BY DAN CRAIG
ARTFULLY yours
Gilroy’s Newest Art Studio
Blue Line
Gallery
62
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
G
ilroy artist Ralph Marquez found the studio he
was looking for in the Old Gilroy Hotel, and got
a gallery in the bargain. He opened his new studio
and the Blue Line Gallery in August of last year in
the hotel at 7365 Monterey Road.
Still retaining some of its former charm, the historic down-
town hotel is well suited for an art gallery. Natural light floods
through the transparent sidewalk entry, revealing a deep rectangular
room with ample wall space for exhibits. His new studio is visible
behind partial walls that separate the two areas, adding a certain
authenticity to the environment. His current exhibit features his
own watercolors along with works by abstract artist David Beckett
and sculptor Jaap Bongers.
“I plan to rotate exhibits every two months to feature
established, as well as up and coming, local artists,” said Marquez.
Marquez favors landscapes and prefers painting plein aire
(open air) in his chosen medium of watercolors and acrylics. Like
many artists, he began as a realist painter, but says his style has
grown more abstract over the years. He applies his paints freely,
creating motion and depth, with trees and shadows seemingly
dancing and swirling above the ground scape.
MAY/JUNE 2016
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