You can see 4 examples here. The teachers are to be commended due to their dedication to these students. Not only did they teach the classes, but they provided the artwork mounted, labeled and ready for hanging. This is not a simple task and I hope that parents and students thank the art teachers at our high schools for putting in such a tremendous effort!

Please make time to participate in the Linda Gonzalez Memorial Youth Art Walk this Saturday from 4 – 7pm and see the sea of student artists with their families. It’s really a fun experience to be around new artists who get a chance to participate in an exhibit of this caliber and size. It will be worth it!

Linda Gonzalez

March is Youth Art Month!  I am very excited about next week’s Second Saturday Art Walk dedicated to the life & influence of Linda Gonzalez!  The art teachers at our 4 high schools have really stepped to provide their art students with an exhibition experience.  There will be over 250 pieces of art that were created in our local schools presented around downtown at over 22 locations including: Athletic Soles, Boomerang Gallery, Calabi Gallery, Dimensions Galleria, Fourth & Sea Fish & Chips, Gallery One, Haus Fortuna, Hollingsworth Jewelry, Lions Tigers & Hair, Marissa’s Fantasia, Pelican Art Gallery, Petaluma Arts Center, Picture Perfect, Random Petaluma, Sky Hill Institute, Softshell, Starstruck Boutique & Gallery, Tea Room Cafe, Theater Square, Viva Cocolat, Water Street Bistro and both downtown branches of Wells Fargo Bank.  Go to any of these locations for the list of students and locations of their artwork.  The exhibit will be available 3/11 – 17.

The Council for Art Education, Inc. (CFAE), a 501(c)(3) exempt organization, is the national sponsor of Youth Art Month.    This year’s theme is “Art Shapes the World”.

Please join us for the Linda Gonzalez Memorial Art Walk

Saturday, March 13th, 2010, 4 – 7pm

See some of the images at

http://www.pelicanart.com/art/pelican-art-gallery-home/2010-youth-art-walk/

Saturday, March 6th 4-6pm: Roberta Ahrens at Aquas Cafe.  Roberta creates some of the most beautiful floral art in the area with her trademark cracked linen foundation.  Show will be up through the end of March.

Sunday, March 7th 1-4pm: Calabi Gallery: A Celebration of Women’s History Month!  Calabi Gallery proudly presents a new show celebrating Women’s History Month. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, 1 day prior to International Women’s Day. The gallery’s primary concern is to honor and give exposure to under-appreciated artists. Women artists have historically received less attention than male artists of equivalent talent. Thus it seems appropriate to mount this exhibition. Featured artists include Genevieve Barnhart, Gail Chase Bien, Dorr Bothwell, Minerva Chapman, Holly Downing, Pamela Glasscock, April Gornik, Ynez Johnston, Mary Fuller McChesney, Karima Muyaes, June Wayne, and Penny Wolin, among many others.

Here is the info from the PAA:

The Annual Library Show sponsored by the Petaluma Arts Association and the Friends of the Library will open on Friday, February 26^th at 10:00 AM.  The show will close on Thursday, March 11^th at 5:00 PM.

Works by local artists consist of watercolors, oils, acrylics, photography, sculpture and more.

The reception for the artists will be held on Tuesday, March 9th from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM.  The reception is co-hosted by the Petaluma Arts Association and the Friends of the Library.

The location is the Helen Putnum Community Room at the Petaluma Regional Library located at 100 Fairgrounds Drive in Petaluma.  Show time: Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays  from 10 AM to 5 PM; Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 AM to 8 PM;  and Thursday 3/11 from 10 AM to 5 PM.

Find out more about the Petaluma Arts Association programs at their website: www.petalumaarts.org or write to P.O. Box 2623, Petaluma, CA 94953.

Contact Tracy Bigelow Grisman for specific information about participating in the Library Show by calling (415) 225 3018.

The reception for the artists will be held on Wednesday, March 9th from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM.  The reception is co-hosted by the Petaluma Arts Association and the Friends of the Library.

The location is the Helen Putnum Community Room at the Petaluma Regional Library located at 100 Fairgrounds Drive in Petaluma.  Show time: Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays  from 10 AM to 5 PM; Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 AM to 8 PM;  and Thursday 3/11 from 10 AM to 5 PM

The Petaluma Arts Association has been a participant in the community for 54 years promoting appreciation of the arts. The scholarship program continues to support the Petaluma schools in developing student art programs.

Find out more about the Petaluma Arts Association programs at their website: www.petalumaarts.org or write to P.O. Box 2623, Petaluma, CA 94953.

Contact Tracy Bigelow Grisman for specific information about participating in the Library Show by calling (415) 225 3018.

While at the gallery, I had a chance to view their current exhibit which includes a very fun spectrum of photographs by Don Jim of Muscle Beach in Southern California.  There’s plenty of muscle & flesh with vintage swimming suits and beach scenes that sparkle of the 1950s.  Reception for this show is April 3rd.

Here are a couple examples:

"Light Play" by Alfredo Tofanelli, oil on canvas board

More than 50 paintings of landscapes, seascapes and portraits by Artist Alfredo Tofanelli are featured in the Napa Valley Museum’s exhibition, Plein Air & Other Works by Alfredo Tofanelli. The exhibition runs from March 5 – April 18. Winner of the 2009 Juried Plein Air exhibition, Tofanelli won the best of show award for Light Play, which captured the judges’ attention and entitled him to the current one-person show.

Tofanelli’s oil paintings feature his skills as a portrait artist, still life, figure and fine art painter through a unique composition of colors and shapes.  Executed in the plein air style, the unexpected play between form, color and light are drawn directly from the subject.

A native of Northern California, Tofanelli received his degree in Fine Arts from the Fine Arts Center of Design in Pasadena.  He was an illustrator and graphic designer in Los Angeles  before returning to San Francisco, and has worked at the 3DO Company and Electronic Arts of Redwood City.

The Opening Reception for the show is Friday, March 5th from 5:30 – 7:30pm at the Napa Valley Museum.

Spring classes starting next week  include:

Fine art for Kids, Exploring your creativity with Painting & Mixed Media, Taking the Mystery out of Painting, Clay for Kids, Cartoon Drawing for Adults and the Path of Photography.

If you’ve been thinking about taking an art class.  Now is the time to get with it!  Just go to www.petalumaartscouncil.org for more information.

Congrats to the Arts Center for such a great spring curriculum!

IGLTA Members listen to the Mayor's Welcome

Earlier today, Thursday, Feb 18th, members of the International Gay & Lesbian Tourism Association gathered at the first stop of their Petaluma Familiarization “Fam” tour.  The downtown merchants, in particular several gay & lesbian owned business owners, rolled out the red carpet to tout Petaluma as a fantastic cultural destination.  This was part of a multi-day tour of the County with the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau.

The guests were treated to “tastes of Petaluma” at Pelican Art Gallery, Joe Hamer Salon, Tuscan Gardens, Sonoma Valley Port Works and the Petaluma Arts Center.  The idea behind the “Fam” tour was to get these travel professionals excited about the cultural richness offered by our town & we SUCCEEDED!

Jerrie, Linda, Pam, Elly & Juliet prepare for the welcome

I had the honor of introducing the schedule for the afternoon and introducing the Mayor.  As I listened to the Mayor, Elly Lichtenstein (Cinnabar Theater), Jerrie Jerne (Riverfront & Dimensions galleries), Gretchen Singer (Singer Gallery) & Elisa Webber (Della Fattoria who provided the “Taste”), I was proud as a peacock of the of what we have to offer the tourism industry.  We were sure to mention that Petaluma was recently chosen as the “Happiest/healthiest place in California”. Resident Artist Sachal was on hand to meet & greet.

Later Tom (Joe Hamer Salon) stopped by to report the tour stop at his place went swimmingly well with Mary Stubbs (Stubbs Winery) as the guest speaker and Grazziano’s providing the “Taste”.  The report from Tuscan Gardens was that the guests were genuinely interested in learning about Petaluma’s.  Barbara Harden showed up from the Museum to talk about history & the gardens around town while Sea Thai provided the “Taste”.  From there they headed to Foundry Warf where Bill Reading talked about the Petaluma GAP and gave a “Taste” of his award winning ports.

Cowgirl Creamery provided an awesome tour of the creamery with “Tastes” of their delicious cheeses, history on dairy farmers in the area and the preservation efforts to save these agricultural treasures.

The last stop was the Visitor’s Center & Petaluma Arts Center to top off a grand day in Petaluma. “Tastes” at the final stop were provided by Dempsey’s & Cordoza’s Deli. So many people  helped make this day very special for our new friends. Thank you to everyone who helped.  Petaluma ROCKS!

The new maps from the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau list 15 galleries in the county & EIGHT, yes 8, more than 50%,  are in Petaluma.  Isn’t that just so COOL!  I’m stoked and energized to continue working hard to get the word out  that we are a top art & culture destination.  Add to the art our wonderful antique merchants, full spectrum of shopping opportunities, tantalizing restaurants and rocking  entertainment and we have something very special.

Be sure to mark your calendars for the Second Saturday Art Walk on March 13th from 4 – 7pm as it will feature hundreds of pieces of art by our local high school students celebrating Youth Art Month.  This event will be dedicated to the life & influence of Linda Gonzalez.