Show Offers Chance for Artists, Ideas to Mingle

As Barrie Mottishaw peered at the photos, sculptures, ceramics and paintings at an outdoor art and crafts exhibit Saturday, she looked for work that broke new ground.

“People have a conception of what art is,” said Mottishaw, a judge at the ninth annual ArtWalk in Thousand Oaks. “And often that comes from what they’ve seen in books and museums.

“It is nice when art can show life in a new way.”

Amid the familiar textiles, photos and oils were innovative pieces that did just that, Mottishaw said, among them the watercolors of Salinas artist Jack Bevier--whose work was named “Best of Show.”

But for some of the other 160 artists, there was another kind of reward--having the public respond to their work.

“I guess it’s a little bit of an ego thing,” said Natasha Wilson, a Santa Barbara artist, of the contact with the public. “It really does make you feel good when someone says they like your work, even when they don’t buy it.”

Some dropped by the lawn in front of the Exxon Co. at Hillcrest Drive and Wilbur Road not only to buy art, but to find inspiration in the work of their fellow artists.

Somis painter Fran Bryson, a former watercolorist who has switched to oils, was particularly impressed with a portrait by Chino painter David Wang. The sky in the picture Bryson admired was done in watercolor, while a seated woman in the foreground was painted with acrylics.

“It’s really impressive to see someone so accomplished in both mediums,” said Bryson. “Watercolor is totally loose, you just get one chance. But with oils you can go back and rework it again and again.”

The exhibit also inspired some young artists. Seven-year-old Shawn Meyers said the paintings he liked best were of animals.

As for the subject matter of his own work, Shawn said: “I can draw anything I want.”

Shawn said he tends to work with crayons and watercolors and also has an interest in painting animals. His mother, Jackie, said her son’s work is currently on exhibit on the refrigerator in their Oxnard kitchen.

The artwork that caught the eye of Shawn’s father, Larry, was a photo by Ed Lawrence depicting a sheep farm on Borchard Road in Newbury Park, where he grew up.

“I used to climb over that fence and play at this ranch,” said Meyers, pointing to a wooden fence next to a grove of eucalyptus trees.

The show continues today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free. Proceeds from the artists’ entry fees will benefit the Conejo Valley Art Museum’s quest for an exhibit space now that the museum is no longer in Janss Mall.