SFV Art Club Awards Career Artists at Gallery 800

Dulcie Adams was 10 when her history teacher pulled her out of class to question an illustration that she drew during a lecture. The illustration was a caricature of the teacher, but instead of getting mad, he laughed and told her to pay attention to the lecture next time. This early encouragement led her to win awards and start a long career as a commercial artist. She worked for studios like CBS and most recently, for department stores like Macy’s, where she provided her skills in fine art and photography. The Australian artist found a way to make a living out of her passion while painting in her spare time. On Saturday afternoon, she stood in front of a painting that depicted basketball players in a swooping, dream-like motion. The piece, “Jump Shot,” won third place in the annual Spring Juried Art Show.

Adams, a member of the club, gravitated toward basketball because of its “graceful movement.” There are no shoulder pads or helmets used in the sport, a factor that allows the audience to see the players without external distractions, she said.

She was inspired by sports photographs in newspapers, but when she began her own illustration, she subdued the numbers of the players’ uniforms and didn’t make the colors recognizable as a current NBA team. 

“I wanted the feeling of movement,” she said. “Everything circles around to focus back to the center.” 

The next painting is already designed in Adams’ head. Another basketball piece, it will focus instead of the hands of the players, reaching over a single basket. She hasn’t started it yet, but she already knows how to paint it.

Adams has taught classes on commercial art at community colleges and worked as an artist her entire life.

“I’ve had quite a life with art,” she said. 

Adams was one of several artists honored with an award at the show’s opening reception at Gallery 800 in the Lankershim Arts Center. Sharon Weaver, who suggested the North Hollywood location to the club, won second place and best of show.  Joe Marino won first place for his detailed portrait of a woman in a wide-brimmed hat, “Anna.”

Unlike recent shows at Gallery 800, this one was not themed. There was a black-and-white illustration of a family next to a colorful painting of a coastal region. There were surrealist, whimsical paintings next to realistic still lifes. 

Frank Lunnartz, this year’s juror, explained his reason for choosing certain pieces of art during the awards ceremony.

“Some paintings just grabbed me,” he said. “I like paintings that have a little bit of action in them. It makes me think.” 

Lunnartz didn’t know much about the club before judging the artwork and was “pleasantly surprised” by the quality and variety of the pieces, he said.

Six artists won a merchant award, and four won honorable mentions, but the last award was selected by the gallery-goers. Gerda E. Maxey, who painted a portrait of a South Dakota Indian based off of a friend’s photograph, won the people’s choice award.

“This award means more to me than the other ones,” she said.

In past years, an artist has won the award simply by inviting several family members and friends to the exhibition, but Maxey didn’t have that advantage. None of her friends attended the opening reception. Strangers voted to give her painting, “Red Cloud,” the award.

Maxey paints as a hobby, and usually models her pieces from existing photographs. She asked her doctor for a photograph so she could practice painting a portrait, and he liked the final result so much that he called on her to paint his wife. She is currently working on a portrait of her granddaughter, who is graduating from college.

“I’m pretty good at faces,” she said. “But I had to really work at it.”

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Guest artist, David Gallup, will conduct a demonstration on oil painting techniques at the June meeting of the San Fernando Valley Art Club.  The session will be held on Tuesday, June 7 at the Encino Community Center located at 4935 Balboa Blvd. in Encino.  The program begins at 7:00 p.m. with a social time beginning at 6:30 p.m.