Artists and photographers show work “Side by Side”

On Friday, the Vail Valley Art Guild will be exhibiting “Side by Side” — Eagle County during its’ Second Friday reception. This “Side by Side” exhibit was a special challenge for members involving a match of one photographer and one artist to work together as a team.

Each team selected one familiar scene within Eagle County. Subjects vary from landscapes to various architectural elements located throughout the valley. The photographers would then take a photo and the artist would paint their impression of the subject. Sounds easy? Not so much. There is an expression, “Art is Perception,” and interestingly enough two people viewing the same subject do not always see the same thing. Viewers are encouraged to decide on their own — who did it better, the artist or the photographer?

The idea for this show started when one of the photographers, Rick Spitzer, showed Joan Willoughby a photo of a picturesque barn. Joan asked to borrow the photo and produced a watercolor of the same barn. The images were so similar they started asking members, “Who did it better?” This was an interesting and fun event as artists and photographers rarely work “Side by Side”.

Join this Friday at the Vail Valley Art Guild Gallery, 108 W. Second St., Eagle. The reception will be from 5-8 p.m. The Gallery is located across from Bonfire Brewery.