Maceo Montoya Mural at Ceja's Lounge

For a trek down history lane, check out the Montoya mural at the Ceja tasting room on 1st St in downtown Napa. Rich in detail and vibrant colors, the work traces the line from ancient winemaking to the present with depictions of Baccus, Egyptian winemakers, Father Junipero Serra, Spanish conquistador Cortez, a present-day farm worker and of course, the recognizable face of Cezar Chavez. The painting depicts the struggles balanced with the joys of the winemakers. Full of strong images of the vineyard workers, the artist honors the Mexican-American contribution to the winemaking process. The Ceja family background as immigrants and vineyard workers has influenced the artwork and it stands as a proud homage to the workers that went before.

Check it out for yourself at 1248 First St in downtown Napa, open daily 12 to 6, Saturday 12 to 10, closed Wednesday. Check out the Ceja Vineyards online at www.cejavineyards.com

Meat and Potato at the Nest

Is there meat culture? Absolutely. I witnessed it first-hand at the Nest gallery in Napa last Saturday. Over the next few weeks, "Meat and Potato" curated by Ashley Teplin and Ann Trinca explores how we interact with meat and how it sparks our creativity.

Eyes and stomachs were both open on Saturday evening, as opening night attendees feasted on lamb lettuce wraps, freshly deep-fried potatoes, charcuterie, and local wines. The multi-sensory conflagration of food, beverages, and multi-media meat and potato art had the crowd fired up.

The exhibit features paintings and photographs by Ashley Teplin and Tom Patton (see above), video by John Porter McMeans featuring the Potato Song, a fascinating collection of objects from Heritage Culinary Artifacts, and stuffed plush toys shaped like steaks, chops and hams.

"People are seeking a closer relationship with what we eat, where it originates, and how it is processed," according to Sasha Wizansky, editor of the meat culture magazine, Meatpaper. As a meat eater, I love slicing into a juicy medium-rare rib-eye steak. I've seen and smelled the stockyards off I-5 so I know where the meat is coming from and I'm not thrilled about it, but what's a suburban dweller to do? Raise my own backyard steer and butcher it myself, wrapping it into little packages for the freezer? Sounds like a monstrous and impractical undertaking for a good steak. Instead, I buy it at the grocery store and I'm comfortable with that. Some of us give thanks to the beast and all those who brought it to our table, others go above and beyond by creating beautiful and quirky art objects as a result. The exhibit at the Nest is one setting where we can examine our relationship with meat, it's beauty or grotesqueness, it's complex politics and economics, and come to terms with it's artful aspects. 

"Meat and Potato"exhibit is at Napa Nest gallery through March 15. Hours are 10 to 6 Thursday to Saturday. The Nest is located at 1019 Atlas peak Rd. behind Jessel Gallery in Napa. For more info visit www.napanest.com or call 707-255-7484.

Other-Worldly Pictures from Chris Purdy

Do you ever feel like a trip to a gallery or museum is like a day trip out of town?  Some art can just transport us to another place, mentally and spiritually. Photographer Chris Purdy has a knack for capturing and printing images that can take you to those places.  Purdy has photo journalized natural imagery and local residents of many exotic countries, but with a unique perspective that brings out the mystical and transcendent quality of the scene.  

Purdy also pushes the production boundaries with a printing technique he has developed that oversaturates the colors to give the print a peculiar depth and dreamlike quality.  The image above, "Prickly Pear Blossom," is an example of this method.  The bold red color draws you in as it melts into the thorny cactus.  Is it a painting? Or a photograph?  The effect created gives one pause, and for a moment, we are transported. 

You can view Chris Purdy's work at Folio in downtown Napa through February or online at www.purdypictures.com. 

Silence in January - Patrick O'Rourke

Patrick O'Rourke's "Winter Oak" piece above perfectly captures the January scene in Napa with the lone oak standing guard over the leafless vines. This moment, when days are short, tourist traffic wanes, and locals take back their turf, is when the statuesque beauty of the oaks steps forward from the background and shares the spotlight.  The vineyards, of course, are the big attraction and the main agribusiness of the area, but the oaks were here long before, and still reign as the most stately of trees. 

O'Rourke has studied the flora of Northern California and produces some of the best-selling landscapes of the region, but this scene rings especially true in winter. 

In his bio, Patrick O'Rourke says he has a lifelong passion for the sweeping vineyards and oak studded hillside of the wine country. Take a look at his collection, and you can see how accurately he draws the distinct colors of the land, from season to season, portraying the land and the vines we're all surrounded by. 

You can view his entire collection at Gallery 1870 in Yountiville. 

http://www.gallery1870.com/artist_patrick_orourke_artwork_landscapes.html

Sue Reed - Mysterious Nature

Many of us are moved by the beauty of nature and Sue Reed has a bold and unique take on the colors and patterns found there. Abstract and magical, she creates powerful and provocative images such as "Shape Shifters" above. 

At first glance, it is simply light playing on the water ripples of a creek, but a longer look reveals the hint of someone or something lurking within. Many of her "figurative abstractions" have ghostly and angelic women draped in floral essences and surrounded by kaleidoscopic colors and patterns. Boldly representing an inner self or higher consciousness, the technique draws one in, and touches a poetic place in our hearts. 

You can see more of Sue Reed's work at her open studio this weekend or online at: www.sueannreed.com 

William Wheeler and California Poppies

Bright colors and light subject matter, poppies are enough to cheer anyone up.  William Wheeler has both working for him in his series, on the Life of a California Poppy.  Not sure it's really a California variety he's painting.  I'm a Southern California native and have seen my share of the bright orange beauties covering hillsides and lining freeways, but if Wheeler sees them as little white gems, who am I to argue?  They are alluring just the same and he paints not only their abstract essence, but the playful notion of it's passage through time. 

Wheeler has his first solo exhibit in four years which includes recent oil paintings, drawings, lithographs, and monotypes.  Check it out at the Palette Art Cafe, 235 Healdsburg Ave in Headsburg, 707-433-2798 or www.palette-art.com. Showing through January 29, Tues - Sun 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Free. 

Post-Holiday Cool-Down - Wendy Goldberg

We've had our fill of shopping and gift-giving, eating and drinking, traveling to relatives homes or hosting guests.  The hectic days of December have given way to the sigh of relief and relaxation.  As we put away the decorations and put the tree out on the curb, we turn our attention to the balance of winter ahead.  Do we find sanctuary in the quiet, cool days?  A time to return to our pace, our art, and our self-generated joy? 

The days are getting longer, we keep reminding ourselves.  There's art being created in studios, garages and basements. And art showing in galleries, and cafes, and even banks that will brighten the dull grey days. 

The beautiful work above is "Night at the Mill: Housatonic" by Wendy Goldberg.  The mood she captures here is perfectly January, and the shadowy theme for her show is a perfect match for this wintery day.  Browsing her pastel drawing and painting collection is like taking a refreshing day trip to the coast.  

Check out her show Drawing Out the Shadows in Forestville through January 18 at the Quicksilver Mine Gallery (6671 Front St, 707-887-0799). 

For show info: www.quicksilvermineco.com

For Wendy Goldberg info: www.wendygoldbergart.com