Exhibition Dates: 7 May–30 July 2010

Opening Reception: Third Friday, 21 May 2010, 6p–10p

Live Podcast Interview on The Untitled Art Show: Wednesday, 21 July 2010, 8p

Artist Reception: Fourth Friday, 23 July 2010, 6p–10p

Special Engagement: Let's celebrate with a rare engagement from master painter Ralph Wolfe Cowan of West Palm Beach, Florida. Often called a "Blue Chip" master painter, Cowan began his painting career in childhood and has well-known accolades as a "Celebrity Portrait Painter" who has had an extensive career painting on private commission from true Royals and celebrities from around the world. Cowan is recognized by The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery as the only painter Elvis ever commissioned for a portrait. Cowan states, "My aim is to reflect contemporary man's ultimate desire for self-expression and living on the edge."

In the selection of paintings on display, VERTIGO shows the variety of trademark styles Ralph Wolfe Cowan has created throughout the decades of his illustrious painting career.

More About Ralph Wolfe Cowan

• Many people have seen Cowan's work in some form or another, but few have realized it. Just after Michael Jackson's passing, his painting of Michael went ballistic through the worldwide media: Newsweek, "Oprah," "Forbes Profile of Michael Jackson", and more.
• Cowan has been featured on numerous international news and talk shows including "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," "To Tell the Truth," "Entertainment Tonight," "Texas Today," and several Japanese programs and Middle-Eastern shows.
• Cowan was the only painter that Elvis ever commissioned for a portrait, and millions of people have seen his full-length painting of Elvis in the white jumpsuit hanging in Graceland, which is also the only portrait Elvis ever allowed to hang in Graceland.
• One of Cowan's paintings of Elvis is the featured painting for the "One Life: Echoes of Elvis" exhibition currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. During Elvis' 75th birthday, that painting was published worldwide, even in China, Kuwait, and the Czech Republic. Visit the facetoface blog of the National Portrait Gallery where you can listen to an interview of Cowan by “One Life: Echoes of Elvis” curator Warren Perry.
• Cowan was named the number one portrait painter in the world in a 2009 lecture by one of the curators at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
• He has painted six portraits of Johnny Mathis which were all used for album covers.
• Even Nancy Sinatra used the one her father Frank commissioned in 1967 on her recent album cover.
• Nearly every article published on Monaco since 1956 has shown his now legendary portrait of H.S.H. Princess Grace. Anyone touring the Monaco Palace will see his 1981 portrait of the entire family hanging in the Throne Room.

See more of Ralph Wolfe Cowan's work at his personal Web site.

Press Coverage

Read an interview with Ralph by Nicole Pasulka of The Morning News. Read a commentary on the exhibition by Gene Davis of The Denver Daily News

Exhibition Dates: January 15–February 27, 2010
Opening Reception: Friday, January 15, 6-9 pm
Closing Reception: Friday, February 19, 6-9 pm
Featuring: Tyler Beard, Ben Dayton, Linda Lopez, Austin Parkhill, Alex Perrine, Lindsay Pichaske, and Allie Pohl


"Reine", 54x54 inches, Acrylic on Canvas, 2010 / Austin Parkhill


Lindsay Pichaske


Linda Lopez


"Bears" / Tyler Beard


Ben Dayton


"Female" (small) / Alex Perrine


"Ideal Woman: Astroturf A and B" / Allie Pohl

Curated by Robert D. Garner (who is also an emerging artist), the fourth annual Emerging Artist Show at VERTIGO features the talents of Tyler Beard, Benjamin Dayton, Linda Lopez, Austin Parkhill, Alexander Perrine, Lindsay Pichaske, and Allie Pohl. I am really looking forward to this one — it has been a big challenge and there is a very interesting connection that runs through the work.

Press Coverage

Read a review of this exhibition by Denver Post Fine Arts Critic, Kyle MacMillan. The Signtologist commented on the exhibition and has additional photos of the work.

About the Artist

Alvin Pagdanganan Gregorio was born in 1974 in Los Angeles to immigrants from the Philippine Islands. He received his MFA from Claremont Graduate University in 2000, and soon after conducted cultural research in the Philippines on a Fulbright Fellowship. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Painting at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Artist's Statement

In the House of Your Tomorrows
By Alvin P. Gregorio

“Because I said so!” I cannot even begin to count the times he used this reason for not allowing us to do something. What the f@ck does that phrase mean anyway? As a younger person, it seemed rude, and thoughtless, and just plain mean. Now, as I am a new father...I get it. I actually get it.

No matter how much I am refusing to agree with that way of thinking, I actually understand. It’s not that he didn’t have a legitimate reason; it is just that sometimes parents don’t have the energy to go into why we worry. It is often irrational and a bit paranoid. Although, I’m starting to realize that the wall many of us have built around our emotions as a protective barrier or defense mechanism doesn’t just instantly end with the borders of our own physical bodies. That metaphoric wall somehow, someway encapsulates our offspring. How could it not? We are together for better or for worse.

My father has seen and experienced more than one person should have. I will spare you with the details, but when I say that my father has seen and experienced more than one person should have IT IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. And so did his father, and so did his mother, and so did my own mother and so did my own sister, and so did I. So did I.

I am learning more and more how we inherit our familial trauma; it is passed down through our own actions, and energies, and through stories, and memories. If we do not resolve our painful memories, we gift them to our offspring. The protective wall that was formed to protect us now is the very culprit that suffocates and strangles our offspring. This sounds a lot like how I understand karma.

So what do we do? What can I do to protect my child from the pain and suffering that is his birthright? Can I overcome generations of unresolved sorrow? How do I create a door within my protective wall so that hand in hand, my son and I can turn that knob and push open the door within that wall that will inevitably destroy us both? How can I resolve the inherited trauma, as well as my own? I cannot do this alone; I need his help.

He is less than two years old. How can he help? I am hoping that his smiles, and his cries, and his tears, and his laughter will nourish me when I no longer have the strength to fight this battle. I want to need to build him a House for his Tomorrows. Where he can be freed of the burden that has plagued my beloved family. Where he can live with his own family, away from the yesterdays.

Exhibition Dates: Friday, August 7–Saturday, August 29, 2009
Opening Reception: Friday, August 7, 6-9pm, and Friday, August 29, 2009, 6-9pm

Press Coverage

Read a review of this exhibition by Ken Hamel at DenverArts.org.

When: February 20-March 21, 2009 Opening Reception: Friday, February 20th, 5–9pm. Featuring the works of Kim Polomka, with Assemblage and furniture by Donald Fodness "Delicious Decadence" (detail) By Kim Polomka, Acrylic on canvas "Delicious Decadence" (detail) By Kim Polomka, Acrylic on canvas "Untitled Assemblage" By Donald Fodness, Mixed media VERTIGO will be open First Fridays and third Fridays for "collector preview nights" from 6–9pm throughout the event.

When: January 2–February 14, 2009 Featuring Kel Payton with Kyle Goodrich, Barry Whittaker, and  Slawomir Turynski (image by Kel Payton, this year's winner) Colorado AIDS Project is the largest community based organization in Colorado responding to HIV and AIDS. This year alone, CAP will serve 1,800 people living with HIV and AIDS through services such as case management, counseling, financial assistance, housing and the award-winning CAP food bank. To combat the spread of the disease, CAP will also reach 30,000 more individuals with messages about HIV prevention and safety. Currently, there are over 10,000 individuals diagnosed with HIV and AIDS in Colorado. More than a million people are living with HIV and AIDS in the United States, and there are more than 40 million infected with HIV around the world.

Exhibition Dates: November 7–December 31, 2008 Opening Reception: November 21, 2008, 6–8pm A collection of large scale works that are among Robert Strohmeier's most recent work, informed by his nearly eight decade career as an artist. “I want my work to be strong, not pretty,” states Strohmeier. This is not a retrospective, but a current perspective on the artist's work. Strohmeier will be present for a gallery walk through with his work at the opening reception, November 21, 2008, 5:30–8pm.

Exhibition Dates: July 6–31, 2007 First Friday Opening: July 6, 6–10 pm Artists' Reception: Friday, July 20, 2007, 6–9 pm

Exhibition Dates: April 6–26, 2007

Susan Helbig, James Garnett, Mia Mulvey & Kara Duncan
Exhibition Dates: November 3–December 29, 2006

Mentor, Artist, Gallery Making the Net Work. Exhibition Dates: August 4–5, 2006