‘Generations of Artistry’ on display at YoloArts’ Gallery 625

The creativity of the county’s and region’s senior citizens will be highlighted throughout March at Gallery 625.

The group exhibition on the gallery’s main floor, “Generations of Artistry,” will feature the paintings and photography of Claire Haag of Esparto, Florence Skiadas of Sacramento and Matt Connors and Ann Privateer of Davis. On the gallery’s second floor, the mixed-media art work of Davis High student Henry Anker will be featured in a show called “As Age Comes On.”

For Connors, Privateer and Skiadas, work as an artist is a second career of sorts. Connors, who retired from a medical career, has been painting in watercolors full time since 2000 and has been involved in local, regional and international art shows, in addition to teaching watercolor classes at the Davis Senior Center.

“There is an emotional release, freedom and excitement in creating a watercolor painting,” he said. “It is certainly a major change from the seriousness and responsibilities of medicine.”

Privateer is a retired teacher and has a longtime interest in photography, including the development of a lesson using digital cameras for her students when she was still teaching.

“These days, I carry a camera at all times,” she said. “Learning about photography never fails to pique my interest.”

Skiadas spent several decades working in computer science, a career from which she has been retired since 2001. She’s now able to fulfill a lifelong desire to focus all of her time and energy on painting, an interest of hers since childhood. She has exhibited in a number of juried and open group shows locally and in Los Angeles, and is a two-time California State Fair fine arts award winner.

Contemporary landscape painter Haag is a native of San Francisco and found her artistic fascination within the illustrations of Howard Brodie in the sports pages of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Anker, a DHS senior, is showing his collection of memories created when his grandmother came to live with his family. The series of 14 mixed-media images illustrate the value of inter-generational experiences and combine both text and image to depict the physical and emotional aspects of eldercare. Anker is the art director for the Davis High School newspaper, The HUB, and has had work published in The Blue Moon Literary and Art Review and Polyphony Literary Journal. His art has been displayed at the Davis Community Gallery and the Davis Art Center.

The exhibit’s opening reception, featuring Bogle Vineyards wine, will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, March 1, coinciding with downtown Woodland’s First Friday Art Walk. All of the exhibiting artists will attend.

“Generations of Artistry” opens Wednesday, Feb. 27, and will run through April 3 at Gallery 625, the public art gallery curated by YoloArts and located in the County Administration Building, 625 Court St. in Woodland. Regular gallery viewing hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For more information, call YoloArts at 530-406-4844, or visit yoloarts.org.