“Art never bores me. Never,” said Ronda Stone, Loveland-based photographer and artist.
Colorado-based artist and photographer, Rhonda Stone, spent the past two and a half years photo-documenting the construction and renovation of what is now the desk chair™ coworking space. What started out as photographs of the construction, taking place in the historic bank building at 201 East 4th Street, quickly turned into a deeply creative experience for Stone.
After years of putting her passion for art on the back burner, Ronda Stone attended Colorado State University and obtained a Graphic Design degree in 1989. After graduation, Stone discovered her true passion for photograph
“I want photography to move forward as an art form,” Stone said. “Not do the same thing over and over again.”
In 2014, Stone was introduced to Artworks, a contemporary art gallery and studio center in Loveland. Stone’s edgy and mostly black-and-white photography style fit perfectly with the other contemporary artists at the gallery.
“My goal as an artist is to touch people emotionally through my connection to human behavior and social issues,” Stone said. “I take the person in front of the camera and look beyond the exterior to bring out a side no one has ever seen before.”
With such drastic renovations being made at desk chair, Doug Erion, President of Artworks Loveland and desk chair™, approached Stone with the opportunity to document the progress as a way to preserve the history of the building while showcasing Stone and her interpretation of the building’s transformation.
With such drastic renovations being made at desk chair, Doug Erion, President of Artworks Loveland and desk chair™, approached Stone with the opportunity to document the progress as a way to preserve the history of the building while showcasing Stone and her interpretation of the building’s transformation.
“After having the idea to use a photographer through the construction process, Ronda was my first choice. I wanted her to use her unique style of work to photograph desk chair in an unexpected way,” Erion said. “She truly captured my vision through her camera lens and I encourage everyone to stop by desk chair to see Stone’s captivating work in our vault gallery.”
Instead of her normal black-and-white, edgy photography, Stone went the opposite direction. “When I began photographing the space, I knew this project was going to be different from anything I had done before. I went for beautiful, colorful and painterly, definitely not as edgy as my usual style.” Located at 4th and Cleveland in the heart of downtown Loveland, desk chair™ is set to open doors Spring of 2018
During the first year of opening, Erion decided to showcase Stone’s photography along the walls of The Vault Gallery. This area of desk chair will showcase the work of area visual artists in exhibits that will range in length from a few weeks to a few months. Using art in creative non-art workspaces encourages creativity by all who experience the art and the spaces.
“Seeing the building completely done instead of just in pieces will be an astounding moment in my life. I have become so involved in the building it has become a part of my daily life, and me,” Stone said. “I foresee myself sitting at Five Tables Café with a glass of wine enjoying the view of the mountains with the hustle and bustle of downtown Loveland. I cannot wait.”