A Norman Rockwell Moment in Portola Valley

Photo © 2011 Jeanette Fowler

Lou Hess, the local UPS man, views Kalani Engles' painting, Salt Marsh 3 at the Kriewall-Haehl Gallery at the Woodside Priory in October.

Giant Cat Sculpture Installed in Calistoga

On October 6, 2011, a 14 foot high steel sculpture by Sean McGinn Smith (1959-2010) was installed at Vineyard 511 on Diamond Mountain in Calistoga.

Sean was a painter and metalworker who worked at the Linden Street Warehouse in the studio of his mother, Kalani Engles. Raised in Woodside, California, Sean studied archeology at the University of Arizona and graduated from the Art Institute of San Francisco. Many of his works embody the form and image of cats, inspired by his beloved Abyssinian, Simba.

One of his largest “Simba’s”, a 14 foot high steel sculpture, was purchased from his estate by Ed and Irene Ojdana, the owners of Vineyard 511. Below are photos of the sculpture being installed with the assistance of Sean’s brother, Tim Smith.










Restoration

Because the sculpture had been long exposed to elements, the original painted finish was showing signs of wear. The buyers decided to have it sandblasted, zinc coated and powder coated in its original colors to enable it to stand up to the elements indefinitely. They selected Precision Powder Coating in Belmont for the job and commissioned Linden Street Warehouse artist Laura Diamondstone, to restore the silver highlights on the decorative icons which cover the cat’s tail, body and double pedestal.

The photos below show Alan Willms, proprietor of Precision Powder Coating, and Laura Diamondstone standing in front of sections of the sculpture prior to shipment. A photo of Sean’s brother, Tom, and sister, Laura, on horses beside the sculpture (prior to refinishing) demonstrate the scale of this work.

Two Linden Street Artists Selected for Portola Valley Cultural Arts Committee Show

Kalani Engles and Bonny Novesky have been invited to participate in the inaugural Portola Valley Cultural Committee exhibition at the Kriewall-Haehl Gallery at Woodside Priory from October 3rd to November 5th, 2011.

Two of Kalani’s large oils on canvas (see below) and three of Bonny’s acrylic prints will be on display. Seven other Portola Valley artists will also be featured in the show.

Salt Marsh 3 (44" x 66") Perfume River 7 (46" x 66")

An Artists' Reception from 4:00 to 6:00 pm on Saturday, October 15th will feature local wine and hors d'oeuvres accompanied by music performed by Portola Valley musicians Angela Schillace and Kari Rust.

Woodside Priory is located at 302 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Gallery hours are 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.


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Wonderful Review of Linden Street Warehouse from Artsalot

Susannah Greenwood of Artsalot visited Open Studios today and wrote this terrific review of our studio space and artists. Thank you, Susannah!

Silicon Valley Open Studios May 7 & 8

Seven Linden Street Warehouse artists will open their studios to the public during Silicon Valley Open Studios on May 7 & 8. Paintings, sculpture, prints, photography and textiles will be on display from 11:00 AM until 5:00 PM each day.

Visitors will be able to learn firsthand from the artists how their work is created and have an opportunity to choose from a wide selection of fine pieces should they wish to buy. Light refreshments will be served.

The Linden Street Warehouse is located at 275 B Linden Street, directly behind the mattress store on El Camino Real across from Target, Redwood City.


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Kalani Engles One Woman Show

In February 2011 The Studio Shop in Burlingame presented over 30 of Kalani’s works in an ambitious one woman show. Both showrooms of the gallery were dedicated to her work for the month.

The exhibition featured large and small oils on canvas, color and black and white monotypes and a painted steel sculpture, including many pieces never seen before.

The gallery also published a beautiful 40 page exhibition catalog which can be viewed online at Blurb.