Each year, Curtis Arts and Humanities Center hosts an All Colorado Art Show, which draws strong entries from the metro area.

The 2010 show, juried by well-recognized Denver painter Quang Ho, is no exception. It runs through Aug. 6 at the inviting gallery housed in a red brick historic school at Orchard and University and offers a range of styles from traditional to abstract, most of the works skillfully rendered.

“Fresh Still Life With Byrd Cookie Tin” by Sharon Holsople won Quang Ho’s First Place Award for two dimensional art. It’s a large, bright, whimsical, detailed oil painting that is deceptively simple in mood and sophisticated in technique.

Paul Stafford’s meticulously crafted “Zippered Maple Bowl” won the First Place Juror’s Award for thee dimensional art. His somewhat surreal art deserves a close look at its detail.

Other “Juror’s Awards” are marked with a gold seal and include Patricia Aaron’s two large abstracts “The Great Marsh Shift” (No. 3 and 4), created with encaustic wax, India Ink and Graphite. Christian Dore’s “Raccoons” is a striking horizontal abstract acrylic painting near the entrance. (Look for evidence of the masked critters). Andrew Sweet’s Tall, rusted “Contained Steel” sculpture with machine parts is on the stage area in the front gallery. Well-known local painter Richard Brogan, who teaches at Curtis, won a Juror’s Award for his detailed, realistic, snowy streetscape, “The Campus Lounge.” “Morning on the Platte,’ a traditional oil landscape by Lora Witt also had a gold seal.

Among other south area artists included in this worth-a-visit exhibit: Betty Ney, rita derjue, Craig Marshall Smith, Kim Glidden, Tanis Bula.

Juror Quang Ho was born in Vietnam, where his interest in art was evident early and immigrated to the US as a child. His first one-man show was in Denver at age 16. While helping to raise his younger siblings after his mother’s death in an accident, he attended Colorado Institute of Art. His work is included in many local and national collections.

He teaches at the Denver Art Students League and says “For me, painting is a marriage between the mastery of those basic visual elements; the discoveries and understanding of visual statements… and the trust in one’s own wordless intuition and inspiration…” Subject matter is not important, he has said, with regard to judging a show. “ The real essence of painting is the dialogue between shape, tones, colors, textures, edges and line.” He finds excitement all around him. A look at his website shows paintings of dancers, street scenes, a restaurant kitchen, lovely female figures, colorful still lifes and more.

If you go:

Curtis Arts and Humanities Center is at 2349 E. Orchard Road (at University), Greenwood Village. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays. 303-797-1779.