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Taking a look at the world through a piece of art can provide a new
vision. That's the focus of a new gallery that opened recently -
"White Elk's Visions in Glass"
Owners Marty White Elk Holmes and Jo Pierce have opened their gallery
at 7461 Devil's Gulch Road in Glen Haven.
The couple decided to open the shop so they could work at home and
raise a family. "I'll sell it if you make it", is what she
told me, said Holmes of Pierce. The couple have a son, Elijah, 4.
The pieces are all produced by glass-blower Holmes. He said he uses
the classical technique that has been in place for more than 2,500 years.
Though it sounds simplistic - taking simple sand, heating it to
crystal, then shaping the glass - the process is delicate and
difficult. The liquid crystal is blown at the end of a five-foot
steel pipe, then formed and shaped at the end of a punte- a stainless
steel rod.
Some of the types of pieces offered are bowls, candy dishes, vases,
goblets, oil lamps, paper weights, barrettes and ornaments. Holmes
said his favorite pieces are the large bowls, some more than 28"
in diameter.
The images in his glass work are uplifting, Holmes said. Two favorite
designs are "The Dried Rose" and "Into the Light".
While the design premise is similar in these lines, the process
produces no two pieces alike.
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Above: Marty White Elk Holmes crafts a work of art
from glass.
Below: One of Holmes' popular works from the
"Dried Rose" collection.
Customers can also commission works to match certain color schemes
and decors. "Right now I'm working on a custom sink,"
Holmes said.
Holmes shows his work in galleries across the country and at art
shows in places such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, as well as closer to
home in Denver and Boulder.
Holmes has two apprentices with him learning the craft - Tristan
Coriel and Chad Nolan.
The studio sits atop a mountain overlooking the valley with bighorn
sheep, bear, and cougars as the neighbors, Holmes said. "That's
what inspires the work - that's what really puts in the magic."
He moved to this area 20 years ago from Dallas.
The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, closed on Monday, from
10am to 5pm.
For more information, call the gallery at 970-577-1244. |
