Steinbeck Center to feature exhibit
A Watsonville artist will be represented in the first juried art exhibition at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. The show, which runs Friday through May 30, is a celebration of the newly opened Valley of the World Agriculture Wing.
Artist Heidi Gottfried said she had one watercolor painting accepted in the show that was juried by Karen Tsujimoto, senior curator of art at the Oakland Museum of California. Forty-two images were accepted in the show from a pool of over 500 entries. The chosen entries were created in a variety of media including watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel and photography.
"I was very excited when I learned I had been chosen to be in the show," Gottfried said at her home Monday. "To me, this is a great honor."
Gottfried said her 22-by-30 inch watercolor, "Yellow Bandana," is one of a series of three pieces she has been working on over the past year.
Part of the "Yellow Bandana" image is an extraction from the pattern of a bandana often used by field workers to protect their skin from the sun.
"These watercolors are an homage to field workers," Gottfried said.
"California is rightfully celebrated for its agricultural riches," Tsujimoto stated in a press release. "From its verdant soil and rolling hills that give way to sweet red strawberries and the thorny beauty of artichokes, to the carefully calibrated walnut tree groves and monolithic stacks of hay, the Golden State offers a sumptuous display of plenty. It is not surprising that artists have responded to this vital cornucopia and all that is an integral part of it - the changing weather patterns, the labor of women and men, the machinery and barns, the inevitable passage of time. I hope that some of this richness and variety is reflected in the work I have chosen for this exhibition."
Artists were invited to present a visual concept of their interpretation of California agriculture, the setting for many of John Steinbeck's stories and novels.
Gottfried currently teaches art and culture at St. Francis Central Coast Catholic High School and art at the after school program at Freedom School. Her works have appeared in numerous art shows around the Watsonville area, including shows at the Pajaro Valley Art Gallery and a permanent outdoor painting in Taylor's Alley in downtown Watsonville.
The Images of California Agriculture show takes place at 1 Main St. in Salinas. An opening reception is set for Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. (admission $5, free to members). For more information, call 796-3833.
