The Lamorinda Arts Council presents a gallery filled with artwork from 36 members of the Lamorinda Arts Alliance (LAA) during December. Their in-person and virtual exhibit is on view in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library. Meet the artists at a reception in their honor Saturday, Dec. 4 from 3 to 5 p.m. where light refreshments will be served.
Also enjoy jazz by the Nika Rejto Duo with Robin Lewis playing seven-string guitar and Rejto on flute and vocals. Expect to hear jazz tunes including Brazilian Samba, the American songbook and original music.
Ruth Stanton and Sharon Tama are organizing the event.
“Behind every great artist, there is almost always an artistic great who was a formative source of inspiration,” said Stanton. “For Georgia O’Keeffe, it was Arthur Wesley Dow. For Claude Monet, it was Eugene-Louis Boudin.”
The LAA’s “Inspired by the Greats” theme provides local artists an opportunity to pay tribute to influencers they count as “great.”
“An influencer could be an architect, artist, musician, photographer, sculptor, literary figure, teacher or friend,” Stanton added.
Artist Tama looks to the styles great artists employ.
“The style of artists, their brushstroke, their use of color makes a big impression upon me and often guides the decisions I make in my own artwork,” she said. “That’s how I can be inspired by someone who is a creative force.”
Beyond painting, the same applies to photography or other art forms.
“Photographer Annie Leibovitz’s new book, Wonderland, shows how she uses color in stunning ways that I find intriguing,” said Tama.
The 80 pieces of original art in the exhibit showcase many types of media, including printmaking, stoneware, welded steel, photography, collage, mixed media, oils, acrylics, watercolors and colored pencil.
Each artist displays a statement describing who inspired and influenced his or her work. All artwork in the gallery is for sale and can be purchased online through the Lamorinda Art Council’s website.
Participating artists include Donna Arganbright, Karen Baden Thapa, Joe Bologna, Alys Briggs, Donna Brown, Margie Caldwell-Gill, Helen Chu-Hirschberg, Suellen Cox, Kelley Dean-Crowley, Susan Erickson, Judith Feins, Sylvia Fones, Carla Gelbaum, Jennifer Granat, Marc Ellen Hamel, Marian Harris, Denise Hillman, Kim Homes, Victor and Natalya Kolyvayko, Melchia Kutches, Karen Leoni, Pam McCauley, Samantha McNally, Alix Mitgang, Irene Needoba, Chelsea Pickslay, Wenda Pyman, Anne Morrison Rabe, Adrienne Rogers, Judith Rohrer, Maria Santo Stefano, Stanton, Charlene Steen, Sharon Tama, Charlynn Throckmorton and Nancy Vachani.
LAA is an organization of local artists and friends who reside or work in the area. It provides coordination, education and service to promote and increase knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts, and to enhance the cultural development of Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda and surrounding communities.
The group seeks to foster a better understanding of art within the community and encourage the exchange of ideas for the mutual benefit of all members through its programs, exhibits and other activities. Learn more about LAA at www.laa4art.org.
The Lamorinda Arts Council curates monthly exhibits at this gallery. For more information, visit www.lamorindaarts.org. This exhibit runs Dec. 1 through 30 during normal library hours in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library
at 26 Orinda Way. Hours are Mon. – Thur., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fri. – Sat., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sunday and closed Dec. 24, 25 and Dec. 31. Call 925.254.2184 for more information about the Library or visit www.ccclib.org or email the curators at gallery@lamorindaarts.org.
Elana O’Loskey can be reached at business.orinda@gmail.com.
