Saratoga photographer Susanne Karlak took this picture while visiting the elementary school she attended as a child in Denmark.
Photograph by Susanne Karlak
Annual art show returns to Saratoga
By Shari Kaplan
When something isn't broken, many people advise against fixing it. No doubt many of the same also return year after year to the Saratoga Rotary Art Show.
The show always takes place the first Sunday in May--this year that's May 6; and for many years has called the West Valley College campus home--as it still does. The show remains the Saratoga Rotary Club's largest fundraiser, which, according to longtime artist coordinator Mary Fleischli, typically draws between 25,000 and 30,000 visitors.
The show's essential concept--the display and sale of fine arts and crafts--accounts for an impressive array of media from more than 175 artists. Among them are painters, graphic artists, ceramicists, jewelers, photographers, sculptors and artisans working in paper, fibers and textiles.
Each artist is chosen from a group of applicants at least double that number; a four-member jury culls only the cream of the crop. This year's judges were Charles Escott, a professional jewelry consultant; Carol Hutchinson, a professional artist who specializes in oil painting; Lissa Jones, a corporate art consultant; and David Ogle, a sculptor and instructor of fine arts.
One artist is also chosen to have his or her artwork featured on the show's promotional posters and minicalendars. This year it is Saratogan Susanne Karlak and a photograph titled Sun Spiral.
That's Entertainment: A list of entertainment scheduled for the Saratoga Rotary Art Show.
Karlak began making a name for herself as a self-taught photographer while she was still an assistant principal at Lynbrook High School. Now retired, she devotes herself full time to photographing her favorite subjects: boats, reflections, scenes from nature and architecture.
"You might call them abstract architectural designs," she says of the latter. "I like to take photographs that make people wonder 'how'd that window get up there?' or 'is that the sky or another building?' I like to have an element of mental teasing."
She snapped Sun Spiral while visiting Copenhagen, Denmark, with her husband, Bob. A native of Denmark, Karlak recognized her old elementary school from the outside and marveled anew at the spiraled ramp used for accessing the building's three stories.
"You really, really look at everything around you differently when you're also taking pictures of it," she says of the many trips and vacations she's also turned into photographic odysseys.
Art is not the Rotary Art Show's only attractions. Rotarians prepare and serve a variety of foods, including the infamous Saratoga Pepperbelly, a sandwich that members invented more than a decade ago. It's a mild Italian sausage nestled in a sourdough roll and given special flair with a "secret sauce." Pizza, snack foods, soft drinks and desserts are also available.
While it's never too early to expose children to the arts, many may prefer the Children's Corner, which includes a bounce house, a climbable antique fire truck from the Saratoga Fire Department and craft activities provided by Learning Express.
Free entertainment for the whole family takes place throughout the day. [see accompanying sidebar.]
The first Saratoga Rotary Art Show presented only 20 artists and took place in the Saratoga Village. The purpose, however, was the same: to present high-quality contemporary art; to create an enjoyable community event; and to raise funds to support the many nonprofit local and county organizations the Saratoga Rotary Club supports.
Parking and admission are both free. For more information, call 408.867.1241, 408.725.2434, or visit www.saratogarotary.org on the Internet.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
