This week Greg Marshall of the Park Record wrote an article about the exciting new changes and additions to the Park City Gallery Association Gallery Stroll. Below is an excerpt from the article, featuring Gallery MAR’s exhibition of works by Sharon Jackman and Brooks Yates.

A new website, brochure and an end to the $7 requested donation at the Kimball Art Center are some of the changes those attending Friday’s gallery stroll can expect. Art sellers are starting the New Year with a smorgasbord of exhibits, meet-and-greet receptions and a more inclusive scope that includes businesses north of Main Street and elsewhere in Park City. Kimball won’t be the place to kick off festivities anymore, said Connie Katz, one of the heads of the association. Instead, 24 different art sellers and nonprofit organizations, including the Kimball, will offer passersby hors d’œuvre, drinks and plenty of eye candy.

The Park City Gallery Stroll runs from 6 until 9 p.m. on the last Friday of every month.

“Our whole message is that you can start anywhere,” said Katz, who owns Coda Gallery on Lower Main Street. “You can start north of Main or you can start at the top. You don’t have to go and pay. You can go and stroll.”

The economy hasn’t dampened enthusiasm for the rejuvenated Gallery Association, Katz said. Mike Hale Chevrolet, a sponsor of the stroll, will display a Chevy Traverse on Main Street, and organizers plan to hold a drawing as part of a newfangled sense of unity in tough economic times.

Joining the gallery association was a “no-brainer” for Maren Bargreen, who opened Gallery MAR in the summer and is listed in the association’s brochure for the first time. Before she owned her own gallery, Bargeen directed other spaces in town. “For the first time in a long time we’re all working together,” she said.

As a general rule, Bargreen will pay for an artist’s lodging in a hotel. When she has played host, though, she said visiting artists make polite houseguests. “You stay up talking late at night,” she said. “Sometimes you gotta put them up.”

Urban landscapes, figurative oil paintings and crystal-encrusted ceramics will be on display during the January stroll. Here are some of highlights. Sharon Jackman’s ceramics don’t always take the familiar form of bowls, vases and plates. Instead, Jackman shapes smooth, white porcelain into flowers, trees and birds. Then she pours on a liquid crystal glaze and fires her pieces at 2,000 degrees. At white-hot temperatures, thick crystals grow on the surface. Jackman can’t control exactly where patterns form, but she can determine the color of crystals by applying different minerals and metals. Copper breeds green, cobalt blue and iron orange.

Jackman, who exhibit at Gallery MAR will be her first in Park City, earned her bachelor’s degree in modern dance and has spent much of her adult life working as a choreographer. She decided to retire from performing about 10 years ago and starting making ceramics. She has glazed her work with crystal for about four of those years. Bargreen saw Jackman’s work in a show in Las Vegas and knew she wanted to represent Jackman in Gallery MAR. “They were luminous and tribal,” Bargreen remembers. Some of the crystals are shaped like snowflakes. Others resemble mushrooms, thick and glassy.

“What draws people to my work are the shapes,” Jackman said. For more information on the gallery stroll, visit www.Parkcitygalleryassociation.com .

Southwest Art Magazine recently featured our January exhibition for Brooks Yates and Sharon Jackman: “As Nature Unfolds”. The featured painting is sold, but we expect 16 works from both artists for this exhibition, beginning on January 26th and running through February 9th. The reception for the artists is on Friday, January 30th from 6 to 9 p.m. and Yates will be in attendence. (Click the above image for a larger view of the feature.)

Warren Neary “Winter Eve” Oil

• “Children’s Spookin’ Art Show” – October 31st, 2008

Young Artists up to age 13 are invited to join Gallery MAR in presenting our Spookin’ Art Show. Stop by the gallery beginning October 1st to receive your blank canvas. Using the Halloween theme, paint or decorate your piece in a “Spookin’” fashion and deliver your work back to the gallery by October 20th. $10 entry fee. Proceeds benefit Arts Kids.

The Spookin’ Art Show and sale runs October 24th through November 3rd. Reception for the artists is on Friday, October 31st from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Costumes encouraged. Call 435-649-3001 for more information.

• “Winter Grand Opening and Miniature Show”

Utah artists – December 26th, 2008. Local Utah artists present new miniature works for this holiday season, in all styles and media, for all art lovers and their unique tastes. Artists include Ryan S. Brown, Debbie Fowler, Shirley McKay, Aaron Memmott, Penelope Moore, Jan Perkins, Kathleen Peterson, and Brooks Yates. Contact the gallery for a private preview of the artworks.

The Winter Grand Opening and reception for the artists will be Friday, December 26th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. All are welcome to join us for delicious eats and artful conversation. This exhibition runs from December 19th through January 4th.

Our Winter Grand Opening will be followed by a lineup of exciting artist receptions, all of which will start at Gallery MAR at 6 p.m. and include gourmet eats, beverages and illuminating chats with the artists.

• “As Nature Unfolds”

New works by Brooks Yates and Sharon Jackman – January 30th, 2009. This exhibition runs from January 26th through February 9th.

• “Alternate Reality”

New works by Ginger Bowen and Fred Calleri – February 27th, 2009. This exhibition runs from February 23rd through March 9th.

• “A Conscious Balance”

Brad Stroman and Lisa Lamoreaux – March 27th, 2009. This exhibition runs from March 23rd through April 13th.

Opportunity drawing for an original painting by Brad Stroman to benefit the Swaner Eco Center. A portion of sales from “A Conscious Balance” will benefit the Swaner Nature Preserve and Eco Center, which proudly protects 1,200 acres of high-altitude wetland, stream corridor, and upland habitat for wildlife, water quality, and recreation in Park City, Utah.

What a fantastic weekend for our Park City art community! Many thanks to our local artist Brooks Yates for coming by the gallery to paint here and delight our guests. This weekend was incredibly hot (both the temperature and the art!) and packed to gills every day with festival-goers. Friday night was the best night by far, in my opinion, with locals streaming through and picking up artistic goodies to add to their collections. Favorites of the 225 artist? Salt Lake painter Erin Berrett and Seattlite Brian McGuffey. Congratulations to the Kimball Art Center on their very successful annual auction on Thursday night and the popularity of the festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

It’s hard to believe that this is the Kimball Art Center’s 39th year hosting the Park City Arts Festival. Congratulations! This is the largest art festival in Utah, with growth every year.

As always, Main Street will close down on Friday afternoon to allow the artists and craftsmen to set up their booths. On this night, locals can check out the booths in a free sneak peak starting at around 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The official festival kicks off on Saturday, August 2nd from 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and runs through Sunday, August 3rd from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. 225 artists will showcase their wares and live music; 3 beer and wine gardens, and delicious food will entice you to stay all day. There’s also a Kids’ Corner featuring activities including face painting and art projects to keep the little ones busy.

“How to Fest”:

• Park at the Park City Mountain Resort lot and take a 5 minute bus to Main Street, or carpool with friends and park in one of the Marsac lots.

• Arrive early and walk up one side of the street during the coolest part of the day. Grab a Navajo Taco and a beer for lunch at the top of Main, then stroll down to see the other side of the street.

• Come at night and make a reservation at one of your favorite restaurants. My pick? Artichokes and trout on the patio at Cafe Terigo, or blistered beans and sushi on Shabu’s deck.

• Take a full tour before making any purchase decisions. Ask the vendor to put the piece in hold for 30 minutes if you need some time to think. Can’t live without it? Snatch up the piece right away… many vendors sell out and your piece may not be there later!

• Don’t forget a visit to Gallery MAR at 580 Main Street– we will have Utah artist Brooks Yates performing an artist demonstration on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.