic form and timelessness a shake, a stir and an interpretation guided by current day thinking to create new, intriguing and relevant artwork.

Descriptors of the widely recognized and well established Mid-Century Modern Design lean towards a bias of clean, simple line; smooth and flowing contour. Smith and Riegle take these qualities and employ different materials and different points of focus to go beyond the design of the well regarded modern style to arrive at new interpretations on some of the best from the past with a dash of playfulness. The artists create a rich and present day visual mix of ceramic sculptures, paintings and monotypes. The exhibition invites the art appreciator to experience the classic time period through the unique lens of each artist.

Lydia Riegle

Lydia Riegle paints contemporary abstractions using curiosity and engagement towards her personal history as an entry point into the exploration of new beginnings, diversity, and inclusiveness in her work. Her family immigrated to the United States in the early 1950’s challenged with a fresh start filled with a rich mix of different languages, thinking and culture. Lydia uses her work to express that one’s personal history informs today’s thinking and actions that results in value being created on many integrated levels. 

The exhibition gives a nod to Mid-Century Modern aesthetics that corresponds to the time when she arrived in the United States. Utilizing experimentation and memory. Lydia employs her personal expression to take a “look back to look forward”. Her paintings and print work feature centralized forms stacked in a way that explores balancing control and non-control with a sense of play to create her new body of work revealing a rich mix of yesterday and today.

Riegle combines a Degree in International Studies with an emphasis in Latin American Studies from the University of Colorado Denver and her experiences at art classes at the Art Students League of Denver to create her personal perspective towards her art making. Her work can be viewed at: https://lydiariegle.com, @lydia_riegle_artist

Jean Smith 

Jean Smith’s work reflects all the natural elements. With the clay coming from the earth, Jean adds water to make it palatable. Then, she applies fire to the clay in a kiln to change it into a solid form where the piece exists in the here and now surrounded by air. 

 Clay is Jean's main medium expressing through abstract shapes her response to Nature. Many of her pieces join unusual shapes together to emerge as a single ceramic sculpture in the minimalistic style of Alexander Calder, Joan Miro, and Carmen Herrera, in what she refers to as Mid-Century Modern, a timeless art movement that is still popular today. She groups many of the pieces together to create a feeling of energy, passion, or calmness. Some pieces are placed on a wall, while others are suspended from the ceiling and a third group seem to be sprouting from the ground.  

Jean has been a working artist since 1986 with exhibitions at many Denver area galleries. Her work is on view at https://www.jeanbsmith.com

Gallery Hours: Thursday, Noon to 5pm, Friday, Noon to 9 pm, Saturday, Noon to 5 pm, and Sunday, 1 pm to 4 pm. “Sundays on Santa Fe”, the last Sunday of each month, 11 am to 4 pm.