A&E

Art show at the library LYONS – Sally King’s Bearable Light show will open at 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 14 at the Lyons Regional Library, 415 4th Avenue on the corner of Railroad and 4th Avenue. The show will run through September. For more information contact the library at 303-823-5165.

At the opening of Bearable Light, Shauna Lee of Bella la Crema will perform her music. This opening at the library is in tandem with the Open Town Hall Art Show and folks are encouraged to stroll between the two shows. It’s an art happening In Lyons so please join in. Contact info for Sally King is sallywhiteking@live.com, Website, sallywhiteking.com.

Bearable Light

By Sally King Redstone Review

LYONS – It’s true I say, Light is Bearable, so much wonder and light bombards us every single day. Light on the water, the screech of a hawk on wing, the smell of garden soil, my husband’s smile. But to balance this ecstatic outburst, it’s sometimes unbearable how challenging it is here. There is a thick layer on everything which muddies the mind, dimming the bright worth of each of us. The radiant truth of what it means to be a human being the potential that lies within us! Painting is a practice of cutting through the dense layer... that whispers a diminishment of the unique self. To paint is to trust and to risk Asking questions like... does the composition holds together What color should I add or subtract Will more light or more dark give the art what it needs? Does it hold spirit? Is it ok that other people may not get it Can it still exist? Through painting I witness the emergence of self... if I pay attention. It’s a mirror, a look at what’s evolving. To put a mark on a canvas and leave it there especially when it’s kind of rough, unfinished even. I dare you! I decided to make new works for this show. How can I encourage others to take a risk, if I don’t? We have entered a new moment collectively and individually. I’m curious, I think we all are so I took this opportunity to explore, to see what’s out there by seeing what wants to come out onto the canvas. I began my art career in the 90s with large paintings of flowers and land sold through Smith and Kline Gallery in Boulder. But I’ve always made folk art, art which tells a story. The bear paintings fit this category, portraits of bears as our relatives, with lots of heart and soul. There are bear sculptures in Lyons too, The Three Bears across the street from The Stone Cup and the seated Yellow Mama Bear on Main street where I have seen children sit to get their picture taken. Making art is also a way to track a life. Every winter I make a linoleum print, an annual image to represent the year. It holds on to that which was most important during that time –

King 48 years of prints. When I redid my website a few years ago I added a section called Dares, One of them was I dare you to grow old, maybe the most daring of all!

Sky Shaman, 4 x 4 ft acrylic, is part of Bearable Light, a show by Sally White at the Lyons Library. Opens July 14 and runs through September.

Sally King is a local artist who has created whimsical bears and delightful wild flower acrylic paintings to enhance the appearance of Lyons all over the town. She lives with her husband John King, a kinetic sculptor artist, near Lyons.

Lyons Garden Tour drew over 200 people

By Sara Erickson Redstone Review

LYONS – Thank you from the Lyons Garden Club to all who visited our homes and gardens on June 19 and made our tour a grand success with over 200 people attending. Our visitors were enthusiastic, inquisitive and really appreciative of our efforts.

We owe a huge thank you to many, many people for helping. To the garden owners who were gracious and willing to open their yards and gardens so that our guests could enjoy the beautiful landscaping, flowers, garden ideas and garden whimsey, we owe a huge thank you.

We also thank our sponsors McCann Real Estate, St. Vrain Market, Tucker Real Estate Group, Gateway Realty Group and donors for the drawing, but especially thank Lyons Community Foundation for the generous grant which enabled us to fund the tour.

The weather was great, the response from the Lyons community and beyond was fantastic and the gardens were stunning. It was a good day for all. We also thank photographer Gautam Bhan, who took fantastic pictures of the tour and are on view on our website. Garden club members Teresa Pennington, Anne Marie Mikoni, Beth Smith, Jeanne Moore, Sue Wratten, Debbie Simms and Sara Erickson worked for months to prepare for this event and deserve a restful summer.

As this was our first tour, we learned a lot of lessons which we will apply to future tours. We will definitely change the location for the in-person registration. The site at the bears was noisy and parking was limited. We will also identify which gardens are handicap-accessible.

We are planning for next year. If a Lyons area resident has a flower or vegetable garden they think is interesting, unique and/or noteworthy, please visit the Contacts link at our website www.lyonsgardenclub.com and send a message, or email Sara Erickson at sarae403@gmail.com. Also email us if you are interested in the club and want to attend our meetings and join in our activities. We will put you on our mailing list. We welcome new members.

We hope to see you again in 2022. Thanks to all who supported us in every way.

Sara Erickson is a member of the Lyons Garden Club and writes columns on their events.

Happy, dancing Lyons Garden Club members Jeanne Moore, Anne Marie Mikoni, Sara Erickson, Teresa Pennington, Sue Wratten and Beth Moore celebrating a successful tour. (Photo by

Gautam Bhan.)PHOTO BY GAUTAM BHAN

Community art shows are back at last after Covid

By Brianna Hoyt Redstone Review

LYONS – The Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission (LAHC) launched the first tandem art show with the Lyons Regional Library in January of 2020 with Larry Cohan’s Neighborhood Retrospective.

The tandem art shows include an artist spotlight at the Lyons Regional Library along with the community art show at Town Hall and are changed quarterly. Though 2020 started with a successful show at both locations, Covid threw a big wrench into the remaining schedule.

The LAHC is happy to announce that the public art shows are back for 2021. The first 2021 art show reception will be Wednesday July 14 at 5:30 p.m. held in tandem at the Lyons Regional Library and Town Hall. There will be live music from Shauna Strecker and light refreshments available at the library. Sally White King’s Bearable Light, a collection of her iconic bears, will be on display in the community room at the library. Sally White King is a long-time Lyons artist whose bear sculptures and paintings can be seen throughout town. She is best known for her vibrant and playful paintings of bears and flora.

This quarter’s community art show in Town Hall will be Bringing the Outdoors in & COVID-Wrought Creations. Come see what your friends and neighbors have been up to during quarantine! Both shows will be on display until October 1, 2021.

The LAHC has art shows planned for the remainder of 2021. The Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission has several local artists lined up for the Lyons Regional Library shows and the Town Hall community art shows are open to all for public submission of created artwork. The Lyons Arts and Humanities invites artists of all levels and experience to submit their pieces.

To stay up to date on upcoming art shows, subscribe to Kaleidoscope, the LAHC’s monthly newsletter. In addition to the tandem town hall and Lyons Regional Library Art shows, the LAHC has been adding to heARTS of LYONS, an outdoor public art program. The commission has accepted several new pieces to be displayed for two years.

The newest piece is Future City by Kevin Ginsberg. This sculpture is located in the butterfly garden across the street from the Stone Cup. Keep an eye out around town for new sculptures.

The Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission meets every second Tuesday of the month at the Lyons Regional Library with zoom optional. The meetings are open to the public with time on the agenda for public participation.

The Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission welcomes the community, Wednesday, July 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the first art show reception post-Covid. It will be so wonderful to see the smiles on faces, as masks have become optional for so many of us.

HJB Leather Designs

Sally White King’s “Bearable Light,” a collection of her iconic bears, will be on display in the community room at the library.