Red Cliff Studio Tour returns Saturday, Sunday

RED CLIFF — Photographer Ulf Jauernigg always keeps a camera in his car. A series of stunning photos of snow atop golden aspen trees along U.S. Highway 24 — he’s dubbed them “First Snow 1” and “First Snow 2” — is precisely the reason why.

“I was driving into Vail one morning and things just fell together, nice diffused light due to the cloud cover, leaves still on the trees. I figured I should stop and take a few pics; work can wait but this light won’t be there for long. The second one was as the storm was blowing out later that day.”

“Ulf’s photography may be the best kept secret of Red Cliff,” said tour organizer Barb Bomier. “He’s lived here quite a while, yet most of us never knew he takes such great photos.”

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Red Cliff resident Jauernigg is one of four new artists taking part in the Red Cliff Studio Tour today and Sunday. It’s one of the longest sustained art events in Eagle County. This year, you can visit five locations in Red Cliff and see the work of 13 artists, most of whom either live in Red Cliff or have studio space in the tiny town. Jauernigg will sell his art at the old red brick schoolhouse at 400 Pine Street, as will many of the other artists participating.

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‘A social event’

Some attendees make the trek to Red Cliff every August for the tour, Bomier said.

“Not only is this a free event, it’s a social event. You’ll most likely run into friends that you maybe haven’t seen for a while,” Bomier said.

A few invited guest artists come from other places in Eagle County, including Andrea Roth-Moore, from Minturn, who will show her pastel portraits (including pet portraits) and paint during the event. Mary Jursinovic, a potter from Paonia, will take part, as will Vail resident Elaine Kuntz, who will show her watercolor creations.

Paper artist Helen Hiebert is another participating artist. Having written five books, including the most recent “Playing With Pop Ups,” Hiebert is one of the top paper artists in the country. She has a studio in the schoolhouse where visitors will have the opportunity to see her work and to make a paper project — a magic window star or a paper puppet — to take home with them for a small materials fee.

There’s all sorts of artistic mediums to discover at the tour, from Jim Lamont’s worldy photographs to Joan Norris’ brightly colored oil paintings (you can find them at 654 Spruce St.); and Bob Will’s contemporary wood-and-metal sculptures to custom made skis by Kendall Cobb or Joanie Barbier’s fabric collages.

All of the artists have been busy this past year creating new work, Bomier said. Will has been busy building some large sculptures. Sydney Summers has been doing some experimental watercolors. Barbier, a Salida resident, is showcasing hand-painted furniture in addition to her array of quilted paintings, gouache paintings, oils, hand-painted clothing and more.

Bomier not only helps organize the event, but she’s a participating artist as well. She paints local landscapes, as well as rusty old trucks. Bomier likes to paint outside most of the time, though during the winter months sometimes that isn’t possible and she’ll paint from photographs. A recent painting, “North Dakota Treasures,” was done from such a photo.

“An acquaintance in North Dakota, a fuel delivery guy, aware of my love of old cars and pickups, sent me several great photos from his delivery route,” Bomier said. “This scene really caught my eye. I love the reddish orange pickup with the turquoise one, both against the snow, on a flat light day. I love what Mother Nature does to old vehicles, creating her own abstract paintings.”