The man with orange skin stood out sharply against the white walls of the house, his neck arched backward, mouth agape as if screaming at the sky. "It's about being alone in Saguache," Manitou artist Neil Fenton said, referring to the untitled work on his wall.
It's difficult to say if the painting is representative of Fenton's style. It's obvious from the abstract oil done September 11 above his fridge or the Gauguin-esque work in his studio, that Fenton is evolving and trying new things.
Two of these abstracts, as well as an oil from high school and a bronze sculpture are currently on display at The Smokebrush Gallery. The latter two works were chosen for the Extraordinary Manitou exhibit showing at the gallery, located underneath the Colorado Avenue Bridge. There will be an Artists' Reception on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m., plus a Holiday Arts Bazaar, held in conjunction with the last Old Colorado City ArtWalk of 2007.
The Saguache-inspired painting does provide a window into Fenton's early years spent in the San Luis Valley town. Though both his parents were potters, the small community didn't offer him artistic and social outlets.
Fenton came to Colorado Springs after he'd taken a tour of Palmer High School and registered for classes there.
He attended Palmer while his parents remained in Saguache.
After graduating in 1998, Fenton attended CU-Boulder for two years, before dropping out and heading back to the Pikes Peak region.
Shortly after returning, his grandmother passed away and he went through a difficult break-up. Fenton responded to the ensuing emotional crisis through his art.
The retrospective of stunning paintings he created during this period were on display at The Business of Art Center from April until early May this past year. The use of color in these oils is remarkable and reminds the viewer of the work of Surrealist painters like Yves Tanguy.
In addition to Smokebrush, Fenton's work is displayed at The Warehouse, Shuga's, Safron, WeUsOur Artists' Market, and Cucuru Gallery & Café, where Fenton works when he's not making art at his Manitou residence.
Fenton also has art on the street; his bronze sculpture of a phoenix has been on the sidewalk across from Charlie's Pit BBQ in Manitou since April.
The ubiquity of his work is testament to Fenton's efforts at establishing himself as a viable local artist. He worked for Manitou Fine Arts Castings foundry until it closed last October. While there, he created his phoenix statue. He also brought in teenagers from FutureSelf, a program that immerses at-risk students in art, to do a lesson on foundry work.
Fenton works with students in other capacities as well. In high school, he was chosen to participate in the Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation's summer artists program that brings high school juniors to Colorado College for an artist boot camp. Fenton has returned to the camp for the past five summers as a camp counselor and classroom assistant. He's also been a teacher and puppeteer with Razzamataz - a local youth puppetry company.
In addition to his own work, Fenton's dedication to the younger generation and willingness to collaborate with other local artists make him a rising star in the local arts scene.
Fenton said he thinks there's hope for arts in the area because of the creativity he sees flourishing in Manitou Springs. "This is Colorado Springs' Greenwich Village here," he said. "This is where the creative people choose to live. Where the inspired people do live. I see a lot of reasons to be very optimistic for arts and culture in the Springs. But just like it takes an audience to hear music, it takes people to go see art to support the artists."