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PRESENTED BY

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PLEASE JOIN US:

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Friday, August 23, 2024


5 - 8 p.m. | $85 General | $76.50 Members

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Join us for an unforgettable evening as we transport you to the dazzling era of the Roaring 20s, a time when jazz was king, flappers redefined fashion, and speakeasies ran rampant. Dust off your feathers and fedoras, polish your pearls, and shimmy over to The Gardens on Spring Creek for the not-to-miss party of the summer, Garden a’Fare: Flappers & Flowers

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Garden a’Fare is perfect for couples, groups of friends, or hip singles who love a good party. This is a 21+-only event.  

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Event Highlights:   

  • Listen to jazzy beats provided by Colorado Swing

  • Bid on original paintings being created in real-time by masterful local artists (bios below!)

  • Dine on delectable cuisine provided by Fiona’s Deli  

  • Sip on a signature garden-themed cocktail created by CopperMuse Distillery  

  • Enjoy beer and wine from Odell Brewery 

  • Take part in our Wine & Whiskey Pull

  • Discover our hidden speakeasy lounge

  • Say cheese at our 20s-themed photo-op  

  • And so much more!  

 

All tickets include a gourmet buffet dinner, beer and wine, one specialty cocktail, and loads of fun! Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are available. Costumes encouraged but not required!​​

Thank You to our Sponsors:

Garden a’Fare is a fundraiser benefitting Friends of The Gardens on Spring Creek and furthers our mission of cultivating a world-class botanic garden through fundraising and advocacy. Friends of The Gardens on Spring Creek is the non-profit partner of The Gardens on Spring Creek, a City of Fort Collins cultural organization.

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Marilynn Brandenburger has been painting and exhibiting professionally since 1980. After teaching drawing and painting workshops around the country for 40 years, she retired to devote full time to her painting. Marilynn’s paintings and illustrated journals have been shown in more than 75 national exhibitions and have appeared in multiple publications and five books, including the award-winning The Island Within Us. 

 

The recipient of artist residencies in seven national parks and private foundations, she focuses on painting landscapes, both outdoors and in the studio, working in a unique combination of ink and watercolor. 

 

Marilynn grew up in suburban Chicago, attended college at Tulane University and earned a Master’s degree in art education at Florida Atlantic University. In 2014, she and her husband Allen moved to Colorado where they now enjoy exploring the parks, gardens and preserves of their adopted home state at every opportunity.

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Bob Coonts is a painter known for his colorful artwork pieces that cover a variety of subjects, including animals, landscapes, plants, and people. He enjoys the use of color as perfected by the Fauvists. Coonts uses a unique artistic style that expresses warmth and detail. His artistic style isn't fully refined as he continues to work on it to ensure that what he finally delivers is unique, whether he applies whimsy or colorful compositions to create them. Coonts’ artistic versatility is evident in his masterworks, delivering some in the true abstract or non-objective abstract. Often, his creative pieces reach out to his audience's emotions. Coonts has been part of numerous exhibitions over the years and has seen his works displayed in galleries and collections across the U.S. among other geographic locations.

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Lisa is an international award-winning artist actively producing Art in Public Places projects and paintings for both private and public collections.

 

PUBLIC ART
Enthusiastically approaching public projects she respectfully engages & accents the surrounding environment while building creative place making. She recognizes the past, present & future by combining both abstract and realistic elements to engage the largest audience possible.


PAINTING
Coined a Contemporary Naturalist, her painting technique remains consistent, yet the subject matter is expansive.

 

Applying her characteristic liberated paint application of contrasting delicate ribbons, heavy bands, drips, and splashes of color creates a harmonious balance between abstraction and figurative imagery. Her paintings culminate in layered dimensions and unexpected detail depending on the viewers’ distance from the work.

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Acknowledging her education, she recognizes her approach can be described and understood quickly as combining the plays on impressionist painters “Spirit of Place” and contemporary applications like Jackson Pollock’s “Targeted Paint” technique.

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Fort Collins based painter, Teddi Parker, has been painting almost daily since 2014. After being drawn to the bold and loose brushstrokes of other artists and jumping on the Daily Painting movement, Teddi has been learning to let go of perfectionist tendencies and just paint boldly.  Inspiration strikes from everywhere, but Teddi finds displaying the beauty in the everyday and ordinary to be surprisingly exciting. Standing on the knowledge of others mixed with her love for Jesus, Teddi can approach a blank canvas with confidence and not worry about what the opinions of others might be while creating.

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Karen Ramsay, celebrated Colorado watercolor artist, devotes her time capturing the beautiful landscapes and urban scenes around her, along with teaching students the techniques and joys of her favorite medium.


Karen is a graduate of the Colorado Institute of Art. From an early age, Karen enjoyed a love for drawing and painting. Encouragement to pursue this passion came from her parents and artists in her family. She has been featured in the Big Sky Journal as an "Artist of the West”. Other accolades include:: Paint The Poudre: People's Choice Award, Wild About Colorado: Best of Show, and Colorado Watercolor Society: Member Show Award.

 

Karen is very passionate about teaching and sharing her love for sketching and watercolor. Her classes and workshops are held locally, the Rocky Mountain region and internationally.  

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Michele Ray (Schierenberg) was born and raised in Colorado and found her passion for art as a young girl. Ever observant, Michele has always absorbed the beauty in her surroundings. From working in the family's plumbing and heating store to cooking alongside her feisty Italian mother with the occasional day trip to Cherry Creek to admire the latest fashion, her diverse exposure set the foundation for how she would express her art. 

 

Michele took her first step towards her passion by enrolling in Colorado State University's Graphic Design program where she was recruited to run Track and Field on the side. Proving an extremely talented artist, she continued her studies in illustrations and Fashion Design at Parsons School of Design in NYC.

 

Michele is a proud resident of the Fort Collins community where she donates most of her art to charitable organizations. Michele's art is second only to her reputation as a mother, wife, and friend to many. 

Meet the
PLEIN AIR Artists

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