Committed Relationships And New Flings
A quilt designed by Edward Larson, stitched by Fran Soika in 2000, dimensions are 38"h x 33"w
Like a theatre, art galleries produce a series of shows every year, and after more than 25 years in business gallery owners like Marty Hibberd and Terry McGrath (Hibberd McGrath Gallery) and Gary and Janet Freese (Breckenridge Gallery)know scheduling requires advanced planning as well as sound judgment and creative thinking.
For example, Hibberd and McGrath developed a group show concept celebrating winter. “The idea of sleds I thought would be kind of fun,” Hibberd explains. They then expanded that idea to more images of winter, asking five textile artists to display small works holiday visitors can purchase.
Breckenridge Gallery determines its show schedule based on what their collectors want to see, according to Gary Freese. They review more than 100 portfolios every year and accept new artists whose work “Janet and I truly like and respect,” he says. “We don’t look at artists who are the most commercially acceptable.” 
“While we lean toward the impressionist style in painting,” Freese notes the gallery shows everything from classical realism to abstraction. Occasionally, they introduce an artist with a few works in the general gallery. If the response is strong from the gallery’s collectors’ base, which the Freese’s have been building for more than 30 years, they rotate that artist into the one-person show schedule.
“Not everyone wants a show,” Freese comments. “It’s a commitment to tie up a large group of work. For a painter that means anywhere from 12 to 36 pieces depending on size.”
This winter Breckenridge Gallery debuts the first show for painter John Taft, a former movie set designer from New York who now lives in Colorado and paints landscapes in oil. Perry Brown will have his third one-man show, and painter Richard D. Thomas his 27th.
The gallery’s relationship with Thomas began in 1977 when Freese’s former partner, David Baker, met the artist in a Breckenridge bar. “He found a lot of artists for us when he used to hang out in bars,” says,” says Freese.
Quilts started the warm, professional relationship between Hibberd McGrath Gallery and folk artist Ed Larson, who first showed five quilts and some whirligig at the gallery in 1986.
Larson’s edginess caused the relationship to continue and thrive. Quilts are big, contemporary canvases for Larson, who is as mild mannered as any Norwegian Bachelor Farmer from Lake Woebegone, but as satirical as Minnesotan Al Franken.
The gallery usually mounts an annual show of Larson’s paintings and whirligigs; this January, however, McGrath and Hibberd presents an entire gallery exhibition of Larson’s quilts.
Featured are up to nine quilts fresh from a Houston exhibition of political quilts, as well as another dozen or so of Larson’s biographical, autobiographical and satirical quilts from other galleries. “We don’t know how we’re going to hang them all,” Hibberd comments, “but it’s an idea we’ve talked about for ten years.”
Larson’s quilts are collaborations. He draws the patterns for the images, chooses the colors and works with one quilter at a time. He already has outlived several of the craftwomen who also sign his quilts.
Hibberd McGrath specializes in fine crafts focusing primarily on fibers, ceramics, metalsmithing and painting in a folk art style like Larson’s. In March, the gallery will show the embroidery work of Carol Shinn, whose style Hibberd described as photo-realism with thread.
“We look for artists that do one-of-a-kind work,” says Hibberd. “We might include a new artist in a group show to get a read on how that person is going to do and if it is a good fit. Our decisions are totally subjective based on what Terry and I think.” Ultimately, every gallery is a portrait of the owner’s taste and opinion.
A startling contrast of tastes is how Jim Tylich started his gallery business that today includes Breckenridge Fine Art Gallery, Vail Fine Art, Santa Fe Fine Art, Aspen Fine Art and more. As a young man, Tylich was employed in an Aspen gallery. One day, an older artist with a foreign accent came in to show his portfolio.
While Tylich was amazed by the quality of the work, the gallery owner sent the artist packing, and Tylich followed him outside. He said, “Mr. Csoka, I don’t have my own gallery yet, but when I do I would be honored to show your work.” This is how Breckenridge Fine Art Gallery manager Paul Cohen relates the incident; the rest of the story is a long association between Tylich and Stephen Csoka, and now his estate.
Csoka started Tylich on a path to find other under-appreciated artists, which led to a long relationship with Vladimir Krantz, who avoided the Socialist Realism period by working as a designer while painting landscapes behind the state’s view. Krantz introduced Tylich to another Russian artist, and others, and the links continue. “Jim just loves Impressionism,” Cohen says, “and he travels the world to find it.”
Sometimes, Impressionists find him. Polish artist Michal Zaborowski contacted Tylich through the gallery website and invited Tylich to Crakow. The two formed a lasting relationship and Zaborowski is the subject of a major show at Breckenridge Fine Art this winter. “His paintings are huge and we’re going to clear out the entire back gallery for him,” notes Cohen.
Inviting artists to work in the large gallery space is how Breckenridge Fine Art features a few of their artists each season. Cohen explains he chose to invite Zaborowski because he had not been to Colorado. Because he paints on such a large scale, he offers something new to people who like to come into the gallery and watch artists at work.
Among other artists scheduled for the Breckenridge Fine Art are Don Sahli and Jerry Georgeff. “Georgeff is a gourmet cook and when he comes, he cooks fantastic food, and entertains everyone,” says Cohen. The Fine Arts galleries’ stable also features artists who come to Breckenridge to photograph and create drawings, paintings and artwork specific to the area.
Andre Turner has done the same thing for Bellville Gallerie, painting in a plein air style — outdoors — depicting the local landscapes. This new gallery run by Dorianne Taylor specializes in bringing European artwork to Summit County.
Columbine Gallery in Frisco is working on the same model for its special events for the first time this season.
On Sundays, Mondays and Fridays, painter Kris Lee works in the gallery. “What she’s working on here,” according to owner Bill Bickerton, “are paintings using very thick acrylic paint, with very few colors; she then puts colored glass through the canvas and puts a string of lights behind it. I haven’t seen anything like it before. They’re very beautiful.”
Terry Talty is the editor of a webzine called unsafeArt.com where she writes about contemporary art
