The Cupertino Courier

Art courtesy of the Fine Arts League

Ann Mason painted the Louis Portal house as part of a Fine Arts League contest in which members created renditions of Cupertino's historic homes. The Portal home was built on a 400-acre vineyard in the 1860s.

Fine Arts League has a brush with the past

By Pam Marino

A recent painting contest was history in the making for the Cupertino Fine Arts League.

The league opened its new showing of paintings by its members April 28 at the Quinlan Community Center.

The theme of the show is Cupertino's historical buildings--those still standing and those destroyed long ago. The league purposely chose the theme to coincide with the Historical Society's opening of a new museum show last week, also at the community center.

The two groups, which were created about the same time 30 years ago, had a potluck together in the community center, and then the Historical Society members judged the arts league's paintings.

Members voted for first-, second- and third-place paintings. The society gets to keep the first-place painting on permanent display in the museum.

First place went to Susan Goepel for a watercolor of the Cupertino De Oro house, which still stands near the corner of Homestead Road and De Anza Boulevard.

"It was extremely well-executed," said league member Marilyn Smith, who organized last week's event. She said Historical Society members chose the painting in part because the onetime schoolhouse is a beloved landmark, but also because it is a well-done painting.

"It's really a nice feeling; I was so honored that they chose it," said Goepel. "It's a lovely old building."

The Cupertino resident and mother of two school-age children said it took three eight-hour sessions to complete the painting. In addition, she took photographs and made drawings at the site in preparation.

The painting will remain on display in the hallway of the Quinlan Community Center, along with the rest of the paintings, until June 1.

The art league purchased Goepel's painting for $350 with funds raised at last September's art show in Memorial Park, in order to donate it to the museum.

Second place was awarded to Ann Mason, who created a watercolor of the Louis Portal house, which no longer stands.

Third place was a painting of the Pichetti barn, now the Sunrise Winery on Monte Bello Road, done by Barbara Edmunson.

All of the paintings on display, except Goepel's winning painting, are on sale to the public.

In addition to donating the painting, the arts league gave $100 to each of five local school districts and made donations to two local public broadcasting stations and a San Jose group for disabled people called Creativity Unlimited.

The league holds the Memorial Park art show, its major fundraiser, every September.

Smith said the league has approximately 100 member artists. Paintings by members are hung year-round at the Quinlan Community Center, located at 10185 N. Stelling Rd. The center is open to the public Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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