25th Annual Colorado Governor's Art Show & Sale Introduces its Legacy Artists Program

    LOVELAND, CO, April 28, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Colorado Governor's Art Show & Sale is pleased to announce a new Legacy Artists program as part of this year's Silver Anniversary Celebration. Each year, selected artists who have participated in the Show in years past and have works in the City of Loveland's Art In Public Places collection will be invited back to the show as part of a special exhibit and sale of their works. Quang Ho and Kim English will have work displayed and available for sale at this year's show, along with a display from the estate of sculptor Fritz White, during the run of the Show's 25th Exhibit at the Loveland Museum/Gallery April 24 - May 29.

"There has been an amazing wealth of talent presented over the 25 years of the Colorado Governor's Show," said John Kinkade, board member for the Show. "Many of our participating artists' careers have grown beyond imagination. With that success has come busy schedules and a demand for work that is sometimes difficult for artists to fulfill. The Legacy Program was conceived to honor that success and talent, bring prestige to the Show and allow up-and-coming artists to meet and display their art with Colorado's best. It is a winning opportunity for everyone."

Works included in this year's Show by these three artists are:
• English, "September Sidewalks," 18x18
• Ho, "Western Skies," 16x24
o "Snow in Cherry Creek," 16x24
• White, "Wyoming," 13.75h x 7.5w x 7.5d
o "Sunday in Old Santa Fe," 20.5h x 10w x 9d
o "Jesse Tananer Rankin - Lawman," 18h x 6.5w x 8.25d

The Show is also proud to display White's "Grandmother's Washday," which will be placed by the Loveland High Plains Arts Council in the Benson Sculpture Garden this summer. It will be installed there in June, along with several other pieces, including works by Sandy Graves and Daniel Glanz, who are also part of this year's Colorado Governor's Art Show & Sale. A dedication ceremony for the new pieces will be held July 16.

"Fritz White, one of the art godfathers of the Loveland artist community, was an active Rotarian in the Thompson Valley Rotary Club," notes Kinkade. "He was instrumental in creating the Colorado Governor's Art Show and hosted the first two parties and his phenomenal church/studio."

"The Show has always been a great event," said English. "I remember doing a demonstration at one of the early shows and what a positive experience it was at that time of my art career."

"I think that my first show was the second Governor's Show," recalled Ho. "I was so excited to be a part of it that I drove all the way from Mexico to participate in the Gala."

Quang Ho is a Vietnamese-American illustrator and painter who was sponsored by a family in Denver when he emigrated to the United States with his mother and siblings. He earned a scholarship to the Colorado Institute of Art and graduated in 1985 with Best Portfolio Award. He is an educator offering painting workshops and has taught at the Denver Art Students League. His work is collected nationally and internationally, and he has been featured in Southwest Art magazine. His illustrations have also been featured in the Illustrators Annual and the Communication Arts Illustrations.

Kim English is a Colorado-based painter and educator who has taught at the Rocky Mountain School of Art, the Art Students League of Denver, and the Scottsdale Artists School. His paintings have a wide variety of subject matter but capture movement and everyday moments. He is well-known for his masterful use of light in his paintings, and he completes his paintings in one sitting, saying that immediacy is a key component of his method. His work has been widely exhibited, including the National Academy of Design, Art for the Parks, the Colorado Governor's Invitational - Loveland Museum, and the Oil Painters of America showcase. He has also won the Certificate of Merit and the Joseph Hartley Memorial Award twice.

Sculptor Fritz White helped put Loveland on the map in the sculpture community. Originally from Ohio, White took college-level art classes when he was just 12. It was not until 1961, however, that his career in sculpture began. Like the other Legacy Artists, he was an educator and taught many courses in sculpture, including classes at the Jewish Community Center in Loveland. White was also one of the founders of the Sculpture in the Park show in Loveland, a show which has become the largest juried sculpture show in the country with over 2,000 sculptures by 160 sculptors. White passed away in 2010 but continued to work on his sculptures from home in his final days. His wife hopes that his work will continue to inspire artists, and his recognition as a Legacy Artist is one example that he continues to be an influencer.

Works by each of these three artists will be exhibited in the Green Room at the south end of the Loveland Museum/Gallery. Pieces from each will be available for purchase, and proceeds from sales will be donated to foundations supported by the Loveland and Thompson Valley Rotary Clubs.

The 2016 Colorado Governor's Art Show & Sale, presented by the Thompson Valley and the Loveland Rotary Clubs, celebrates 25 years of supporting Colorado artists and fundraising for local and international charities.

All art in this year's show will be available for purchase beginning the evening of the Gala and during the run of the show. Purchase of Gala tickets includes an invitation to view the Show during a special VIP preview event April 22 at the Loveland Museum/Gallery. Gala tickets are available online and at the re-FINE-d Gallery, 225 E 4th Street, Loveland.

Beneficiaries of Art Sales
Funds raised through the sale of art at the Show are given to a wide variety of causes and groups, both locally and internationally, and for art scholarships for local students and Rotary Youth Leadership Camp scholarships. Local charities that received funds in the last year include Loveland Creatorspace, House of Neighborly Service, Food Bank for Larimer County, The Growing Project, Trailblazer Foundation, Loveland Youth Gardeners, and Live-Laugh-Love-Believe, Inc. International funding has been provided for shelter boxes for Haiti, medical supplies for those in need around the world, clean water projects in Nicaragua and Burma, shoes for children in Thailand, and Rotary International's "Stamp Out Polio" project.

Further Information
For a complete list of artists in the 2016 Colorado Governor's Art Show & Sale, including images of all the works for sale in this year's show, to find more information on the Show's slate of events, and to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.governorsartshow.org, call 970-670-0335 or email [email protected]. Learn more at the event's Facebook page.

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