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Photograph by George Sakkestad
Saratoga artists (from left) Martha Schaller, Mimi Kearns and Karen Garappolo are among the more than 350 artists participating in the 20th annual Silicon Valley Open Studios event, in which artists open their doors to the public. The three friends are teaming up for a show in Garappolo's home.
Walk right into homes on Open Studios weekend
Local artists will have their work on display
By Jennifer McBride
Walk into a stranger's home on any other weekend and wind up in jail. But on May 13 and 14 residents all over Saratoga will be saying, "Come on in!"
No, there's nothing in the water. It's all part of the annual Silicon Valley Open Studios.
While Open Studios is always a special event, this year is even more special because it's the 20th anniversary.
During the first three weekends in May, more than 350 artists from all over San Mateo and Santa Clara counties are opening their doors to the public and allow art lovers to tour their workspaces and view their art, with many pieces up for sale. The artists work in all kinds of styles and media including paint, photography, paper, sculpture, pottery, woodwork, wearable art, jewelry, print-making and more.
Each weekend is dedicated to a different geographic region of the valley. On May 13 and 14, some areas of Saratoga will be on display, and friends and fellow artists Mimi Kearns, Martha Schaller and Karen Garappolo can hardly wait.
Kearns and Garappolo are oil painters, and Schaller is an award-winning photographer and former photojournalist who has worked for the likes of the Washington Post, among other publications.
Schaller and Garappolo met back when their sons were both attending the same local preschool. Garappolo and Kearns met more recently when they were members of the Saratoga High School Sports Boosters.
All three came into art in different ways.
"I was a weaver in the '70s, and I started painting in the late '90s," Kearns recalls.
Since taking up painting with oils, Kearns has displayed her creations at countless local galleries and shows, including juried shows at the Art Museum of Los Gatos, the McAuley Gallery in San Francisco, the Triton Museum Blues Bash Art Auction in Santa Clara, the Pacific Art Gallery in Palo Alto and many more. Over the years, she, too, has won awards for her work.
"I do representational paintings, but I deviate to sometimes paint whimsical themes or a slice of life that's interesting to me," Kearns says.
Garappolo grew up in New York City. She earned a bachelor's degree in painting from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and a master's degree in medical illustration from the University of Rochester.
"I would visit surgeries and make sketches of different procedures," she explains.
After moving to California with her husband and two sons in 1988, she started a mural and faux painting business, "Hand Painted," with a partner. After five years in business, Hand Painted closed its doors and Garappolo began to pursue her own painting. She studied oil painting at UC-Santa Cruz, the Pacific Art League and West Valley College, and participated in her first Open Studios in 2004.
"I do representational paintings as well, that are very loose and colorful," she describes.
Garappolo says her favorite types of painting are still life, plein air and, of course, dog portraits--Garappolo is known for the paintings she does of her three beloved bulldogs, among others.
Today, Garappolo is hard at work preparing the studio she made out of her home on Regan Lane in Saratoga for the Open Studios event, at which she and her good friends Schaller and Kearns will display their works together.
While Kearns and Garappolo are Open Studios veterans, Schaller is thrilled to finally be participating in her first.
"I'm excited about the potential exposure," she says.
Kearns and Garappolo say great things have come out of the previous Open Studios they have done. Last year, they estimate approximately 100 people came through to view their displays, only half of them having seen their work before. At their first, they received an invitation to display their works at a show by the Los Gatos Arts Commission.
"Plus, it's just a great excuse to have a party!" Kearns says.
Garappolo's home is just one stop on the Open Studios tour. Map guides are available at kiosks in front of most post offices, at most libraries up and down the peninsula, at all CalTrain stations, and at many art supply stores, coffee shops and participating studios and galleries. It is also available online at www.svos.org.
The South Santa Clara County leg of Silicon Valley Open Studios is May 13 and 14, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit www.svos.org for more information, including a list of participating artists and a map guide to their studios. The show by Karen Garappolo, Mimi Kearns and Martha Schaller is at Garappolo's home, 12861 Regan Lane in Saratoga.
