20 paintings in 20 years: Colorado Springs restaurant has artsy anniversary tradition

For some restaurants, it’s enough to just make it through another year.

Not Shuga’s.

The Colorado Springs eatery makes a point to celebrate its anniversary each year. Sometimes that calls for a toast or food specials.

It always calls for a new painting.

It’s been a tradition since the beginning, in 2001, when Alexius Weston opened the eclectic little place in a former grocery store at Cascade Avenue and East Rio Grande Street. She filled Shuga’s with original and local artwork, including some of her own pieces, and with a staff of people who happened to be artists on the side of some kind.

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Artwork, from exterior murals to decor details like origami cranes, became just as important of an ingredient at Shuga’s as what’s on the menu. So it just made sense to celebrate getting a year older with art.

The paintings have been done by a range of artists over the years, the bulk of them coming from Lindsay Hand. When she started bartending at Shuga’s in the early 2000s, the walls of her workplace served as the aspiring artist’s first exhibit. She has since exhibited her oil paintings at galleries, museums and cultural centers across the country.

Even as her career took off, she always made time for Shuga’s.

Past paintings have featured a cuckoo clock, fortune teller and a girl riding a crane holding two bottles of Champagne. On each one, you’ll spot a number incorporated as a nod to that anniversary. You’ll find most of the paintings, each of which are 24 by 48 inches, still hanging up.

Kyle Dexter, who started working at Shuga’s in 2008 and is the new owner as of 2020, says each piece is inspired in some way by the place’s specific and methodically maintained aesthetic.

It’s a mix of vibes: whimsical, bohemian, handmade and a bit of vintage. Some items are too sacred to change, like the origami cranes and the presence of fresh flowers. These are just as signature as the restaurant’s famous spicy Brazilian coconut soup.

Shuga’s is always full of bold surprises, too. When restaurants added outdoor dining options as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shuga’s stood out by putting a huge tipi in its backyard for dining.

These are the kind of touches that has made Brett Andrus a loyal fan of Shuga’s. The artist rarely takes commissions, but said “yes” to the chance to create a recent anniversary painting for his favorite hangout spot.

“I’ve been going there since day one,” Andrus said.

He means that. He stopped by Shuga’s on the first day their doors opened in 2001. At the time, he had recently moved back here from New York and instantly loved the “little gem.”

“It’s not like anywhere else,” Andrus said. “And that’s why it has become a staple in this community.”

Marking the milestone of 20 years called for a special painting, he said.

For inspiration, Andrus looked to the face of Shuga’s: It’s simple and well-known logo depicting a face all covered up except for a pair of peering black eyes.

Dexter said he’s long wanted to see the mysterious figure turn into something more.

“She’s such an iconic piece of Shuga’s,” he said. “I’ve always thought she needs to be on a poster as a real human being.”

That’s what Andrus did in a painting unveiled in December.

“This year we came together to give life and body to our iconic Shuga’s spy girl, who for 20 years has only existed, mysteriously of course, in graphic logo form for the shoulders up,” read a Facebook post revealing the poster.

“She is seen here from head to toe, cloaked by the protective wings of her striking flock of cranes under a shower of twenty tulips, her favorite flower. So now that she has legs, where do you think they will take her?”

The newest poster has been a hit. Since hanging it up, patrons have asked for prints or T-shirts adorned with the picture.

“I’m obsessed with it,” Dexter said.

Andrus said he’s happy with how it turned out. And he feels honored to be part of the tradition.

“There is no other restaurant in town that does anything like this,” he said. “Nothing screams ‘cool venue’ more than a yearly custom painting.”

Those kinds of comments remind Dexter of a sort of motto at Shuga’s: The details matter. Visitors to Shuga’s notice more and more details each year.

“I think (the anniversary paintings) add a lot more than I realized,” he said. “I thought of it as just something we did for us. I’m learning it’s bigger than us.”