In this Issue
Meet Colorado Artist Elizabeth Mock
Colorado artist Elizabeth Mock has created ceramics off and on over the years, but when she and her family returned to the state eight years ago, she was looking for a way to form new connections. Pottery offered an important outlet for Mock, who uses the clay as her “canvas,” creating intricate, hand-carved designs. You may have seen Mock’s work on display – Kirkland Museum has two of her works in its collection – or in the Museum Store, where she offers functional art pieces such as mugs and vases.
“It’s all very decorative,” Mock says. “It’s one of a kind and made with a lot of love.”
What’s In Store? Shop Unique Holiday Gifts.
This holiday season, stock up on festive gifts and goodies for you and the ones you love! The Store features limited edition pieces including the Moonlight at Timberline candles, which boast an enchanting smell of cedar and pine. These one-of-a-kind soy candles are hand-poured in Fort Collins. They are inspired by Vance Kirkland’s 1951 piece Moonlight at Timberline and synesthesia (a fancy name for experiencing one of your senses through another, like smelling a painting or hearing color). We are also delighted to offer a unique array of holiday ornaments, including a peacock-patterned blue and gold piece, as well as an extensive collection of design-centered scarves, jewelry and more. Shop our entire collection here!
Shop in-store or online – members always receive 10% off their purchases!
Give the Gift of Kirkland Museum Membership
Membership to Kirkland Museum is the gift that keeps on giving. When you give a Kirkland Museum membership – for the holidays or any occasion – you continue the vision of our namesake artist, Vance Kirkland, by supporting the work of some of Colorado’s finest painters, sculptors and ceramists.
Last Chance to See the Pawel Kontny Wall Rotation
First displayed for the launch of the new Kontny book by author Stan Cuba, Founding Director & Curator Emeritus Hugh Grant has curated eight Kontny works in the Visitor Lounge – on view until early January. Read about it in Hugh’s own words:
One of Colorado’s most important and unusual painters, Pawel (Paul) Kontny (1923–2002, Silesian) is the subject of a book published last spring. The 316-page book with many color plates is authored by Stan Cuba, and I contributed a three-page Foreword. It is now in stock in our Museum Store. Nineteen of the paintings shown in the book are in Kirkland Museum’s Collection, demonstrating the strength of the Museum’s holdings. The book is a scholarly, well researched and entertaining piece of writing by Stan Cuba. A self-portrait by Kontny is on the cover.
Kontny’s paintings range in style from near-Realism to Regionalism to Abstraction. Kontny is also a master of pastel, watercolor, oil, charcoal, Conté crayon and the unique medium of marble dust with oil glazes. I know of no other painter who used marble dust, and the results are astounding.
Kontny was born in Silesia, now part of Poland and Germany, but came to Denver in 1962 with his wife, Irmgard, a ballet dancer. I remember Vance Kirkland telling me about conversations he had with Kontny, regarding their various depictions of the cosmos, about classical music, their travels and how impressed he was with Kontny’s paintings.
Because of Kontny’s importance, I curated a wall in the Visitor Lounge, with eight of his paintings, including the spectacular Grand Canyon (c. 1990, currently on view), rendered in marble dust and oil glazes. Kontny’s sense of humor is evident in titles like Aztec Calendar and Guide of Ancient Astronomers, both executed with marble dust and oil glazes. They and other titles like them seem humorous in that he is saying his modern abstract forms are whimsically a Guide of Ancient Astronomers or are an Aztec Calendar. Members will have a major treat when they experience a variety of Kontny paintings at Kirkland Museum.
Kontny’s works are on display in more than one spot in the Museum. Compare Kontny’s use of marble dust mixed with oil glazes in realistic paintings like the Grand Canyon with the same technique in Untitled (Cosmos Series) in Promenade Gallery 2.
New On View: Kirkland Painting Added Behind Welcome Desk
Vance Kirkland’s Creation of Space was recently featured in our Cosmos exhibit. So many visitors loved this piece we decided to keep it on view as the first thing to see as you enter the Museum.
What Else is New On View?
Aquamarine by Colorado artist Virginia Maitland is now on display outside Temporary Gallery 12.
Save the Date
Our 2024 schedule includes new programming and an exhibition showcasing our three collections.
NEW PROGRAMMING SERIES
Gallery Glimpses: Curatorial Insights
Every First Thursday of the Month, February–December 2024, Hourly 11am to 4pm
Every first Thursday of the month, from February through December of 2024, visitors will have the opportunity to engage directly with Kirkland Museum’s curatorial staff in an intimate and immersive experience focused on the paintings by Colorado artists on display. This fosters a deeper connection to the artworks and the artists who created them. Attendees will gain a heightened appreciation for the cultural and historical significance embedded within each piece.
With a different gallery featured each month, participants can expect a fresh and dynamic perspective on the state’s artistic heritage. The discussions will take place throughout the day, at the top of each hour, from 11am to 4pm, ensuring ample opportunities for everyone to join in.
This enlightening experience comes at no extra cost and requires no advance registration. In the event of high interest, guests will be accommodated in smaller, more intimate groups to ensure the most enriching experience possible.
EXTENDED HOURS
Art After Hours
Third Friday of Each Month, February–December 2024, 5pm to 7pm
Starting in February 2024, and continuing every third Friday of the month, the Museum’s doors will remain open until 7pm. This is an invitation to indulge whether visitors are looking for a post-work escape, a charming date night, or simply an opportunity to revel in the beauty of fine art and design. A cash bar and delectable nibbles await, adding an extra layer of sophistication to Friday Happy Hour.
Regular admission provides access. Members are free.
NEW EXHIBITION
Vanity & Vice: American Art Deco
May 22, 2024 through January 12, 2025
Member Preview Day May 21
Vanity & Vice: American Art Deco explores the dynamic designs that emerged during the rebellious years of 1920–1933. This exhibition invites visitors into two distinct spaces occupied by a progressive Prohibition-era woman: her boudoir and a speakeasy. Explore the Art Deco objects that filled these rooms and how they reflect a time of freedom and change.
American women were enjoying more independence inside and outside the home. Cutting hair into a chic bob, wearing rouge on lips and cheeks, hosting cocktail parties, and publicly consuming alcohol and tobacco all reinforced what it meant to be a modern woman. American designers and manufacturers responded to these societal changes with fashionable perfume atomizers & vanity sets and drinking & smoking accessories in the latest styles.
Kirkland in the News
See the latest mentions of Kirkland Museum in the media:
Hundreds of Things to Do in Colorful Colorado This Fall
Are you ready to turn over a new cultural leaf?
Retirement announced by Kirkland Museum founding director | NONPROFIT REGISTER
Hugh Grant, founding director and curator of the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, has announced he is retiring from the day-to-day operations of the 20-year-old museum located in Denver’s Golden Triangle.
Empower Artful Experiences
Learn how we can partner to celebrate and support arts and culture in 2024. To start the conversation contact: [email protected].
Thank you to the following businesses for their generous in-kind support:
Meet Colorado Artist Elizabeth Mock
Full Story
Colorado artist Elizabeth Mock has created ceramics off and on over the years, but when she and her family returned to the state eight years ago, she was looking for a way to form new connections. Pottery offered an important outlet for Mock, who uses the clay as her “canvas,” creating intricate, hand-carved designs. You may have seen Mock’s work on display – Kirkland Museum has two of her works in its collection – or in the Museum Store, where she offers functional art pieces such as mugs and vases.
“It’s all very decorative,” Mock says. “It’s one of a kind and made with a lot of love.”
What sparked your interest in ceramics?
I don’t have an art background at all; I think my last art class was in seventh grade. My husband bought me my first pottery class, so that’s how it started. That was about 18 years ago, but there were big breaks in between. It kind of grew on me, and then in the last five years, I’ve been doing it sort of nonstop, but it was all very unexpected.
It’s very therapeutic. That was part of why I got back into it (after) the move. It was really hard, and to have something to take your mind off of everything else that’s going on … It’s safe and comforting; you set the tone. It’s also a great way to meet people. I’ve met so many great people through the (Colorado Potters) Guild.
When you’re creating, what aspect do you enjoy most?
I think the decorating part of it has always appealed to me the most. I’ve always seen the clay as a canvas – even when I was really terrible. I would throw this wonky cup, and I’m a major perfectionist, so I think, I wonder if I can make this a little bit better. So I would even take just a trimming tool and start carving into it. I would start adding color to it or taking pieces away from it. As I got better at throwing, my decorations also improved, and I felt like my confidence grew as my throwing progressed. It was nice to not have that, “Oh, I’m afraid to make the first line,” because I wasn’t afraid to ruin it.
Where do you take inspiration for your work?
I think early on I would use anything as inspiration. I would see textiles, tattoos, leather work – anything that caught my eye – jewelry, stained-glass windows and think automatically, how can I apply that to a bowl or a platter?
I recently have kind of stopped looking outside for inspiration and kind of just sit down and try not to think about it at all, and just do it, and so that’s kind of fun because I don’t really know how it’s gonna end up.
It’s really kind of freeing in a way.
What I often do, especially on the big pieces that I’m collaborating on, I’ll figure out, do I want to carve it? Do I want to do sgraffito, cover the whole thing with underglaze or colors or do the inlay? So that’s my first step is I do those three things, and then I will either break it up into sections and do something like geometric or patterns, or go into something floral, but really trying not to think too much about it when I’m doing it.
Right now, I’m really inspired by Korean pottery; just like perfection, beautiful and just major goals … like something to strive for. It’s just so beautiful.
What was it like when Kirkland Museum approached you about acquiring some of your works for its collection?
I was shocked; I was not expecting it. It was just really exciting. it doesn’t quite seem real. It’s just, you know, it’s amazing. I think it’s anyone who makes anything, you don’t think you’re going to be in a museum, because I do it for fun.
Tell us about those works that the Museum has acquired.
The Black and White Floral Jar is a collaboration with Robert Harris. Like I said, I never really know what I’m gonna do with them at the time. And we don’t really discuss it either; he’s like, do whatever you want. So that one is all sgraffito, and all I did was a band of black around it – because I love black and white – and just carved away at it.
The Butterfly Dish has some inlay in the Mishima style, where you carve the picture into the pot, and then put the color inside, and then I scrape it away. Then I painted, kind of like an adult coloring book, so that one’s decorated front and back. And I just tried to go really bold with it.
You sell at the Museum Store as well. Tell us a little bit about some of the items that you’ve got in the shop.
It’s mostly functional cups and mugs, vases, platters, and then a lot of the collaboration pieces as well, so large vases.
It’s all very decorative. It’s either carved sgraffito or inlaid and all done free hand. Nothing’s really the same; I try not to repeat things too often.
It’s one of a kind and made with a lot of love.
What do you like about making functional art pieces?
I really like the idea of having something that appeals to you, that feels a little luxurious, but you can also use every day. I want it to feel like your favorite pair of earrings, where it’s comfortable, but it brings you a little joy every day.
I want it to be held, and you can feel the texture or enjoy the colors or know that somebody took their time and care and patience making it.
When you’re at Kirkland Museum, do you have a favorite piece or gallery space?
I love seeing all the Colorado artists exhibited. I met (ceramist) Sarah Christensen through the (Colorado Potters) Guild. It’s fun to see our pots near each other; it’s really special to me. I just think it’s a great collection. I think it’s a real gem of Denver. I’m so excited and honored to be included.
