School Street, Moraga, a 12” x 12” oil painting by Orinda artist Maria SantoStefano, is now on display at the Moraga Art Gallery.
In the spirit of the season, the Moraga Art Gallery presents “Holiday Magic in Porcelain and Paint,” a colorful new show featuring the works of two of Lamorinda’s most celebrated artists: Lafayette’s Donna Arganbright and Orinda’s Maria SantoStefano.
Arganbright, the president of Lamorinda Arts Alliance and a long-time gallery member, creates beautifully-crafted, functional pottery: ceramic mugs, bowls, pitchers, and trays that flow with soft lines and burst with luscious blues, greens, and reds. Meant to be touched, taken home, and used every day, her collection also includes “attitude figures” – vases disguised as posturing human figures, hands on hips, and clothed in fresh, bright-hued glazes.
Guest artist SantoStefano specializes in dazzling oil paintings — water and landscapes that capture the addictive beauty of the local scene as well as other Northern California places. Having studied with a veritable “Who’s Who” of East Bay plein air artists, including Ann Marie and Pamela Glover, Theresa Onoda, Suzanne D’Arcy and John Finger, SantoStefano acknowledges their influence on her choice of colors, her distinctive brush strokes and the appealing dimensionality of shapes on her canvases.
Among several other guest artists, the eminent jeweler Jyotsa Chawler is making an encore appearance with samples adapted from treasures of regal jewelry and artifacts made by Jyotsa’s family in centuries past.
The gallery’s show, which also includes work by its 14-member artists, runs through Jan. 5. The gallery is located in the Rheem Shopping Center, at 522 Center Street, Moraga.
November hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 12 – 5 p.m. Extended December hours are from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily through Dec. 24. For more information, visit www.moragaartgallery.com or call 925-376-5407.
