Written by Neil Greenaway

DINK Colorado Showcase 2, TALA (Take Art Leave Art), and Draw-Off

On November 11, 2017, I attended the DINK Colorado Showcase 2, TALA, and Draw-Off event at the Globeville Riverfront Art Center (GRACe) in Denver CO. The event was broken into three separate sections, as the name implies, all hosted by the founder of DINK - Charlie LaGreca. First, there was the DINK Colorado Showcase 2 art show. This was a fairly straightforward art gallery showing with pieces from several different artists. The 31 art pieces on display that night represent a portion of the artists and styles that will be available at the Denver Independent Comic & Art Expo (DINK) in 2018.

Take Art Leave Art (TALA) wall at the DINK Showcase 2. (1)

In the second section, Take Art Leave Art (or TALA), their was a long wall covered in art that had been donated by local artists and past DINK guests. Attendees were encouraged to make a piece of art with the provided supplies and then exchange it for a piece that was already hanging on the wall. Everyone was welcome to participate regardless of artistic skill level, and this proved to be a big hit over the course of the evening. Several professional artists were seen creating new pieces just to trade something off of the wall, and so fresh high-quality pieces kept appearing through the night. I personally was able to come home with two beautiful pieces from Daniel Crosier and one from J. James McFarland, both talented Denver artists.

My Take Art Leave Art (TALA) trades: A Zombie Head and Spine by Daniel Crosier.

My Take Art Leave Art (TALA) trades: Wolverine by Daniel Crosier.

My Take Art Leave Art (TALA) trades: G.I. Joe: Kwinn by J. James McFarland.

The third part to the event was the Draw-Off, where artists (who had volunteered earlier) were split into four teams who then competed to create the best drawing that they could from random audience suggestions. The roster of artists participating included: J. James McFarland, Jeff Washenberger, Ted Intorcio, Terry Schayes, Cori Redford, Colton Muheim, Thane Benson, Brian Essig-Peppard, Karen Blanch, and Zak Kinsella. Charlie hosted the game with his brother, Jeff LaGreca, while the audience judged the art. There were penalties added on certain rounds (drawing with a claw hand, or drawing with a non-dominant hand) and things quickly devolved into laughter and chaos. And a good time was had by all. As the evening wound down, I was reminded why DINK was awarded with "Denver's Best Comic Con" by the Westword - because it is independent, because it is inclusive, and because it is fun.

Below are two photo galleries. The first showcases the art from the DINK Gallery show, the second displays the madcap antics of the Draw-Off. Don't forget that DINK already has its dates for next year (April 14th & 15th, 2018) and they have already announced headliners Jeff Lemire and Matt Kindt.