Artists – Rocky Mountain Arts

New Sculpture to be transformed by fire, Dec. 3

See Impermanence transformed by flames at Resurrection Dec. 3!

From an array of reclaimed and stripped old deck boards, Impermanence is well on its way to fruition for the Telluride Fire Festival. “This project has been a welcome creative challenge, and I can’t wait to share its transformation from a completed sculpture, to a flaming beacon, to ashes in the wind,” Says Cie Hoover

More about the Artist
Cie Hoover lives and creates his art in Ouray, Colorado. He’s had a passion for visual arts since the days of his youth. Cie worked in the Nashville music industry for over a decade, then toured full-time in North America with You Knew Me When. Afterwards, Cie immersed himself in the visual arts. His artwork is based in utilizing various types of wood to create wall-mounted and large sculptural works with depth and texture. Along with several public art installations throughout the state, Cie’s art can be found at Slate Gray Gallery in Telluride. Check out his creations on Facebook and Instagram.

Spectacular, fiery “Tree Of Life” at Telluride Fire Festival

This fabulous interactive sculptural “tree” created by David Mechtly, has 18 flaming leaves. Guests will delight in the ability to actually make the tree spew fire into the night sky.

Originally created for the Denver Regional Burning Man event, Apogaea, this elaborate sculpture will travel to Telluride for the December 3 outdoor finale at the end of the box canyon.

Inspiring, spectacular, and fantastical…the Telluride Fire Festival will take place from December 2 -4, 2022.

More about the family-friendly event his year…

Rocky Mountain Arts will produce the fiery, three-day event with new and returning fire artists including: Nate Robertson, from Bernalillo, NM; Dave Mechtly, from Denver; Fort Collins LED/fire artist, Casey Moore; and from Telluride, Keith D’Angelo and Niel Ringstad.

Free flow arts workshops will be taught by Ashley Higgs from Durango, Stephanie Brown, and Beth Henshaw from Denver. A variety of fun one-hour workshops in partner hooping, aerial silk, lyra and more will be offered. All workshops will be located at the Wilkinson Public Library’s Program Room The workshops will be for youth and adults. No experience required.

Want to stay up-to-date on our event schedule and artists participating? Sign up for our enews.

Hot Time In The Old Town—2018

John Beck at the Fire Ball. Image by Nicko Ferguson.

Big thanks to the photographers who came and took these remarkable images.
Matt Brooks,
Nicko Ferguson,
Skotty Kenton,
Suchitra Baker

Much gratitude to the artists, performers, attendees, volunteers, sponsors, haulcat crews, gondola operators, Mountain Hosts, and Festival Staff.

Fire on the Mountain. Image by Nicko Ferguson.

Maciej Mrotek performing in Mountain Village. Image by Matt Brooks.

Fire on the Mountain Sculptures. Image by Matt Brooks.

FUNK arch at the Transfer Warehouse. Image by Suchitra Baker.

Transfer Warehouse.
Image by Skotty Kenton.

Student program was a resounding success!

Two weekends ago five Coldharbour Institute students met with seven students from the San Luis Valley and San Miguel County and went to an abandoned cave in Telluride and made art and science and alliances.

The program was a resounding success! It was an opportunity for the kids to discover how they can operate in any environment, and learn any skill…beautifully. Carlos Lerma is their first Coldharbour Youth Development Initiative (CYDI) student ambassador. Maria and Veronica are two students being brought into the program. Christian Arel is an MEM/Vista student whose project is developing the CYDI program. “Max, my kid, started the whole crazy gig last year by meeting and falling in love with Erin Ries, TFF Executive Director and amazing soul,” says Suzanne Ewy, Executive Director of Coldharbour Institute.

“Connecting Gunnison and WSCU’s MEM, Art, etc., with Telluride makes all kinds of great sense. They have so many of the same issues going on around art, cold weather, high altitude sustainability, agriculture and food, remoteness, need for higher education, and bursting creativity, that working together is a no-brainer. Come join us in January for the Fire Festival, January 20 – 22 – it’s magical. We’ll have the kids’ sculpture up and running – it’s going to be fabulous. Not quite green, but lots of sustainability in every other arena for these kiddos,” ” continues Ewy.

If you miss the Festival, we’ll be bringing the sculpture to Gunnison and the San Luis Valley eventually.

Justin Gray Fiery Robots: coming to Telluride Fire Festival

Justin Gray built his first RC car at age seven and picked up his first welding torch at age sixteen. An apprenticeship with renowned sculptor Martin Metal shaped Justin’s esthetics in patina and metal sculpture.

Justin soon co-founded fire sculpture group Therm. This underground group built wild and complex fire sculpture and presented it internationally, pushing the envelope of audacious art and performance. Legendary large-scale machine performance group Survival Research Labs soon captured Justin’s interest, and he joined this group of like-minded techno-destructionists in 2006.

Justin’s obsession with radio control also thrived, leading him to protype and build his first electric vehicle in 2000. Justin continued building custom electric vehicles for future-thinking clients looking to gain a foothold in the burgeoning electric vehicle industry, and continues this work today.

It was only a matter of time before Justin’s passions converged and his resulting fleet of electric drive radio controlled fire sculpture robots are uniquely powerful, savage, and beautiful.

Justin’s robots share his shop with Graywrx Fabrication, a fully tooled machining and fabrication shop, where his broad range of abilities and limitless imagination enable Justin to engineer solutions to even the unlikeliest challenges posed by his exacting clientele.

Specialties

Electric vehicle design and fabrication, prototyping, metal fabrication, robotic systems design and build, special effects (fire and robots), precision machining including mill and lathe work, hydraulic systems design and repair.

Albuquerque artist, Shane Shane’s biodiversity sphere at 2017 Fire Fest

Albuquerque artist Shane Shane created a biodiversity sphere out of a 500-gallon propane tank from the 1950s. Each detail is more intricate than the next. And Albuquerque artist Shane Shane wanted it that way. Out of a 500-gallon propane tank from the 1950s, Shane was able to create a world.

It’s one of wonder and it’s one with a message.

“The ecosystem is important to every creature,” explains Shane. “Each part is represented in this piece.”

Shane’s “Biodiversity Sphere – Endless Prospect of Life & Wonder” took nearly three months of work. Each piece of the project was hand cut by Shane and Shaun Myers.

There are dolphins, elephants, rhinos as well as an owl, a wolf and many sea creatures included in the piece. Inside the hollow sphere, Shane has set up a propane tank, which lights up the entire sculpture at night.

Shane is making his first trip to Telluride this January 20 to participate in the 3rd annual Festival both his Biodiversity Fire Sphere and a new creation called Obelisk.

Image by Albuquerque Journal photographer, Jim Thompson.

2017 Event to Showcase Fire Art on Ski Area

This January 20-22, Festival goers will be entertained by dancing fire spinners and towering fiery art in Telluride Mountain Village, and also be captivated by larger-than-life fire installations on the Telluride Ski Resort, atop the gondola.

Local fire artist and architect, Anton Viditz-Ward will have his magnificent Fire Spinner on the ski slope. Guests attending the Saturday night Fire Ball will have the opportunity to view his interactive fire installation as well as other fire sculptures on a backdrop of glistening snow, 10,000 feet above sea level.

The Festival honors many artists whose works of fire art can often only be witnessed at Burning Man in the Nevada desert of Black Rock City.

The annual Telluride Fire Festival begins January 20 with fire performances and fire art installations in Telluride’s Mountain Village, 5-8pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. The outdoor experiences are offered are free to all.

Saturday night will feature the wildly outrageous Fire Ball in North America’s highest (one-night-only) nightclub at 10,535 feet on St Sophia Ridge. This event will wow all with music, fire performers, aerial silk spinners, jugglers, cash bar, yummy food, and more.

Anton Viditz-Ward
Master welder, artist and architect, Anton works his magic in an abandoned mine just outside of Telluride, which he uses as both a studio and starkly minimalist backdrop for creating and showcasing his spectacular, fiery creations. Working with heavy steel on a large scale, Anton constructs three-story tall “creatures” that he loads with wood, torches and spins via man-powered axles—remarkable to witness in person. Anton has received many grants over the years from Burning Man to bring his art to the desert.

Artist Reception at Telluride Gallery of Fine Art
Renowned Burning Man photographer Scott London will be hosted at the Telluride Gallery of Fine art with a kick-off reception Thursday, Jan. 19. Scott is a photographer and journalist based in southern California. His photographs have been widely published, appearing in books, newspapers and magazines in more than 30 countries. Publications include Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Newsweek, The Atlantic, Wired, Fast Company, GQ, Architectural Digest and National Geographic Traveler.

His work has also been exhibited across the U.S. and Europe. Highlights include the “Living” exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark and the “Art in an Ephemeral Age” show at the Institute of Art and Ideas in England. His book Burning Man: Art on Fire will be featured at Between the Covers bookstore and Scott will sign books at the reception.

Sponsors
The Festival’s current sponsors include AmeriGas, Hotel Telluride, Lumière Telluride, Madeline Hotel & Residences, Scott’s Printing, Telluride Ski Resort, Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association, CCAASE, and The Victorian Inn.

Dance of the Sacred Fire returns in 2017!

Dance of the Sacred Fire returns for a 3rd year to enchant our guests with fantastic high energy fire sets. Their performances of pure fire shows will include Fire Poi, Fire Rope Dart, Fans, Fire Ropes, Fire Breathing, Fire Staff, Double Fire Short Staff, Fire Play, Fire Fingers, Fire Torches and more!

Pictured here: Fire spinners Melanie Finan, left, and Maciej Mrotek who performed on the deck at Mountain Lodge Telluride for Telluride Fire Festival 2015 and 2016. The performance kicked off the Telluride Fire Festival both years.

About Dance of the Sacred Fire:
Dance of the Sacred Fire has performed on national and international stages, and collaborated on projects around the globe. They manipulate fire using traditional tools, and draw on their experience with fire to design and create new, innovative tools for performances that are nothing short of magical.

Gunnison teen’s project to highlight Fire Festival

Excerpted from Gunnison Times: Will Shoemaker, Times Editor

The smell of propane wafted from a long metal tube as Max Ewy flicked a lighter over small drill holes, igniting the apparatus in a long line of short flames. Ewy rushed around the tube to queue punk music, sent through a speaker at one end of the cylinder. As the sounds of The Damned blared, the flames danced along with the beat.

Part science, part art, Ewy’s Ruben’s tube, as it’s called, jumped to life in a swirl of sound and sight. The first project of its kind for the 15-year-old artist and costume designer, the “standing wave flame tube” has been selected to highlight the second annual Telluride Fire Festival, Jan. 14-17.

The idea for creating the Ruben’s tube came from a YouTube video. And after learning of the Fire Festival, Ewy was encouraged to produce the apparatus for the event.

Download the PDF to read more.

Video of Ruben’s Tube