|
| Issue No. 10 | January 5, 2026 | | | | |
PUBLISHER'S NOTE | sponsored by Arts Perspective Magazine | Denise Leslie, publisher
This week’s Eye on the Arts offers a gentle invitation—to pause, to notice, and to delve a little deeper.
We’re especially excited to share our first Healing Arts Spark Story, featuring Tyler VanGemert, whose journey into integrative healing is rooted in lived experience, place, and presence. It feels like a meaningful start as we welcome 'Healing Arts' - (Healing Arts, Cover image published Winter 2009, Issue 23) back into the Arts Perspective fold. Be sure to read more to catch the full story.
You’ll also get a glimpse of David Yarrow’s return to Durango, showcasing his powerful photographic work at Sorrel Sky Gallery—an opportunity to experience images that captivate and invite reflection. Read more to discover the story behind the lens.
And finally, a small nudge: if you’ve ever thought, I have a story to tell — we’d love to hear from you. Arts Perspective is always open to Creative Contributors from across our region. Sometimes it starts with a spark.
✨ Read more. Stay longer. Join us.
| | |
Tyler VanGemert | Acupuncturist, Oriental Medical Practitioner
My “spark” happened in Missoula, Montana, after fleeing from the World Trade Center attacks of 9/11 in New York City. I was working as a soil scientist for the Forest Service when a friend invited me to a Native American sweat lodge ceremony on the banks of the Blackfoot River.
Read More
| | | |
VISUAL ARTS | sponsored by KSUT PUBLIC RADIO
Leonard Davies: The Joys of Painting as a Pastime
Leonard Davies came to painting later in life, bringing with him a lifetime of looking closely at the world.
He titled this exhibition The Joys of Painting as a
Pastime to reflect a deeply held belief: it is never too late to begin painting and experience its rewards. After a long and distinguished career as a civil rights attorney, Davies began oil painting at the age of 70—not as a reinvention, but as a natural and enriching next chapter shaped by curiosity, patience, and presence.
Read More
| |
LITERARY ARTS | SHORT STORIES | sponsored by Hideaway Marketing Agency
Beached by Jaime Becktel
I feel like a beached whale, and I’m not referring to the medieval tightness of my wetsuit or the Christmas cookies I’ve been housing like oxygen. I’m referring to being beached – literally – like a whale. Unable to move. Immobilized. Stuck. I’m in Hawaii on the island of Oahu, traveling alone in paradise in an effort to heal the raw little hole punched into my heart as a result of a breakup breakdown. I’m hoping the waters of the Pacific will purify me and that Pehle’s fiery spirit will deliver me back to myself. I’m also hell-bent on swimming with a sea turtle.
Read the Story
| | | | |
Stay Tuned—Arts Perspective is launching a call for Short Story Fiction and Artist collaborations!
| |
|
EVENT SPOTLIGHT | sponsored by Sorrel Sky Gallery
David Yarrow at Sorrel Sky Gallery
This weekend, internationally renowned photographer David Yarrow returns to Durango for a special reception and book signing at Sorrel Sky Gallery. The event is free and open to the public and takes place on Thursday, January 9, from 5:30–8 p.m.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Yarrow’s remarkable career began early, capturing an iconic image of Diego Maradona holding the World Cup trophy at the 1986 FIFA World Cup Final. After a successful career in finance, he returned to photography, ultimately becoming one of the world’s bestselling photographers with a bold, cinematic, and unmistakably his own style.
Read More
| |
|
HEALING ARTS | sponsored by Mountain Medicine Acupuncture
Listening to the Land: A Practice Listening
There are artists whose work feels inseparable from the land itself, as if the landscapes they paint quietly guide their hand. Jan Wright is one of those artists. A watercolorist based in Mancos, Jan has spent more than five decades listening closely to the Southwest—its mesas, canyons, open skies, and timeless landscape—and translating that connection onto paper with patience and grace.
Read More
| | |
WEEKLY EDITION SPONSOR | Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College
Experience a night of jaw-dropping artistry and global tradition when The Peking Acrobats take the stage at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College on Wednesday, February 4, at 7:30 pm.
Celebrating their 35th Anniversary North American Tour, The Peking Acrobats return with a thrilling Year of the Snake program—an evening filled with astonishing feats of balance, precision tumbling, contortion, cycling stunts, and gravity-defying chair stacking. Rooted in more than two thousand years of Chinese acrobatic tradition, this world-renowned troupe blends ancient artistry with modern spectacle, vibrant costumes, and dynamic stage effects.
This unforgettable performance is perfect for audiences of all ages and promises wonder, excitement, and awe from start to finish.
🎟 Tickets are available exclusively at durangoconcerts.com
For the best seats and to avoid third-party resellers, only purchase tickets at durangoconcerts.com.
| | |
Quote for the Week: "Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile." – The Grateful Dead.
| |
|
Your Eye on the Arts is free to read and share. We believe stories about creativity should be accessible to everyone, which is why there’s no paywall. If you find value in our work, we welcome donations or ongoing support through our Buy Me a Coffee platform — every contribution helps bring more stories to life.
Thank you all, Barbara Grist, Shell Simonson, Heather Freeman, Tad Smith, Moni & Jonas Grushkin, Milt Beens, Aunt Victoria & Jim, Cinda Wassmer, Randy Hays, Patricia Burk, and Sharon Abshagen!
| | | | |
Published weekly by Arts Perspective | Bayfield–Durango, CO | © 2025 All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy |
| | | |
