By Town Crier Staff

Capturing the flavor of Los Altos - as it was and as it is - the “Paint the Town - Again” collection of more than 50 original paintings is on public display for the first time this week. As part of celebrating Los Altos’ 50th birthday, the artwork is on display for two months at Marjolaine Bakery & Cafe on Main Street.

Kicked off Sept. 14 when dozens of local artists set up their easels throughout Los Altos, the “Paint the Town - Again” project is patterned after a similar program conducted at the turn of the century.

Three years ago, works by 60 artists resulted in a hardcover book, “Paint the Town.” Copies of the book were provided at no charge to Los Altos non-profits to be sold as a fund-raiser and earned about $70,000 for the charities. No book is planned this time, but the new paintings will be on display throughout November and December. All paintings will be for sale by the artists.

Subjects include historic homes as well as new and old commercial buildings. Working from photos, one artist re-created the first church erected in Los Altos and another captured community events such as the Festival of Lights and Pet parades.

Los Altos resident Jim Promessi, a community college professor of art, joined Town Crier staff members to select the paintings for this year’s public display.

Once again, many professional artists participated in the project. Jean Warren, who has been painting professionally since 1978, said, “To me, Los Altos is all about community. I love to paint the street scenes as they portray people reaching out to one another, sharing in the ups and downs of everyday life.” Her Main street paintings are featured in both “Paint the Town” expositions.

Other artists gave similar reasons for spending hours capturing the “look of Los Altos” on its 50th birthday.

Professional Los Altos artist Jim M’Guinness said he started his career “sitting on my father’s knee drawing pigs and cats and have been a professional artist since 1958.” A resident of Los Altos for 41 years, M’Guinness does primarily whimsical pen-and-ink drawings.

He chose the Chef Chu’s restaurant entrance for this year’s “Paint the Town - Again” collection. “It is a difficult challenge for pen and ink and watercolor — so much red!” M’Guinness said. “I tried this from many angles,” he added. “One great view was from the middle of the intersection of El Camino.” Finally, he decided to do just the entrance. Using artistic license, he said, “I moved the Chef Chu’s sign and added my cat Murphy to the scene.” M’Guinness also sketched the circa 1927 Marini home on University Avenue.

Historic homes abound in Los Altos, and many caught the eye of the artists. According to Paul Foerster, chairman of the Los Altos Historical Commission, Los Altos has homes dating from the 1870s. Foerster served on the planning committee for this year’s effort providing background information on structures. According to Foerster “a home at Covington and Miramonte was built in 1905 by Edwin Emerson. It was once a farm house on 70 acres of prunes and walnuts.”

“I was intrigued by the mature foliage surrounding historic Emerson House,” said artist Nancy Rice, who has been painting since high school. “The style of the house is just beautiful — with the L-shaped front porch and the upstairs arched frame windows enclosed by a mock balcony - truly unique!”

Another home on the Los Altos historic homes list is Los Altos founder Paul Shoup’s home at 500 University Ave. Carol Mead chose it because of “its classic brown-shingle look.” While she was painting, she said, she “was rewarded when one of the Shoup grandsons came by and stopped to watch me paint. He told me about playing in the house which his grandfather owned.” Mead said she got hooked on painting while attending art classes in Mendocino 35 years ago.

Floy Zittin got her start as a biological illustrator and then turned to watercolor painting over 30 years ago. “I spend a lot of time in Los Altos and have become interested in the town’s history,” she said. The Pine Tree Pottery Studio in Redwood Grove “seems like the most idyllic place to have a studio, and the group turns out beautiful and original work. I had a delightful, peaceful morning in Redwood Grove painting the building,” she said.

“I have been an artist since I was 15 years old,” Jean Franco said. “I chose Loyola Corners Store because I feel it has been a tradition for families to buy ice cream there and at times have breakfast on the weekends. It should be represented in an overview of Los Altos.”

Artists who helped organize the current “Paint the Town–Again” day include Robyn Crumly, Denise Natanson-Markus and Kathy Sharpe. Crumbly has been painting with watercolor for over 40 years. This year she added a touch of history to her painting of Redwood Grove. “It was such a revelation to discover my good friend, Eugenia Buss, lived there. Her parents planted that grove and Eugenia was married there. I’m hoping that someday soon the grove will be called Halsey Grove.”

Kathy Sharpe, likewise has a long art heritage. With several original paintings in this year’s collection, Sharpe said she has been an artist all her life, starting with crayons on walls at age 2. “My whole family were artists, including my grandfather who was a costume designer for the Vienna opera,” she added. “I have been working and teaching professionally for 40 years.”

All pieces are for sale by the artists, with 10 percent of the selling price going to the Los Altos Cultural Association for future community cultural activities, such as in 1999 when the association raised $135,000 for the purchase of “Olympic Wannabes,” the children’s sculpture in the park at Edith Avenue and San Antonio Road.

The paintings are on display at Marjolaine Bakery & Cafe, 134 Main St., open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.