Art at the Blue Raven
Featured Artists From 2023
YOUNG ARTISTS OF BLUE RAVEN
(DECEMBER 2023)
If you know any of the team members of Blue Raven Brewery, you know we are a creative crew and as you would expect, our young relatives are extremely artistic too! As a family friendly establishment, we welcome children who are supervised by parents, and are celebrating that this December by featuring the work of the young artists related to the employees of Blue Raven. The brewery will feature artworks in a variety of styles & mediums that will remind you of the joy and beauty of childhood as we experience the holiday season. So come on by and sip a brew or one of our many nonalcoholic options and enjoy the creative works by the young artists of Blue Raven!
PHOTOGRAPHY OF DANA GAGE
(NOVEMBER 2023)
Dana Gage is perhaps best known for the images he captures during daily hikes with his dog, Klaus. Dana has an eye for the beauty in abundance in Southeastern Wyoming. His photographs taken within Cheyenne parks and the nearby the national forest are admired by thousands of social media followers. Originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Dana has been a resident of Cheyenne for over 27 years. He is a self-taught photographer specializing in portraiture, nature, and especially landscape photography.
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ART OF ACHILLES DUO
(OCTOBER 2023)
Achilles Duo is the creative team behind Blue Raven Brewery’s latest art exhibit! Achilles Duo are Derek Huffman from Cheyenne, WY and Chris Vanderhoof from Denver CO. Both lifelong artists, Chris and Derek have been friends since Middle School in Virginia. They collaborate on paintings using acrylic and spray paint, depicting images of anything from their animals, to food items, to their favorite pop culture characters. Their unique style is heavily influenced by street graffiti and modern pop art. Sip a beer while you enjoy their art, all October long!
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ART OF ERIC LEE
(SEPTEMBER 2023)
Pop by the Blue Raven Brewery during the month of September to enjoy the painted collages of Eric Lee. The interaction between the richly textured paint and defined cut shapes will draw you in to contemplate his abstracted representations of memories and places. You may have had Eric as your teacher during his 20 year teaching career at Central High and Afflerbach Elementary or know his distinctive art style from being showcased at venues around Cheyenne!
ART OF DIANA RANDALL
(AUGUST 2023)
Stop in at Blue Raven Brewery to admire Diana Randall's unique works of art. Diana is a mixed media artist who works with leather and other natural materials to create drums and wearable pieces. Inspired by her grandfather’s leather work while growing up, she began making creations as a child and her style has evolved ever since. Say hello to Diana while you enjoy a brew, and you may even find an art piece to wear home!
ART OF TARA PAPPAS
(JULY 2023)
Do these long summer days have you longing for a bit of childlike wonder? If so, visit Blue Raven Brewery to experience the whimsical joy of Tara Pappas's art! Come say hi to Tara during the First Friday of the Month Artwalk at 5PM on July 7th. If you can't join us on Friday, visit the brewery any time in July and let your imagination run wild!
"All children grow up. However, that does not mean all must lose that childlike sense of wonder and pure bliss. When I discovered mixed media art, I rediscovered a sense of play that I thought I had lost in adolescence. At the heart of my work is a desire to spread joy and inspire imaginations to run wild, as they did in childhood. It is my sincerest wish that encountering my work will feel like a breath of fresh air—a moment of peace and happiness amidst the chaos. A chance to feed that inner child again."
"Tara Pappas is a mixed media artist and illustrator in Wyoming. Born in Fresno, California, Tara Pappas knew from an early age that she wanted to be an artist. After studying painting and classical guitar in her undergraduate studies, Tara moved to Austin, Texas, where she studied art education. While she occasionally painted during this time, it wasn’t until she moved to Wyoming in 2011 that she fell in love with mixed media art and developed her current painting style."
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MACRAMÉ OF JESSICA REFFLER
(JUNE 2023)
With a new month comes new art at Blue Raven Brewery, and Jessica Reffler has created a unique body of work for our walls during the month of June! Jessica’s macramé creations are inspired by the knots she learned while living on a sailboat in Ventura Harbor. Meet Jessica at the first Friday Artwalk and enjoy her meditative patterns all month long!
Jessica Reffler is a Cheyenne native and mom to her wonderful daughter. They briefly lived in California where Jessica found her love of the water, sailing, and all things macramé. They lived on a 32’ Catalina sailboat in Ventura Harbor. Jessica took certified sailing classes and along with that, learned all things knots.
After moving back to Cheyenne, Jessica found macramé as a form of meditation from the day to day hustle and bustle. It’s fun for her to get an idea and make it come to life. Jessica has made everything from plant hangers and key chains to car decorations and tapestries. She likes to incorporate fun details in her work such as beads, mirror detail, and color. She is currently available for commission pieces.
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SARA WILLSON & AMY TIGHE
(MAY 2023)
Amy Tighe and Sara Willson are stepping from behind the scenes at the brewery to display their artwork in the taproom for the month of May. This month Blue Raven Brewery celebrates its one-year anniversary, making it the perfect time for Amy and Sara to share their creativity on its walls. Both are long time teachers in Cheyenne, beer lovers, and artists. Amy is a photographer, capturing delightful surprises and the essence of various places from Cheyenne to Ireland. Sara is a mixed media artist, expressing her interpretations of places through layers of textured paper, sewing thread, paint, and other found scraps. Amy and Sara’s artwork will tap into your memories of places you have already experienced and inspire you to seek out more. Cheers to another year of great art and delicious beer!
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JAKE WILLIAMS
(APRIL 2023)
The oil paintings of Jake Williams were featured at Blue Raven Brewery during April 2023. His work explores the beauty and the anomalies of the natural world, from vast open landscapes, to trout breath, and much more in between.
Jake Williams is an oil painter whose work is influenced by his love and amusement of nature. From fish and birds, to landscapes and seascapes, to clouds and the cosmos, Jake tries to convey the beauty and anomalies of the natural world by recording it onto canvas. He started painting close to 7 years ago and is mostly self taught with the exception of learning techniques through YouTube videos or catching “The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross” every once in a while. He hopes his paintings evoke positive feelings and emotions, and also inspires others who are intimidated by making art without formal training.
"Just go for it!"
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AMY IRISH
(MARCH 2023)
"I feel blessed to have grown up and lived the majority of my life in Wyoming. The diverse range of landscapes found here from high desert plains, towering mountain tops, abundant wildlife, and breathtaking skyscapes have always been a source of inspiration to me as an artist. Places like Vedauwoo represent my sense of place because it is a landmark of being close to home."
"I have been fortunate to have lived and traveled to many places in the world. My artwork features an eclectic style utilizing a range of mediums including oil paint, printmaking, pastel, and watercolor. My approach to art comes from recognizing a variety of styles, thereby creating art from combining the influence of playful surrealism, a touch of abstract expressionism, old world realism, art nouveau, and fantasy."
"The dominant theme expressed overall is a strong connection to nature and color translated into landscapes, animals, figures, water, and flowers. Water is a recurring subject in my artwork due to an intrigue by the challenge of capturing the never ending motion and flow of water as a life force, and for the serenity and peacefulness wondrous watery places evoke in the human spirit and imagination. Celestial images of the moon, heavens, and the goddess surface in my art frequently as a statement of my femininity and spiritual journey in this world. Cats, whether domesticated or wild, are ever present in my art, because of a personal affliction and love for all that is feline."
Find More of Amy's Artwork on Blogspot
KRISTY JOHNSON
(FEBRUARY 2023)
"Success isn't found in the moment we reach the end goal, it’s found in those moments of failure along the way -- the detours that encourage innovation, change and benefit us with a more profound understanding."
"With this in mind, my recent practice focuses on freeing myself from my own confining goals and expectations allowing curiosity and playfulness to direct my creative methods. Through trial and error and a continual reset from my default need for control, I find each piece emerges with its own unique mood, style and characteristics."
"Keep curious. Keep playful. Keep growing."
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