Oakland’s Montclair Village Art Walk (April 20-21)

Charming Montclair Village is the perfect spot to take a break from the bustle of the Bay during the Montclair Village Art Walk. This sidewalk art show celebrates art in the outdoors with more than 40 artists from the Bay Area and beyond displaying their handcrafted works against the scenic backdrop of the Oakland Hills. Visit the event, connect with the artists and find a unique treasure for gifting or adding to your personal collection.

Enjoy purchasing unique art and décor for gifts, home or office and support artists’ small businesses at the Montclair Village Art Walk, April 20 and 21, 2024 from 10am-5pm each day. Presented by the Montclair Village Association, this free open air art gallery offers a chance to get to know the participating artists and learn the stories behind each piece they make. Among the celebrated artisans participating in this year’s event:

Brad Berkheimer Mixed Media, Abstract Artworx

Brad Berkheimer has been a full-time professional decorative painter in the Monterey and Pebble Beach areas for over 40 years, specialized in many types of faux finishes, decorative painting of home interior spaces, and custom automotive painting and graphics. He transitioned those skills and experiences to find renewed joy and inspiration in the painting of original abstract artwork on canvas. “My art is guided by the forms, textures, colors and movement I find in Nature,” says Brad. “I look to create unique organic images that attempt to mimic a full spectrum of tones, dynamics and harmonic corrosion found in the natural world.”

David M Bowman Studio Metal Art

Consisting of David Mills Bowman and his son, Reed Christopher Bowman, David M Bowman Studio produces a range of functional and decorative metal artwork. These talented artists collaborate on the design and creation of a wide range of pieces including wall art, vases and candle holders. They construct all of the pieces by hand, with hand tools and simple machines. All the work is produced from brass and copper sheet and rod, formed into shape with shears, hammers, sanders and grinders, and brazed together using an oxyacetylene welding torch. The two do not cast work or use cast parts and they mix patina chemicals from scratch and apply them by hand.

Jacque Price Paintings, Jacque Price Art

Jacque Price paints in oil using brush and knife, and she often incorporates oil sticks to create meandering lines that silhouette forms or ridge lines. Her process of toning the canvas in a myriad of colors when she first starts a painting sets the groundwork for creating a workable composition that then leads to inspired contextual forms in the final layers. Jacque’s current body of work is curious in nature – amorphous shapes encompass figures in contemplation, ambiguous compositions disperse focus, emotion and stillness meet along lines of vivid color. Her work reveals skill in rendering, an understanding of design, and a proclivity for nature and its influence on the human experience.

Doug Rubenstein Ceramics, Fifth Season Studio

Doug Rubenstein is a potter who uses clay as his primary medium. His work spans a range of creations and sizes. On the small side, he sells dishes, jewelry holders, salt cellars, breakfast bowls, mugs, and tumblers. The medium items include ramen bowls, side plates, dinner plates, jars and pasta bowls. Larger items are vases and serving bowls. “I like to think of my artwork as part of a fifth season – or a season of feeling – honoring, digesting and fathoming that which the world unfolds for us each year,” says Doug. “I design with aesthetics and textures that respect, pay homage and connect to nature while exploring the marriage between natural materials and man-made tools.”

Visit these and many other talented artists at the Montclair Village Art Walk taking place in the Montclair shopping district on Mountain Boulevard at LaSalle Avenue, off Highway 13, between Park Boulevard and Thornhill Drive. For more information, contact the Montclair Village Association at (510) 339-1000 or Pacific Fine Arts Festivals at (209) 267-4394, www.pacificfinearts.com. You can also see more information on Facebook and Instagram.