By Clyde Noel

Photo by Monique Schoenfeld, Town Crier

Town Crier Correspondent

For many artists, last weekend’s annual Los Altos Rotary “Fine Art in The Park” is the show to be in. Rated as one of the top 10 best-selling fine art shows in California, it features more than 200 innovative artists from all over United States.

Early tallies indicate a very well-attended event. At closing time Sunday, the first count indicated sales were above last year’s total, with more artists still scheduled to make their sales reports over the next two months.

The show, in its 26th year, featured more than 100 Rotarian volunteers, plus assistants recruited from local Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops.

“We bring a wide variety of quality art to the show with artists from all over the West,” said Tracie Murray, this year’s show director.”To do that, we try to make it enjoyable for the artists by providing a breakfast each morning, a box lunch for each booth both days and the Saturday night artist’s reception dinner.”

The meals were free for the artists because the food was donated by area restaurants.

Sharon Towle, a Manhattan Beach artist, exhibits at the Rotary show every year with displays of still life flowers and landscape watercolors.

“I did the art show poster in 1999, and I love this show,” Towle said. “It’s one of the best on the coast, and I’ve made friends with customers up here.”

Sam Pesner, last year’s chair, said the crowd on Saturday was a typical crowd with more than 10,000 people strolling through the redwood trees in Lincoln Park and on Sunday the crowd was even larger.

“Artists said they had a good show and were looking forward to those last few hours on Sunday when people return to make purchases,” Pesner said.

Ginny Lear, president of the Los Altos Rotary Club, and this year’s artist coordinator, said Rotary is pleased with the quality of the artists.

“Artists say they love to come to Los Altos because the people are nice to do business with,” Lear said. “The artists also like the way we space the booths and appreciate the quality of the other artists showing here.”

Fine Art in the Park features artists who specialize in oil and watercolor painting, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, leather, photography and creative mixed media.

Dan Shapiro, an Oakland artist, has displayed hand-chiseled stone fountains made from slate at the shows for the last three years.

“The Rotary takes 10 percent of your sales as their commission and I did all right Saturday,” Shapiro said. “Sunday, I work for myself and it’s always a better day,” Shapiro said.

Rotary Club officials report more than 25,000 people attend the two- day event. Funds raised at the Fine Art in the Park shows enables Rotarians to support local organizations like the Community Services Agency, Rotary AIDS Project, Rotocare, CHAC, Hidden Villa, Rotary scholarships, the Main Street Singers, the Festival of Lights and more.

All proceeds from sales of art go to the Rotary Endowment Fund which puts it right back every year into local and international charitable projects. More than $600,000 has been given to charity in the past 25 years. Funds raised at the 2000 Fine Art in the Park totalled more than $75,000.

Each year Fine Art in the Park features “Young at Art” competition winners on display in the Lincoln Park Gazebo. The art contest is open to students from Los Altos, Mountain View, Pinewood, Alta Vista and St. Francis high schools.

Murray said the show is so well organized that it’s more fun than work to volunteer.