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'Snapshots from Life'

A piece of art is a snapshot in time and a permanent record of an artist's evolution with their craft.

Nikki Kerrigan, Mary Yamamoto, Linda Litteral and Patricia Branstead chose the theme "Snapshots From Life" for their group show that opens today because of its universal appeal.

"Any artist can take that and interpret it and still be themselves," Yamamoto said. "I view my art as snapshots of life - a brief moment you capture that stays in your head - and you can't get rid of until you put it on paper. That's how you express how you live and what you have to say."

Yamamoto took a 30-year break from printmaking after she lost both of her parents to colon cancer. She feared the toxic chemicals involved in the process that are no longer used today. Printmaking for her is now a safe release and means of expression.

"The images are a way to express myself intrinsically," Yamamoto said. "Part of printmaking is that I can't do an image without being emotional and putting myself into it. I can't separate those things out."

This theme also allowed Branstead to make an emotional statement that reflects her recent move from Steamboat Springs to Denver. Her contribution is a series of papermaking, paste papermaking and release prints called, "The Book of Leaves."

"I wanted it to have a sense of transition that is personal to me and also relates to the fall, and letting go of things," Branstead said. "I'm dealing with some things I wanted to deal with for a while and this is my opportunity to do that."

Litteral interpreted the theme as a way to explain what she aspires to capture as a photographer.

"I strive for that moment - not the moment before or the moment after - that moment that sometimes takes pre-planning, patience or just taking a lot of pictures," she said. "I search for the image in my mind that I am looking to express."

Spirals have been a recent focus of Litteral's work.

"I like the curve aspect and mathematical aspect of them because I was trained as a scientist," she said. "And I like the art of the spiral. It feels good to me."

Kerrigan's interpretation of the "Snapshots From Life" theme is a little more universal and serves as a way to understand her subjects better.

"Any work I'm doing can fall into this category," she said. "For me, it's a process. I had an art professor who said that you can't really know something until you touch it, feel it and draw it."

This show has also been a way to cultivate the friendship these four women developed in a printmaking class taught by Branstead.

"There's an admiration we have of each other's work," Branstead said. "And it's been a really interesting combination of ideas when we get together to talk about things. It has brought us closer together."