As a member of the Arts Advisory Committee I helped select this year's exhibits for the Lindsay Dirkx Brown Art Gallery in the San Ramon Community Center. The Committee makes its selection based on photographs or computer visuals of the works and not the actual pieces. I wanted to see what the art looked like full-sized and in the original media, so on June 11th I attended Hongmei Lu's Artist's Reception at the gallery.

I wanted to attend photographer Nido Paras' Turkey in Focus, but his open house was in April when I was very busy teaching two online IT classes and two New Student Orientation Workshops. This put me in a time crunch, so I wasn't able to get over there to see his show.

Even though I'm preparing for a new IT class on June 13th, I had enough time to stop by the Community Center for this month's Artist Reception. I got there at 4:15 pm and Lu and her family were setting up refreshments and information for guests. I introduced myself as a member of the Arts Advisory Committee, and Ms. Lu was very appreciative. I really didn't have much influence in her selection. There are eight other members on the Committee and her portfolio was very impressive.

I was glad I came because the individual pieces are even more impressive in their original size and medium. My favorite is the painting of her with a violin looking up at a tree. A photo of this one is included with several others in Jessica Lipsky's article about the exhibit in the June 2nd Express.

I also liked the portrait of her young son, who was at the Open House. These two and several other paintings of her family are not for sale. However most of the 30 paintings in the exhibit are for sale for prices ranging from $99 to $1200.

I was particularly impressed with a small painting of English Roses, which I later came back and purchased. I agreed to leave it in the show so she can continue to exhibit it and put a "Sold" sign on it to encourage more sales.

Three of her paintings upstairs are of Mount Diablo. I especially like the view of Mount Diablo in Snow from Hartz Avenue. I suggested she contact Save Mount Diablo about her Mount Diablo paintings. I was surprised she hadn't heard of that organization with her obvious love of the mountain.

Lu's exhibit runs through June 29th. Hongmei told me she and her family are moving to the UK in July, and she would like to sell some of her paintings before she leaves. This might be your last chance to buy one of these works before she takes them overseas.

The Community Center isn't normally open on weekends, so make some time during the week to stop by and see this lovely exhibit before it's gone. It's free and worth the short trip.