Art in the Valley back for the Fourth

Eleven artists will show their creative works at the Blackhawk Gallery-sponsored “Art in the Valley 2013” show this Fourth of July in Saratoga.

Gwen Gorton, organizer of the event, said this is the fourth year the Blackhawk Gallery, a Saratoga art gallery, presents its show on the Fourth of July.

“The town always had one on the Fourth of July, but once the arts council quit doing it, we started doing ours on the Fourth,” she said. “We used to do ours on Labor Day, but not on the Fourth, just so we didn’t step on their toes.”

Gorton said the art show will feature 11 artists from Colorado, Arizona and Wyoming, with Saratoga artists included, and those in attendance can purchase works from the artists showcased.

“This is the only time of the year that we let artists make their prints available,” she said. “Some of the artists will also give some demonstrations of what they do.”

Additionally, attendees can also win a $150 gift certificate through a drawing. Those interested will be given an entry form with boxes including the names of the 11 artists, and they will ask for an “artist token” from at least nine artists to place over the box with the coordinating artist name.

Participants will drop the form into the entry bucket at the front of the show, and only one entry per person is allowed.

“We’ll have an entry form for people to fill out with their name and contact information, and they’ll have to visit nine out of the 11 artists and get them to stick labels on the entry form before submitting,” Gorton said. “People have to be 18 or older to participate.”

Art in the Valley 2013 runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. It is at the St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 206 N. First St. in Saratoga, for all three days, and is free and open for all to attend. The drawing for the $150 gift certificate is 3 p.m., Saturday at the Blackhawk Gallery.

The list of the 11 Art in the Valley 2013 artists, with their types of art pieces and places of residence, are listed below:

Barbara Babcock, oils, Fort Collins, Colo.

Cesil Burnett, oils, Cheyenne

Dave Craig, oils, Tuscon, Ariz.

B.J. Durr, watercolors, Wheatland

Jan Hodson, oils with palette knife, Laramie

Trisha Kauffman, stained glass, Saratoga

Fran Odum, pastels, Tuscon, Ariz.

Sierra Smith, barbed-wire art, Saratoga

Sam Thiewes, oils, Fort Collins, Colo.

Eileen Van Baren, oils, Loveland, Colo.

Jerry Wood, stone sculpture, Saratoga