Artists deck city hall’s walls

Deepa Bharath

City Hall was a different place Friday night.

The hallways, normally abuzz with city officials’ chatter and

staff reports rustling, were filled with people nibbling at chunks of

Brie and sipping wine as they admired works of art hung on the walls.

The quiet evening marked the beginning of “A Salute to the Arts,”

an art and photography exhibit presented by the city’s Arts

Commission.

The event, which has a new name this year, has encouraged and

motivated Newport Beach artists for more than 25 years, said Kathy

Harrison, event chair.

“We’re always amazed at the vast talent we see,” she said. “These

are all amateurs who put on a splendid show each time.”

This year, the commission received more than 300 entries. The two

professors from Cal State Long Beach, who served as jurors, picked 35

works of art to be exhibited at City Hall and were impressed with the

caliber of work, Arts Commissioner Jana Barbier said.

“The quality of work has been exceptional this year,” she said.

Cash prizes were also given out to participants in the fine arts

and photography categories.

Dover Shores resident Jack Van Eden got the $400 first prize in

the fine arts category for his oil painting titled “Historic

Figures.” Van Eden, a retired engineer, said he had fun playing with

geometry and dimension as he created the painting.

“It gives me a sense of achievement,” said Van Eden, who became a

prolific artist after his retirement five years ago.

Robert Passage, a retired Los Angeles County fire captain, won two

awards for his black-and-white photographs.

“It’s a control issue for me,” he said of his passion for

black-and-white photography.

“I shoot it on film and develop the prints myself. It never leaves

my hands.

“Taking the picture is probably only 20%. Printing and finishing

it is 80% of the work.”

Barbara Carr Freeman, one of the attendees, said this year’s

exhibit was exceptional in terms of quality.

“In previous years, I’ve seen there was more of a discrepancy with

quality of work,” she said.

“This year, they seem to be pretty equal.”