Framed pencil drawings of pets, grandchildren with grandparents, kids playing in baseball games, and Monterey homes stretch across the walls of the Santa Maria Public Library’s Shepard Hall; children’s eyes glint with life-like joy, and pets’ personalities shine through the sketched faces.
Minnie Anderson, an Orcutt-based artist, gazes at each of her pieces in the library with love, and she’s looking forward to people exploring her work in the hall. The Santa Maria Public Library began featuring her art on Nov. 3, and people can continue to see her drawings until January 2022.
“I feel quite honored to be able to hang in here,” Anderson said about her exhibit. “I put some critters, animals, family pets, [but] I mostly hung my family.”
Anderson’s been in Orcutt for about 40 years and has had her work featured in Gallery Los Olivos, Cypress Gallery in Lompoc, Artisan Enterprise in Los Alamos, Artist Alley Gallery in San Francisco, and Town Center Gallery in Santa Maria.
“Those little club galleries were fun; it’s nice to be with other artists. We’re all a little wacky, I love it,” she said.
Since the pandemic, she’s had to pull a lot of her work out of a few galleries because it became too costly, and fewer people ventured into galleries during the shut down.
Now, her work featured in the library is just in time for the holiday season, and she’s hoping for gift orders to come her way, she said. Oftentimes, people order portraits of their kids, grandkids, pets, and family members who have passed away.
“I have one lady who brought back a picture from Germany. She had brought it during the war time; it was sewn in her clothes, and it was a picture of her mother,” Anderson said. “I did her mother’s portrait because it [the photograph] couldn’t be restored at any place. With her talking to me, I could understand what it was she was wanting, and we worked on it and got it to where she loved it.”
Anderson always loved drawing; having no formal training, she said she learned by practicing different textures and taking a few classes. She learned by observing the light and reflected that in her shading to make her drawings more realistic.
“You’re always learning. Sometimes I’ll see [old artwork] at somebody’s house, and think, ‘I’d like to take that home and redo it,’” she said with a laugh.
Along with her pencil drawings, Anderson paints abstracts in her art room at her Orcutt home, something that’s been challenging—but fun—because of the balance to keep something interesting without taking too much of a realistic shape; it has to be open for interpretation, she added.
“I was told an artist never retires. It might not sell, but you can enjoy doing it. Most of my artwork goes right out the door—but my abstracts, I might be hanging on to them,” she said.
Walking through the display at Shepard Hall, viewers can explore Anderson’s memories once captured by camera; Anderson takes the image and draws on slick paper with her No. 2 pencil and eraser in hand until the details are to her liking.
“I think pencil is more timeless than photographs because it’s artwork,” Anderson said. “It’s like preserved memories. … It’s a moment in time caught on pencil.”
The Santa Maria Public Library’s located at 421 S. McClelland St., and it’s open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Anderson can be contacted at minniezart@gmail.com for other portrait bookings and price breakdowns.
Highlight
Santa Barbara Humane has been feeling the nationwide veterinarian and veterinary staff shortagests. There are more than 5,000 veterinary job openings throughout the country, and Santa Barbara County is no exception, with several openings in clinics and private practices. At Santa Barbara Humane, there are currently five veterinary positions open. As a result of the shortage and reduced clinic capacities due to the pandemic, many pet owners must book appointments weeks or months in advance. Wait times caused people who can afford private care to choose Santa Barbara Humane to try and get in sooner, which means further delays for families seeking financial assistance. The organization says same-day services are not offered, and pet owners should plan ahead and book wellness appointments now for 2022. The organization thanks locals for being patient with Santa Barbara Humane and other local veterinarians as they work to meet the community’s needs.
Taylor O’Connor wrote this week’s Spotlight. You can reach her at toconnor@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 9-16, 2021.
