Denver LGBT artists draw inspiration from many sources
Denver may not be New York City, Paris or Rome. But don’t dismiss these “cowtown” artists.
Human form, human experience
Chad Chisholm, a local photographer who began his professional photography career six years ago, has shown his work at multiple exhibitions across the country, including GLAAD’s OUTAuction in Manhattan for the past two years. His work focuses on the human experience, and, in particular, human emotion.
While he specializes in photography, Chisholm often draws out his photographic concepts in charcoal, pastel or ink before shooting them. “While outside motivation influences my artwork, often my pieces reflect a personal experience, an inspiring idea or an individual message I wish to convey,” he said.
Currently, Chisholm is working on a Nudes in Nature coffee table book. “I just want to tell gay artists, and artists in general, to keep at it,” he said. “Expressing yourself is hard enough, and trying to do it for a living is even harder.” For more information, visit www.creationize.com.
Art as salvation
Jimmy Sellars, a professional artist who works in almost every medium conceivable, has proclaimed that, “My imagination may be all that saves me.” By this, he means whatever he dreams up and creates is all that will truly help him survive the trials of life. Much like his sexuality, Sellars explains, it wasn’t a decision to become an artist. He was born that way.
Jimmy Sellars, a professional artist who works in almost every medium conceivable, has proclaimed that, “My imagination may be all that saves me.” By this, he means whatever he dreams up and creates is all that will truly help him survive the trials of life. Much like his sexuality, Sellars explains, it wasn’t a decision to become an artist. He was born that way.
The “Unstitched Series” that he began in 1998 features photographs of G.I. Joe action figures, and deals with gender roles and sexuality. “I thought back to being six years old and playing house with G.I. Joe action figures,” he said. “As I recalled how I would change how I played with them when someone walked into the room, I found out how I was transferring myself into the dolls and hiding who I/they were when someone else was around.”
Currently, Sellars is working on the “My Year as a Rabbit” series and a “secret” project that will encompass most of next year. He’s also working on a new series of photographs that he plans to show at his gallery space on Tennyson Street. For more information, visit www.servicesforartists.com.
A natural calling
For Lori Vrchota, a local professional artist who paints with oil and watercolors, inspiration comes easily. “I get a lot of inspiration from dreams, nature and the overall environment around me,” she said. “Subconsciously, I’m sure that I draw some of it from everyday life experiences, movies I watch and books that I read. The symbols I generally use are taken from human anatomy and nature. I don’t think there’s an emotion that I don’t express in my work. But, I’m pretty emotional as it seems like many artists are.”
For Lori Vrchota, a local professional artist who paints with oil and watercolors, inspiration comes easily. “I get a lot of inspiration from dreams, nature and the overall environment around me,” she said. “Subconsciously, I’m sure that I draw some of it from everyday life experiences, movies I watch and books that I read. The symbols I generally use are taken from human anatomy and nature. I don’t think there’s an emotion that I don’t express in my work. But, I’m pretty emotional as it seems like many artists are.”
Vrchota has shown her work at places such as a university in Bangladesh and a brewpub in Savannah, Ga. Currently, she is working on a few commissioned pieces, and she’s planning a show in October at a gallery on Santa Fe Street in Denver. For more information, visit www.myartspace.com.
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