Art auction and sale raise more than $70,000
by Cindy Rubin

On the afternoon of October 30 under a canopy of majestic redwoods, art aficionados, environmental advocates and old and new friends of Committee for Green Foothills enjoyed delicious food and savored magnificent landscape art by some of the Bay Area's most accomplished artists.

By any measure, Nature's Inspirations: Celebrating the Arts was a highly successful event. More than 300 guests attended the event and helped raise some $70,000 to support CGF's work. Assemblyman Joe Simitian conducted a lively auction ensuring new homes for 11 outstanding works of art donated by the artists.

Our outstanding volunteer committee organized the event in memory of Jane Gallagher, a celebrated painter, passionate defender of Peninsula open space and dedicated Committee for Green Foothills board member. In her honor, CGF presented the Jane Gallagher award to Woodside painter Jim Caldwell, one of twelve Bay Area landscape artists selected to show at the art exhibition and sale.

Jim Caldwell says of his work, "With my painting I am trying to make the public more aware of the beauty of nature which surrounds us on the Peninsula, and the importance of its preservation." Caldwell has paintings in more than 250 collections worldwide from Paris to Japan. Born in New York in 1932, he moved to the Bay Area in 1950. He divides his time between painting and a practice in residential architecture at his studio in Woodside.

The jury for the exhibition and award included CGF Board President (and bird photographer) Peter LaTourrette along with three prominent art professionals: Elaine French, Patricia Roman Hexter and Peter Lipman. The quartet evaluated works from more than 40 artists before selecting Jim Caldwell as the award winner and Patricia Wallis of Novato as the runner-up.

Also selected for the exhibition were JoAnne Horsfall Beasley, Kay Duffy, Timothy Horn, Kerri Lawnsby, Julia Munger Seelos, Carolyn Shaw, Sheila Sondik, Michelle Waters, Alex White and Thomas Wood. Works from all exhibition artists can be viewed on our website at www.GreenFoothills.org/Art.

Special thanks go to the scores of volunteers who helped with the display and sale of the art work, decorations, publicity and all the behind-the-scenes activities contributing to this very successful event.

And a round of applause to our lead sponsor, The Mercury News and our generous supporters, including Hewlett-Packard Company, Lockheed Martin, Tanya Slesnick and Ted Mitchell, and Lyn Wyman and Dennis Dow.

The participation of so many artists, guests, volunteers and sponsors reflects the commitment of Bay Area residents to environmental protection.

Thank you all!