Edwards Art Battle sparks artistic smackdown
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EDWARDS, Colorado – Art is combat, which you’ll see at Saturday”s Art Battle.
It’s an annual artistic smackdown presented by the Eagle Valley Artists Alliance.
“It’s a great way to experience something live,” said Glen Samuelson with the Artists Alliance.
In an art battle, artists have a limited amount of time to create a finished piece – in this case three hours.
“The art has to be original. You have to start from scratch,” Samuelson said.
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Other than that, like actual combat there are no rules in the Art Battle.
Saturday will see up to two dozen artists who’ve all paid their $50 entry fee. That money goes into the pot and the winner takes most of it.
The art-loving public, that’s you, votes for their favorites both with ballots and bucks.
They’ll have painters and sculptors, of course. They may also have a costume maker and maybe a tattoo artist. They had a glass blower last year.
“Any and all can do battle,” Samuelson said.
There’s no theme to artificially channel the flow of creative juices. It’s open for the artists to create whatever they like, Samuelson said.
While the artists are working, you can bid on their work as part of a silent auction. If you’re the winning silent auction bidder, you take that piece of art home. That way you’re not enslaved by the whims of the Body Politic, which will sometimes pay actual money to phone in a vote on American Idol.
Artists don’t talk smack during an Art Battle; they don’t have that kind of time.
“People are working intensely trying to create something in a limited amount of time,” Samuelson said.
Fernando Paloma won it last year and he’ll be back. His work is on display in the Arts Center right now. The work from the Art Battle will go up during September.
The Art Battle idea is taking off. The Artists Alliance does theirs once a year, and other organizations are asking if they’ll come do one at their events, Samuelson said.
It’s an eclectic group of people who attend these sorts of things. Some people dress up and make it an evening out, and younger people dressed like hip hoppers. Like the artists doing battle, all sorts of people show up.
The Art Battle is a benefit for the Eagle Valley Artists Alliance and the Eagle Valley Humane Society.
If an interested artist wants to compete, you can apply online at eaglevalleyartists.com, or call Samuelson at 471-3242.
Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 or rwyrick@vaildaily.com.
