San Geronimo Valley Spring arts show, May 6- 21, Mercury in Retrograde

I’m not sure what year I am on now, but I have created new art for the San Geronimo Valley Community Arts Center Spring Arts Show every year since at least 2018. It keeps me in the game in a manner of speaking. 

Besides, the SGV art center is my auld alma mater. Literally. I went to third grade in the art gallery, once part of Lagunitas School before it was decommissioned as the Spanish style building wasn’t earthquake proof. Tuesday was both Bank Day and Hot Dog Day and hotdogs cost a nickel. I saved up my pennies to buy those nitrate-laden dogs, but they didn’t love me—I remember a bout of midnight projectile vomiting.

Four quick paintings

Thinking my painting for the SGV Spring Art Show was due on Tax Day, and wanting to test run my newish Gamblin oil paints, I banged out four quick canvases sitting in my car. They were wet when I took the photos. Mt. St Helena from Sonoma Mountain is glistening, it's so wet. I haven't touched oil paints in 50 years, an allergy to turpentine made it impossible to breathe. Now there's Gamsol, a mineral oil opens up possibilities. Larry Rippe said no, you have two weeks. Reprieve. Sneaky Larry. I'm always late turning in my assignments.

SGVCC Heart of the Valley, honoring Richard Sloan

Right after I broke up with NoNeil, I moved back to my roots, that is the San Geronimo Valley where I stepped back into a community that I hadn’t revisited since the 1970s. In 2016, I had already reacquainted myself with that is the San Geronimo Valley Community Center food bank, where I became a volunteer and helped serve senior lunches. When I first began volunteering, I had no idea that it would become a lifeline, so when this event honoring Richard Sloan was planned, I knew I couldn’t afford to attend it, so I asked if I could document the event. They were thrilled. 

I first met Richard and artist Donna Sloan when they moved onto our road in 1965. They had a young child, Bryn, and I was the default babysitter and housecleaned. Through the Sloans I was turned onto many ideas including the work of JRR Tolkien, and Phil Ochs.Through Donna and Richard, I became politically involved, I joined his peace and freedom party in 1970 and volunteered as a sign painter for Barbara Boxer’s, Marin county supervisor campaign, etc. so the Sloans were formative in my growing up years. But after Richard Nixon got elected, because of our split third-party votes, I became a reluctant Democrat. Never again.

Donna was instrumental in setting up the San Geronimo Valley Art Center in the old office of Lagunitas School, my alma mater. The building has been public use as a school because it couldn’t be retrofitted. The San Geronimo Valley Art Center morphed into the community center. Full circle. Note bene:Often times the loudest mouth wins the credit for the record. Jeanne Berensmeyer did not the art and community center.  Sloan did, I was there. I was a volunteer.