Ceago Series at Ceago Vinegarden: an account of events

My exhibition of the ‘Ceago Series’  at Ceago Vinegarden was one of my shortest and most eventful exhibitions.

On the morning of  Oct 10 my son Mario and I transformed the covered dining  area that faces the Biodynamic Courtyard into a brightly illuminated exhibition space.

(To view all the paintings in this exhibition and to learn more about Arminda Flores scroll down to my last two blogs)

Arminda Flores, who had flown up from Michoacan, Mexico for the event began preparing her first dinner to celebrate the birthday of Franz Weber who holds the world’s ski speed record (140 mph!). He and some of those attending the dinner had bicycled up from San Francisco, over three days, on what they whimsically called the ‘Tour de Franz”.

Arminda Flores

The evening began quietly with a delicious meal.

Sheila Fetzer sang a deep and soulful repertoire during the meal, to much applause.

After the meal we  sang happy birthday to Franz.  Arminda Flores emerged from the kitchen and sang ‘Las Mañanitas’, Mexico’s ‘Happy Birthday’, to Franz and then charmed the crowd with two songs in her native Purepecha.

Sheila Fetzer / Jim Fetzer, Arminda Flores, Anthony Holdsworth

After supper,  Sheila Fetzer prevailed on Lake County DA, Jon Hopkins, to sing for us. He sang late into the evening while many of us gathered round a massive bonfire in the courtyard.

Oct 11

Morning

After breakfasting with his entourage in the main hall, Congressman Mike Thompson joined me to view the exhibition.  I explained  that I chose to document  Ceago Vinegarden not only because of it’s beauty, but also because of the sustainable agriculture that Jim Fetzer practices here. We agreed that Ceago is a real asset to Clearlake.

Early afternoon

Forty eight guests attended the afternoon reception and lunch. There was a lot of interest in the show. Some members of the Lake County Arts Council suggested that I conduct painting workshops at Ceago.

Late Afternoon

Friends and students began arriving for the evening dinner:

I was  delighted when Regina Maciula arrived representing Michael Dean of the law firm  Wendel Rosen Black & Dean .  Michael Dean had originally suggested that I check out Ceago as a painting subject

Foreground: Anthony Holdsworth, Regina Maciula Background: Mario Landau-Holdsworth & Salvador Rivera

Seventy-two guests attended the dinner which included
Sopa Tarasca
Patzcuaro Style Tarascan Soup

Pollo Con Mole Michoacano Arroz A La Mexicana
Chicken with Michoacan Mole With Mexican Rice

Calabacitas Con Elote & Crema Fresca
Petite Squashes with Fresh Baby Corn and Crema Fresca

Ensaladas Organico Hecho con Vinagre de Ceago
Organic Greens Tossed in Ceago Estate Vinaigrette

Chilies Rellenos De Queso En Salsa De Tomate
Arrozo y Frijoles Mexicanos Salsa Fresca, Guacamole, Chips y Tortillas
Hecho en Casa
Chili Rellenos Stuffed with Cheese in a Tomato Sauce and Refried Beans

Fresh Salsa & Guacamole with Crispy Chips Handmade Tortillas

Postre ~ Dessert
Flan & Ate a Morelia Michoacan Original

Wines for This Special Occasion ~ Hand Selected by Jim Fetzer

Arminda and her husband Kevin Quigley personally served  the Michoacan desserts.

Quite amazingly, after cooking for seventy two people,  Arminda closed the evening by singing three songs in her indigenous Purepecha language and one in Spanish.

(To hear Arminda Flores singing and to see the entire Ceago Series scroll down to the previous two blogs.)

Ceago Series at Ceago Vinegarden Sun Oct 11: Mexican cuisine by Arminda Flores

Ceago Grape Harvest, 2007

A  unique dinner will accompany my exhibition at Ceago Vinegarden on Sunday,  October 11, 2009

Mexican Cuisine by Arminda Flores

The evening will begin at 6 PM with a tasting of wines selected specially for this event by Jim Fetzer. At 6:30 we will sit down to a Mexican dinner created by Arminda Flores. Arminda is flying up from Lake Patzcuaro in Michoacan, Mexico for this occasion.

About Arminda

Arminda Flores was born in the ancient Purepecha town of Ihuatzio on Lake Patzcuaro in Michoacan, Mexico. Her mother supported the large family by making tortillas every morning and selling them in the market in Partzcuaro.

She currently resides at Rancho Santiago near Patzcuaro with her husband Kevin Quigley, where they run a guest house, Casa Santiago. They specialize in introducing guests to indigenous culture around Lake Patzcuaro, and Arminda cooks sumptuous meals upon request.

Jon Carroll, of the San Francisco Chronicle, has stayed at Casa Santiago a couple of times. I take painting groups there once a year.

In January 2009 Arminda hosted the owners of Picante Restaurant in Berkeley,  Jim and Laura Maser .

She has collaborated with Betsy McNair of My Mexico Tours preparing regional dishes for her groups for the last 6 years.

Gourmet Magazine published an article by Deborah Madison (06.25.08) about Arminda’s traditional cuisine entitled “A Purepechan Stew”

More about Arminda and Lake Patzcuaro:

Arminda, her singing, Lake Patzcuaro and Casa Santiago may be viewed in this short video on youtube titled “Painting around Lake Patzcuaro in Michoacan, Mexico”

For more complete information about this event and to view a video of the ‘Ceago Series’ scroll down to the next blog.

The Ceago Series: Exhibition and Events

My two-year painting project at Ceago Vinegarden in Nice on the shores of Clearlake, California is bearing fruit.

Ceago Panorama, oil/canvas, 18" X 48", 2008

I have published a book entitled ‘Ceago Series: paintings by Anthony Holdsworth in dialogue with Jim Fetzer’. It is available through Blurb:

Ceago Series

paintings by Antho…

By Anthony Holdsworth

MAIN EXHIBITION

Sunday, October 11 at Ceago Vinegarden

The main exhibition of the entire series, at Ceago Vinegarden on Sunday, October 11, offers the unique opportunity of enjoying the paintings on location where they were created. Several events are planned for this day.

Reception and book signing  11 am – 5 pm:  with Anthony Holdsworth and Jim Fetzer.

Lunch 12:30 – 3:30: Ceago will serve wine from their vineyards, and food by Ciao Thyme to the accompaniment of musician Sheila Fetzer for $20.

Wine Tasting & Dinner 6 pm: with Jim Fetzer and Anthony Holdsworth. The dinner will be prepared by Arminda Flores of Rancho Santiago, Michoacan, Mexico. Arminda hosts my painting groups in Mexico. She is well known in the San Francisco Bay Area for her exceptional knowledge of Mexican cuisine.

Ceago will collaborate with Arminda for this special treat, creating a memorable evening of wine, food, music and art for only $75 . By Reservation.
Phone 707.274.1462 for Dinner reservations

Preview the exhibition in this video:

For directions and further information about Ceago Vinegarden go to www.ceago.com

Ceago Still Life, oil/canvas, 18" X 24", 2007

Robert Frosts’ observation that “The land was ours before we were the land’s.”  resonated with me as a young immigrant transplanted from Europe to New England. I felt a dissonance between the suburbs and the surrounding landscape. Many of my urban landscapes deal with this dissonance.

I chose to paint  Ceago Vinegarden because of  the connection to place that Jim Fetzer has achieved on Clearlake. It derives both from his commitment to sustainable agriculture and his deep understanding of the land.

Completed six years ago the vineyards, gardens and winery were designed, planted and built by Jim. The buildings are his interpretation of Mission architecture. Substantial and  beautiful, they give the impression of having stood here for generations. The Mission flavor of the buildings and gardens is tempered by an imaginative but natural eclecticism that evokes memories of Provence and Italy.

Lavender, 18" X 24", oil/canvas, 2009

Join us on the land for a memorable experience at Ceago Vinegarden, 5115 East Highway 20, Nice, California.

Phone  707.274.1462  for Dinner reservations

Exhibition at Alta Galleria held over until September 20

My mini-retrospective at Alta Galleria in Berkeley is being held over another month. It will now close September 20. The exhibition of smaller works spans thirty years. Most of the works were painted on location in Oakland and San Francisco but there is a smattering of works from Mexico,  and Italy.

Un Rincon de la Plaza Grande, Patzcuaro, Michoacan, oil on canvas,18" X 24"

One of the most recent paintings on exhibition is  “Storm Clouds over the San Francisco Chronicle” which was painted on the street during March and April of this year when about a 100 employees were taking buyouts. I recorded my experience and conversations in my blog titled  News in the News Pt 2: The once and Future Chronicle.

Storm Clouds over the Chronicle, oil on canvas, 24" X 48"

This exhibition has already received two excellent reviews. The first one by Frank Cebulski in the online Examiner titled Anthony Holdsworth at Alta Galleria, Berkeley.

The most recent review was in this week’s East Bay Express. Written by DeWitt Cheng it is titled ‘Witness.’

Alta Galleria is at 2980 College Ave., Ste#4 in Berkeley close to Ashby. While Alta is representing her artrists in Bejing  fom, Aug 24 to September 7th, volunteers will keep the gallery open from 11 am to 4 pm, Tues through Friday. Phone 510.414.4485 or go to www.altagalleria.com for more information.

Honduras: the shameful silence of our Press

The shameful silence of our mainstream press compels me to continue blogging about Central America.

When I visited my nephew, Greg Landau, in the suburbs of Managua, Nicaragua in 1984, this was an empty field behind his house.

War Refugee Housing, Managua, oil on canvas, 18" X 24", 1985

When I returned and painted this picture, a year later,  it had filled with the impromptu homes of war refugees. Managua, which was wracked in 1972 by an earthquake of biblical proportions and then by years of insurrection against President Somoza, who had embezzled the international relief shipments, would never enjoy the fruits of the 1979 Sandinista victory. Instead, the United States chose to bleed the revolution dry with a proxy, terrorist army operating out of Honduras. By 1985  Managua was inundated with refugees from the terrorized countryside.

Many had hoped that  President Obama would write a new, progressive chapter in our relations with Latin America. We never dreamed that we would see the iron fist of Uncle Sam closing , once more, around the throat of Central America.

Because that is what is happening.

The silence of our mainstream press and the lies of Hillary Clinton may confound the American people. The rest of the world has witnessed the military overthrow of a duly elected president with, at least, the tacit consent of Washington. Why?  Because President Zelaya proposed a nonbinding referendum on revising the Honduran constitution. This constitution was written in the 80′s to protect a small oligarchy that has always acted in our interests.

Hillary Clinton has declared that the United States will not take sides because President Zelaya has been ‘provocative’. Since when was it provocative for a legal president to call on his people to engage in nonviolent resistance to a military coup?  Hundreds of thousands continue to protest. They are being met with tear gas, batons and bullets . The nest of vipers that we  nurtured in Honduras has turned on its own people.

It’s curious that the last time we overthrew a president in neighboring Nicaragua his name was also Zelaya. This action precipitated the rise of the first great, anti-imperialist guerrilla leader in Latin America, Augusto Sandino.

For more extensive background information, I refer you to “Behind the Honduras Coup” by Saul Landau and Nelson Valdes.