Oceanside, CA –The first Artist Open House will be held at the Brooks Theater Gallery on Saturday, November 5 from 6 to 7:30 pm to introduce a new exhibition highlighting the work of fourteen artists and their visual interpretations of Romance, creating an intriguing partnership between the Gallery and the Oceanside Theatre Company youth production of Beauty and the Beast, Jr.
“I fell in love with Oceanside by painting here,” said participating artist Kathryn Peterson, explaining her inspiration for her piece, Dance with Me. “Standing at my easel, I have met many friendly local people. On a personal note, my life’s partner has been with me 2/3 of my life, a life of love and charm. We met at a dance, and dancers are an appealing, romantic subject for me.”
A free event open to artists, families, art lovers and supporters, as well as the general public, the Artist Open House will feature live music, an artist working in the Gallery on their current art piece, refreshments, and a concessions bar open for purchasing beer and wine.
As part of a new direction for the Gallery, the Artist Open House will be offered year-round at the beginning of each new Gallery exhibition at the Brooks Theater Gallery, located in the historic downtown Oceanside Sunshine Brooks Theater. While as a unique venue whose mission is to create a visual energy and connection with the live performances produced and hosted by the Oceanside Theater Company (OTC) on the Main Stage, the Brooks Gallery has long served as a favorite gallery for numerous local artists, previously the Gallery limited artist events to Oceanside’s First Friday Artwalks.
With this new approach, Alex Goodman, the Managing Director for OTC, and Carol Naegele, Gallery Curator, aim to make the Brooks Theater Gallery a respected art destination of the San Diego County art world. As the event evolves, OTC is looking at the possibility of adding “Art Schmooze,” an ongoing class open to adults of all ages to create, paint, and mingle while enjoying a cup of coffee or glass of wine. Another possibility is “Design Kids,” an ongoing class open to all youth ages 10 to 17 to explore and enjoy creating set designs and costume designs for theater.
For more information about the Artist Open House, please contact Gallery Curator Carol Naegele at cnaegele@oceansidetheatre.org. For tickets or more information about Beauty and the Beast, please visit the Oceanside Theatre Company website at oceansidetheatre.org.
About the Artists
Diane O’Connell –Diane O’Connell has exhibited and won many awards at galleries throughout California and internationally. Her art is shown and collected by private parties as well as commercial venues, most recently the Seabird Resort in Oceanside. She considers it a blessing to communicate her passion of art onto canvas to share with others the beauty that exists in our lives. She draws inspiration from God’s creation in nature, especially flowers. Her paintings strive to capture all the beautiful colors she observes. She is constantly evolving and experimenting in new techniques, and loves the challenge to grow as an artist. Her work explores a variety of media, including oil painting, watercolor, drawing, collage and photography, often referencing the beauty of nature and her appreciation of the awesome places where she lives and travels. Diane enjoys painting on location, plein air, and also in her studio from her photographs.
Doriana Sinnett — “Picasso once said that each child is an artist. That somehow as we move through the ranks and pains of growing up most of us are left with nothing but a taste for what we once had. As adults we crave art, yet we possessed it before. Society, our time, and age, needs utilitarian beings, needs mostly non-creative gears to keep the maddening wheel spinning. That’s progress and to progress we must yield. We go to museums and galleries, we listen to music, dance, and read out of sheer DNA memory because somehow creativity can’t be depleted completely from us all. I, thankfully, belong to that group of creative people. Somehow, I never lost my capacity to be overwhelmed and taken by the absolute presence of imagination. Art and music were and are ever at hand. They permeate my every cell. They inspire me to plunge into the depths of my being to create and recreate life as I see fit. A while back I discovered that music enables thought, allowing it to expand and retract as it creates its own rhythm. And from rhythm comes flow and from flow comes revelation and from revelation comes knowledge. Once this is understood, Art seems inevitable to those who dare to explore the vast corners of existence. And that, it’s exactly what I am: An explorer of my imagination.”
Kathryn Peterson –Kathryn is a conceptual artist, who uses found objects to imbue her artwork with symbolism and meaning. She makes dresses from recycled materials, and also paints plein air, figures, whimsical and scientific artworks. Kathryn draws from life daily. Her artworks in this gallery reflect her genuine passion for embracing every day. Being ambidextrous deeply influences both her thinking and reactions, and especially the effect this has had on her art.
Laurel B. Roberts –Laurel is a professional artist with a Bachelor’s of Fine Art in Art from SDSU and recently earned additional certification in Art Therapy. She has a successful career in fine art, design, murals, and teaching art to large and small groups, workshops and college extension classes, and actively exhibits in galleries and fine art shows. She absolutely loves teaching art and believes each person has innate creativity within them and finds great joy in helping to bring out their talents. She puts emphasis on technique as well as “seeing and feeling” what you are painting. Her motto being “practice makes better!”
Nasrin Kheiri –Nasrin Kheiri is a Professional Persian Artist with a background in art, painting, and graphic design. She began painting professionally in 1975 as a Realistic, Classic, and modern painter, and now works in multiple other styles. Since 1977, she has participated in 10 solo shows and more than 50 group exhibitions in Tehran, London, San Diego, Del Mar, Encinitas, and Carlsbad. She has been teaching Drawing and Painting since 1997.
Rebecca D. Fischer –Rebecca Fischer is a New York native currently living in Oceanside, California. Her career started as a hobby as she enjoys freelance drawing in art marker. Her colorful, affordable art is influenced by her own whimsical look at life. At the early age of 29, Rebecca survived cancer just after giving birth to her daughter. As a result, her love of animals, view of life, and all things about it are shared through her bright colors and playful images. She holds an Associates Degree in Advertising and Communications from F.I.T in NYC. “My passion is to warm your heart with my art!” she explains.
About Oceanside Theatre Company — Oceanside Theatre Company (OTC), the resident professional theater company operating the Historic Brooks Theater in downtown Oceanside, is a focal point of the Oceanside California Cultural District (OCCD). OTC’s mission is to produce professional theatrical, visual art and musical productions for the entertainment and enrichment of the community, present educational opportunities in the arts for children and adults, and provide a safe, state-of-the-art public venue for expansion of artistic endeavors in North San Diego County and greater Southern California. OTC produces a four-show mainstage theatre season in the 198-seat venue, as well as a Music Series, play readings and various other events in the adjacent black box theater, Studio 219. An important part of OTC’s mission is inspiring and sharing the arts with local youth through the Youth Theater Arts Program, which includes Summer Theater Camps and Youth Theater Arts Outreach in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside during the school year. To learn more visit www.oceansidetheatre.org.
Oceanside Theatre Company 217 N. Coast Highway, Oceanside, CA 92054
