East Bay Open Studios 2009
Saturdays and Sundays
June 6 & 7, 13 & 14, 200911AM – 6PM
351 Lewis St Oakland, CA 94110
The East Bay hosts one of the highest per capita concentrations of visual artists in the United States. You’ve probably never heard of most of them. Many are not represented by local galleries.
- Pro Arts, oil on canvas, 18″ X 24″, 2004
If you are interested in an overview of the East Bay visual arts, I encourage you to participate in an event that throws the doors wide open. More than four hundred studios will welcome the general public the first two weekends in June. This visual smorgasbord is keenly anticipated by art lovers, as well as collectors and gallery owners.
Because of the number of artists involved I recommend visiting Pro Arts Gallery in Jack London Square where each participating artist shows a sample of his or her work. With the catalog in hand you can plan your voyage of discovery.
Nowadays you can also take a virtual visit. Check out the Online Gallery.
East Bay Open Studios is a excellent opportunity to discover emerging artists at reasonable prices. While I don’t advise buying art primarily as an investment, there is no doubt that, these days, reasonably priced work by living artists has a greater potential to appreciate in value than most stocks and bonds. It’s also much more enjoyable to look at!
O'Brien Thiele painting in the garden of Casa Santiago, near Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico
Four artists, who have attended my painting workshops in Oakland, Mexico or Italy, are taking part in Open Studios. They are O’Brien Theile and Ron Weil both in Berkeley, Marvin Dalander in Alameda. And Lorrie Fink in Oakland.
I’ve participated in East Bay Open Studios every year since it’s inception in the early 80′s. Pro Arts is an artist membership organization which has acted as an entry point into the art world for emerging talent. It hosts a number of exhibitions each year. My exhibition with Pro Arts in 1986 garnered a full page review (by Charles Shere and Susan Stern) in the Oakland Tribune, as well as a gallery connection. Sales from this show enabled me to phase out my landscape gardening business and devote myself full time to painting.
Autumn at the Farmers' Market, oil on canvas, 18" X 24", 2008
This year I am showcasing my painting of the San Francisco Chronicle (Storm Clouds over the Chronicle) and the Farmer’s Market painting that was featured in an article by Brenda Payton in the San Francisco Chronicle. I will be showing other examples of my Farmers’ Market Series and Urban Garden Series as well as new urban landscapes.
You are welcome to explore my racks in the mezzanine where I store about a hundred paintings, and to take part in lively conversation with other guests over wine, cheese and cappuccinos.
I look forward to seeing you.
