Saratoga News
Cover Story
Photograph by George Sakkestad
Nilou Rahimi of Saratoga puts up her work on the walls of her spa, Nilou Day Spa. Her oil paintings of people and their emotions will be on display for the Silicon Valley Open Studio weekend May 5-6.
Open Season
Local artists will unlock their doors for the Silicon Valley Open Studios event
By Michele Tjin
Art doesn't have to be daunting, local artists say. To prove their point, they are inviting the community to come inside their studios to see how artists operate and what inspires them.
More than 300 painters, sculptors and metal-workers from Los Gatos, Saratoga and everywhere between San Mateo and Gilroy are showing their work in the 21st annual Silicon Valley Open Studios during the first three weekends in May. No invitation is needed, nor is there an obligation to buy. The point is to see art up close.
"Schools no longer have money for art classes, and people don't see art first-hand," said Los Gatos artist Janet Bajorek. "People are intimidated to go to galleries, and prices seem very high to them. This is for the community to see art, so they can talk about the art and learn about the artists."
Bajorek, a sculptor, has been participating in the Open Studios for six years, and will show her work, as well as the work of three fellow artists, on May 5-6 and May 12-13. She is looking forward to seeing new and repeat visitors to her home studio.
"For the artists who sell through galleries, we don't meet the public," Bajorek said. "It's gratifying to talk to people who buy your work. It's good feedback."
Bajorek has been sculpting for 25 years. She is known for her clay figures of everyday people that poke gentle fun at some customs. Bajorek also makes wall-hanging sculptures from wood patterns that were originally destined to be used as castings for various metal objects. She found a stack of industrial wood patterns saved from the family business in her mother's garage in 2005, and instead of throwing them out she has recycled them for her art. Bajorek removes the finish on the wood patterns, mounts them on a board and paints them.
"They're 3-D paintings," she said. "Art is the highest form of communicating. I'm telling my thoughts not in words but with images."
The casual way the artwork is presented is one of the hallmarks of the Open Studios.
"It's not a sanctified hall of reverence," said Susan Kraft, one of the board members of Silicon Valley Visual Arts, the body that governs the Open Studios.
With the high price of rent, many artists decide to show their work together, and consequently that gives rise to "a mall of studios," Kraft said. Visitors benefit by seeing more than one artist at one location, and drivers save gas money.
"The economy has pushed us to group together," she said. "The gas price is a real concern. You can spend all day driving."
To find workspace, many local artists carve out a section of their home as a sanctuary. Some use an extra room in the house, while others use a back yard. George Perazzo, a stone sculptor from Los Gatos, chisels marble, alabaster and soapstone in his dusty basement.
"I call it my dungeon," Perazzo said.
The watercolor paintings of two other artists hang on the walls of Perazzo's home, while his sculptures take up residence in the living room. For Perazzo, who will open his home gallery on May 5-6, sculpting is a hobby that has supplanted golf as his top recreational pursuit. He asks others to see his work simply because it's there.
"I'm proud of it, and I want to share it with them," he said.
Artists participating in Open Studios say they are looking forward to interacting with the public, and Saratoga artist Nilou Rahimi hopes she'll be doing a lot of that. Rahimi displays her oil paintings on the walls of her Saratoga business, Nilou Day Spa, and she is opening her doors to visitors on May 5-6. The spa, which serves as her gallery, is definitely not a museum, Rahimi said.
"With watercolors or pastels, you have to frame [a painting] and put glass over it. It's a like a bird in a cage," said Rahimi, who paints mostly people and their emotions. "[I chose oil painting because] I love for people to see and touch the texture. It's more impressive."
Rahimi works full-time as an esthetician, and after 10-hour days, she finds refuge in her art. She began her interest in art as a child in Iran but took it up seriously just seven years ago. Her work reflects her passion for people, she said.
"I have to do it," Rahimi said. "It's just in me, so I have no choice."
Living the life of an artist has its allure. After all, who hasn't dreamed of being able to dedicate a significant amount of time to a passion? But it's not always as romantic as some think it is, said Karen Garappolo of Saratoga.
"It's a solitary pursuit," she said. "Even though you belong to associations, you are doing it by yourself. If you don't like that, that's hard. I'm a social person, so I have to balance it with other things."
Garappolo, who has been able to devote more time to oil painting now that her sons are grown, finds it easy to talk about her work to friends and strangers. There's nothing scary about talking about your workday when you work in your back yard.
"It's very comfortable. We have stands, and I have my work displayed outside," she said. "It's fun to see how people make workspaces in their home. Mine is an addition in the back of my home."
Garappolo paints still-lifes and streetscapes, but dogs rank as one of her favorite subjects to paint. She's received commissions to paint portraits of people's dogs.
"I have English bull dogs that are very funny," she said. "They're fun to paint."
A former school volunteer, Garappolo lost touch with some friends who also used to help out at local schools. But she's hoping her Open Studios weekend will bring back old faces.
"I see people I ordinarily don't see," she said. "It's nice to be outside. You have good friends and a good time. It's a good opportunity to stop in. You don't have to be invited. Just go in."
