Bay Area artist David Stonesifer has spent the last 30 years living in Los Gatos. The Northern California native paints mostly landscape pictures of the beauty residents see on a daily basis.
Stonesifer is a “plein air artist,” meaning he literally paints “in the open air,” or outdoors. A selection of his paintings, which are primarily oil on canvas, can be seen in a show entitled “My Point of View” at the Triton Museum of Art until September 23.
Lush landscapes and beautiful still life pictures surround the Triton’s rotunda. Most of the paintings Stonesifer chose for his exhibit are scenes many people see driving around Northern California, but few have actually taken the time to capture these settings.
Beaches, cliffs, fields, and vineyards are interspersed between paintings of flowers and fruit – even a portrait of Mickey Mouse – in the approximately 50 paintings that are on display.
In “Still Life, Zinnias in Old Water Can,” Stonesifer uses yellows, greens, reds, oranges, and purples to paint a bouquet of flowers. His brush strokes are visible and the edges are slightly blurred, but his style adds to the depth and beauty of the image. The painting is full of color and pleasing to the eye.
Stonesifer’s paintings aren’t meant to be snapshots of the scenery, as all of the pictures lack crisp detail. However, Stonesifer’s style gives a dream-like quality to his creations – almost as if they’re memories instead of photographs.
Stonesifer sums up his point of view in his artist statement. “I strive for honest inner exchange of emotion in my work. I try for vitality in my painting not just an image. I show a simplified version of my point of view, as there is so much to express.”
“All of my pictures are painted from life with the sole purpose of showing you a clear statement of how I feel and what I see. I do not try to say more than what you see, I let the picture do that for you.”
The Triton Museum of Art is at 1505 Warburton Avenue in Santa Clara. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The Triton is open the third Thursday of each month until 8 p.m. For additional information on the Triton and its current exhibits visit www.tritonmuseum.org. For additional information on David Stonesifer visit www.davidstonesiferart.com.