Lorraine Danzo and Tom Conter

Meet the artists, learn about their techniques and be one of the first to see their newest collections.

Lorraine Danzo has created an entirely new body of work that will debut at First Friday. Also choose from her mixed media collage collection. In her own words, Lorraine discusses this new collection.

“My paintings of bears, fox and landscapes have been bold and straight forward. My new series is very different. I find that I have more to say and feel that you are never too old to reinvent yourself. In these new paintings,  I created a visual expression addressing the deep inner voice that needs to speak out about our world in flux. We have been blessed with the treasures of lofty mountains, bubbling streams, shimmering oceans and much more. Have we been greedily squandering this gift? Have we been appreciative and acting with wise stewardship? Our overwhelmed world shows our neglect and suffers from intense heat waves, rampaging floods, endless droughts and raging wild fires.

I have tried to tell the whole story in these paintings. They portray the simple beauty of the world and the intricate substructure of roots and complex natural forces that keep it all in balance.

My paintings are cameos of Earths beauty and are tributes to the glory we take for granted. They are warning’s of all that denial will cost.”

Tom Conter has created one of the best collections of live edge furniture for the August 5th event.  We have over 10 tables and over 10 clocks plus a fun variety of new products that will arrive just in time for First Friday.

“I have been a woodworker all of my life, even during my active 35-year business manager and consultant phase. I discovered live edge or natural edge woods in 2015, and I have been hooked ever since. This style incorporates the natural edge of the wood into the design of the piece making each one unique.

I travel to about five Colorado sawmills and to other states’ sawmills which deal in live edge wood. I search through their inventory looking for pieces with distinctive grain, colors and shapes. The wood which I purchase has been responsibly harvested from dead or dying old growth.

Almost all of the wood for my clocks is salvaged from the debris pile, thus saving it from the fireplace. Once again, I look for distinctive pieces of wood, many of  which require a lot of work to uncover the hidden beauty.

All of my pieces incorporate gem stone inlay (turquoise or other quality stones) to repair damaged knots or to fill cracks. Each piece undergoes ten to fifteen crafting steps to complete the unique look and feel of live edge tables and other furnishings.”