Copper Club Brewing Company holds art market

FRIUTA, Colo. (KKCO) - Art, food, and beer were the scene at the Holiday Art Market. Michele Collins, the co-owner of Copper Club Brewing Company, says they decided to host artists to show support. “To give them the space to sell their goods,” said Collins.

Collins says she reached out to Lori Ruiz to gather local creatives. “And asked if she knew some artist, you know, that might want to start an Art Market,” explained Collins.

Lori Ruiz is a local artist who paints modern portraits of the American West. She gathered other local artists through a collective she started, called the Westslope collective.

“It’s kind of an Instagram page local community of artists. So we all kind of share ideas and share each other’s businesses and look out for each other and make sure what events are going on,” described Ruiz.

Fifteen local artists participated in the event to display their art, including candles, paintings, jewelry, and much more. Ruiz states that she began the collective because there’s no organized way artists can reach other artists.

“As an artist, I was finding it a little frustrating not knowing when and where to sign up for events or what was going on in the valley. And I just really knew we needed a community resource guide for creatives,” said Ruiz.

According to Ruiz, the best way to support local artists is to share their work.

“Make sure if you purchase something from a local artist to share it on Instagram, share it on Facebook; make sure you tag them and make sure to let your friends know where you got it,” exclaimed Ruiz.

The artist says if you want to get involved with the collective to look for them on Instagram: @Westslopecollective.

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