By Nancy Calhoun
 Nancy Calhoun, including this piece from her “Sister Series,” will be showing 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, at 1005 Highlands Circle. |
Silicon Valley Open Studios brings collectors, artists and affordable art together in a relaxed studio setting. More than 40 Los Altos artists will open their studios 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., this Saturday and Sunday. Guides and maps to studio sites are available at the Los Altos main library and in galleries around town.
Los Altos sites
Site 6, 1568 Country Club Drive, Saturday and Sunday. Two exhibitors: Adriana Ippati-Torrens will exhibit colorful watercolors inspired by her international background and travels. Also featured is Sue Lyttle, a fellow watercolorist.
Site 60, 125 Marvin Ave. Jeri Goodman is a fused glass artist. Her work includes decorative art plates and wall hangings, functional serving pieces and one-of-a-kind fused glass jewelry. She will display her new designs for spring and her new line of jewelry and demonstrate her technique to fabricate and fire her pieces.
Site 63, 532 Orange Ave. Kathy Sharpe is known for her colorful representational watercolors and oils of still life and landscapes. She will have cards, tiles, Giclee prints and posters available. Kathy will teach two classes at Filoli this year.
Site 64, 670 Meadow Lane. Cindy Ford Studio. Six exhibitors, mostly family: Los Altos artists Cindy Ford, Sue Cretarolo, Jon Cretarolo and Eric Cretarolo will exhibit with painter Marti Somers and potter Roger Stamness. Acrylic and mixed media artist Cindy says, “My goal is to explore deeper layers of media and meaning in both abstract and representational art.” Sue’s work features metal pieces designed to hang on the wall. She incorporates copper, steel, bronze and brass with various patinas, found objects and natural materials. She will also show abstract acrylics and encaustic pieces. Jon will show photography from his travels around the world. Eric is displaying large, colorful and bold abstract paintings.
Site 65, 1005 Highlands Circle. Five exhibitors: Nancy Calhoun, Chris Duncan, Jan Grady, Kitty Weiss and Karen Wong. All are watercolorists, each with a different focus. Nancy’s work is figurative and contemporary. Chris paints realistic subjects of personal interest. Jan loves to paint beautiful old buildings and scenic locations. Kitty’s subjects are trees, figures and earth forms which she paints from an imagined idealism of realities seen with the eye. Karen’s watercolors draw the viewer into a discussion about life’s mysteries, its commonplaces and its moments of majesty.
Site 66, 1375 Bright Oaks Court. Mark S. Bollwinkel is the senior pastor of Los Altos Methodist Church and a devoted “garage potter” with an eclectic view and variety of experience, with specialization in Raku. Bollwinkel says, “Clay responds to more than touch; it inspires the touch, receives it and through the transformation of fire, holds it.”
Site 67, 1471 Hollidale Court. Denise Natanson-Marcus and Catharine Zander. Marcus paints landscapes in oil and pastel. She captures the light quality unique to California, the golden hills or lush green in winter. She is exhibiting with fellow Los Altos artist Zander.
Site 68, 1476 Arbor Ave. Los Altos artist Maya Babiszewska and photographer Romain Agostini. Babiszewska said, “I remember many places and situations by their colors. Color is the most important element of my paintings.” Maya and Romain share a European background.
Site 70, 23180 Mora Glen Drive. Rick Wilmer is a self-taught metal sculptor using techniques to sculpt living forms in bronze and steel. This is the first time Wilmer has ever shown his work publicly. He invites the public to come and see what they think of it.
Site 71, 327 Fremont Ave. The Art Barn at Pinewood School. Teacher-artist Philip Rosenthal paints canaries in unusual situations. The canary is this painter’s talisman and tool - think Swiss Army knife combined with a rabbit’s foot.
Site 72, 645 San Martin Place. Los Altos artist Margaret Shatsky will exhibit her watercolors and sculpture.
Site 73, 711 Rose Lane. Daniela Abel plans to bring out the pottery wheel and give demonstrations for Open Studios.
Site 156, 11854 Page Mill Road. Internationally recognized artist, Judy Bird, will exhibit original abstracts in oil and acrylic, resin cast sculpture and colorful animal prints.
Other sites where local artists are showing
Site 78, 1123 Cuesta Drive, Mountain View. Six exhibitors: Los Altos artists Patricia Nojima, Nancie Crowley and Swanica Lightenberg, exhibiting with Jackie Krantz, Shirley Prausa and Daniel Dermer at the Krantz Studio in Mountain View.
Site 80, 2182 Stanford Ave., Mountain View. Los Altos artists June Yamamoto and Lisa Martinez will exhibit with Mary Hyodo-Polk and Jenny Martinez at A Glass of Red Studio in Mountain View. Yamamoto makes functional pottery, such as brush holders, plates, bowls, cups, etc. Lisa makes wrapped wire, gemstone and vintage bead jewelry.
Site 95, 891 Ithaca Ave., Sunnyvale. Jane Peterman Studios. Los Altos artist Lisa Webb will exhibit her very colorful watercolors with a group of friends in Sunnyvale.
Site 130, 3237 South Court, Palo Alto. Two exhibitors: Marjorie Law and Erika Osteraas. Law was selected as one of the 16 “STARS” of the “2005 Collection” and live auction at the San Jose Museum of Art. She is a gestural, abstract expressionist painter and works in various water and oil-based media. She will exhibit with fellow artist Osteraas at the Law Osteraas Studio in Palo Alto.
Site 197, Cannery Park, 401 East Taylor St., San Jose, May 21 and 22. Los Altos artist Agnes Derbin-Caulfield says of her work, “I primarily paint from nature. My paintings are thoughtful interpretations of nature.” Subjects include local landscapes and still life.
For more information, log on to www.svopenstudios.org.
