Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Artists in Montalvo show share a common bond: Art teacher Michael Linstrom, above, of Los Gatos.
Two months of exhibits planned at Tait
Art instructor is common bond
By Shari Kaplan
With the turning of a new year, the Los Gatos Museum of Fine Art and Natural History is also turning to something new: two exhibitions during a two-month period that share a common bond.
Through Jan. 30, "A Circle of Eight" showcases the work of professional Northern California painters, many of whom live in the South Bay. From Feb. 3 through Feb. 27, the exhibit becomes "Spectrum Seven," whose painters are all South Bay residents, including some from Los Gatos and Saratoga.
Although they hail from various backgrounds and possess different training and interests, all have studied--or are studying--with internationally known painter and exhibitor Michael Linstrom, who lives in Los Gatos.
The artists are Jean Alexander, John Cross, Gaby De Dios, Sherie Drake, Ted Glauser, Mark Gray, Shannon Grissom, Connie Klass, Katherine Loo, Jacob Moradzadeh, Camille Przewodek, Bruni Sablan, Janet Turkus and Janet van der Hoof. Their subject matter consists of portraits, landscapes, still-lifes and abstract images, portrayed in oils, acrylics, pastels and mixed media.
Although Linstrom says he recognized his artistic talent as a child, he didn't pursue it seriously until he was an adult.
"I had a terrific gift for drawing as a child, but I really didn't pay attention to it. By second grade I was drawing all the teachers," he recalls with a chuckle. Although he served as art editor of the Campbell High School yearbook, Linstrom says he didn't think he had much talent in comparison to his extremely artistic father.
In college, Linstrom studied nursing and worked in that field and also as a nursing instructor. Before he was out of his 20s, however, he began seriously studying painting, took it up as a professional vocation and knew that was what he really wanted to do.
"I think many people don't realize they have talent until they really investigate themselves," says Linstrom, who, after rediscovering himself, helped others do the same, as an instructor in the Bay Area as well as in other parts of Northern California. He is a proponent of the apprentice system, in which the learner and learned develop a special, one-on-one teaching relationship. Eventually, the apprentice is ready to "fly" on his or her own.
While learning with Linstrom, artists can't help but be influenced by one of his favorite movements, Impressionism. His favorite style of it comes from the School of Color and Light, founded by the late Charles Hawthorne in Provincetown, Mass.
Put simply, Linstrom's forte is color, and he says he loves helping others learn to see the world through color. "Color is like a language, and my language is color," he says.
The Los Gatos Museum of Fine Art and Natural History, located at 4 Tait Ave., is run by the Los Gatos Museum Association. Hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. "Spectrum Seven's" reception takes place Feb. 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, call 408.354.2646.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
