Rolando Barrero’s “One Afternoon at the Depot,” depicting the Benicia Green with the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot in the background, is one of several works in the artist’s upcoming show at Benicia Plein Air Gallery. “Urban Landscapes,” which captures scenes of small-town and city life in watercolors, opens on Feb. 8. (Painting by Rolando Barrero)

Rolando Barrero, an award-winning local artist, will be exhibiting his work at Benicia Plein Air Gallery for the eighth time. The topic of the show happens to be its very title, “Urban Landscapes,” which is a favorite subject of Barrero’s.

Barrero began painting as a student at the Philippines’ Mapua Institute of Technology in 1966 and has been active in the form since moving to Vallejo in 1977. He began with architecture and interior design renderings using watercolor, which he said became his favorite medium of painting.

“It’s a good relaxation,” he said of painting.

Barrero started to become less involved in architecture around 2006 when he decided to pursue art professionally. He has painted from all over the globe, from Bay Area locales like Berkeley, San Francisco and Alameda to European cities like Rome and Venice. He also has painted scenes in his own backyard, capturing such Benicia landmarks as the Clocktower, Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, Yacht Club and more. Along the way, he has been active in plein air paint outs and juried exhibitions throughout Northern California, winning numerous awards along the way in such events as the Carmel Art Festival, Mendocino Open Paint Out, various Bay Area county fairs, and plein air painting contests hosted by the California Watercolor Association, of which Barrero is a signature member.

Barrero said he enjoys capturing the “color, light and atmosphere” of street scenes” and– given his past work in architecture– is especially fond of painting buildings, particularly those that have historic value to them. One of the Benicia paintings featured in the show is the Fischer-Hanlon House, a former Gold Rush-era hotel that was bought by Swiss-born merchant Joseph Fischer after a fire, moved to its present location at 135 West G Street and refurbished. Barrero will also be displaying its neighboring property, the old State Capitol building, as well as modern street scenes, such as Benicia’s and Vallejo’s farmers markets and a view of a downtown San Francisco street.

“Urban Landscapes” will open on Thursday, Feb. 8 and run through Sunday, March 4. A reception will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10 featuring a raffle of matted prints of his works plus an original framed watercolor painting.

“This is my eighth reception as featured artist at Benicia Plein Air Gallery,” Barrero said. “Whenever I am the featured artist, I raffle prints of my art and also an original painting. It’s an ongoing tradition in its eighth year, and it’s a way of sharing art and having fun.”

Plein Air Gallery is located at 307 First St. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays. For more information, go to beniciapleinair.com.

Sharing is caring!