“Just Between Us” turns up the heat

New art exhibit excites patrons

By David Josselyn

Gilpin County Arts Association (GCAA) is making valuable use of the newly heated Washington Hall Gallery in Central City with the extraordinary exhibit, “Just Between Us” featuring sculptor/painter Walter Barton and oil painter W. Max (Bill) Thomason. The 158-year-old building had no consistent heat source until the GCAA, in conjunction with the City of Central and several benefactors, had a forced air system installed in 2018. Before this, the rooms stood silently devoid of accoutrement, occasionally disturbed by the steaming exhalations of the maintenance man’s lungs. The challenge for the GCAA board, headed by president Eric Miller, was to fill those empty spaces between the fall fund raiser and the summer juried show. While the holidays lend themselves naturally to art works suitable for gifts, the remaining time necessitates more creativity, which was resolved with an exhibit of eloquent, thought provoking works by two local artists. To prepare, the board and other volunteers worked furiously and purposely to clean, paint, and reorganize the space producing comfortably warm and open viewing areas.