It’s fun to go over to the Navajo Art District (38th & Navajo) and hit  openings on a Friday night. First, you should stop at Patsy’s 1930’s bar, the only one on this block of Navajo, have a drink, hit the galleries, then come back as we did to eat their old world Italian pasta.  We had the thick meat sauce & sausage with minestrone soup & salad sitting at the bar. Steve, the bartender is generous with the hard stuff and can work a full bar without missing a beat. He has eyes in the back of his head, your glass is never empty – if that’s they way you want it.

Zoa Ace is the featured artist at Zip 37 Gallery through April 13th. Her work never ceases to delight viewers with teeming feminine scenes, whimsical and artistic. Her incredible color palette inspires love at first sight. And her paintings remain full of Zoa Ace-isms from the calla lillies to her signature doll-faced girls in fancy dresses.  If you can stand in front of one of her paintings without being elbowed, you can spot Minnie Mouse, Olive Oil, sometimes a high-wire performer;  she dreams of animals, umbrellas, clocks and jewels.

Mary Recchia, Zoa Ace, Louis Recchia

They’re the iconic duo in Denver’s art world, Zoa Ace and her husband, Louis Recchia (with a backward R). Over the years, instead of morphing into look a-likes, like husbands & wives do, their work has morphed into a similar style with repetitive themes. One has to be somewhat familiar with each’s limitless sense of humor and their love of iconic personalities to grab the instant recognition of a Zoa or a Louis. The pair have uncanny harmony that is distinguishable alone, yet, tells the real story:  they have shared days, months, years and hours in the same house, bed and studio. Now, their daughter Mary, has stepped into the spotlight. She shows her airy, detailed, pen & ink drawings in Zip as well.

Collin Parson

Across the street at the legendary Pirate Contemporary Art gallery another chip-off-the-old-block is on the walls. His father, Chuck Parson, has been a well-known Colorado artist for the last 25+ years. Now we have the pleasure of his son, artist and likeable guy, Collin Parson. He’s a product of the latest wave of artists who know the inside of a computer. Collin says he’s an artist, but adds, his father is the real artist, one who can draw, paint, sculpt. I say Collin is cutting himself short. He is a genius. Imagine creating modern flowing, symmetrical designs on a computer screen then actually putting the design into real metal. The results are astonishing and quite beautiful. I see it in the lobby of buildings like – General Motors?

Zip 37 Gallery, 3644 Navajo Street. www.zoaace.com

Pirate Contemporary Art, 3655 Navajo Street. www.collinparson.com