In recent years, the Westside has steadily enhanced its reputation as an important home to art-related businesses. Late this summer it added another art gallery to its lineup: Surface Gallery.
“We were ready to expand,” said founder Valerie Lloyd, describing the gallery’s move to Old Colorado City from downtown Colorado Springs, where it was known as the Machine Shop.
Surface opened two months ago at 2752 W. Colorado Ave., in the building that formerly housed a military surplus store. In the second half of the 19th century, it served as a general store for miners and gold seekers.
Echo Architect +Interiors purchased the building last year and, after an extensive remodeling effort, it was renamed The Sluice, referring to the method of separating and recovering gold from placer gravel by using running water through long, narrow troughs.
“It was a ton of work,” said Lloyd, whose husband, Ryan, is the founder of Echo Architects +Interiors and a principal owner, along with Scott Schuster and Courtney Wilson.
“The utilities had been turned off for a long time and there were numerous broken pipes and electrical problems.”
The renovated building also houses the Story Coffee Shop and artist/business offices, along with Echo Architecture offices.
Valerie Lloyd has an art education degree from Colorado State University. Previously, she taught art at a high school in Washington state and was the managing owner, gallery curator and an artist at the Machine Shop, which opened in 2013 in Colorado Springs.
That connection with the area’s art community has helped to publicize the new gallery.
“We’ve definitely received a lot of support from people who already know what we are about,” she said, “and from people in the neighborhood. We still have a hurdle in getting foot traffic in Old Colorado City to come up this far on the west end, but that’s getting better.
“Just give us a year,” she added with a laugh.
The Surface exhibits have thus far featured artists with whom Lloyd is familiar and who have “more of a fresh perspective and newer type of work,” she said. “But not all of it is modern, not all of it is contemporary. We’ll have some realism, but it will be a little different.”
The gallery is featuring one artist every month, changing on the first Friday. The current exhibit is “Your Family is So Big,” Diane Reeves’ paintings.
Next up: an exhibit titled “Fragments of Eternity” by Lupita Carrasco, whose background includes an upbringing in San Diego immersed in Mexican culture. The opening reception is scheduled for 5-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7.
“Lupita’s work revolves around survival,” Lloyd wrote on the gallery’s website, “allowing herself to break open in the most vulnerable of places. She explores how trauma affects self-worth, self-care, and the ability to love and nurture others.”
In addition to art, the Surface Gallery also features a variety of quality handmade goods, ranging from small watercolor sets and sketchbooks to pencil sets and ceramic mugs.
“We’re here for all kinds of people, not just artists,” Lloyd said. “For me, the best thing about operating a gallery is the relationships I have with other people, whether it’s the artists who come by and show me their work or the buyers, who are excited about the art.”
The Surface Gallery, 2752 W. Colorado Ave., is open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Information: surfacegallerycos.com or 719-359-6966.