Photograph by George Sakkestad

One of Maggie Blackwell's watercolors from her vineyards series is serving as the theme image for this year's 'Wine With Heart.'




Local painter puts her heart in her art

By Shari Kaplan

In describing "Wine with Heart"--the fourth annual Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Auction arranged by the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association--as an event close to her heart, Saratogan Maggie Blackwell means it in more ways than one.

The prolific artist, whose specialty is soft yet vibrant watercolors, designed the image used in publicizing the festival after being inspired by trips to local vineyards in Saratoga, Los Gatos and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Because of her late father's heart troubles, Blackwell also wanted to do something personal to benefit heart patients, for whom the event is a fundraiser.

This year, Wine with Heart takes place April 30 and May 2. A committee, led by Doris Cooper of Saratoga's Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards, visited the studios of several area artists before selecting Blackwell and a watercolor of plump, juicy grapes and spreading leaves from her recent vineyards series.

"When I started [the series], I thought all grapes looked alike. I realized they don't!" recalls Blackwell, who names California landscapes, rustic farms and barns, boats and coastal scenes among her other favorite images to bring to life with watercolors. Not coincidentally, she also enjoys the outdoors in another way--hiking and camping with her family.

Before this year, Blackwell was just another attendee of the Wine with Heart event, whose proceeds benefit Stanford Cardiovascular Research and the American Heart Association. She says she is particularly honored to be the 1999 poster artist in memory of her father, who passed away earlier this year.

A fourth-generation native Californian, Blackwell grew up in the rustic, agriculturally rich Santa Ynez Valley. "I don't ever remember a time that I wasn't painting," she recalls. "You know how you try to recall the time when you realized you were different from the other kids? Well, for me it must've been way back!"

Blackwell participated in her first juried art show while still a high school student, and has moved onward and upward ever since. After graduating from University of Southern California/Isomata (an art school in San Bernardino associated with USC), Blackwell embarked upon a professional artist career. Along the way, she married, had two daughters and settled in Saratoga. For her, the West Valley area and surrounding mountains offer just the right combination of country and city, especially when it comes to artistic inspirations.

"I'm never at a loss for what to paint. Everything talks to you," she adds.

The Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Auction, Wine with Heart, begins April 30 at 6:30 p.m. with a gourmet winemakers' dinner at Thomas Fogarty Winery and Vineyards in Woodside. Following the dinner is a live auction featuring domestic and foreign vacations, rare wines and private winemakers' dinners. The cost is $150. On May 2, Runnymede Sculpture Farm, also in Woodside, hosts a wine-tasting with hors d'oeuvres and a live and silent auction from 2 to 5 p.m. The cost is $40. More than 40 wineries and vineyards are participating. For more information, call (831) 479-WINE.

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