Reception to honor work of local artist

(Originally published in the 10/9/15 edition)

    Local artist Rolando Barrero will be hosting a reception for his latest paintings on Saturday. The paintings will continue to be shown for the rest of the month.

   Barrero has been painting watercolor portraits for over two decades, picking up several awards along the way. Most recently, he took second place in the Great Petaluma Paint Out competition on Sept. 26 for his painting “Across the Bridge.” Back in April, he won first place at the American Arts Foundation’s 23rd Annual Art Extravaganza for “Getting Ready,” a watercolor portrait of a sailboat being hoisted into the Berkeley Marina.

   Barrero has become known for his paintings of street scenes and landmarks, which he feels have a simple charm to them.

   “I like to capture the essence of a place and the beauty of its surrounding environment,” he said.

   Many of his paintings have been of places in the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Berkeley and Alameda. A lot of these paintings have been of Benicia, where he’s managed to capture the Farmer’s Market, the Yacht Club and the Capitol building with his brush and canvas.

   “I like Benicia because it’s very historical,” he said. “Benicia’s also very supportive of the arts. They’re good people, and I’m glad to know a lot of them.”

   He noted that most of his paintings of Benicia have sold.

   Additionally, Barrero has done a lot of paintings and photographs in Europe, including places like Rome, Venice and Greece. Of these, Barrero says Venice is his favorite place.

   “It’s the only place in the world where when you step on the bridge, you have four sides to paint,” he said. “I’ve been all over the world, but Venice is the most pictorial.” 

   Barrero says his favorite painting was one he did of the Southern Pacific Train Depot at the end of First Street, but it has since sold.

   At his reception Saturday, Barrero will be featuring his newest paintings in an exhibit called “Street Scenes and Travel Sketches.” Among the newer Benicia paintings to be featured are those of the National Defense Reserve Fleet off the Carquinez and the gazebo in City Park. Additionally, he will be raffling off prints of his works.

   The reception will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday at Plein Air Gallery to coincide with the Benicia Art Walk’s Day of the Dead event. The gallery is located at 307 First Street, and the event is free to the public. Barrero’s paintings will be on display until Nov. 1.

Day of the Dead is theme for season's last Art Walk

(Originally published in the 10/8/15 edition)

   The Mexican holiday known as Dia de los Muertos- or Day of the Dead- is traditionally celebrated Nov. 1, but it will be coming to Benicia several days earlier as part of the city’s Art Walk series.

   Benicia’s Art Walk was launched in 2012 as a grassroots movement spearheaded by local artists. The event recently started being run by the city and partnered with Arts Benicia for the first time this year, Art Walk Coordinator Judi Morales Gibson said. Past event themes have included the works of Arsenal artists, glassblowing and steampunk.

   This event’s theme will be Day of the Dead. The holiday, in which family and friends gather to remember those who have died, is typically celebrated after Halloween. However, since this will be the last Art Walk event of the season, Gibson felt it was best to get a jumpstart on Day of the Dead.
   “We wanted to do something that was cultural and would appeal to families,” she said. “We’re going to go out with a bang.”

   The event will feature lots of activities that will appeal to kids, including face painting, mask-making and paper flower-making. They will even be able to meet Frida Kahlo model Flor de Azalea Magallnes.

   There will also be plenty of artwork. From 2 to 7 p.m. at Avant Garden on First Street, visitors can see jewelry made by Cheri Mendieta, original drawings by Corey Johnson and upcycled steampunk clothing by Cinder Garden Steampunk. At the same time, Treasury Commons will be featuring Mexican folklore art by Adela Juarez and hair accessories and jewelry from Siren Sticks in Vallejo. Finally, from 4 to 6 p.m. the Plein Air Gallery will be hosting a reception for award-winning  local artist Rolando Barrero. Barrera will be promoting his latest exhibition “Street Scenes and Sketches in Watercolor” in which he shows off watercolors of his travels in America and overseas.

   Gibson says she’s received good responses from people and is impressed with the Day of the Dead artwork’s cultural roots.

   “It’s so rich and authentic and very colorful,” she said.

   Gibson encourages people to come check out the variety of artwork.

   “We’re trying to support local artists and craftspeople,” she said. “We want to be able to offer two-dimensional paintings. We want to be able to offer other types of artwork and crafts.”

   The Benicia Art Walk will be held from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday along First Street. The event is free and open to the public.