ARTWORK for sale at the Benicia Plein Air Gallery, 307 First St., a portion of the sale of which will benefit the effort to keep open Benicia’s two state parks. Keri Luiz/Staff

Portion of proceeds from Saturday sale to benefit nonprofit BSPA

By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

The city’s art community is already abuzz for Saturday’s Art Walk. But Benicia Plein Air Gallery is feeling twice the excitement.

That’s because the gallery’s featured artist for June, Dixie Mohan, volunteered her wall space to a worthy cause: a benefit to aid a nonprofit working to keep open the Benicia State Recreation Area and Benicia Capitol State Historic Park.

“We have painted together many times in the Recreation Area and downtown by the Capitol,” Mohan said by email last week.

“The parks have given us inspiration and a beautiful space to paint. It is time for us to give back.”

“MORNING TRAIL” by Iris Sabre, oil on canvas. Photo by Keri Luiz/Staff

Mohan said the Plein Air Gallery will donate 40 percent of sales of the featured paintings to the Benicia State Parks Association, the nonprofit working to keep open the two parks in the face of state-threatened closures. “Several artists,” she said, “are donating a larger share of the proceeds.”

Many of the gallery’s artists agreed that it’s a good way — and a good time — to give back.

“For us as artists, it’s one of our greatest venues in town to do our plein air painting,” Terry Hughes said of both parks.

Doug Simon said it’s important that the Recreation Area remains open to the public. “I go over there and paint. It’s got everything I want. It’s a nice respite from the world,” he said.

The artwork in the show, which opens with a reception Saturday, is very affordable, Simon said. Most works cost less than $500.

Others are getting in on the act. Outside the gallery, members of Da Group — the plein air group of which the gallery is an offshoot — will sell their work, too, with a portion of proceeds benefitting the BSPA.

“We’re asking them to bring in their works as well,” Simon said.

If You Go
Benicia Plein Air Gallery, 307 First St., will hav an opening reception for the June exhibit benefiting the parks from 5-7 p.m. Saturday. The city Art Walk is from 3-7 p.m. For information, see beniciapleinair.com.

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