Jan 21, 2007

Artist exhibits 'Images of Spain'

By Janet Duca Norton / Society Columnist

San Jose artist SueJ McCall debuted her newest exhibit, "Images of Spain," with a cocktail reception at Gallery 9 in Los Altos. About 100 artists and friends attended the Jan. 5 event.

"It was fabulous to see people creating buzz about art," she said. "It's always heartening to see people interested in the arts rather than football and Tivo."

Beach and street scenes, a sheep farm and windmills on the Don Quixote trail south of Toledo are depicted in her self-described "vibrant" images.

"These aren't namby-pamby watercolors. I work in watercolors because they give both transparency and opacity," McCall said. "Although I do more opaque pieces."

A retired English and social studies teacher, she said she paints "what strikes her," and that includes a series of animals from a homeless shelter, still lifes and images from her travels.

Her travel paintings are a montage of photographs and sketches of a subject, which forms her interpretation of a village or cathedral. She was pleased that many of the 29 paintings in the exhibition were sold before opening night, the majority purchased from her Web site.

Two of her former sixth-grade students at the Lucille Nixon School in Palo Alto saw a newspaper article and came to see her exhibit. Sarah Baird, now a physical therapist in Michigan, purchased a painting titled "Aspen." John Noble, who was Mountain View mayoral candidate Cindy Chavez's assistant campaign manager, and his mother Lela Noble attended the reception.

Some of McCall's neighbors helped hang the show pieces in record-breaking time and all turned out for the reception, including Louie and Sherry Bettencourt, Ursula Hilson, Carolyn McInnes and Paul Hundly.

Other friends and fellow former teachers who came to show their support included Elizabeth Adler and Kathleen Dowd, Michael Kremer, Al Korbus, Teresa Bettencourt, and Denise and Dave Mitri.

Several Gallery 9 artists in attendance were landscape painter Jean Struthers, Cherise Thompson, and still life painter Carol Hake, who brought her husband Dexter and sister Margaret Verallis.

McCall has been a member of the 27-member collective gallery for five years. Artists are juried into membership. There is no paid director and no commissions are charged for works sold. Gallery 9, which derives its name from the original nine artists, is the oldest gallery in Los Altos and is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

The show continues through Jan. 27.