Estes Park galleries show the place back to itself: elk, aspen and the Park's peaks in paint, glass, photography and wood. Twenty-three are listed, every one in the valley, and many sit right downtown. The mix runs from single-artist rooms to galleries carrying dozens of Colorado makers.
The small galleries are where it's at. Ask who made something and nine times out of ten you'll get the story, sometimes from the artist. Find one local artist you love and follow them. Skip the mass-produced canvas prints of Longs Peak.
Downtown
Glass gets blown live in this West Elkhorn studio, next to the Big Horn Restaurant, and the demonstrations are why people drift in off the sidewalk. The glassblowers explain what they are doing as they work, and the gallery side sells the results: vases, glass pumpkins, globes and other pieces.
Out on West Riverside Drive, next to Estes Angler, this small studio hands you professional materials and teaches a real technique in one sitting. Wood burning is the class that comes up most, followed by tie dye and hydro dipping, with alcohol inks, marbling and batik on the schedule too.
Halfway along East Elkhorn, a few doors from Mary Jane's and Rocket Fizz, Aspen and Evergreen Gallery fills its walls and shelves with work from more than 75 Colorado artists. Pottery is the strongest part of the room, with paintings, prints, jewelry, photography and woodwork around it.
Down on Park Lane, a few steps from SEASONED and the Bears Den, one photographer's version of Rocky Mountain National Park fills the walls. Everything here is Erik Stensland's work, shot in the Park, and the prints are lit well enough that the room feels like a slow walk through the backcountry.
Glass, metal and wood are the three materials that carry Earthwood Collections, an art and gift shop on East Elkhorn facing Bond Park. A lot of it is local work, and the pieces lean one-of-a-kind rather than stacked by the dozen.
Costumes are the whole point. At Memories Old Time Portraits on West Elkhorn, staff dress the group from a wardrobe of one-of-a-kind outfits, in sizes from four-month-old babies up to adult 3X, then take about four shots and let the group pick one.
Hand-blended pipe tobacco is the surprise at this East Elkhorn wildlife gallery, and it is what a lot of people leave with. Fine cigars, pipes and accessories share the space with wildlife paintings and photographs, sculpture from Mill Creek, Big Sky and FIMO Creations, knives by Dale Duby and Ken Richardson, and Pendleton throws from an authorized dealer.
Framed wildlife and Park scenery fill most of the walls at Wild Spirits, an art gallery, gift shop and custom framing shop on West Elkhorn near Toy Mountain. The work comes from several local photographers and from nationally known artists, with Rocky Mountain National Park and the country around it as the main subject.
Estes Silver & Gold deals in coins, gold bars and jewelry from a spot on East Elkhorn next to Estes Perk Coffee and the Flattop Mountain Trading Company. Rings and collector pieces fill the cases, and the knowledgeable staff and kind owner are what people remember.
Forty artists from around the Rockies fill this nonprofit gallery at 517 Big Thompson Avenue, next to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and a few minutes' walk from the Visitor Center. Painting and photography hang beside jewelry, ceramics, glass, fiber and woodwork, and the range is what people notice, along with the fact that the makers are local.
Pottery class is why most people find Bear & Bee, and the wheel is the part they talk about afterward. The makers' studio and boutique on Big Thompson Avenue runs an Art Bar where walk-ins can try a project in one of several media, and candle making, wood burning and suncatchers all have their fans.
Elk, eagles, moose and hummingbirds are the core of the work at this East Elkhorn gallery, next to Wildlife Photo Art and a few steps from Kind Coffee. It shows one photographer, Don Van Horn, split between wildlife and landscape.
Next to Rocky Mountain SereniTea and Mountain Berry Bakery on East Elkhorn, Mystic Mountain Gallery sells art, gifts and a fair amount of jewelry, which is what people mention most. The staff get as much credit as the stock, described again and again as fun and sweet.
Wedged into the run of shops on East Elkhorn, Wildlife Photo Art shares the block with Rocky Mountain Gifts & T-shirts, Colorado Games Company and Kind Coffee, a couple of blocks east of the main intersection. The listing gives almost nothing beyond the category, an art gallery, and the name covers the rest: wildlife photography.
Wood, glass, metal, pottery and photography, all from local artisans, in one shop on East Elkhorn next to Ed's Cantina & Grill and near Aspen and Evergreen Gallery. With several makers under one roof, it is a sensible stop when you need a gift and do not know the person's taste.
Around the valley
Out on Whispering Pines Drive, under a mile from Mary's Lake, JKLongART is an artist's studio next door to Blue Gate Garden & Studio. The work gets the attention first: talent and creativity, a sure hand with color, and nuance in the pieces that rewards a second look.
Profits from Twelve Stones Collective go toward helping local marriages succeed, which says most of what the studio cares about. Its specialties are business headshots and branding, high school seniors with their families, and real estate.
Training videos, sales pieces, motion graphics and customer testimonials are the core of Front Range Media's work. The Fort Collins production company has more than 20 years behind it with Fortune 500 clients and small local businesses, and handles anything from a piece built out of existing footage and still photos to a large shoot with a lot of moving parts, for web campaigns, apps, corporate communications, television and live events.
Blown glass urns are the work people seek out from White Elk's Visions in Glass, a glassblowing studio on County Road 43 in Glen Haven, right by the Inn of Glen Haven. It is about six and a half miles from downtown Estes, a quiet drive out of town.
Art and framing under one roof. The Studio Fine Art & Framing sells fine art and frames work from a unit on South St.
A blue gate, a garden and a studio on Whispering Pines Drive, under a mile from Mary's Lake and about two and a half miles south of downtown. It sits next door to JKLongART, so two working artists share the same stretch of road.
Workshops and events are the only times the doors are open at Seed and Sage Studio, a shared space for artists in the South St. Vrain shops next to The CowLick Hair Saloon and The Studio Fine Art & Framing.
Out County Road 43 in Glen Haven, six and a half miles from downtown Estes, Elijah Holmes is listed as an artist at the same spot as White Elk's Visions in Glass and steps from the Inn of Glen Haven. Nothing is published about the work, hours or whether there is a showroom, so ask around in Glen Haven before planning a stop.
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Know what kind of gallery you are walking into. Images of Rocky Mountain National Park is one photographer's view of one place, and Don Van Horn Gallery is one artist with landscape and wildlife portfolios. Aspen and Evergreen Gallery carries work from more than 75 Colorado artists, and Art Center of Estes Park is a nonprofit showing 40 Rocky Mountain artists, with a new exhibit about every six weeks and a public reception.
Not every stop is only for looking. Inspired Art Experiences runs classes and take-home kits, and Bear & Bee has an Art Bar for trying projects in different media. Memories Old Time Portraits does Old-West costume portraits on Elkhorn Avenue, and Wynbrier Ltd Wildlife Gallery on Elkhorn Avenue mixes art with sculpture, knives and home goods.
Nine of the 23 are marked open Sunday. Summer is the busy season and many Estes Park businesses cut hours or close in winter, so call before planning a gallery walk off-season. If a piece will not fit in the car, ask the gallery about shipping. Deciding in advance whether you want a print, a hands-on class or a piece of jewelry keeps a downtown stroll focused.
Nine of the 23 listed are marked open on Sunday, including Aspen and Evergreen Gallery, Inspired Art Experiences and Art Center of Estes Park. Hours shift with the season, so check ahead in winter when many shops cut hours.
Images of Rocky Mountain National Park is a gallery and shop built around photographer Erik Stensland's pictures of the Park, and Don Van Horn Gallery shows wildlife and landscape images. Wild Spirits Ltd Gallery Gifts also shows work by local photographers and offers custom framing.
Yes. Inspired Art Experiences teaches classes and workshops in alcohol inks, wood burning, marbling and batik, and sells take-home kits. Bear & Bee has an Art Bar where visitors can try projects in different media. Call ahead for schedules and to book a spot.
Art Center of Estes Park is a nonprofit gallery showing the work of 40 artists from the Rocky Mountain area. A new exhibit opens about every six weeks with a public reception, and the walls carry painting, photography, jewelry, ceramics, glass, fiber and wood.
