AGP Member's Spotlight: Linda Dever

The Art Guild of Pacifica is a dynamic collection of people that are rich in capabilities, artistic experience, teamwork, and most of all talent.  There is so much talent that I wish I could blog about every single AGP member all at once.  I’ll have to settle for one member at a time, this time focusing on artist Linda Dever.

Close your eyes.  Close them tight.  Think about an alternative world, a different world.  It is one that is awash in green and blue aquatic hues and dotted with trees.  This is a world where cats frolic side by side with fish and birds and other denizens of the sky and sea.  They cavort in friendship before the blissfully blue waters of the vast ocean.  Lo and behold, you've stumbled into a fantasy painting by San Bruno artist, Linda Dever.

When Linda paints, she plunges into limitless stores of creativity to invoke images of peaceful coexistence a midst imaginary worlds.   She lays down color first in acrylics, with special attention to shape and texture.  Her initial efforts seem abstract, but soon the common theme of water insinuates itself into her work.  It’s as if the water itself demands attention, leading Linda into an adventure of layering and collage, one that requires extra dry-time before the rest of the imaginary world is willing to reveal itself.  Frequently, Linda adds stickers or other embellishments which serve to coax unexpected elements of realism into what would otherwise be exclusively fantastical pieces. We don’t see much red, the angry color, or even hues of orange or yellow. No. It is ever the calming effects of blissful blue that dominate her art.  

Early on, Linda knew that to be happy she would have to find a way to combine her art and creativity with making an income. So, she achieved a BS in Art Education from Penn State University and an MA in Educational Technology and a certificate for English as a Second Language from San Francisco State.  This combined art with teaching, which brought her great happiness throughout her career.  Linda taught Art and First Grade in New York and New Jersey before relocating to San Francisco.  After a period of teaching elementary grades here, she began to work with disabled adults and senior citizens, most recently working with the Older Adults Program of CCSF, where she taught Art, World Culture, Art History, Crafts and Health & Exercise.  At this time, Linda offers a free class at the YMCA entitled “World Cultures in Art” in which current exhibits, countries, and art are the topic.  She and her husband, Steve, enjoy travelling to different parts of the world, and so she brings art & architecture from those lands to her classroom, where they are shared along with the travels of her students.

Linda is a passionate artist, and a very giving person.  I can attest to this personally. She is an individualist who has no desire to be like other people, but rather strives to be her own unique self.   She believes in the gift of giving and so, emulating her mother who believed in “help thy neighbor” as a personal attribute, she strives to capture moments in time where she can make a difference in the lives of others.  I asked her to describe her work in one word, and it was a challenge.  First, we thought words like “surreal”, “unique” and “colorful” might fit the bill, but ultimately Linda settled on joyful.  

The things that bring Linda the most joy such as cats, the sea, nature, birds, and fish, appear the most in her art … thus, Linda's art brings her joy just like teaching does.

View more of Linda’s work on-line at Linda Dever Fantasy Art and Books.  She is an exhibiting artist and member of ArtWork of San Francisco.  She’s exhibited at Bayshore Production Studios, Green Street Digital Arts and done solo shows at Caffe Bianco, Martha & Brothers Coffee, and the Art Center in San Bruno.  Linda’s art won an award at the San Mateo County Fair.  Her full body of work includes books best suited for children that describe the adventures of precocious cats and other topics close to her heart.  Read about them here.  She also does unique pet portraits that you can read about here. Her free class on “World Cultures & Art” happens at the Stonestown YMCA in San Francisco, across from the mall at 3150 – 20^th Avenue on Tuesdays.  January’s classes will be about Asia and India.  Linda will be participating with an open wall at the Art Guild of Pacifica’s upcoming “Galleria” exhibition at the Sanchez Art Center.

Written and blogged by Donna L. Faber, AGP Board Secretary.

Visit Donna at www.donnalouisefaber.com .

Friday Night in Pacifica

Leslie and her Photography

Last Friday night, my family and I went to the opening of the Art Guild of Pacifica’s “Buddy Show”.  It opened on June 1 in the West Gallery of the Sanchez Art Center.  The “Buddy Show” gives non-AGP members an opportunity to show in tandem with a member, as well as an opportunity to join the Guild.  Yet in terms of confidence and validation, it’s a wonderful way to affirm your art in public.  Leslie and I entered the show together, which made it really special to me.  She framed and entered her black and white triptych called “West Hollywood 1977”.  It’s three candid photos of an elderly woman knitting, taken from different angles, and posing a study of her fascinating hands.  Despite using photography as a creative outlet for years, this is the first time Leslie’s had one of her works on a gallery wall. I know from first-hand experience how awesome that feels.   

The Gallery Store

I’ve got cards, jewelry and other doo-dads in the Gallery Store, just in time for Father’s Day.  I’m sharing the Store with Jude Pittman and Linda Devers, so there are a wide variety of items in different styles and applications to choose from and purchase.  I consider it a wonderful combination of artistic goods.  We'll be in the store through the month of June.

That wasn’t the only thing going on at Sanchez, however.  There were three other shows happening simultaneously.  In the East Gallery, we viewed the 20^th Annual Art With Elders Exhibit, which I believe is the result of a class. I was personally surprised at how much talent that show represented, but more, I was fascinated by the artist’s biographies. 

A captivating piece of art.

In the Main Gallery, we viewed The Rydell Visual Arts Fellows, which comprised of work by Andrea Borsuk, Tim Craighead, Victoria May, and Andy Ruble.  Curated by Susan Hillhouse Leask, the show was an impressive display of interesting textures in commonplace items and ideas.  The visual lines of each piece pulled me in to look closer, until I was led about by one piece after another.  As a whole, the presentation was an adventure.

From Michael's show.

In the Mildred Owen concert hall, which is adjacent to the galleries, Michael Risenhoover celebrated his photography show, “5am waiting for buffalo”.  This show paired photos from previous photography series, but what really stood out to me is Michael’s sense of humor.  Obviously enamored of mundane items like shopping carts and orange netting, Michael manages to imbue his subjects with personality as he captures them with his lens.  Then, he successfully projects that personality back to the viewer in his images.  I really enjoyed Michael’s presentation, and will keep my eye on his work going forward.  Luckily, I can expect to see plenty of it in the Guild’s shows coming up.

I find it hard to believe that our daughter, Elizabeth’s freshman year of highschool has come and gone already. At the end of the year, she rode a crazy wave of activity, had a blast with drama club, and then eased on into finals. Now, she’s decompressing.  Consequently, the three of us can look forward to spending quality time together over the summer.

A large part of that time will be enjoying the rich artistic community Pacifica has to offer.


Visit the artists mentioned herein at ...
donnalouisefaber.com
risenhoover.com
Dever Designs
judepittman.com

Looking Back: AGP's Open House of 2011

There is a wonderful thing happening in Pacifica, California.  It’s something people on the outside may not know. I certainly had no idea it existed before my family and I moved here.  Yet it grows and flourishes in this lovely coastal town that lies quietly between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay.  When we moved to Pacifica in 2009, I had no idea it was so wonderful. Rather, I was focused on the small town house we’d bought and the difficulty I anticipated commuting to the city. The sense of township here – the Community Center, the Resource Center, and all the town’s events (the largest of which is FogFest)  – is strong and welcoming.  Our daughter just loves her high school, which is bonus!   I had no idea this place would begin to feel like home.   

Here in the heart of Pacifica lies an arts community that is strong, talented, and warm, and I feel as though I fit right in.

I participated in the Art Guild of Pacifica’s 2011 Open house at the Sanchez Art Center in early December of last year.  In the Open House, artists who rent studios at the Art Center open their doors to share their works, and for a small fee other Guild Members can display on a stretch of the gallery walls. Almost everything exhibited is for sale, and the event lasts over a weekend. I had a 5 foot span in the West Wing where I exhibited a combination of past and recent works along with my cards, pendants and prints. 

Friday night’s Opening Reception was loads of fun.  People were excited, animated and very welcoming, just as the artists around us were happy to be there and friendly.  The Guild people made me feel at home.  Saturday and Sunday I found myself keeping the snack table in order, and as it took me back to my event planning days in Corporate, I had some fun with it.  

By the end of the day on Sunday, I'd made friends with many artists in our wing, exchanging stories around our lives and our art.  It was unexpected and cool, and I was impressed with the sense of mutual respect I felt.  There was a chorus recital happening in the Mildred Owen Concert Hall adjacent to the Sanchez Art Center and part of the same complex, so people attending dropped in on our exhibition, too.

In spite of all this fun, Sunday evening rolled in and it was time to dismantle our exhibition. How is it that I could feel a combination of happiness and sadness at the same time?  It made me look back on the whole year, and what I’d learned putting my art out into the world.  I was satisfied with what I’ve learned and what I’ve done.  But AGP’s 2011 Open House was last art event of the 2011 season, and it will always be special to me. 

A variation of this blogpost was originally published by Donna L. Faber in donnalouisefaber.com.

Our First Blog Post!

With all the activity happening at the Art Guild we decided it was time for our very own blog!  All board members will have the permission to post photos, stories, helpful hints and whatever creative genius they come up with.  I will start things off with a reminder of our upcoming shows:

Receiving for the Buddy Show finished up today with 54 entries, that's 27 members and their buddies.  The opening reception will be Friday June 1st from 7 to 9 pm with food, drinks, and entertainment. Visit our website for more info!

Our next show at the new Oceana Art Gallery is in full swing.  "Figments of the Imagination" opens on Friday June 15th and receiving will be Saturday, June 9, from 2pm to 5pm, and on Sunday, June 10, from 2pm to 5pm.  Click here for more information and a link to the Call for Entry.