Few art galleries have the privilege of more than 20 talented artists and advocates sharing the management of the gallery—but that is the Blue Moose in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Almost all of the owners are in the Gallery on a regular basis, and they all are able to help you with those perfect gifts. The owners come from varied backgrounds — journalism, nursing, teaching, and equestrian arts are just a sample of the backgrounds on the new team. The gallery provides an opportunity for many of them to either connect, or reconnect, with the art world.
A brief history: In October 2016, the Blue Moose Gallery first opened its doors with owners Deb Groesser and Cathy Michaels at the helm. In 2018, Raine Greene and Julie Grillo joined as co-owners. Together, they brought years of gallery, business, leadership, and customer service experience to the gallery.
After almost three years of many seven-day weeks, the four original owners decided to open up ownership to gallery artists and patrons. Within weeks, more than 15 artists and art advocates enthusiastically agreed to join the Blue Moose team. Collectively, they bring a love of sharing art and cultivating relationships to the welcoming community of the Front Range. Some are artists who display their work in the Gallery, and others are art advocates whose support is invaluable to the Gallery’s success.
To learn more about the current owners and their wide-ranging interests, see below.
Joan loves being around creative people and jumped at the chance to meet artists and see what goes into making art of all mediums. Besides art, she enjoys her family of 8 kids and 12 grandkids. The Blue Moose Gallery “gives me an extra reason to visit Fort Collins and to enjoy all the surrounding natural wonder and all the artists’ beautiful artwork. I met the love of my life Bud and married for 32 years. Second marriage for both of us. Bud and I had 8 kids and 12 grandkids. Now that I’m 80 it doesn’t’ seem that I’ve been around that long. But I’m grateful to be given the pleasure to keep on kicking.”
After living in the Washington, D.C. area for 35 years, Marge moved to Fort Collins where she immersed herself in the community. During a Fort Collins Art Studio Tour, she visited Kathi Dougherty's glass studio where she was invited to create a small piece. When she saw all the pieces fused, she was hooked and, after all those years of "living in a creative drought" had finally found her creative passion. Marge has been creating whimsical fused glass pieces for 13 years and her designs have dramatically evolved from big pendants, large art pieces, functional, and masks, to funky, whimsical pieces mounted on tile, rock, wood, metal, marble, and glass.
Diana was raised in a creative family in northern Wyoming. Her father was a stained glass artist, her mother a framing and art gallery owner. With degrees in speech-language pathology and audiology, Diana was a stay-home mom for 15 years, and then pursued art as a full time career beginning in 2010. Diana specializes in bright colors, patterns, and layers, drawing inspiration from fashion, home decor, and travel. She enjoys the freedom of expressive painting and letting each piece develop organically. Her paintings have been displayed at galleries in Fort Collins, Wyoming, Virginia, and Missouri. She has participated in Artist Studio Tours in Fort Collins, and has been featured in publications such as Bella Grace, Somerset Studio, and Handmade.
Cecilia grew up in Iowa and went to college for her degree in Computer Programming. She had a 38-year career with the Federal Government and held many positions in the IT field. She moved from Iowa to Minnesota and finally ended up in Fort Collins. After retirement, she wanted to pursue developing her artistic side. She started taking classes at the Blue Moose on the encouragement of her friend and co-owner, Liz Williams. Her first class was a beginning watercolor class taught by Deb, and she was hooked! She enjoys travel and the great outdoors and can often be found hiking, biking, or paddling with her husband and their dog. She loves spending time with her three adult kids and cooking big family meals. She was drawn to the Blue Moose by all the beautiful artwork and the warm, welcoming environment. She is excited to be an owner and help support the local art community.
Rhea, a first-generation Italian and French Canadian, grew up in Massachusetts. A “recovering hippie” with Woodstock credentials, she lived in Vail in the early 70’s and, with other women, helped start the Humane Society. She worked as a psychiatric nurse, in Alaska, with patients of all ages. She has also worked with both Red Cross and FEMA in disaster response.
Teresa Funke has been a professional writer, speaker, and arts advocate for more than 30 years. She runs Teresa Funke & Company, Bursts of Brilliance, and Victory House Press. She has been the resident writing instructor at Blue Moose since January 2020. Teresa has published nine books and writes a weekly inspirational blog called “Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life.” Her primary interest in arts advocacy is in how artists can cross sectors and partner with business, government, nonprofits, education, faith-based communities, and arts organizations. She has launched several art and writing-related community partnerships through her company. She was born and raised in Boise, Idaho.
Roger Funke grew up on a wheat and barley farm in Northern Idaho. He enjoyed a 33-year career at HP and still relishes opportunities to consult and mentor people interested in business. Roger is a master woodworker, specializing in custom-made furniture, shelves, decorative items, and gorgeous one-of-a-kind ukuleles. He and Teresa love to travel and spend time with their three awesome grown children.
The first quilt Julie ever made was for her newborn son two decades ago. Since then she has made lap quilts with matching doll baby quilts, healing infused message quilts, prayer quilts, memory quilts,
and numerous graduation quilts. When designing a new quilt, she grabs her graph paper, pencil, and memories of the quilt recipient and creatively blends favorite colors, design elements, desired size, and the choice of a hundred fabrics. She loves the play of colors and spends hours cutting, piecing, and laying out the blocks in the most pleasing design. She also makes quillows (quilt+pillow=quillow) to give to those in need. At the Blue Moose Gallery, she creates events and organizes classes. She also teaches basic quilt making and silk scarf classes. She loves to travel with her husband Bill and their two
boys and is a community and school volunteer.
Deb has been a professional artist for more than forty years. In 1991 she opened up her first gallery and frame shop, Northwoods Gallery, in Lake Almanor, California. The gallery grew into the Blue Goose Gallery and cultivated a wide following and continues to flourish to this day, where Deb continues to be on the board there and travels back several times a year to teach. In 2012, the pull of family precipitated a move for Deb to Fort Collins, Colorado. Deb's experience as a working artist and gallery owner has proved invaluable in starting the Blue Moose Art Gallery and Gifts. She is able to mentor our growing band of artists and her classes here are legendary! When she is not working at the gallery, Deb loves to travel, enjoy the outdoors, spend time with her grandsons, and paint in her studio.
Lisa is an art advocate, raised in Fort Collins and having lived in England for 25 years returned to town in late 2017 to care for her elderly Mother. Lisa’s personal activities in art are mostly in the area of photography but in the past she has worked in ceramics, crafting and the dynamic arts such as theater and dance both as a volunteer and participant. She has previously owned her own business, a hotel pub and restaurant in Wiltshire England, and served as an elected member of her English City Council for 6 years, 4 of which as Chairman of the Town Planning Committee. She has held various volunteer positions as a trustee, chairman and director of several local UK charities serving her community. Lisa, an avid poker player and animal advocate, was introduced to the Moose family by outgoing member Inara Rudmanis, and having bought so many gifts and enjoyed our art classes she enthusiastically took the opportunity to join our team in July 2020.
Ruth grew up in Fort Collins. After graduating from CSU, she left Colorado for a time to follow her dreams…and my husband. After nursing school in North Carolina, Ruth moved to a small cattle ranch in the Flint Hills of Kansas, where she was a nurse practitioner for 20 years. Upon retirement, she and her husband Mike moved to New Mexico, where she finally had time to learn how to throw pots. She was fortunate to find many generous and talented teachers who taught her how to throw a pot and about the joy and frustrations of glazing and firing pots. She now lives near Windsor with two cats, a dog, and happily, the same husband. Her pottery is mostly functional, but her love of animals and the outdoors occasionally find their way into her work. She works predominately with porcelain for its texture and bright white color, but sometimes she enjoys venturing into darker clays. She considers the time she spends in the studio as therapy, and she hopes that her pots will feel right in the hands of those who use them.
Tanya is a retired professor of nutrition at Syracuse University, where she spent 30 years as a researcher, teacher, and administrator. She and her husband made Fort Collins their happy retirement home and are lucky to be closer to their daughter, who’s in Denver, and her mother, who followed them to Fort Collins. Since retiring, she volunteers at the Larimer County Food Bank, Ten Thousand Villages, and Native Hills. While leading a study abroad class in Italy, she began finding her artistic side through some drawing, and in 2013, a friend taught her how to mosaic. In 2020, she did her first large mosaic, a Tuscan countryside as the backsplash behind her kitchen range. Many of her projects are traditional grouted mosaic pieces, but her most recent venture is cut glass, representing the wildflowers of Colorado. Some are table-top frames and others are mounted on boxes, mirrors or other interesting objects.
A Fort Collins native, JoAnn is currently working in her third career, as a registered nurse at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital. An enthusiast of many different creative endeavors, JoAnn received her BA in graphic art from the University of Northern Colorado in 1988 and worked for several companies doing catalog layout. Her second career—certified veterinary technician—began in 1996. The change to “people nursing” came in 2007. The demands of nursing school, followed by working at the hospital, pushed JoAnn’s creative endeavors aside for a few years, but her artistic side never left. With a nudge from a helpful counselor, and the support of her wonderful husband Tom, JoAnn set out on a mission to revitalize her creative spirit. Through classes at the Blue Moose Art Gallery, JoAnn became intrigued with fused glass. “Being able to take material that is sharp and angry and transform it into a thing of beauty with soft edges is a magical process.” As her skill level matured, JoAnn bought a bigger kiln and loves making fanciful and funky fused glass clocks. A fourth career looms on the horizon...
Stephen took his first art class in his mid-20s, but then career and family took precedence until the mid-1990s when he was able to return to his love of clay; he has been “playing in the dirt” ever since. He moved to Colorado from Chicago in 2010 to be with children and grandchildren (two daughters, four grandsons, one granddaughter). Much of his pottery is functional; he also designs indoor and outdoor totems which represent his “clay” stories. Recently he has concentrated on indoor mountain totems, 1-2 feet tall, deconstructed bowls and platters, and large platters (18-22 inches). Each top has a named Colorado peak. He also experiments with several different glazes and layering for both functional pots and platters and totems. He has developed a vibrant red glaze and also uses several glazes together that drip and spread over a pot, much like wood-fired ash glazes.
Alesa Locklear spent her career in business. From starting as a CPA, then moving to software and owning her own businesses, she has worn many hats in her various roles and prefers working within teams. She tried a lot of hobbies, too, until she discovered painting. Mostly self-taught, she has a library of art instruction books and feels like the authors have been her teachers for decades. When she discovered the Blue Moose Art Gallery, she could see what a great fit it was for her. The large team of owners, all working together to create a gallery of treasures for so many to enjoy, was just what she wanted in retirement--community, business, art, and a great time connecting with each other and the art lovers here in Northern Colorado. “We have the best customers here at the Blue Moose and helping them find the right piece for their needs is so personally satisfying to me.”
Vicki's artist eye developed over many years of thoughtful and creative perspective. Drawn to art early, she took time out to focus on a nursing career and raising children. At 50, she returned to her childhood love of drawing and painting. Her caretaker history of patience and compassion draws her into the soul of her subjects. These skills come out in her work and draw people to it. The natural world is her chosen subject and her preferred medium is watercolor. Collage has become another way to express her creativity through color and texture. Vicki lives in Northern Colorado, an environment rich in beauty, extraordinary wildlife, and outstanding landscapes. She wanders out frequently to observe and cultivate her love of living things and to find her next subjects.
Beatrice has been drawing and painting animals for as long as she can remember. At Colorado State University, she studied Equine Science and Studio Art. Beatrice likes to feature animals from her own experiences in her paintings and drawings. As an equestrian, pet owner, and former Rocky Mountain Raptor Program volunteer, she often portrays horses, cats, birds and raptors that she owned or knew personally. In many ways, Beatrice finds she wants to inspire people to see the beauty and value in all living beings and the natural world, whether through a pet or wild animal portrait. Since she finds different pieces require different mediums, Beatrice often utilizes a variety of materials for each piece. Some pieces combine spray paint and oils, some pieces charcoal and graphite pencil. She’s also exploring sculpting in polymer clay and resin casts using rubber molds.
Michelle studied visual arts in school, but she earned her living as a dancer and then a costume designer. Today she is a Pilates instructor as well as continuing her specialty of dance costume designing. She loves being part of the gallery and helping artists support themselves with their creations. She has wonderful children, including the Blue Moose’s Beatrice.
Born, in Altoona, PA. Judi moved to Washington, DC, after receiving a Social Work degree from the University of Pittsburgh. After her marriage to David, they moved to Normal, IL, where they lived for 32 years and where Judi worked at Illinois State University, teaching in the School of Social Work until 2015. After visiting several communities for their next stage of life, in 2017 Judi and David decided they wanted to be in Fort Collins. They have two grown daughters: Elizabeth teaches in Denver, and Jessica is a librarian at the University of Wyoming. Judi discovered the Blue Moose when she took an art class with a few friends and later asked Deb for help with framing a few paintings by her great uncle: “Deb was excited to help and ultimately the frame truly added to the beauty of the paintings". Judi is an avid walker and hiker and is currently supervising two social work students from CSU.
Judy has spent much of her life studying wildlife biology. Tallgrass prairies of the Midwest and flooded cypress swamps of the Mississippi Valley taught her about texture and the subtleties of light. As the founding Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, she experienced the thrill of returning an injured eagle back to the wild, watching the flash of feathers through the air. She began studying fiber arts about 25 years ago, learning to express the colors and patterns of the natural world. Now retired from the Raptor Program, she spends much of her time exploring fiber arts, including needle felting as a delightful way to play with the gifts from wooly critters to create soft sculptures.
Cher is new to the world of artists. The working phase of her life, with roles of wife, mother, and student was quite consuming and left little time to explore any artistic endeavors. Although she didn't consider herself creatively talented at that time, she did love cooking and felt that was her creative outlet. Since she retired about five years ago, she wasted no time discovering her fun, creative side. She found her passion in fused glass and jewelry. She defined it in a motto: “A touch of glass – where creativity and joy merge.” A whole new world has opened up for Cher - the life of a creative artist.
Steve grew up in the "burbs" of Philadelphia. He fooled around with cheap watercolors and drew a lot of cartoons as a kid. He bought a plastic Kodak Instamatic at 12 and started taking pictures, which started a lifelong photography hobby. Steve does not sell art but he likes art. He went to forestry school in Virginia and eventually landed in Fort Collins and worked for more than 30 years for the Forest Service. Now retired, he is engaged at the Blue Moose as one of his retirement activities along with camping, hiking, golfing, and skiing. The friendly customers and co-owners
drive his interest in the gallery. The gallery is a fun place to be!
