You are invited to spend the afternoon Saturday, May 26, from 1-5 p.m. at the North Mountain Art Walk in Bull River, Highland, Utah. Admission is $5; kiln opening is at 3 p.m.
Take I-15 exit 287 to Alpine/Highland and travel east about four miles on Highway 92 and turn left on the east side of the dip on Gambol Oak Circle.Artists represented at the North Mountain Art Walk are: Dion Barron, cast paper; Day Christensen, artists' books; Jenni Christensen, etchings; Roger and Gwen Davis,
studio/ceramics; Neil Hadlock, studio/
sculpture/paintings; Frank McEntire, boxes; Ray Morales, graphic design; Frank Riggs, sculpture; Ron Rogers, paintings; Dennis Smith, studio/sculpture/paintings; Gary Smith, studio/sculpture/paintings; Trevor Southey, etchings/sculpture.
Sculptures to be displayed in the gardens will be works of David Adams, Dallas Anderson, Angelo Carravaglia, Brent Gehring, Nate Johansen, Ray Jonas, Brent Mooney, David Peterson, LauraLee Stay, Cordell Taylor, Darl Thomas and Walter Vasqauez.
The Art Walk idea began several years ago. Several art-oriented couples such as the Smiths, Hadlocks, Southeys, Riggs, Lintons and others, would meet for dinner and discuss the day when we might all live together in a community where art and public education were just an extension our living environment. At the time we were full of enthusiasm and long on dreams, and to many our grandiose plans seemed but a dream - yet, today they are reality.
I suppose to those who know the North Mountain artists and their Bull River community, we are an anomaly to most communities. Most of us work at home, and more often than not find time during the week to get together and discuss life, art, philosophy or any of the pleasant things of life. We are often found around the fire at night, eating pot-luck and laughing and reminiscing about the pleasant side of life. We have socials for New Year's, Easter, the Fourth of July, a summer regatta, Christmas and several that we make up that have become an annual tradition.
We have work parties where a portion of our community is cleaned, cleared or built - an opportunity to again work hard, laugh and find community strength in being closely associated.
This is the third year that we have sponsored the Art Walk. Last year many of us said we had had enough, that the work of preparing for and hosting several hundred guests was overwhelming and that we just couldn't do it again.
It turns out that it is like any difficult experience that has a pleasant reward; soon the reward exceeds the difficulties, and for the past three months, we have again been planning for you to come and enjoy our environment of trees, streams, homes, studios, art and friends.
For those of you who have been with us in the past, you know that it is an afternoon of environment and art. This year, the artists are going to be working in their studios on art and hope that you might experience some of the process of creation with them. Welding, hammering, painting, composing, molding, throwing, firing are all part of the artists' palate that we believe you will enjoy with us. We look forward to seeing you.
-Joseph Linton is an architect in Highland, Utah County. He welcomes other viewpoints.