C.H. Rockey – Home and Art Studio Keeps His Memory Alive
Located in the heart of downtown Manitou Springs sits a historic building that has struck the heartstrings of locals for several decades. Many who walk by the big blue building near Manitou’s clock tower can sense that the place is magical from the sidewalk.
The building at 10 Canyon Ave. is the former home and art studio of a local artist and beloved character who went by C.H. Rockey. Rockey passed away a few years ago, but the building and his legacy of being a lifelong artist remain at his studio which has now been turned into an art museum.
Upon entering Rockey’s humble abode, visitors instantly get engulfed in Rockey’s world of fairies, toys, and magic. The building contains paintings, sculptures, and others work the artist produced over his life all over the walls and ceilings. Visitors could spend over an hour in the place to take in every detail of Rockey’s artwork.
The museum at his former residence and studio is now open by appointment and on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Copies of his book “Love Songs of Middle Time” and prints of his original paintings are available for purchase to keep the museum up and running.
The Story of C.H. Rockey
The artist moved to Manitou in the mid-1970s and quickly became known by the residents. According to David Ball with the Rockey Art Museum, the artist was locally famous due to him being easily accessible by living on the first floor and often seen painting “plein air” pieces outdoors right by the clock tower in town.
On the museum’s website, Chris Holmes produced a video while the artist was still alive that gives some background to his life as one of Manitou’s most well-known local artists.
“When I was a kid, my father grew up in the military and he wanted me to be in the military too,” Rockey said in the video. “I would be drawing pictures and he would say, ‘When you grow up boy, you got to get a real job.’ When I got out of high school I joined the Marines, but fortunately, they kicked me out after basic training. I went back to my father and told him that I decided to go to the Art Institute in Chicago because it was one of the best schools in the country. And he says, ‘Not with my help you’re not.’ He was so anti-art it was almost an obsession with him.”
Despite the pushback from his father, Rockey went to the art school in Chicago, and he knew at a young age that he wanted to pursue a lifetime of producing art masterpieces.
“He was a very warm, generous person that would be willing to tell people stories and chat with them,” Rockey’s former friend Ball explained. “He was just a very dear person. He was a teacher for 30 years. He raised four children. He was a member of the First Congregation Church. He went to city council meetings. He was just a great citizen.”
Keeping the Artist’s Legacy Alive
After Rockey died, there was no question as to what would happen with his former residence and art studio. And, according to Ball, his wishes have been rather easy to keep.
“Rockey said in his will to his two children, ‘Dear children, thou shalt make a museum and keep my work as is and do not sell my original work and try to keep it in this building,’” Ball recalled. “So in a way, he gave his children a task in keeping things as they were when he lived here. And it pretty much is mostly like it was when he lived here. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a task to run a nonprofit and pay the utility bills. Fortunately, it has been easy because it has a great location, we already had the content, the legend, and the meaning behind it. The only challenges are to keep generating revenue and make sure it is staffed. So far, we have been lucky that people keep coming in because it has such a great location.”
On one side of the building, the original works of Rockey are on display. On the other side, the museum sells prints of Rockey’s paintings, postcards, and copies of his one-of-a-kind book.
Before his death, Rockey would sell prints of his artwork and postcards. However, he was known not to be an artist that put a lot of artwork in galleries. He preferred to lend his paintings out to admirers rather than sell them.
The museum now continues selling his prints, postcards, and books, which goes toward paying the utilities and improvements on the building. His book is available for purchase at the museum and on the museum’s website at https://www.rockeyartmuseum.org/.
