Aspen, visually speaking

This is one of Aspen’s moments.

The temperatures are warm. The skiing and snowboarding is exquisite. The town is full. Sun worshippers, mountain sports enthusiasts and business people have it all going for them.

But Aspen this week is all about the art lover’s scene as well, especially the visual art lover.

As Aspen Times Arts Editor Stewart Oksenhorn puts it, “It’s as good as I’ve ever seen it.”

Start your art walk at the Aspen Art Museum, where world-renowned Ed Ruscha’s “Mountain Paintings” are on display. Ruscha is one of the most celebrated American artists of today. His mountainscapes are anything but routine.

Next stop is the Baldwin Gallery, where two exhibits recently opened. Upstairs is “Boy,” a show of mostly paintings, but also sculpture and drawings, by Enrique Martinez Celaya. Downstairs is a show called “Attracted to Light,” complex photographs by brothers Mike and Doug Starn.

When you walk into the Baldwin Gallery, you’ll probably feel like you’re in a contemporary art museum.

Then take a peek at the David Floria Gallery, where work by New York painter Jeff Muhs and local artist Hunt Rettig is on display. Muhs’ oil seascapes are rooted in the waters that surround his native Southhampton. Rettig, a midvalley resident who is considered an up-and-comer in the art world, has put together a show of assemblage, mixed-media, for the Floria gallery.

The beauty is that the cost to see this world-class art is next to nothing. The galleries are free, and the art museum costs but a few dollars.

Like we said, this is one of Aspen’s moments.