For singles, exes and the unattached, Valentine’s Day can be the holiday equivalent of poison ivy, particularly with its relentless commercial buildup.
Well, unrequited lovers, meet artist Jennifer Mosquera, owner of Denver’s Art Salon. Not only does she feel your pain, but she has just the antidote: the Scorned Lovers Valentines Workshop tonight at the Art Salon, 2219 E. 21st Ave.
It is exactly what it sounds like — an opportunity to make an anti-Valentine that spells out exactly what you think of your ex.
Feel like giving your former paramour the one-finger salute? There’s a stamp for that.
Prefer to spell out your feelings, but squeamish about writing down swear words? There are stamps for that, too.
“At our first workshop, we had one woman who was in a new relationship but unresolved about the last one, and one woman who’d just learned she was getting a divorce,” said Mosquera, who is simpatico despite being happily coupled-up herself.
Both women cackled as they made vicious Valentines that proved so cathartic that they each made what Mosquera terms a “positive,” malice- free card. The glittery fixings for two cards are included in the $15 workshop fee. Mosquera throws in a third card free if its sentiment is not hostile.
The price doesn’t include envelopes. “Art Salon isn’t liable for sending these cards,” Mosquera says. Neither woman did — although if they had, wouldn’t it be interesting to see if Loveland’s Valentine re-mailing program put its stamp of approval on top?
If bad-romance Valentines fail to satiate an injured heart, there’s the Art Salon voodoo doll class (6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday) or a chance to whack the Scorned Lover piñata at the Art Salon’s Scorned Lover Voodoo Dolls, Love Spells and Tarot Cards event, which includes an erotic prose and poetry reading, at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Claire Martin: 303-954-1477 or cmartin@denverpost.com
