The middle of May was a big, exciting time for me, as well as Scott. Within three days I had my birthday, MFA commencement ceremony, and a trip to Denver, Colorado.

In Denver, Scott attended a conference and had an interview for a postdoctoral fellowship (which he has been hired for!). While he was busy with his stuff I managed to get to a few art museums where I saw work by some of my favorite artists in person for the first time. I didn't bring my real camera on most of our adventures, though I did take lots (as you will see in this post) on my phone. 

One of my first stops while in Denver was the Clyfford Still Museum. I have loved Still's paintings for a while, and finally had a chance to get to the museum on this trip! They had lots of his early works up as well, which were vastly different but so very beautiful.

It is difficult to get a sense of scale in these photographs, but they are extremely massive paintings. It is truly an experience to stand in front of them. It makes you feel as though you are engulfed in the painting, and creates a definite sense of awe as a result. 

After taking plenty of time at the Clyfford Still Museum, I headed over to the Denver Art Museum (The DAM), which is conveniently right next door. The DAM has a really nice variety of work, and I could have probably spent the entire day there. One of my favorite rooms there was the John De Andrea exhibition. They had three sculptures by De Andrea, all within a dark room with black walls. You have to enter the space by walking around a large wall, and then are confronted by the three extremely lifelike sculptures. 

It was quite a surreal experience. They were so very lifelike that the more I stared at them, the more I was certain I could see their bodies moving as they breathed. They were absolutely stunning, and the presentation of them in the dark, quiet room significantly added to their impact.

My absolute favorite part of The DAM was the Sandy Skoglund installation. I have adored her work for years, but never had the pleasure of seeing it in person. My thesis work, though I didn't realize it until after all was said and done, was heavily influenced by her. My monotone still life scenes directly relate to her installation work, as you can see below. 

Besides seeing some incredible art, we were also able to try out lots of amazing local beers in some very cool taprooms. One of my favorites was the Station 26 Taproom, which is an old fire station turned brewery in Denver. I tried the Cherrywood Smoked Red, which was the most unique beer I've ever had. (And now I am most definitely craving it.)

Towards the end of our trip we also visited the Upslope Taproom, located in Boulder, Colorado. It was a really neat place, filled with families, kids playing board games, live music, and a few dogs as well. And of course delicious beer. 

On our last day in Colorado we finally made it out to the mountains, thanks to a spontaneous drive to Estes Park. I actually brought out the real camera there, so Monday's blog post will have some better quality images. 

Happy Wednesday everyone!