Plein Air, Gallery 621 open new exhibits

By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

Two First Street galleries will feature group shows by their members this week: Benicia Plein Air Gallery opens “Historic Benicia,” and Gallery 621 debuts “small Works of Art.”

Itself rapidly becoming a city fixture, Benicia Plein Air centered its show around the classic sites of Benicia: the Capitol, the Commanding Officer’s Quarters and the waterfront sites around town.

The December group show “is tradition,” artist Terry Hughes said.

Accompanying the paintings on the gallery’s feature wall is a Christmas tree adorned with miniature works of art for sale, many of which also feature historic Benicia scenes. “Those have been selling like hotcakes,” Hughes said.

Benicia’s Plein Air’s artists are uniquely qualified to visually capture the city, gallery member Pat Ryll said.

“I did a little computing and we have over 200 years of residential history here in Benicia of those of us that we live here. We’re very committed,” she said. “Those that don’t live here have painted in Benicia probably for another 200 years.

“We’re local and love our city.”

Count Hughes in that number. He moved to town in 1973, and has witnessed what he calls “tremendous changes” in the town.

“When I came here it was about 8,000 strong,” he said. He remembers the area of the old Tannery that was an empty lot before the new buildings — across the street from their gallery — were built. “It was a Christmas tree lot. It’s were everybody in town got their Christmas trees,” he said.

Even the building that houses the Plein Air Gallery has its own history. It wasn’t originally on First Street, but part of it came from Martinez. “We have an historic sign in front of the business that says the ‘Port Costa Lumber Yard.’ Part of the building also was a railroad station,” Ryll said.

“We are really grateful to the community for providing us a great place to show. We couldn’t have better landlords than Celeste and Phil Joy,” she said. “They believe in the property, they believe in us as artists and as a group. This area has blossomed because of the energy. They care about their property.”

Small works are the order of the day nearby at Gallery 621, too, where members have contributed works that vary from paintings to assemblage to small ceramic works of sculpture.

“Most of the members of the gallery are known to work large,” artist Nikki Basch-Davis said. “These are small representations of their work.”

“We didn’t have a theme in mind. Some small works are under 12 inches, but ours are under 22,” artist Carol Dalton said.

There may be no theme, but the colorful, festive atmosphere of the season worked its way into the exhibit — “with the idea of giving art as a gift,” Dalton added — like a Christmas tree made from industrial cable shields that will feature many ceramic ornaments by Suzanne Long and, possibly, other gallery artists.

This is Gallery 621’s second holiday small works show, inspired, Basch-Davis said, by other galleries that do similar shows. “Arts Benicia does it, many other art centers do shows with gifts in mind. It’s a pretty common way to go,” she said.

Unlike most of the other shows, though, the art available for sale at Gallery 621 can be taken off the wall that day. “I think we want them up for the opening, but beyond that we’ll sell them,” Dalton said.

Benicia’s First Tuesday Poets group will read at a reception Saturday for the Gallery 621 exhibit.

If You Go
“Historic Benicia” at Benicia Plein Air Gallery runs through Dec. 30 at 307 First St. An opening reception will be Saturday from 5-7 p.m. Gallery 621’s “Small Works of Art” show runs through Feb. 3 at 621 First St. An opening reception will be Saturday from 5-8 p.m.