'Bright' lights up Firehouse Art Center with color, texture

The latest exhibit at Longmont’s Firehouse Art Center is titled “Bright,” which works both as a guide to the themes of the works on display and how the gallery space feels. Shocks of color peel the eye through the space, standing out defiantly against white walls. Four artists present four mediums, but all share a vibrancy that can’t be ignored. 

Firehouse Curator Brandy Coons put emphasis on the way the works function together. 

“I think the overall color impression really happens in the physical space; you get a better sense of how all the artists are working in a color space that meshes with each other, and that’s what the exhibit is really about,” she said.

Steven Frost’s work is powerful, poignant, weaving textiles into stories both political and personal. One of the pieces on display, blending plaid colors and synthetic and natural materials, was inspired by isolation during the coronavirus pandemic as a reflection on the social isolation caused by sexism and homophobia in the ’80s, framed through memories of his family. Other pieces hold similar emotional weight, a blending of technique, materials, humor and social commentary. The lively and unique tapestries occupy space in a way that demands attention, interspersed among the rest of the exhibit.

 

Making use of the space is key for both artists and curators, and all the better when the art can defy expectations. The idea of sculpture evokes images of marble, ceramic and metals, but art must at times surpass tradition. Charis Fleshner is a conceptual artist based out of Colorado, whose contribution to the exhibit comes in the many bright shapes of soft sculptures. 

In her artist’s statement to the Firehouse, Fleshner said, “The colors I chose to create with seek to express the life, joy, and vibrancy I felt when emotionally connecting with the shadows. It might be surprising to some that my color palette is inspired by nature, but I see every color in nature, especially the bright or unusual hues.”

 

Though vibrant and bright colors can be found in nature, they also are in the palette of an urban landscape. Risa Friedman brings out the colors and details of cities through close photography, arranged in white-framed tiles that evoke an Instagram gallery. The effect is transformative, a reminder that art and beauty exist in the mundane. 

Friedman’s artist statement sheds some light on her process: “When I started making photos regularly, my camera changed the way I see — I noticed small shifts in light and shadow that I would have missed before. Now my old way of seeing (collecting blocks of color) and my new way (observing light and shadows) come together as a large part of my artistic process.”

 

The fourth artist in the main gallery, Alex M. Petersen, blends sharply defined lines, bombastic color and shapes both natural and manufactured. His work borrows from transhumanism, environmental commentary and LGBT issues. The large piece at the center, an imperfect circle filled with leaves, a skull and a Furby toy, are painted in fluorescent colors that give the impression of an angry Lisa Frank painting. The blending of natural and manufactured things in the work make for a remarkable statement. 

In the back space of the Firehouse, Barbara Rudlaff works on a series of portraits as the Firehouse summer artist-in-residence, preparing for her show in the main gallery for September. The oil paintings are of lesbians within her social circle, wearing their protective face coverings. Rudlaff hopes to use the work to start a conversation about queer identity, achievement and representation, as well as the unity of queer community leaders showing solidarity and compassion by wearing face masks.

 

“Bright” is on display through Sept 6. The Firehouse is open by appointment Wednesday through Friday, as well as Sundays. Appointments can be made by emailing [email protected]. The art center also is open to the public Saturday, though safety precautions limit the small space to groups of five people at a time. For more information about Firehouse Art Center, visit firehouseart.org.