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Steamboat Springs — Susan Corser is compulsively interested in the concept of place.

It comes across in her career as a landscape and urban designer, and in her oil and watercolor paintings of the places she's lived, places she's been and places she's seen.

"I'm sort of interested in the nature of places and what makes places unique : in the moods places evoke, the stories and the memories," Corser said.

In "Earth Scapes," her place-centric scenes will join paintings by Bert Kempers and mineral work by Leo Atkinson as the featured show this month at Artists' Gallery of Steamboat. The exhibit opens with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. today as part of the First Friday Artwalk, presented by the Steamboat Springs Arts Council.

A 17-year resident of Steamboat Springs, Corser said being surrounded by naturally intriguing scenes almost makes life as a landscape painter more difficult.

"It's hard when you're from here, there's just so much to see and the landscape is so phenomenal. So, every time you drive somewhere, you see something you want to paint," she said.

On a slightly more erratic scale, Leo Atkinson also is obsessed with place. He is hung up on places where you can find rocks - big, crystal-covered rocks.

For the pieces on display in "Earth Scapes," Atkinson traveled to trade shows across the country, peddling his finished works and hoping to find natural pieces he could shape and manipulate into multi-level, moving mineral sculptures.

"You wouldn't believe how many people love to fondle three-dimensional art," Atkinson said, adding that his least favorite question to be asked at a mineral trade show is if he goes out and finds the rocks himself.

"You'd get shot if you tried to find your own - these people (who sell the rock specimens) make their living off this," he said. "I'm probably the only one crazy enough that still goes out and goes to these shows, but you have to do it."