The de Young Open 2023
Sept. 30, 2023 to Jan. 7, 2024

Celebrating the voices and visions of Bay Area artists. The 883 works on view were created by artists who live in the nine counties surrounding San Francisco Bay: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma.

SoCo Barn
watercolor and mixed media
21” x 14”
Private collection - Oakland, CA
Abstract Gallery >

Rockridge Library Show
December 2023/Oakland, CA

Participating Artists:

Burtolini
George Famous
Scott Lamb
Meg Levine
Nicole Rubio

The Power of Community

Our group met at Merritt Community College during a series of life drawing classes.  True to being a community college, there was diversity of age, ethnicity, experience.  Our instructor, Sheila Metcalf-Tobin, encouraged authentic conversation and the giving of honest feedback.

When the pandemic hit in March of 2020, suddenly there was no more safe environment to share our work.   The ability to be around other people had been taken away.      

Five of us classmates, three men and two women, for want of art feedback in the isolation of the quarantine, formed a zoom support group.  We met every two weeks   We were all elders with diverse backgrounds and differing points of view.  The men, two of whom were architects, were logical, methodical and thoughtful.  The women were more mystical and internally focused, making images from the unseen.

We were grateful to have each other as an audience giving intelligent critique, inspiration and wry humor.  We persevered through the pandemic this way.  We kept each other going artistically and socially.  This show is the fruition of our support for each other.     

Utrecht – Erasmuslaan 2
watercolor, watercolor pencil and graphite
15 1/2” x 10 7/8”
Private collection - Oakland, CA
Built Environment Gallery >