Saratoga News

Artists honor mentor with Moore Art II

By Sue Fagalde Lick

Russell Moore, late director of the Gallery at Montalvo, had a lot of friends in the art world--so many in fact that when local artists got word that the gallery was planning an exhibit in his memory, there were too many artists to fit in one show. The resulting show, Moore Art, began in November. The second half, Moore Art II, debuts Jan. 18 and continues through Feb. 26.

A reception for the artists will be held at the gallery Jan. 18, 6 to 8 p.m.

Co-curators Reid Winfrey and Robynn Smith have restricted the exhibit to artists who showed their work at the Allegra Gallery in downtown San Jose, where Moore was the owner and curator before coming to Villa Montalvo.

Participating in Moore Art II are Judé Silva, Alan Firestone, Joan Schulze, Eve Page, Stephen Lowe, Jane Gregorius, Ruth Tunstall Grant, B.B. Smith, Jan Karlton, Mary Offermann, Sandra Beard, Jamie Abbott, Mimi Chen Ting, Roslyn Mazzilli and Robynn Smith. Each artist will show two works in a variety of media. Included are watercolors, acrylics, sculptures, monotypes, oils, pastels and a quilt.

Along with their art, many of the artists gave tribute to their mentor in the catalog that accompanies the show. Eve Page's watercolor "Fear of Flight" was inspired by a telephone conversation with Moore. She wrote: "Russell's biggest gift to me, and he gave me many, was to see how he lived, and died, without fear."

Several credited Moore with giving them their first exposure as artists. B.B. Smith, whose "Still Life No. 2" is in the show, wrote, "I will never forget Russell, for he offered me, a relative unknown, my first opportunity to show at a professional gallery."

Robynn Smith, who is showing two paintings on wood, wrote, "The fact that he felt my work to be important and that I didn't have to defend myself or my work to him, helped give me the courage and confidence to move forward and become professional."

"Russell always reminded me of an aspen tree," wrote Mimi Chen Ting, whose acrylics are in the show. "No matter how large or crowded the grove, these gentle trees always stand in tenacious singularity."

The first Moore Art show was a great success, Robynn Smith said. The artists are happy to honor the memory of their mentor, who died of cancer last June. He made it his mission to go into the community and look at art, and he gave many of the artists their first professional exposure. In addition, he was a man who listened to people and cared about them. "He just really touched a lot of people," she said.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of art from these exhibitions will help support yearly Moore Art exhibits. The gallery is open Thursday and Friday, 1-4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, call 741-3421.