Palisade, Colorado Part One: Fine Arts
Roy, Melise, and myself ran away last weekend to Palisade, CO , a little town on the western side of the Rocky Mountains that is famous for its peaches. We took part in a "Media Familiarization Tour" . . . .
Wait, let me start about a month before that. I had a strange message on my machine one afternoon from a woman named Jenna. She was calling as a representative of the Palisade Tourism Board which was planning on hosting the above mentioned tour. She wanted to invite me on the tour - 2 days, one night, all expenses paid - if I would agree to write an article about their town . . . Why me? I instantly wondered. Sure, I'm a writer, but a very little known one. Well, her message went on to explain that she was actually from Haxtun and had even gone to school with Roy, but more importantly her grandma in Sterling (the next "big" town to our west) reads my column! Small world! They had some cancelations from other writers, so she gave me a call.
I said yes, of course. Who in their right mind would say no to that offer? It didn't hurt that the start of spring has dished up some miserably cold days and I was crossing my fingers that Palisade would be sunny and warm. I wasn't disappointed!
It's a six-hour drive from Haxtun to Palisade, so we broke it up a little. We left Friday afternoon and stayed overnight with Roy's sister in Boulder. The next morning we left early to beat the skiers as we drove into the mountains. I have to say that I love to drive through the mountains. Every part of the Rockies is beautiful, but I was still longing to reach the other side and feel some warmth!
As we gradually came down the west slope of the mountains, the highway followed the deep channels of the Colorado River between sheer cliff faces. I was watching the mile markers and wandering how we could be so close to Palisade and not see a town. Right before our exit, the cliffs finally parted way and we saw rolling hills of orchards and vineyards.
As we drove into Palisade, it was obvious that this was a town proud of it's orchard history since almost every house had a fruit tree (or six) in its yard. Some of the trees looked older than the houses they stood by and I wonder if they were token trees left after the retirement of an orchard.
This gallery displays art from 35 local artists. It was hard for me to believe that a town of 2,000 people would have so much talent in their midst. They also hold art classes and have a blown glass studio attached.
Melise and I especially admired the paintings by Dianna Fritzler - bright colors and whimsy always win my favor!
They have a porch area in the back where we all gathered and I just couldn't resist getting Melise's picture with the giant blue pig. I love the pig's tatoo!
The mayor, Dave Walker (on the right), greeted us. On the left is one of our hosts, Lief. In between them is a cool piece of art called Metamorphic Solar by Lyle Nichols (another local artist). I believe it looks a little like a beehive as a tribute to the area's bees that are needed to pollinate the orchards. The best part, though, is that it has a built in solar panel on top and emits light from its interior at night. Regretfully, I forgot to come back at night and get a picture.
For lunch, we were taken to a cafe and antique store down the street called Mumzel's. It was a very tasty lunch of soup and sandwich, but the best part was the company. John, a local archeologist, gave us a very interesting history lesson of the area. The short version is this: Palisade was founded in 1882, just after the Native Americans had been removed to a reservation. The whole area was busy with orchards, vineyards, and coal mines in the nearby cliffs. The vineyards hit a tough streak during prohibition, which helped the orchard industry take off. Vineyardshave been making a comeback and now the area is spotted with wineries. The coal mines are all shut down now, I believe. The area is also becoming known for its many artists and the outdoor activities, like hiking, biking, and tubing on the river.
For lunch, we were taken to a cafe and antique store down the street called Mumzel's. It was a very tasty lunch of soup and sandwich, but the best part was the company. John, a local archeologist, gave us a very interesting history lesson of the area. The short version is this: Palisade was founded in 1882, just after the Native Americans had been removed to a reservation. The whole area was busy with orchards, vineyards, and coal mines in the nearby cliffs. The vineyards hit a tough streak during prohibition, which helped the orchard industry take off. Vineyardshave been making a comeback and now the area is spotted with wineries. The coal mines are all shut down now, I believe. The area is also becoming known for its many artists and the outdoor activities, like hiking, biking, and tubing on the river.
After lunch, we relaxed in the town plaza right in the heart of downtown. It was the perfect place for my white shoulders to soak up the sun - I miss it already! The plaza is the location of some town events, like their Sunday Farmers Market that starts in June. It's also the home of Harley, the fish.
Harley is another piece of art by Lyle Nichols that I couldn't help getting up close and personal with! Harley is made from the exhaust pipes of harley motorcycles.
There is a sign in the plaza that proves the town has a good sense of humor, but I never got the story on this!
We stopped in at the Twisted Brick Studios next - named for the twisting brickwork of the building. Inside I laughed to be greeted by Dianna Fritzler herself, whose art I had been admiring earlier at the Blue Pig.
Here she is standing in front of her work. (Sorry Dianna that I caught you in the middle of saying something, but you are still beautiful!). Her apron says "Twisted Sister" - I love it.
It turns out that the Twisted Brick is both a gallery and studios for a handful of artists (check out the 2009 posts on their blog to see who the artists are). During certain times of the week and by appointment they're open for visitors to walk through the whole building, studios and all, and see what's going on. Normally, I would be WAY too intimidated by the idea of walking through an artist's studio (especially while they are there), but these artists broke the stereotype that I had in my imagination. They were delighted to have visitors and were as down to earth as can be. One of the artists even gave Melise some markers to take with her to keep her entertained during our trip!
Weeelllll . . . . it says here I've written over 1000 words in this posts already and I've bombarded you with photos, so I'm going to stop for the day. BUT there will be more. Stay tuned for winery tours, fine dining, a party at a distillery and Melise on the dance floor!
Continue to the next post about Palisade!
Harley is another piece of art by Lyle Nichols that I couldn't help getting up close and personal with! Harley is made from the exhaust pipes of harley motorcycles.
There is a sign in the plaza that proves the town has a good sense of humor, but I never got the story on this!
We stopped in at the Twisted Brick Studios next - named for the twisting brickwork of the building. Inside I laughed to be greeted by Dianna Fritzler herself, whose art I had been admiring earlier at the Blue Pig.
Here she is standing in front of her work. (Sorry Dianna that I caught you in the middle of saying something, but you are still beautiful!). Her apron says "Twisted Sister" - I love it.
It turns out that the Twisted Brick is both a gallery and studios for a handful of artists (check out the 2009 posts on their blog to see who the artists are). During certain times of the week and by appointment they're open for visitors to walk through the whole building, studios and all, and see what's going on. Normally, I would be WAY too intimidated by the idea of walking through an artist's studio (especially while they are there), but these artists broke the stereotype that I had in my imagination. They were delighted to have visitors and were as down to earth as can be. One of the artists even gave Melise some markers to take with her to keep her entertained during our trip!
Weeelllll . . . . it says here I've written over 1000 words in this posts already and I've bombarded you with photos, so I'm going to stop for the day. BUT there will be more. Stay tuned for winery tours, fine dining, a party at a distillery and Melise on the dance floor!
Continue to the next post about Palisade!
Posted by Susan at April 14, 2010 
Categories: Travel
Tags: mesa county gallery peach art vineyard dianna fritzler orchard lyle nichols palisade colorado apricot studio
Categories: Travel
Tags: mesa county gallery peach art vineyard dianna fritzler orchard lyle nichols palisade colorado apricot studio
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