November Exhibits: Valerie Surface Lloyd and Sara Tucker

Surface Gallery is pleased to present two solo exhibits: 'The Table', new paintings by gallery owner and curator Valerie Surface Lloyd, and 'Scorched Earth', a collection by multidisciplinary artist Sara Tucker. Both shows open with a reception on Friday, November 6, from 4 to 8 p.m., and run through Wednesday, November 25.

The Table
The Table is an exhibit of hand-painted food: plates and arrangements that serve as symbols of care, beauty, and bounty. Lloyd sees food as more than sustenance for the body. It also tends to the soul. Each painting is a small act of welcome, and the table on which the work is placed becomes a space for gathering.

“The table is where conversation lives, whether of joy, reconciliation, or simply the quiet of being together in silence,” says Lloyd. “The work is a reflection on the art of eating together, in the hope that we might hear one another again.”

About Valerie Surface Lloyd
Valerie Surface Lloyd is drawn to the quiet language of form, color, and metaphor. Her paintings, ranging from abstract compositions to simplified still lifes and occasional illustrative works, are meditations on presence, spirituality, and the layered meanings found in everyday objects. As both a painter and the owner and curator of Surface Gallery in Colorado Springs, Lloyd sees art as a conversation between emotion and form, artist and viewer, and the creative community as a whole. A lifelong creative, she has shared her passion through her own practice, commissioned design work, and as an art educator for students of all ages. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Colorado State University.

Scorched Earth
Scorched Earth is an honest, emotional collection from Tucker, whose abstract work reflects the fluidity of life and the energy of natural landscapes. Created over several years of grief and anger, the paintings arrive at a different understanding of those feelings, one Tucker hopes viewers will recognize in themselves. " Let their earth be scorched. And when all falls silent we can use those embers to light our way home again. Back to fertile ground. Back to new life. Back to progress. Back to love. Love with a place to go. "

About Sara Tucker
Sara Tucker was born in Montana and raised in Colorado, which she considers her lifelong home state. Her professional career and heart work involves animal welfare and rescue. She formerly served as an agent with Colorado’s Bureau of Animal Protection and as a national emergency responder with the ASPCA, while maintaining a creative practice through home interior design, local musical performances, and commissioned art. Today she is a multidisciplinary artist whose work includes functional clay pieces, woodworking and furniture building, and paintings in various mediums that have been featured in several local galleries. Painting serves as a mindful, restorative practice, allowing her to reflect inward and practice the art of “letting go,” while inspiring viewers to see the world through a unique, interpretive lens.

Artist Talk
Lloyd and Tucker will give an artist talk on Thursday, November 19, at 5:30 p.m. at the gallery, offering visitors a closer look at the ideas and process behind each exhibit.

Event Details
What: The Table, paintings by Valerie Surface Lloyd, and Scorched Earth, paintings by Sara Tucker
Opening Reception: Friday, November 6, 4-8 p.m.
Artist Talk: Thursday, November 19, 5:30 p.m.
On View: November 6-25, 2026
Where: Surface Gallery, 2752 W. Colorado Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80904

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