Aspen's latest entry into the downtown art scene - where some 40 galleries already exist - is the Drasner Gellery on Hyman Avenue. But owner Lora Drasner - a world traveler, Aspen second-homeowner, and 15-year art collector who hails from Miami - still believes there's plenty of room in the market for the type of gallery she has in mind.
"I had accumulated so much art over the years, and opening a gallery seemed a lot easier than opening a museum," she jokes.
What separates the Drasner Gallery from the pack, she says, is its eclecticism. There are Chagalls hanging alongside Picassos mounted next to Warhols across from LaChappelles. And her love of bright colors.
"You walk into some galleries, and you might see one or two artists on the walls," she says. "But when you walk into someone's home, you may see 10 or more different artists. So I'm trying to make it more like the experience when you walk into someone's home."
Drasner is also an artist in her own right. During an around-the-world trip, she captured images of sunsets - from Tonga to Tahiti, Alaska to Australia - and got them published in a coffee table book. After "Sunsets" was released, she started getting requests for prints. She plans to display some of her own work at the gallery.
But in addition to works with large price tags, Drasner has been interested in lithographs for quite some time.
"Lithographs are beautiful and make art accessible to so many people because they're not so astoudingly over-priced."
The Drasner Gallery will host its very first opening reception on Friday, Aug. 5, from 6-10 p.m. For more information, visit Drasner Gallery at 520 E. Hyman Ave., online at www.drasnergallery.com or call 970-920-3500.