Sue Snively

Portrayer of Souls – The Art of Bailey Escapule

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by Sue Snively

She exudes personality, showing kindness in her eyes, determination in the set of her jaw and subtle humor in the “almost” half smile on her lips. There is wisdom coming from the overall expression on her rugged and wrinkled face. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but the elegance of this lady with her dangling earrings and her creased and folded hat makes for a very attractive portrait. It is a portrait of what it means to grow old gracefully, accepting the wrinkles, the gray, and other affirmatives of the later stage of life.

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Jo Annette Sieve: Landscaps and Portraits

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Article by Sue Snively

Local Artists – February 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Card Game

They sit, five distinguished men on a hill, under the sprawling branches of a tree, concentrating intently on the card game they are playing. One of the individuals has thick white hair, and sits with his back against the tree, looking to be in deep thought. Perhaps his next move in the card game is the subject of his thinking, but I think not. My imagination tells me he is thinking about how to take cover from the ferocious wind. Another subject is looking off into the distance, as if the card game is trivial and he has better things to do; perhaps he is planning a polite escape. They all stand out in the picture, not because of who they are, but because of the way the artist has fit them into the unusual background.

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A blend of writing and caregiving

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Article by Sue Snively

Kent and Cathy Haruf – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

THERE IS AN ORGANIZATION in the Arkansas Valley that eases the natural journey from life into death and beyond. It is called the Angel of Shavano Hospice, and is an organization that has come to the aid of over 125 families since its inception in 1988. It cares not only for those who are dying, but also their families, and Hospice continues to assist families beyond the death of their loved ones — sometimes remaining for over a year or longer if necessary.

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Randy and Carole Barnes make music in Buena Vista

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Article by Sue Snively

Local Musicians – December 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine

THERE IS A COUPLE in the Arkansas valley who make music in an almost infinite variety, from Celtic, in the form of Irish jigs and Scottish melodies, to Polkas to cowboy ballads. Their musical repertoire includes Gospel and Classical; wedding music and funeral music; songs written by a variety of composers and songs written by one of them. They perform by themselves, and with others, display exceptional vocal talents, and incorporate many instruments into their performances.

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A haven for animals

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Article by Sue Snively

Politics – September 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine

THEIR NAMES ARE MARMALADE AND JIGGS, and they are very close. They may be seen sleeping in their cage with their front legs wrapped around each other. When together they are secure and content.

Marmalade and Jiggs are two adult cats that have been housed at the Ark Valley Humane Society, Inc. (AVHS) for almost a year. They were leftovers from a full group of kittens, but because they were the least tame of the group, they didn’t get adopted. And now, even though they’re no longer wild, no one wants them. They’re not “the cute little kittens” that are so easy to place. But they are beautiful animals that would make wonderful pets if placed in a loving home.

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Designing for a Better World

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Article by Sue Snively

Local Artists – May 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine

“The people who give form to our mass produced products have fallen into a visual habit of cubic shapes, chrome trim, and dark-tinted plexiglass to solve all imaginable design dilemmas. The modern office, for example is tantamount to a sensory deprivation chamber with its beige panels, electronic boxes, and even lighting.

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Superlative Soprano: Tina Lovejoy of Buena Vista

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Article by Sue Snively

Local Artists – January 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine

THE TRIP TO DENVER was wrought with trials and trepidation due to an advancing snow storm. A semi had jack-knifed on Interstate 70 east of Frisco which meant taking a detour over icy Hoosier pass to take stormbound U. S. 285 on into the heart of the city.

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20 years in Buena Vista, and a big Temptation

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Article by Sue Snively

Local Artist – July 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

IT IS CALLED Temptation of St. Anthony, and at first glance it seems to be a standard landscape. Behind the sand dunes the Sangre de Cristo peaks of Crestone and Crestone Needle loom in the background, framed against a rather dramatic sky.

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Musical variety along the Arkansas

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Article by Sue Snively

Local Arts – May 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

THOSE WHO TRAVEL north from Buena Vista toward the Colorado Midland tunnels and Elephant Rock may experience an unexpected treat. There could be some musical accompaniment to the scenery.

Just before crossing the Arkansas River, as you go past a driveway with a BoatArk painted on a large rock, roll down your windows and go slowly. If you’re fortunate, you might hear the sound of a Steinway grand, coming out of a house of wood, glass and stone.

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Ben Strawn

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Article by Sue Snively

Local Artist – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

“As an artist, I rely on intuition, spontaneity, movement, immediacy and serendipity. What is important is to be engaging with the media at an intuitive or felt level. My work becomes a record of that process. I want my art to surprise me — to reveal to me what art is and can be, to express my humanity in ways my intellect alone is unable to conceive”

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The Sonheims: Carla’s faces, Steve’s techniques

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Article by Sue Snively

Local Artists – June 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

ON FIRST GLANCE, it was like looking into the unknown, perhaps into a scene far removed from the face of this place we call earth. The lighting and shadow in this photograph aroused trepidation — and curiosity. It was a stunning piece.

Steve Sonheim of Salida is the artist, and this photograph, as with most of Steve’s work, was not meant to be conceptual or symbolic, but to go past expressionism and into the world of abstraction.

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Rod Porco of Salida: Beauty with Thorns

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Article by Sue Snively

Artist – May 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine

THE UNIQUENESS OF HIS ART speaks for itself. A Salida craftsman, Rod Porco uses mostly salvaged items to create his unusual vessels. Although there are elements of basketry in his work, the pieces are entities unto themselves, fashioned from discarded objects, broken scraps, plants, and other non-traditional materials. In one exquisite piece, Porco may combine thorns, gourds, pieces of copper, Venetian glass, and barbed wire.

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From discards to art: Kay Litz of Salida

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Article by Sue Snively

Local artist – April 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine

IT IS CALLED “Prayer Shawl” and it hangs in the sunlight at Gallery K on F Street in Salida. Framed in a bed-spring hung to look like a shawl, are 12 small sculptured figures of a sad, young woman. Tiny discarded feathers and a few bold birds are interwoven with the statues within the squares of the bed-spring. Delicate feathers at the dangling ends of the spring contribute to the rather soft, feminine appearance of the piece.

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