First Friday Art Walk

At Big Al’s, supporting local goes beyond the food—we’re proud to showcase a rotating lineup of Fort Collins artists right here in our space. Our walls feature a constantly changing collection of work from talented creatives in our community, giving guests something new to discover with every visit. Whether you’re stopping in for a burger or meeting up with friends, you’ll find original pieces that reflect the character, creativity, and spirit of Northern Colorado. It’s one more way we stay connected to the place we call home and the people who make it special.

This month we're featuring: David Theissen - painter, Anthony Garcia - digital artist, Linsay Walker - clay artist, Mallory Cash - painter and Josue Sandoval - painter.

Dave Theissen is an artist and former art educator living in Fort Collins, Colorado. Raised in western South Dakota, Theissen taught art in Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Carolina before moving to Fort Collins in 2012 to teach at Mountain View High School in Loveland, and to pursue his own ambitions as a producing artist. His paintings are a means of proclaiming and responding to the compositions that reveal themselves in the everyday and the commonplace.

website: davidtheissen.com
instagram: @dtheissenart 

Mallory Cash is an Impressionist painter whose work is deeply inspired by her hikes and adventures in the great outdoors. Using color to evoke emotion, energetic brushstrokes to create movement, and separated marks that form a stained-glass-like texture, she builds vibrant, modern landscapes that celebrate nature’s rhythm and light. Unlike traditional oil painters, Mallory does not layer her paint; instead, she applies each stroke side by side without overlap—striving to get each one “right the first time.” Working with a limited palette of just five pigments, she achieves a vivid dance of unmuddied color that captures the emotional essence of being outdoors.

Throughout her career, Mallory has continued to draw inspiration from the natural world, translating her travels into a vast collection of landscapes. Living life on the road in her self-converted van, she explores both new and familiar places that feed her creative spirit. Some of her most painted destinations include the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, the red rocks of Moab, Utah, and the open grasslands of Montana.

Now residing in Loveland, Colorado, Mallory finds endless inspiration in the dramatic light and colors of the nearby Rocky Mountain National Park—just under an hour from her front door. When she’s not out on the trail chasing the next view, she can be found in her home studio, reflecting on the landscapes she’s explored and transforming them into luminous works of art.

Website: www.mallorycashart.com 

Instagram: @mallory.cash.art 

Anthony Garcia

Josue Sandoval

Lindsay Walker

Join us for First Friday Art Walk at CC’s Flowers, an evening of art, music, and community. We’ll be featuring the work of Natasha Ruby (@NatashaRubyArt, Facebook, and TikTok), a visual artist and debut memoirist based in Fort Collins. Her mixed-media paintings explore healing, reclamation, and the long way home—layering texture, color, and line into pieces that feel both restless and grounded. Her vibrant, intuitive style is deeply connected to her life as a writer, with each practice informing the other. Her memoir, Latter-day Psychosis, is forthcoming from Quoir Publishing in Fall 2026.

Enjoy live music throughout the evening from JT Stewart, a Fort Collins-based songwriter and poet with four solo records, and Esten Mason, a local bluegrass guitarist and vocalist. Together, they perform as The High Noon.

We’ll have wine and beer available for purchase, along with flowers and a welcoming space to slow down, connect, and take it all in.

Come by, bring a friend, and experience a night rooted in creativity and community.

Exhibit Dates: April 29 – May 3

Reception: During First Friday on May 1 | 6 – 9 p.m.

Artist Talk: May 2 | 3 – 4 p.m.

After years of going “out there“ via social media, online art exhibits and online galleries, where Gina Blickenstaff has won national and international recognition, she has come home to her local audience, with participation in the yearly Artists Studio Tour every Fall. She has won numerous awards in regional shows up and down the Front Range and exhibited at the 3 Square Art Gallery(Fort Collins) and will soon be exhibiting a large landscape painting in the Tilting West exhibit at the Arvada Center. Having just completed a wonderful solo exhibition of her work at the Museum of Art, and being chosen for the Dame Jackie Erickson Creative Catalyst award by the local KFCR radio station, she will be filling all three galleries of the Center for Creativity with her most exciting and vibrant artworks. If you are in need of some color therapy or a bit of rest from world stress, this is the place to be. A preview of her artwork can be seen on her website: GinaBlickenstaff.com.

Jemz Glass: Created by Jeremy Marmor (@jemzglass). Hand-crafted fused glass jewelry and Fort Collins based. Each piece is one of a kind. 

We are, Jenni and Alejandra (@linkd.and.flo), two sisters behind the sparkle and proud owners of a business built on creativity and connection. We offer permanent jewelry, hair tinsel, and custom photo keychains. Each piece designed to be personal, meaningful, and made just for you.

April Downtown Fort Collins Friday Art Walk & Mother's Day Promotion at Edge Optics!

Friday, May 1st | 6–9 PM | Edge Optics

Here’s what’s happening:
We are celebrating all the moms this First Friday!! Be sure to stop by for some amazing raffles and special offers on our Aesthetics Spa treatments for yourself or any special "moms" in your life!

Bald Man's Burritos Food Truck (@Bald_Mans_Burritos) – Comfort foods in burrito form with a touch of creativity!

Voulez Vous Bonbons (@voulezvousbonbon) - Handmade artisan chocolates that are as gorgeous as they are delicious.

Lydia Cruz – Beautiful, expressive art and custom caricatures!

JES Creations (@_jes_creations_) - Unique handcrafted fiber art, perfect for early holiday shopping!

Scrap Ceramics (@scrapceramics) – Beautiful, handcrafted ceramic treasures.

First Friday Art Walk is one of our favorite times to celebrate community, creativity, and connection here in Fort Collins — and we can’t wait to share it with you. Whether you’re here to shop, snack, admire local art, or just soak in the atmosphere, this night will be packed with good vibes.

Kick off a special weekend with our guest perfumer Carole Addison-Goyne, whose work explores the intersection of botanical fragrance, sensory experience, and personal expression. She is the founder of Nomad Botanicals, a house devoted to the art of botanical perfumery, known for its finely crafted scents and immersive olfactory experiences.

Inspired by the spirit of Art Walk, this two-day event offers a glimpse into the inner world of botanical perfume, where raw aromatic materials are transformed into evocative, wearable compositions.

On Friday evening, guests are invited to explore scent as an art form through a curated sensory installation, offering a rare glimpse into Carole’s work as a perfumer and into Nomad Botanicals as a house devoted to the art of botanical fragrance.

On Saturday, the experience becomes more personal and interactive, as guests are guided through a refined approach to discovering and wearing scent, exploring how different aromatic elements can be combined and experienced in new and expressive ways.

Throughout the weekend, Carole will be offering personalized scent consultations and sharing her distinctive approach to working with plant-based fragrance. nomadbotanicals.com | @nomadbotanicals

In good company with Carole, discover fresh works and ongoing offerings from our bevy of talented female artisans. From the archives of Blossom Bird Studio (@blossombirdstudio), we have original watercolors, prints & cards. Ute at Handarbeit has added fresh springtime inspired ephemera paquets to the mix. From Beldamia’s April 26th “Printemps” candle pour we will be well stocked with freshly poured floral candles highlighting the “Fleur de Lys,” scent in tribute to lily of the valley—the flower of Le premier Mai. A gentle reminder Mother’s Day is May 10th…consider gifting candles for a long lasting bouquet.

Join us for First Friday Art Walk, featuring the launch of SpeakOut’s 2026 journal. Enjoy an evening of art, storytelling, and connection, including a special journal reading at 7 PM highlighting voices from the newest edition.

Admission is FREE to explore our current exhibitions, Letters from the Heart and 20 Years of SpeakOut. This First Friday marks one of the final free opportunities to experience these exhibitions before they close, making it a perfect night to reflect on two decades of powerful storytelling and community!

Come browse the galleries, hear from featured writers, and celebrate the release of SpeakOut’s newest journal during this special First Friday event.

Speakout on Facebook - @csu_speakout

This month, resident artist Luke Ahonen (@lukeytattoos) will be showcasing original paintings and possibly hand painted skateboard decks...if he can finish them in time!

Stop by to find out, meet Luke, and explore the work inside the shop where he tattoos!

Amy was born with creative flair. Learning to paint as a child in Russia, she has kept a paintbrush nearby ever since. Fascinated with the beauty of the created world around her, Amy draws inspiration everywhere, most recently by coastal towns, some of which she’s had the privilege to visit. How can one not be enchanted by the play of water: its life, color and movement?

Amy’s work as a career counselor at CSU is a responsibility she
loves. Her motivation is to help young people build lives they love with careers that incorporate their gifting or leave space for life-giving practices...like painting!

Email: amykozlarek@msn.com
insta: @amykozlarek

Explore a modern collection of cozy still lifes, peaceful landscapes, and beloved pets. Enjoy an evening of color and creativity inside a space known for precision, care, and a love of well‑made things.

Based in Fort Collins, Jill Farrington (@paintingbyjf) creates acrylic paintings that blend modern color with nostalgic warmth. Her work often highlights nature, local architecture, and the small, familiar moments that make Northern Colorado feel like home.

Since beginning her art journey in 2022, Jill has become an active part of the Fort Collins creative community—teaching painting classes, supporting local rescues through fundraisers, and sharing art that brings people together with comfort and joy.

Instagram: @paintingbyjf

website: www.paintingsbyjf.com

Masks is the signature fundraising and community art event at the Museum of Art Fort Collins, and the main exhibition we are showcasing this First Friday. Its primary purpose is to raise funds for the museum with an online auction that will contribute substantially to the support of the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs by engaging the community in a unique, approachable, diverse and creative art experience. Each year has been an exciting journey as the unadorned ceramic forms leave the museum returning as an amazing collection of creative and diverse masks in all mediums. In 2026, 267 artists created Masks for the museum!

In the Springberg Vault Gallery, we are spotlighting a Guadalajara-based Mexican artist, Juan Bastardo. Juan presents Minilab for Future Inspection of Color, a speculative research platform where color is examined not simply as a visual attribute, but as a sort of technological artifact and historical archive. Rather than approaching color as a neutral aesthetic element, the project treats it as a site where industrial production, scientific knowledge, cultural symbolism, and political histories converge. Within this framework, every pigment, luminous surface, or digital color value carries traces of the systems that produced it.

JuanBastardo.com - @_juanbastardo_

May 1 is First Friday Art Walk 🎉

We’re staying open late from 6 – 9 pm—come hang with us!

✔ Meet & greet with local artists
✔ Live indie rock by @starpassmusic
✔ New Featured Artist Wall: “MATRIARCH” (a powerful new theme for May)
✔ Fresh art + new ownership
✔ 30 years established in Old Town Fort Collins

Plus, our master custom framer will be on-site—bring in a piece that needs to be framed.

Scott Klotz (@klotz150) creates fine art paintings for personal and business commissions. Contemporary and Abstract paintings in acrylic and mixed media. His passion with pencil sketches and cartooning has greatly influenced his abstract fine art. His work recalls to mind master artists from the past - Jackson Pollock.

He has taken the abstract style and added a personal touch with polarized glasses to give a deeper depth to the images to make it pop no matter if you are looking with or without the glasses. No matter the subject or medium used, being able to help others color outside the lines and open their minds to new ideas has always been a goal of his.

Our featured artist is one of our own - Reana Aste (@reana_asteart) who will be displaying her own pieces.

Another Quantum Entanglement First Friday! I’m splitting myself in two again!

My duet, Peanut Butter & Chocolate (@PeanutButterAndChocolateDuet), will be performing at the Masonic Event Center from 6:00-7:30 pm while Kyah Probst (@kyahprobst.art)paints at my art table and raises awareness about the Tapestry project from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. Come enjoy PB&C’s original music and covers! Check out my art prints, join Kyah’s live painting, and while you’re at it, take home an original CD by my band mate, Marcos Martinez (@Marcos.Martinez.Music)!

@SheriLauren_Music  | Sheri Lauren Music on Facebook

Meantime, my Studio 211 will be kept open at the Museum of Art by Charming Quail™ Jewelry (@charmingquail). Alex will debut his new Tapestry design sketch, an homage to community narratives, alongside beloved pieces and collaborations, and answer questions about the Tapestry Project.

Facebook | Website | @SheriLauren_Art 

I am so excited that Partum Iter (@Partum.Iter) has joined the project as well. He will be live sewing and offering pay what you can repairs on clothing and bags in either Suite 215, or the hallway approaching my studio. He is preparing his own original tapestry to donate through the Tapestry Project to The Alliance for Suicide Prevention Of Larimer County too.

Check my event online for updates! And be sure to ask the participants about our upcoming collaborations! Plus, the Museum will be hosting an art show in the MOA Community Collaborative Gallery.

I hope to see all of you at the Masonic Event Center, and please stop in at the 2nd floor of the Museum of Art Fort Collins too!

Smokestack Pottery will be hosting their annual resident's Spring Sale. Friday May 1st, 5 pm to 9 pm and Saturday May 2nd, 11 am to 5 pm. Beautiful handmade pottery just in time for Mother's Day and spring and summer wedding gifts!

Featured Artists: Sue Collentine, Sean Zoch, Megan Kelly, Joey Miranda, Alex Walter, and Beth Socolofsky-Howe

Psychedelia meets uncanny abstractions. A window to my soul but another may see it as a window to theirs, or not a window at all.

@thunketbug

This month, The Masonic Event Center (MEC) is excited to host CSU students from the Art Department as they deliver their capstone right here in our historic building! You'll also find a variety of artisans and creators like the vibrant art works of Aparna Vaishampayan (@indofusionart) and hand crafted oils and topicals provided by The Guild of Pepperers, by Michael-David Fanchon. 

Not enough? Well, we're also hosting live music performed by Peanut Butter and Chocolate as well as the final reception for our artist in residence for Cornerstone Gallery, Michael Safran (@michael_j_safan)!

There's always something to do on First Friday at The Masonic Event center, so don't wait! Make you're next Art Walk historic at the MEC.

Sian Shirley (@oddiothief) is an illustrator residing in Loveland with her two fur babies.

Sian has found a home in Petrichor Collective, and we’re beyond lucky to have them. The fantastic Art they create brings a unique glow to our community. We’re stoked to see that glow reach new masses on First Friday!

Featured for the entire month of May is Fort Collins ceramic artist, Diane Budy (@dianebudyceramics), with her new collection titled “Small Offerings of Light”. This body of work combines printmaking and hand-built ceramics. Through mono-printing, stencils, and textured surfaces, each piece carries layered marks that reveal its making. Birds, rays of light, plants, and rain form a quiet visual language, reflecting resilience, renewal, and optimism—small, tangible offerings of light.

Don't miss... A Night of Sci-Fi! Showcasing 2 short films and a LIVE table read with local performers! Here's what an agenda for the night looks like...

5PM: Screening of DISCLOSURE + Q&A

DESCRIPTION: In 1966 Audrey Draco interviews leading experts on UFOs, UAPs, aliens, and the associated paranormal phenomena in an effort to discover: WHO KNOWS THE TRUTH?

FORMAT: Short Film

NOTABLE ELEMENTS: This film was made in Colorado with a cast and crew largely made up of Colorado residents!

RATING: This film is not rated, but would likely receive a PG rating

6PM: Screening of NO VACANCY + Q&A

DESCRIPTION: Investigative journalist Leigh Larson arrives at a remote roadside motel where her past sins will come to haunt her...

FORMAT: Short Film

NOTABLE ELEMENTS: No Vacancy was voted the best short film of 2025 by Top Shorts! It has received 12 awards and was included in 23 awards shows and film festivals around the world

RATING: This film is not rated, but would likely receive a PG-13 rating

7PM: LIVE Table Read of THE HOSTAGE

DESCRIPTION: The Bastard and The Old Man kidnap The Kid, holding him hostage until he swears to sabotage a secret government initiative called The Doorway Project. But as police sirens bear down on their hotel, The Old Man's desperation forces him to take matters into his own hands…

FORMAT: This will be a LIVE table read with local actors!

NOTABLE ELEMENTS: See a script read by local performers before it's filmed!

RATING: This film is not rated, but would likely recieve a PG-13 rating

Tickets on Eventbrite

Jay Sherer on IMDB

We are featuring a local passionate pet photographer, Lauren McDonough! 

We have 2 CSU Capstone exhibitions for May Capstone.

April 24th 5 to 7

May 1st 6 to 9 on First Friday Artwalk!

Please join us to celebrate 8 talented BFA students and their fine art work!

• Rose Norrod @rmnorrod

• Lia Walker @m0thwoods

• Ellen Francisi

• Annika Tanner
  

• Guillermo Castro

• Talavera Kacey

• Cruz Mcginnis

• Sophie Lee

Liz Ortiz is a Fort Collins based multidisciplinary artist, printmaker, and founder of Mad Hare Press, an Indigenous and Latina owned printmaking studio. A Colorado State University graduate with a BFA in Printmaking and an MBA in Marketing Data Analytics, Liz blends traditional techniques such as linoleum block carving, Tetra Pak intaglio, and Mexican hojalata with bold, nature inspired imagery rooted in heritage and cultural storytelling.

Through Mad Hare Press, she creates original hand pulled prints and leads inclusive, hands on workshops that make printmaking accessible and community centered. Her work explores identity, memory, and resilience while honoring ancestral craft traditions through a contemporary lens.

Liz will be exhibiting and selling original prints during First Friday and through out the month of May.

Liz Ortiz Website

@madharepress

Facebook

Tik Tok

Join us for First Friday Art walk to celebrate the art of Creative Follies (@creativefollies), live music from Nick Critchlow (@nickcritchlow), and the Familiar Foods Mobile Farmers Market, from 6 -9 pm at Wolverine Farm.

Nick Critchlow is a singer/songwriter from Fort Collins, Colorado. He has been a local NoCo musician for 15 years, playing his original acoustic tunes up-and-down the front range. Critchlow enjoys tongue-in-cheek lyrics, introspective storytelling, and engaging with his audience. His solo music could be described as the lovechild of Jack Johnson and Gregory Alan Isokov.

Creative Follies says: I'm best known for drawing dinosaurs riding unicycles, so it's hard to say anything philosophically profound here, but I'll say something I believe: Levity is important. I'm not the greatest ambassador as far as that goes, but smiling makes you feel better on a neurochemical level. It's been proven. I hope the majority of my art, which is ridiculous, will continue to bring smiles and the occasional laugh into the world. The highly irritating world. Several of the mixed media pieces I'm featuring at Wolverine Farm this coming month were inspired by the book The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain, by Annie Murphy Paul. One takeaway is that we don't use our hands enough, which limits us cognitively and messes with us emotionally. I also love drawing eyeballs for reasons that are unclear even to me.