Two worlds ... Two Cultures and then there is "In Between"

Its not unusual for someone to have a second home in Coronado or elsewhere After all, more than 40% of Coronado’s properties are owned by out of state owners. So what is it that makes this group of Coronado women artists unique? It is that they don’t just drive or fly to a home in Coronado from Phoenix or Las Vegas but they cross an International Border and in doing so, they enter a different country and a very different world. And in addition to having a life that encompasses the two very different worlds of Mexico and the United States, they also embrace two very different cultures . . . and from a place IN BETWEEN those worlds - those cultures - comes the ideas and inspiration revealed in their artwork. Most of these women meet on Mondays at a Coronado Cays Clubhouse to paint together, inspire each other and share tips and knowledge. Now they have come together to share their work in an exhibition sponsored by the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission in the City's C3 Gallery at the Community Center.

Our inspiration comes from color, nature, past and present experiences and the desire to communicate through art.

- Patty Gonsenheim

ABOUT THE "IN BETWEEN" ARTISTS

Gonsenheim has had a lifetime of involvement with the arts and as she states: "I’ve been either learning, creating or teaching since I was 14”. Her interests are varied and she served at the Timken Museum of Art as a bilingual docent for over 20 years.

Castaneda started painting at a very young age then left it for a while and came back to painting as an adult Her family embraces the ideas of imagination, creativity and “being free” all of which show up in her moving piece: "The History of Happiness," a mix of images and words.

Saad grew up in Ensenada and started finding her artistic voice in high school with carbon pencil faces. Now her love of colors and textures blend with a strong message in her piece entitled: "Beauty over Scars "

Coming from a career in architecture, Wilson has a stage which allows her to “create spaces that speak for themselves ” Replacing a wall in a destroyed house using materials such as sawdust and vinyl paint to create a perfect texture became her inspiration to become a painter – longing to express her feelings and spirituality.

For Minvielle, after studying at the Fine Arts School of San Miguel de Allende, she found inspiration in her world travels which she brings to her jewelry making and paintings. In her piece "Reunion familiar" she incorporates images of her jewelry into the painting to great affect!

Alvarez comes to Coronado from Mexico City and discovered her interest in painting while studying Interior Design. She then went on to develop her skills by studying with Mexican painting masters Xochil Franco and Fernando Cervantes. She seeks to “capture a series of colors, brush strokes and shapes that awaken the viewer’s imagination."

Painting about life and family are important to Dieguez and she likes to represent people in other forms and through the use of color Both are evident in her large scale painting "Flying with Colors."

Martinez is a “self-taught artist with a life-long love affair with painting” and her self described “obsession with textures, transparencies, color and mixing them all” shows itself exquisitely in her piece "The Views of the Valley."

The Coronado Cultural Arts Commission invites the public to meet these artists and see their work at the Opening Reception for IN BETWEEN, an exhibition celebrating the work of Coronado’s Mexican Women Artists November 2nd from 6pm – 8pm at the C3 Gallery in the Coronado Community Center, 1845 Strand Way, Coronado, CA. The exhibition will run through the end of December 2022.