MINTURN — Natron Smith says he’s on an artistic journey, not knowing where it will lead.
If it sounds to you like the lyrics to a Grateful Dead song, then you’ve already taken one step toward understanding Smith’s new gallery currently available for viewing in Minturn.
A few years ago, Smith underwent a rebirth of sorts and began channeling his talent for art, which had been lying dormant for many years.
The many influences which comprised Smith’s life in the interim began to come out in his art, and he produced a number of skiing and ski race related pieces.
And then his journey really began. After receiving inspiration on a Navajo reservation near Kayenta, Arizona, Smith pledged his life to his art. He now lives in Gypsum where he has a studio to direct his energy.
He has called the process “Positive Energy Flow,” which is the name of the new exhibit in Minturn.
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Ski racing and kachina dolls may seem like an odd mix of work, but if you know Smith, you’ll find it to be a perfectly normal extension of his persona.
So it was only a matter of time before those who know Smith would suggest that Grateful Dead and Widespread Panic be included in the influences he should try to draw from in his art. With a deep love of those bands ingrained in Smith and many thousands of others — people who have given up portions of their lives to follow along from live show to live show — perhaps Smith could produce something that symbolizes that love on canvas. Something that, when people see it, it sends their thoughts back to that era and the positive memories associated with it.
Smith hopes to have created this with “Positive Energy Flow,” and would like your opinion, as well.
The gallery is located on the corner of Main Street and Norman Street in Minturn, and will be open from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Monday and again on Wednesday.
There will be a soft opening from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday with food and drink, and Smith will be doing his old-school style of DJing (he uses cassette tapes) in an effort to create a music art fusion event.
He calls himself DJ Iron Lion.
“I’m not about the mixing of the beats as much as the solidness of the music, and selecting one song to the next so it mixes nice,” he said. “I don’t have all the crazy equipment.”
What he has, he used to create an atmosphere complimentary to his art, which is a small example of how Smith is living his entire life at this point.
“I have given up a lot in my life to make my art happen, and I’m not going to stop,” Smith said. “I really want to succeed. I think about my art all the time, I dream about it. I’m dreaming my art, literally.”
He says financially he’s been beaten down by this journey, but he also understands that’s an important part of the journey.
“It weeds out the people who aren’t serious about it,” he said.
