Silicon Valley Open Studios
South Bay artists ready to welcome public inside again. Page
Willow Glen artist Gary Coleman has been participating in Silicon Valley Open Studios (SVOS) for two decades and is opening his home studio for this year’s event on Sept. 18-19. SVOS moved online in 2020 in response to the pandemic, and Coleman says he’s “looking forward to meeting people in person” again this year.
For more than three decades, South Bay artists have opened up their workspaces to visitors as part of the Silicon Valley Open Studios (SVOS) event. Like so many other longstanding traditions, last year’s event was cancelled due to COVID-19. But this year, residents can once again peek inside local artists’ worlds.
This year’s studio tours will take place over two weekends, Saturday-Sunday and Sept. 25-26. At hundreds of locations throughout the South Bay, artists will exhibit their work in their homes or studio space.
Participating artists come from across the region and across the spectrum of artistic mediums, from painting to jewelry to ceramics and mixed media.
Willow Glen resident Gary Coleman has been participating in SVOS for two decades. He’s opening his home studio at 1577 Wawona Drive for the first weekend of SVOS.
“I have always had interest in art as a child and sketched all the time,” Coleman says.
That interest led him to Paris and the art school at the Sorbonne. “I spent most of my time drawing in pastels by the river as well as in neighborhoods,” he recalls.
His sketches were mostly of barges on the Seine, but he also drew bar scenes and the cathedral on Montmartre.
Paris was also the scene of romance. He met his wife Karoline at the Alliance Francaise, where they were learning French, and together they visited the local art museums.
“At that time, I was most taken by the Impressionists,” Coleman says, adding that although his tastes now run more toward abstract art, “I really like Monet, still.”
Coleman taught English and social studies at Leland High School in Almaden Valley for 30 years. He likens art to poetry in that they both try to capture a mood. In his oil paintings, he tries to capture the peaceful, rolling motion of the California hills.
“I grew up in Walnut Creek and just love those hills,” he says.
Another Willow Glen artist uses found materials to create sculptures that evoke the natural world. Jonathan Kermit picks up scrap wire tossed at construction sites and has gathered his raw material from Iceland, Italy, Spain, Romania, Oregon and New York.
“It is interesting how the force of nature acts on wire and creates these very organic shapes,” he says.
Kermit adds the wire to paper he designs for use in his sculptures. His creations are fragile, best suited for indoor decoration or in enclosed patios and atriums.
His wife, Joella, also an artist, makes dyes from leaves, flowers, bark and berries, which she uses to color paper. Kermit used some of his wife’s work in a sculpture he called “First Collaboration.” The couple is participating in SVOS together.
Joella Kermit uses black walnuts to make dye and ink and sour grass to make vibrant, yellow dyes.
“Focusing on plants for my art-making has allowed me to be more connected with nature and seasons,” she says.
In response to the pandemic, the event moved online in 2020. Due to the continued demand for virtual event options, Silicon Valley Visual Arts — the nonprofit organization behind the event — will keep the online show and sale going in addition to the in-person event.
“We do have some artists who are not comfortable opening up their homes or their studios, and that’s perfectly understandable,” said Steve Toll, executive director of Silicon Valley Visual Arts. “So, they have the option of doing a virtual show. If they do that, they will have the same support behind them.”
Artists who do choose to exhibit in person will be required to follow county guidelines to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19. Toll said historically, the majority of the artists have chosen to exhibit outside, so not much will change for attendees in terms of experience.
“I am looking forward to meeting people in person,” Coleman says. “When people come and view your stuff, it feels special.”
SVOS hours are Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. For a list of participating artists and studio locations, visit https://svos.org.