For the Love of Art adds a bit of narrative to local artists’ works
Lamorinda Arts Council’s “For the Love of Art” features 28 local and regional artists, 20 of whom have written engaging narratives about why their artwork “inspires and keeps them alive” in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library.
For example, artist Shiva Jafarzadeh exhibits three artworks in the two-month exhibit with narratives and an artist statement which asks, “How do you love? How do you art? Do they overlap? During the war, while everyone in the bomb shelter heard explosions and missiles striking the ground, I was hearing birds singing in the garden I had drawn. Through the drawing, I was able to zone out and ‘for the love of art,’ I survived.”
Additionally in her statement, she wrote “Once I was exiled to the U.S., art connected me with people across cultures and languages. It created wordless communication between my toddler and me during our hardest times. Art heals. Art connects. Art transforms. ‘For the Love of Art’ is more than an exhibition, it is a celebration of creativity as a universal language of love. It is an inspirational visual space built by the passionate and talented artists, organizers and Lamorinda Arts Council curators who created ‘For the Love of Art’ within our community of compassion.”
Visitors can meet and mingle with the artists at a reception in their honor on Oct. 11 from 2:30 to 5 p.m. with light refreshments on offer.
Exhibiting artists include Peter Ashlock, John Barry, Arlynn Bloom, Suellen Cox, Lorraine Curtis, Mehri Delsim, Judith Feins, Marian Harris, Jamie Harrison, Denise Hillman, Shiva Jafarzadeh, Stephenie Khan, Katie Korotzer, Melchia Kutches, Jan Lainoff, Michael Larson, Connie Millholland, Wenda Pyman, Deanne Quenzel, Lois Reynolds Mead, Gini Graham Scott, Maryly Snow, Betsy Streeter, Lorna Strotz, Nancy Vachani, Briana Van Den Broeck, Durga Vitthanala and Jun Yan.
Inspired by the timeless NYT best seller, “The Dancing Wu Li Masters” by Gary Zukav, Nancy Vachani describes her 18” x 36” oil painting on canvas as portraying three dancers, each framed in a circular mandala of color embodying the cyclical flow of cosmic energy. “Physics entwines with metaphysics – a dance between logic, wonder and the ineffable,” she said. View it through Oct. 31 in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library or online at tinyurl.com/49bpzj38.
Visit the Gallery to view artwork and narratives through Oct. 31 at 26 Orinda Way. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Call 925.254.2184 for more Library information or visit ccclib.org/. For exhibit questions or details, contact gallery@LamorindaArts.org, call 925.359.4490 or visit tinyurl.com/yxwvw2cw.
“In the Remains,” a 24” x 24” oil on canvas, speaks in many tongues about a community looking for what is lost. Artist Connie Millholland wrote a narrative accompanying the artwork which is on display in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library through October 31. See more artwork online at https://tinyurl.com/49bpzj38.
Virtual wilder: Doug Heine sculptures stand the test of time
Lamorinda Arts Council invites you to its Virtual Wilder gallery to view 20 original sculptures by Doug Heine of Berkeley. Heine’s 250-pound “Ribbons” abstract steel public art sculpture painted bright red was just installed within West Commons Park in Moraga.
It was chosen by the Moraga Art in Public Spaces Committee and Parks and Recreation Commission. No stranger to Orinda, Heine has three public artwork installations: Orinda Plaza near Café Teatro, Orinda Community Park and Wilder Fields. Heine spent time at UC Berkeley making experimental apparatus for the study of cosmic particles.
Now 90, he keeps experimenting using different metals and other materials to create his one-of-a-kind sculptures. Enjoy viewing them through Nov.2 at tinyurl.com/5n85e68v.
Douglas Heine’s 250-pound. 45” x 45” x 67” abstract steel sculpture entitled “Ribbons” was installed in Moraga West Commons Park by the Moraga Public Spaces Committee and Parks and Recreation Commission in August. His Virtual Wilder exhibit of 20 sculptures can be seen through Nov. 2. Visit tinyurl.com/5n85e68v to view his art online.
Art to take your breath away
“Manet & Morisot,” Legion of Honor, explores a 15-year artistic friendship (1868 to 1883) between two pioneers of Impressionism who changed the world. View works by Edouard Manet and Berthe Morisot displayed side-by-side Oct. 11 to March 1 at http://bit.ly/4pksvbx.
“Art of Manga” features over 700 original works from 10 artists, including Chiba Tetsuya, Akatsuka Fujio, Yoshinaga Fumi and more. Learn about the evolution of manga since the 1970s and its impact today through Jan. 25, 2026, at the de Young Museum and here tinyurl.com/mvzh8m53.
Free East Bay Gallery Tour through Oct. 31: Visit any one of 15 galleries from Benicia to Danville. Sign up for your Gallery Tour Postcard and map and get it stamped at each gallery for prize eligibility at tinyurl.com/3jaks9rr.