Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 – Silent Auction

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 - Town Park PlazaI was able to catch the last few hours of the Los Gatos Plein Air Art Show down town after taking in the Triton Midsummer Art Celebration last weekend. I knew I was in the right place as there was a steady stream of people leaving the Town Park Plaza laden with heavy gold frames holding freshly painted works of art!  Los Gatos Plein Air is a fundraiser presented by the Los Gatos Morning Rotary Club. Jurored artists have nearly a week to paint at least six plein air pieces of local vistas.  This event supports the arts, music and youth in the South Bay, and the humanities programs of Rotary International.

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 Town Park PlazaIt was amazing to see what these talented plein air artists were able to whip up in such a short time! I can imagine the pressure is so intense to produce your best work on demand like this! I’ve provided links to their websites, which can be reached by clicking on their names.

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 Ed LuceyEd Lucey is a Los Gatos artist,  a member of the LGMG and LGAA  who was recently featured in Artist’s Magazine! He specializes in local landscape and playful still life oil paintings.

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 Ed Lucey's cactus painting

Hey I know that cactus!  I pass it on my favorite evening walk. It’s funny how I’ve photographed it, been photographed with it but never though to painting it.  Ed Lucey has done such a beautiful job with it – I’m loving all those warm rich tones!

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 Terri Ford

Terri Ford (in the shades) is an accomplished pastel artist from San Jose who used to be a member of our gallery. I miss seeing her paintings there as I always covet them!  Her use of color and material is always gorgeous, sadly not so evident from this photo as her display was hopping! Her website is great though and she teaches classes!

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 Sergio Lopez

Sergio Lopez, from Santa Rosa, reminds me of one of my favorite impressionaist artists, Childe Hassam, especially the painting of the bluff (upper left). I think he said it was from Wilder State Park in Santa Cruz. Sergio also paints an exquisite series of women overlaid with floral patterns, called Painted Roses,  how I adore them! For a full rundown on all the pieces he did for the show, check out his great blog!

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 John WhiteJohn White of Long Beach is a plein air and studio artist. I love the seascape on the bottom right. See all those empty hooks? Those paintings went off  to new homes before the close of the auction, one of them (a fresh vineyard scene) can be seen on his website.

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 David Stonesifer and

Exhibiting artist David Stonesifer of Los Gatos and artist Lesley Underwood (both Los Gatos Gallery Members) were enjoying a moment at David’s display.

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 David Stonesifers Laguna Road at Santa Teresa

I love the compostion, the square format and the pink undertones in Here  is David Stonesifer’s oil painting, Laguna Road at Santa Teresa!

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 Tonja Zenin

Tonja Zenin of Cupertino painted several views from one of my favorite spots, Shark Tooth Cove in Davenport!

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 Anton Pavleko's work

Anton Pavlenko also did several paintings from Shark Tooth Cove too, I mean who could resist (not me) It’s beautiful there!

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 Anton Palenko's seascapeLook how the color of the water warms up as it hits the beach and goes cool and deep as it hits the shadow from the rocks!  Those loose, buttery brush strokes make me salivate!

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 Anton Pavlenko's Waiting to Cross

For me,  this little oil painting, Waiting to Cross also by Anton Pavlenko is what plein air is all about!  With only a few exuberantly textured and vibrant strokes he has captured but also transformed a familiar scene. The staccatos of red and green really animate the piece and the entire image seems to shimmer with the movement of the juicy brushwork. I go for burgers now and then at that building on the right, It overlooks the plaza where the silent auction was held.

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 Brenda Boylan Coffee Break

Here’s another familiar haunt charmingly rendered in pastel by Brenda Boylan of Beaverton, Oregon in Coffee Break. How did she capture moving people like that! This is clearly the Los Gatos Roasting Company on Main Street where there’s always a good crowd and on weekends there are hoards of cyclists and dogs of all breeds added to the mix! I love her use of color and raking lines.

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 John Ag and Kee JinI ran into John Agg, Executive Director of the Art Museum of Los Gatos and artist Kee Jin who were taking in the event.

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 Sterling Hoffman
I got to meet Sterling Hoffman of Sebastopol for the first time. You can see some of his work is on the left,  paintings from Garrod Farms, a spot with which I’m very familiar with as my daughter loves the horse camps they offer there.

Los Gatos Plein Air 2013 Marti Walker

Marti Walker of West Sacramento did this charming pastel of one of Los Gatos’s storefronts (Tassels, I’m guessing). Just one of the many paintings proving the town to be as pretty as a picture!

Champagne Receptions Snaps

Lots lots of lovely people at the Los Gatos Museums Gallery’s champagne reception yesterday, including Carol Ann Graves, one of my favorite art patrons! You’d hardly know that the huge Saratoga Rotary Art Show was going on just down the way. I guess there are enough art lovers to go around. Not only that but it was Cinco de Mayo and the Sharks were playing the Canucks on home ice so we did really well in terms of turn out, not that you’re going to see that in my pictures – my crowd shots were full of backs and bags!

Full Bloom 2010 oil on canvas 24" x 24"Artist Marie Cameron and patron of the arts Carol Ann Graves 

Marin Hills 2010 oIl on canvas Marie Cameron

My paintings Full Bloom and Marin Hills, above, are on exhibit at the gallery for the next few months. I’ll be showing the rest of my oeuvre in Open Studios on the 18 & 19.

Artists Nancy deWeess, Deborah Gabris & Marie Cameron - LGMG


To check out Deborah’s sculptures click on the photo for her website.

I love this – it turns out long time member watercolorist Nancy deWees, new member sculptor Deborah Gabris and l all live on the same street!

Artists Jeanette Turkus & Kee


To visit Jeanette Turkus’s website click on the photo.

Member artist Jeanette Trurkus in front of her collaged painting with interior designer and artist Kee Jin who I just met the Los Gatos Art Association’s Spring Show where she was awarded honorable mention for her delicate drawing of an interior.

Artist Tom Yacoe

Tom Yacoe is another welcome new member to our gallery, I love the immediacy and freshness of his paintings, how he captures a seascape with minimal, confident brushstrokes.