Photograph Courtesy of the Mountain Art Guild
Among the several dozen Mountain Art Guild members in this year's show is Errol Specter, who crafts leather-bound journals (above). He also does oil paintings.
Mountain Art Guild has a banner year
Show runs June 9-10
By Shari Kaplan
The traditional gift for celebrating a fifth anniversary is wood; the modern is silverware. Unlike these guidelines set by custom, the Mountain Art Guild's members have set the sky as the limit for the types of arts, crafts and gift items they are exhibiting and selling at the fifth annual Mountain Art Guild Show that runs June 9-10, in and around the Loma Prieta Community Center, 23800 Summit Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Among the more than 50 guild members are artists from many mountain areas, including those bearing Los Gatos, Saratoga, Redwood Estates, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek and Santa Cruz addresses. There are also some "flatlanders" within the city limits of Los Gatos, Santa Cruz, San Jose and elsewhere.
This year's theme is "A Banner Year," which reflects not only the guild's and show's continued successes, but also the large canvas banners many artists design to advertise and decorate the show. According to publicity chairwoman and longtime member Nancy Jo Lopp, past shows have relied on art from students at local schools, to provide background visual interest. This year, the members are doing it themselves.
Photograph Courtesy of the Mountain Art Guild
Etchings on stone by artist Jenny Manss.
Many guild members create arts and crafts that are far from garden variety, Lopp points out. These include polymer clay and wire bracelets by Deborah Anderson; basketry by Jean Hackett; garden ceramics, mosaics and masks by Brenda Jatho; scrimshaw by Anouk Johanna; "Old Souls" dolls by Shellie Lee; animal head sculptures by Merikay MacKenna; etched stones by Jenny Manss; digital graphics, notecards and Tarot images by Cathy Novak; textiles by Jerri Scaife and Lorri Scott; leather-bound journals by Errol Specter and paper sculpture by Jeanne Tillman.
There are also plenty of choices in the more standard areas of oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings; ceramics; photography; metal and stone sculpture; handcrafted jewelry; woodcraft and furniture. All artists donate a percentage of their sales to art programs in the Loma Prieta Joint Union School District.
As it has in the past, the show coincides with the Santa Cruz Mountains Vintners' Festival and Tour. Local wineries will be pouring for tour participants at the art show, and art show visitors can join the tour at the show (for a charge). Wine will also be available by the glass. Live entertainment will run throughout the day on both days of the show and includes classical, country and western, jazz and eclectic rock.
The Mountain Art Guild show runs form 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 9 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 10. Parking and admission are both free. For more information, call 408.353.4257, or 408.353.6088, or visit www.mountainartguild.org on the Internet.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
