Pajaro Valley Magazine January 13 2023

New year, new art

PV Arts’ annual Members Exhibition opens Jan. 18

By JOHANNA MILLER

Every year, local arts organization Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) hosts an annual Members Exhibit, where its members have the chance to showcase their artwork to the community.

This year’s show, dubbed “New Beginnings,” opens on Jan. 18 and will include the work of 95 local

artists. Painting, sculpture, drawing, ceramics, fiber, mixed media, encaustic (wax), print-making, photography, glasswork and more will be displayed.

Co-curators Carol Walberg and Jane Gregorius joined forces to put on this year’s exhibit. The title “New Beginnings,” they said, has more meaning than the show being PVA’s first of 2023.

VARIETY A large painting by Watsonville artist (right) Jaime Sanchez, a metal sculpture by Keith Miller and an artwork by David Fleming welcomes visitors at the current exhibit. Tarmo Hannula

“It’s our first show of the year, yes, but we also wanted to start anew after all the Covid shutdowns,” Walberg said. “We wanted to encourage our members to try new things, and also do more outreach to get new people involved.”

Walberg said that they had an overwhelming response to this year’s exhibition. A lot of longtime members, but also brand new members jumped on the opportunity to be part of the show.

“We were worried we wouldn’t have enough room,” she said. “So many people requested to be in it. That surprised me.”

Walberg dubbed Gregorius, who has curated a number of exhibitions in the past, as the show’s “aesthetic curator,” finding ways to display the art in a pleasing manner throughout the gallery.

“I knew I wanted Jane to help,” she said. “The way you organize each room is really important—that’s what makes or breaks a show. Getting the colors right, how things look next to each other. You can see how

each room has a subtle theme to it, whether it’s through colors or subject. It’s not exact, but your eyes notice it.”

The show’s featured piece, simply titled “190906,” was created by Jaime Sanchez, a local artist responsible for a number of public murals throughout Watsonville who is heavily involved with the local arts scene.

“We saw Jaime’s work a couple years ago at Open Studios, and were blown away,” Walberg said. “We went to his home and hand selected this piece.”

Looking into 2023, PVA has a number of other exhibitions scheduled. It will host its annual fundraising exhibit, “Take Aways: Art to Go!” from March 22 through May 17, and once again set up at Sierra Azul Nursery and Gardens in June for the “Sculpture Is” show.

In addition, PVA is slowly but surely utilizing the Porter Building, which it acquired from the city last year. It will be a while before the organization can move its entire operation into the building, they said, but things are moving forward. They

hope to continue holding events, and possibly classes and workshops starting in the spring.

Newly hired Program Coordinator Josefina Rocha said the PVA is looking to attract more local teaching artists who want to teach different artistic mediums in South County.

“We want to give opportunities to people who don’t want to drive all the way to Santa Cruz,” Rocha said. “We are super excited to get this together.”

“New Beginnings” opens Jan. 18 and will run through Feb. 26. An opening reception will be held at the gallery, 37 Sudden St., on Jan. 22 from 2-4pm.

Gregorius urged people to attend the show, and consider getting involved with PVA.

“This show is a tribute to artists in our community,” she said. “It’s a great time to become a member of PVA and find out what we are doing.”

“New Beginnings” opens Jan. 18 and will run through Feb. 26. Pajaro Valley Arts’ gallery is open Wednesday-Sunday, 11am-4pm. Admission is free and the gallery is ADA accessible. For information on upcoming exhibits, events and more visit pvarts.org.

NATURAL SCENE This painting by Kati D’Amore is titled “Big Sur in Afternoon Light.”

ARTWORK “Excerpt #5” is an acrylic painting by Suzanne McCourt titled “Graceland.”

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Neighbors help improve homes

Bay Village homeowner offers free design assistance

adjacent to Bridge Street. Although an economical home choice for downsizing seniors, the homes have aged and some have come into disrepair.

In recent years, the Homeowners Association saw the need to help homeowners who weren’t physically or financially able to keep their homes in the best shape. The aim was to encourage the neighborhood to keep-up home curb appeal, making the community attractive for all residents and for the overall benefit of the owners.

Homeowners were encouraged to ask for this free assistance in evaluating their home’s curb appeal and decide what they would like to do (and how much to spend) in the refurbishing of their home. Each home improvement project

is different to fit the original style of the home and wishes of the owner.

The improvements focus on many aspects of the home’s appearance including paint, doors and windows, shutters, lighting and landscaping. The planned updates could fall in a cost range of just a few hundred dollars up to several thousand dollars, if the owner wanted more significant improvements done.

A recent home was improved on Cedar Drive as a Christmas project and contribution for the owners. There was rotted trim, a broken garage door, broken light fixtures and overgrown trees.

The volunteers, including Will De la Cruz, were able to repair the garage door, replace rotted trim, repaint the front, build a new column and refresh the landscaping. The tenants are thrilled at the renewed appearance for their residence and expressed sincere thanks for the unexpected holiday assistance from neighbors.

Unfortunately, the Homeowners Association is no longer pursuing the “helping hands homeowners assistance” but the improvement guidance is still available. Any owner in Bay Village can request this free design assistance by calling Meade at 722.3253. There is no obligation on the part of the homeowner. They will be provided free pictures of their home before and after their desired remodel, at which time they can decide if to pursue the improvement.

In the spirit of neighbors helping neighbors, members of the Bay Village Homeowners Association and volunteers have contributed their time and resources to assist fellow homeowners during the holidays in repairing and improving their homes.

Bay Village is a senior community of 600 homes built in 1975

Past Homeowner Association President Bill Meade started this free service whereby he donated his architectural experience to help the homeowners plan improvements. In some cases, the Association members and volunteers donated paint and material in addition to their time to make these improvements possible. Meade still offers this free design assistance to any homeowner in the Villages.

REFRESHED This home on Cedar Drive in Watsonville received repairs to its front and a new lawn thanks to volunteers.

BEFORE The same Cedar Drive home is shown before the improvements.

A slough right in the backyard

Home with amenities on its acreage is near Elkhorn Slough

This Royal Oaks home sitting on two-and-a-half acres is close to Elkhorn Slough.

Located at 14140 Campagna Way, the 1,736-square-foot home includes three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Inside, the remodeled kitchen features new appliances. The home also has a wood-burning

stove, a sun room, and bamboo flooring throughout, along with new carpet in the bedrooms.

Outside, the newly expanded deck is partially covered. The property is also equipped with a tree house, a carport, workshop, greenhouse and more.

The home, built in 2005, is listed at $874,999 by Bailey Properties. For information, visit bit.ly/3UjYHMd.

CAMPAGNA WAY This Royal Oaks home features a newly expanded deck.

Bridging Oregon and Washington

By TARMO HANNULA

In the third part of this road trip my wife Sarah and I took in October, the morning of day 6 we left The Dalles by crossing a dramatic 1953 steel truss bridge over the Columbia River and into the wheat country of Washington. We found The Dalles offered

a wealth of interesting spots, including a string of wood shacks along the river that folks there said were once lived by indigenous people who fished the Columbia from large wood platforms perched on the towering banks. We also toured the 1938 Bonneville Lock and Dam that boasted massive

123-ton turbines, a fish ladder and loads of early day black and white photos depicting its history. We climbed through the low, hilly farmlands of southern Washington on Highway 97 and then HIghway 142 to the small town of Bickleton where Sarah was born in 1949. Her family moved there

SPANNING STATES A bridge crosses over the Columbia River from Oregon into Washington from The Dalles.

when her father got his first teaching job at the High School. In the summer he kept a little cash flow coming in by working on a wheat farm.

We stopped in front of a museum and took in the view of town which was largely comprised of a market, a gas station, the oldest operating tavern/saloon in the state, with a 1903 billiards table, the museum and a sprinkling of homes.

Just as we discovered the museum was closed, a car pulled up and a woman named Gayle Blankenship climbed out.

“I drove past, but I saw you had stopped and I knew I had to come back,” she said.

She was right. I told her about Sarah being born there and with that she said, “I am a museum member and we’re going in.”

Inside, Blankenship gave us a half-hour tour and kindly led us through a large chunk of Bickleton’s history that included a detailed account of an antique amusement park carousel that now lives, in pieces, at the museum. They also had one of the world’s largest barbed wire sample collections in the world.

A short drive from there took us to Yakima and the nearest hospital

to Bickleton—Saint Elizabeth— which is where Sarah was born. To our surprise, we stumbled on the early day brick building which was closed.

We stopped at Mak Coffee in Yakima for a refreshing latte before driving northwest across part of Washington for a night at the Holiday Inn Express in Ellensburg.

Sarah found the Pearl Bar & Grill for dinner where we relished

their Caesar salad, blackened ahi tuna, an artichoke dip, corn chowder and an old-fashioned root beer. To our surprise the weather continued to be warm and sunny every day of the trip, with mild evenings. In the next part of this series we head into Seattle and then drive north to Vancouver, Canada, for a night on the English Bay for a taste of international dining and live theater.

Tom Brezsny’s Real Estate of Mind

Provoking thought since 1990

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Tom Brezsny’s

Real Estate of Mind

Thinking back over the years, there’s probably one question that I’ve been asked more often than any other question - by a wide margin. It usually comes out of the blue, when a homeowner or a homebuyer quietly sidles over and innocently asks:

Provoking thought since 1990

“Do you mind if I ask you a stupid real estate question?”

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That’s code of course, shorthand for: “Hey, I’m a little uncomfortable asking but you do this for a living and I’m hoping you’ll share a little bit of your expertise.” My usual response is “When it comes to your largest asset and the place that nurtures your life, how can any question be stupid?” Or sometimes this: “When it comes to your home, the only dumb questions are the ones you were afraid to ask.”

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So here we are, sorta-kinda, post-pandemic or at least comfortable enough to start re-engaging with life again. To kick off the New Year, I’m going to resume what I was doing before Covid put a whammy on the world. I’m offering a series of public classes on timely topics that can have significant impacts on local homeowners.

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All evening sessions are free and from 7:00-8:30pm at our Sereno Office, 720 Front Street, Downtown Santa Cruz (across from the MAH). There’s plenty of parking, but call me at 831-818-1431 or email me to reserve a seat. Light refreshments will be served, and all your questions welcomed.

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Session 1: Wednesday, January 18th

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Topic: New Santa Cruz County Septic Regs are coming down the pipeline. What homeowners should be aware of and start preparing for.

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Session 2: Wednesday, January 25th

Topic: What’s New with ADUs, Junior ADUs, Modular Home Options and SB9 Regs. Get the overview and learn how to navigate the process.

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Session 3: Wednesday, February 1st

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Topic: Fire Insurance: Can you still get it? How much does it cost? Are policies getting canceled? What are your choices? These and lots of other burning questions…

Session 4: Wednesday, February 8th

Tom Brezsny

Realtor® DRE #01063297

Topic: Sewer Lateral Regulations: Learning to go with the flow. What you need to know about Sewer Lateral Inspections, Repairs and Requirements when you sell a house.

831-818-1431

Use the QR Code to see the entire schedule of talks and reserve your spot:

getreal@sereno.com

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PAID ADVERTORIAL

PAID ADVERTORIAL

Tarmo Hannula

Tarmo Hannula

HOMECOMING Sarah Ringler returns to her home town of Bickleton, Wash., where she was born in 1949.

OLD MEETS NEW An early day wood home stands amongst a towering jungle of skyscrapers in downtown Vancouver, Canada.

STRIKE

in Elkhorn Slough.

FUNGI Amanita muscaria mushrooms thrive with recent rains in La Selva Beach.

Tarmo Hannula

Tarmo Hannula

Tarmo Hannula

LITTLE HEART the story of CORITA KENT

Little Heart. Big Story. This intriguing new play by Irene O’Garden is based on the life of world-famous Los Angeles artist Corita Kent. An Immaculate Heart Sister embroiled in an escalating battle with arch-conservative Cardinal MacIntyre, this gifted, conflicted woman wins international fame for her brilliant serigraphs and innovative teaching as she privately struggles with fellow sisters, students, her own spiritual doubt and her complex feelings for a famous priest.

Tickets: Regular $55 / Seniors & Students $50 / Preview $27 all tickets www.JewelTheatre.net (831) 425-7506