For nearly 20 years, Space Gallery has been showcasing mid-career and established local and international artists. This contemporary gallery in the Santa Fe district hosts new exhibitions every five weeks, with a focus on abstraction and the use of innovative media. Their two floors of gallery space provide a spacious, modern setting for everything from paintings to large scale installations. Their latest exhibition, Waxing Lyrical, features paintings from Lynda Ray, Karen Freedman, and Jeff Juhlin. This series is centered around a painting technique called encaustic, which involves blending pigments with heated wax. The wax can be layered to produce a unique luminescence not seen with other methods. Encaustic works are typically done on wood panels, but canvas can be used as well.

Lynda Ray is a  nationally recognized artist based in Richmond, VA. She holds a BFA in Painting from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and also studied at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Ray’s paintings include vibrant colors, geometric shapes, and organic patterns. She routinely adds many layers to her works, resulting in a double exposure effect, and creating multiple narratives of colors, forms, and patterns. Her work can be found in numerous private and public collections including the Depth Perception exhibit at the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis, MA.

Karen Freedman creates paintings bursting with geometric designs. Her work explores interactions of color and its’ ability to alter perception. A common theme in her works is technique called simultaneous contrast, which alters the way we perceive color. These selected paintings are from her recent series, Qualia, which focuses on individual interpretation of color, and exploration of visual perception and cognition using color interactions within the confines of geometric symmetry. Some of Freedman’s acrylic works are displayed in addition to her encaustics.

Jeff Juhlin is well known across the country for his encaustic painting and printmaking. He takes a pensive, linear approach to his captivating explorations of color, space, and mark making. Horizontal lines are prominently featured, giving the images a definite perspective and symbolizing a progression through time and space. He uses earthen color tones, found objects, and layers of wax to give his creations a geologic sense of continuous build up and decay.

Waxing Lyrical, is on display October 4^th thru November 9^th. Gallery hours are Wednesday-Friday, 11-5, and Saturdays 10-3. Space Gallery is located at 400 Santa Fe Drive in Denver.

Jared Herzing Creative Arts Editor

Jared is a local content contributor and aspiring author. He was fortunate enough to grow up in Golden, Colorado and graduated from MSU Denver. While an insatiable love of travel lures him all over the world, his roots remain firmly planted here. He enjoys writing short stories, poetry, children's books, societal observations, and everything else. A nature enthusiast and sunshine connoisseur, Jared is perfectly at home on any mountaintop or patio. He frequents art galleries and concerts, poetry readings and breweries, museums and bookstores. When he isn't making neighbors cringe at his musical attempts he can be found on a snowboard or sailboat, depending on the day. A perpetual adventurer and eternal patron of the road less traveled.