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2020 Winter Carnival Poster Revealed

When Steamboat artist Jen Baker was tapped to create this year’s Winter Carnival Poster, she was posed with a unique challenge: how to create a poster for the iconic event out of her preferred medium—glass.

The result was a stunning, colorful piece in her signature style that also managed to achieve the graphic element the occasion demands. We caught up with Jen to talk about the experience of transforming poster to glass and vice versa.

While most people think of glasswork as sculptural, for Baker, it’s another layer of color, dimension, texture, or light. Inspired by the natural beauty she is surrounded by every day in the Yampa Valley, Baker’s works are suggestive of impressionism, but because of her unusual technique and application verges on something more modern. She does everything from landscapes to abstracts and comes in various forms including panels, wall mounted work, table top pieces and sculpture. When posed with the challenge to translate the Winter Carnival experience into glass, Baker jumped at the chance to create something special and completely unique.

How did it feel to be selected to create the Steamboat Winter Carnival poster?
When I was asked if I would be interested in creating the art piece for the poster this year I was extremely flattered. I thought, wow, such an incredible opportunity! I realized my artwork would be a part of Winter Carnival history. I was super excited about the challenge to see what I could create out of glass for the Winter Carnival poster design.

What was your inspiration for the piece?
Inspiration for the piece came from the memories I shared with my family enjoying the evening festivities of the Winter Carnival fireworks. Ever since my daughter was an infant, we have loved watching the firework extravaganza. There is so much going on, so many colors, so many places to look in anticipation of where the next firework will be and where the lights from the Winter Sports Club athletes will be. I think it’s really special when the night is being lit and snowflakes gently (or not so gently) fall.

You feature the famous A-Frame very prominently in the piece. What about that building appealed to you?
I really appreciate the history and character in architectural structure and have always loved the gables on the “Tow House” so I incorporated that historic building into my sketch and eventually the piece.

Tell us about your process.
The piece is made entirely of glass: glass pieces, parts, bits, and components that are all fired together to create the scene. The piece itself was fired 4 times to varying temperatures each time adding glass and layers to it. Several of those components were fired in a separate firing then incorporated into the final actual piece creating “Light Up the Night.”

The original glass work will be offered at live auction at the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club’s “All In!” event on Friday, December 6 at Three Peaks Grill. A small number of limited edition signed, numbered and framed giclee prints are also available, with #1-3 offered on silent auction at the “All In!” event.  CLICK HERE for more information or to purchase tickets to All In!

The remaining limited edition giclee prints will be available for purchase through Steamboat Sotheby’s International Realty. Email marketing@steamboatsir.com for more information or to reserve your copy.

Winter Carnival poster prints are also available for sale now – $10 each or $15 each to have them shipped. Contact marketing@steamboatsir.com for more information or to purchase a poster.

For more information about Jennifer Baker and to view a gallery of her work, visit www.jenniferbakerglassart.com.


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