June Jubilee Art Festival brings inspiration to downtown

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The annual Colorado Springs Art Festival kicked off downtown on Saturday, June 22, bringing together artists and artisans and showcasing their creations and talents. The art show drew hundreds of people downtown where artists showcased some of their best work, including paintings, jewelry, photographs and more.

A unique blend of fine art and specialist crafts was on display at Acacia Park on Saturday to mark the June Jubilee. The event featured everything from bells and photography to handcrafted jewelry, leather and extravagant artwork.

“Growing up, I always made artwork. I always wanted to be an artist when I was a teenager, in my 20s,” says Dylan Montanio, owner of Montanio Art.

He was a chef for much of his adult life, until he realized something was missing.

“I started painting again and then there was a moment where I thought, you know, why wouldn’t I do that,” he said.

Montanio said leaving the kitchen was one of the best things he’s done. Today, his work is exhibited throughout the country.

Montanio wasn’t the only artist at the festival getting creative with his materials. Robert Nathan uses different types of paper from around the world to create his work.

“I use all these natural fiber papers. Anything from a thin sheet of rice. These are small pieces of plant fiber that are pressed into the paper all the way up to whole leaves that are pressed,” Roberts said.

His images are inspired by his travels and adventures with nature.

“They are very difficult to work with,” Roberts added. “You have to make sure they all stick, and you can’t use too much glue or it will clump and if you don’t use enough it won’t stick. So sometimes it’s a very delicate process when you’re working with certain materials.

It took him almost a year to create this beautiful piece inspired by a trip he took to Hanging Lake. Roberts is a new artist in town and said he is excited to be inspired by the beauty Colorado Springs has to offer.

“I finally stuck the landing, I said, I’m done, don’t do it anymore, and I’m really happy with it now,” he said.

If you missed Saturday’s festival, there’s still time. Vendors will return to Acacia Park on Sunday, June 23.