By Khalida Sarwari
The rain can be pretty magical. It makes the grow grass and the flowers bloom, preparing the earth for the onset of spring. But peering at the rain coming down hard from behind a window? The magic becomes a little blurry.
Fortunately there are plenty of antidotes to those gloomy rainy days. Art is one of them, if you ask Sonya Paz, president of the Downtown Campbell Business Association.
For those who are thinking about staying in and skipping out on the Downtown Campbell Art Walk on Friday, Paz has a message:
“Why should rain hinder your ability to view cool art? With rain comes inspiration.”
There is nothing like bright colors to shake off the pre-spring doldrums. Or live music, of which there also will be plenty. A stroll down E. Campbell Avenue on Friday night just might stir the imagination.
Artists will showcase and sell their work at six different galleries, including Heartworks, Sonya Paz Fine Art, Stone Griffin, The Art Beat, Gallery of Dreams and Kaleido Art Lamps. Clothing boutique Simply Smashing will also feature artworks.
In addition, five guest artists will be participating in the Art Walk this month. John Paulson will showcase his photography in front of Olive Bar and Yamil Estrellas will display his hand-made custom-designed wood furniture in front of Rocket Fizz.
Sharing the space in front of Rocket Fizz will be California Community Opportunities, a nonprofit organization that serves adults with developmental disabilities, such as autism.
The individuals with works in the “Public Awareness” exhibition are Clem Anderson, Kathy Jacobs, Julie Rodriguez, Billy Lawrence and Kathy Jacobs. They will be showing a series of large 3- to 5-foot signs made out of wood and painted in blue with white trims, alluding to the handicap signs.
“It’s like a public statement on how disability is viewed in our society,” said Beth Brashars, a coordinator at California Community Opportunities.
And finally, in front of the Stone Griffin Gallery, Elizabeth Moon will display her jewelry designs and John Cloud will show his acrylic paintings.
Rain or shine, Paz encouraged residents to get out and “support local artists and come see what’s going on in your back yard.”
The Downtown Campbell Art Walk will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Downtown Campbell.
