Storm Drain Art Project

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Girl Scout Troop 42743 is a multi-level troop based at Broadmoor Elementary School. Currently the troop has Brownie, Junior and Cadette level Scouts. The Cadettes lead their Brownie sisters in a Wonder of Water Journey where they learned about the water cycle, water conservation, and how water is used by all. As their Take Action Project, Brownies, Cadettes, and Juniors decorated the storm drain at Broadmoor Valley Park to remind all who visit that trash, waste, and pollutants should be kept out of the drains. Under the leadership of Colorado Springs artist Jill Clark, the girls painted using hands, feet, and fingers to create a wonderful land, sea, and sky mural. 

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Noel Dolan is an award-winning graphic designer and calligrapher who calls Colorado Springs home. She started her graphic design journey in elementary school with a bootleg copy of the original Photoshop and creating her own fonts. Once she became a grown up, Noel attended Colorado State University and The Art Institute of Colorado. She began her career as an intern at the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and later became the Art Director. In 2017, Noel joined the marketing team at Pikes Peak Community College as the Art & Graphic Design Coordinator. In addition to her full-time job, Noel also runs Noel Dolan Creative, teaches calligraphy at Ladyfingers Letterpress, and served as the director of AIGA Colorado Springs for 2 years and board member for 5 years. Most recently, Noel was named the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Colorado Springs Designer of the Year.

When Noel isn't designing, she's lettering, cooking, reading, snuggling her cat Macbeth, and traveling the world. She considers her global adventures to be the biggest inspiration for her work.

Website: noeldolan.com

Instagram: @noelcreates

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With a focus on design and clean lines, I've always gravitated towards digital art, but a few years ago I became an accidental mural artist on the side. I never thought I would be hanging off of the side of a 100 year old building painting a ladybug but its certainly been an entertaining surprise. I love bringing the elements of minimal design and illustration to the tangible art world. The idea of painting on public works sounds much more enjoyable than on a canvas so I am thrilled to be a part of this moment for our city. 

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Kami McFall was born and raised in Nebraska. Throughout her life, Kami has always been fascinated by nature and sustainable practices. In 2001, she enlisted in the U.S. Army as a Topographic Analyst and has toured Iraq and Kuwait. She has witnessed waste practices in foreign countries and throughout the United States. After her honorable discharge, she moved to Oahu, Hawai’i in 2007 to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies at the Hawaii Pacific University. During that time she volunteered with multiple beach cleanups and saw first-hand the impact that waste had on the ocean environment and wildlife. She has always loved Colorado and relocated to Colorado Springs in 2010 to finish her Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. While earning her degree, she also worked 4 years as a Zero Waste Coordinator in the Office of Sustainability and learned even more about sustainable practices. 

Kami has always been very creative and is a self-taught artist who explores environmentalism and politics through different materials and mediums. She experiments with found objects, collages, photography and creating upcycled artwork and projects. Kami’s eclectic styles of art has been shown here locally in various art galleries and art shows to include: The Modbo, The Bridge Gallery, The Fifth Element, Tap Traders and Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort where her work “Sweet Stuff” won People’s Choice Award. Her passion for demonstrating her love for a clean and healthy environment for all creatures can be seen in her work.  Dubbed “Recycling Queen” and “Zero-waster” she enjoys practicing and teaching sustainable values through her art and in any way she can.

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In the late 90’s, Mario started designing logos for local businesses. You can see his handiwork on work vans, business cards and websites. He has been commissioned by private collectors for artwork in various mediums to include: acrylic on canvas, charcoal drawings, pen and ink and spray paint. Mario has designed t-shirts to sell, and for Manitou High School sports teams. Recently he has expanded his body of work to include signage and murals which can be found inside and outside businesses in the Colorado Springs area. His largest can be found on the side of Platte Furniture (in the Knob Hill area of Colorado Springs) and features and octopus whose tentacles spell out the word “Artist”.

Mario’s forte has always been integrating multiple perspectives and hidden images into his personal body of work. He wants to engage the viewer to look beyond the initial image to find either a secret message or meaning. He can be contacted at:  mario.CO.artist@gmail.com and Facebook/Instagram:  Dyadic Artist

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From 2002-2010, 2-Watts Creative Center, a hands-on art studio envisioned by Corky and her husband, Steven Watt, was a popular destination in Monument, Colorado.  The couple taught art classes and created custom art pieces.  “The Essence of Life” is Corky’s vision, but Steve and other family members often help complete larger art pieces (like this one) under the “2-Watts Creative” brand.

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My paintings have won awards, been sold internationally and even been kicked out of a show! I won 3rd place at ArtPrize 2016, the largest art show in the world.  In Colorado Springs my work is for sale at The Squash Blossom Gallery, Boulder Street Gallery and 45 Degree Gallery; online at Fine Art America and my website laurelbahe.com.

I painted the large (6-foot wingspan) butterfly sculpture for the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs Flight Lite 2018 raffle to be held September 7, 2018. Yes! I will sell you a ticket for $10.  I am also painting a utility box for the City Of Longmont, CO to be completed October 15, 2018.

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Molly McClure is an emerging portrait artist. Her talent is for capturing and conveying the beauty of the individual. McClure works with oils, layering with glazes making her work appear soft and fluid. She brightens her pieces with directly applied paint and vivid back grounds.

Molly McClure values the importance of portrait work recognizing it as the reflection of the human experience. A quest for self-identification. Portrait work has always held value across human culture and remains important. Society has many ways of capturing and conveying portraits, McClure's work is an attempt to contribute to that dialogue. 

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Michael’s love for art began as a young child. He credits his grandmother for encouraging him to branch out into new styles from a bribe when he was 5 years old. After drawing extremely realistic guns and explosions on old envelopes, she told him that she would give him paper to draw on if he would draw ‘something nice like flowers.

He resides in Colorado Springs, CO with his wife and business manager, Vanessa, and their three children. He cherishes family time and they enjoy being active and outdoors.

​With over 25 years of professional experience, Michael uses his talents for anything from a custom graphite pencil portrait to hand painted murals and everything in-between. He is often heard saying “I’ve never worked a day in my life because I love what I do!” As the owner and artist of Artistic Gold Creative Concepts, Michael is passionate about creating something special and unique for each project no matter what it is or the size.

I am excited to enhance and beautify your home or business today!

Phone: 719-464-1100

email: artisticgoldcc@gmail.com

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Jeresneyka (Jeh-Reh-Snay-Kah) Rose, known as Rizzo, is a self-taught visual artist who originates from Brooklyn, New York. The first-generation American was raised in Southeast Colorado Springs. The Harrison District Two graduate has always had a natural knack for art, but rarely explored her talents. Throughout her flourishing adulthood, she rediscovered her love for art and began painting in May 2014. Amongst the plethora of inspiration in the world, she primarily draws inspiration from her Panamanian heritage, sexuality, pop-culture, and environmental influences. Her mediums of choice are acrylic paint and digital art. She has been featured in and hosted a plethora of events and exhibitions. She thrives off of allowing her creativity to be incorporated within community. Her main objective as an artist is to obtain a position where she can grow as an artist, support the community, and promote multiculturalism, diversity, equality, and respect. She enjoys sharing her gift, growth, and progression in her art. You can find her upcoming events, shop, and works on ArtByRizzo.com. Feel free to follow her journey by searching the name ArtByRizzo on any social media platform. 

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Born and raised in southern Alabama, Elizabeth experimented with a myriad of crafts and mediums all throughout her adolescence. Primarily a self-taught painter, it has been her lifelong desire to create. She graduated from the Master's College with a B.A. in Counseling. Her desire to understand people and herself has fueled much of her recent work.

https://www.elizabethselby.com/

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Following a bout with the Big C a few years ago, I began to see the world in vivid COLOR! Having always been a creative soul, but one who held back, I realized that I had nothing to lose. Never too far from my consciousness is the awareness that life is fleeting and that the moment is NOW. It is this wisdom that fuels the fantastic working groove from which my paintings emerge.

Vibrant, animated images illustrating the culture and folk of central Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, and the depths of my imagination come to play often on my canvas. Celebrations of gratefulness, clarity, color, compassion, music, spiritual journeys, life, and death come alive. In addition to consistently working on my "family" paintings, I am also dabbling in the abstract using a variety of media, including cold wax and oil and acrylic on paper.

I am deeply grateful to all who have purchased my paintings over the years. You all inspire me to keep doing what I love!

https://www.sallieknoxhall.com/

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Title: “Possibilities”

Erik Y., diagnosed with autism and developmental and intellectual disabilities, has been with Possibilities for over three years, is an active member of the Possibilities City Council, and has shown incredible talent for sharing his thoughts and feelings through his artwork.  Erik was asked to draw his interpretation of Possibilities for this project and created “Possibilities” (picture attached.) Erik commented that he honed his artistic skills in the Possibilities Art Studio, studying various techniques and applying the lessons learned from various artists in our Art History classes.  Erik said his piece “is about us as a people, our program, and about my friends here that I love. Possibilities is important to me—this is where I belong.”

Erik started with an abstract rendering of the Possibilities logo.  His interpretation:

• Inspiration for the flowers came from his Possibilities’ outings to the Xeriscape Gardens and to Rick’s Nursery while planning our own Possibilities Garden. He used a variety of drawing techniques learned at Possibilities, “like Van Gough’s Sunflower.”
• The hands represent “us.” We are all human beings, and we are no different from each other. We should live in peace and kindness and we should all be free. The hands are holding up a bird to let him go and be free.”
• The colorful bird is a representation of a baby bird Erik found when he was on vacation that could not fly.  Erik lifted the bird to help him be free. The rainbow feathers “represent the colors of everyone--we are all the same.”
• The yellow/orange ribbons of sunlight are part of the sun background in the artwork.
• “The tree represents regrowth and should not be destroyed.   Trees belong to nature and nature is peace.”
• The green block with orange, black, blue and green on the sunshine background represents “thoughts that float in your mind.”
• The wolf with the head piece “is for all my friends at Possibilities” (since many of them love wolves.)
• The red and blue is representative of grass and nature
• The stream represents “water, from waterfall to the ocean and its importance in our lives. I learned that from” the recent The Power of Water Club curriculum at Possibilities.

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Longinos Gonzalez, Jr. serves District 4 on the Board of County Commissioners. His district encompasses southern and eastern El Paso County. 

  Graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1992, Longinos returned to Colorado Springs because of his love for the outdoors and beauty of the region, particularly the mountainous Front Range. He enjoys hiking in our areas’ great parks and trails and is an avid fisherman and tennis player. 

  Commissioner Gonzalez’s background includes a 20-year career as an Air Force Intelligence officer, retiring as a Lt. Colonel in 2012. He has a Master’s Degree in science education and he was a teacher with Harrison School District 2 prior to his election.  Longinos’ community involvement includes serving on the State Board of Veterans Affairs, the board of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate, and being a volunteer Sunday school teacher and lector at his church.  

 Longinos took up painting during the start of COVID and recently had several of his pieces included in March’s First Friday Art Walk.

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Studio #127 @ Cottonwood Center for the Arts

Ben Bires is a small-town transplant from Western Pennsylvania. He grew up in the country on seven acres with a pond in his backyard and spent most of his time exploring the outdoors. His grandmother’s artistic guidance influenced him to pursue art at a young age and follow in her creative footsteps. He earned a BFA from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania in 2014 with an emphasis in drawing and painting. Since 2016, Ben has been settling roots here in Colorado Springs with his wife, Liv and their black lab Fin. They moved across the country together searching for new opportunities in unfamiliar territory before their hometown roots became too deep. This change of scenery helped launch his artistic ventures to become involved in the community and build a following with his paintings and art classes. He teaches weekly Acrylic Landscape classes and monthly workshops at Cottonwood Center for the Arts as well as private lessons in his studio.

@benbiresfineart

www.benbires.com  

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The daughter of a professional artist and greenhouse proprietor was surrounded by the magic of color and given the tools and understanding to reimagine the world around her. She found inspiration and solace gazing at richly colored, dynamic, works of Thomas Hart Benton housed by The Nelson Atkins Museum of art. Her inherent curiosity has led her to explore and push herself by using a large variety of mediums. Painting is her expression of her present state captured, making her art crystallized moments of true inspiration. 

She is an award-winning artist retaining various accolades through college and her professional career in graphic design and web management. Melonie lives by the motto, “Leave it better than you found it”, and strives to connect with others in a meaningful and impactful way. She believes the best way to brighten the world is to make people feel heard, valued, and whenever possible, make them laugh. Melonie cannot help but express herself through bold abstractions and scenes of nature, both of which are infused with the hope and optimism she believes in for the world.

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074111302554 

Instagram: paint_it.happy 

PaintItHappy@gmail.com