Santa Cruz artist Shirley Lehner-Rhoades is currently showing 13 of her paintings on the first floor of the Santa Cruz County Building. As part of the ongoing exhibits put on by the Arts Council Santa Cruz County, the works will be on display through March 16.
“I got started in art very young,” she said. “My mother was an artist and I was always inspired by her artwork and loved to watch her paint. I was 5 when I got started drawing. I took every art class in school that I could to learn and expand my skills. As an adult, I was captivated by the subtlety of watercolor painting and spent many years developing this challenging medium.”
Lehner-Rhoades said she works in oils and watercolors.
“I have also worked with pastels in large ‘Italian Street paintings,’” Lehner-Rhoades said.
She has shown her artwork in art and wine festivals in Los Altos, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Capitola and San Francisco. Lehner-Rhoades is also showing her work in a gallery in Moss Landing and at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education.
Lehner-Rhoades said she has largely been influenced by the works of Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt and Georgia O’Keeffe. She teaches fine art paintings to adults and children of all ages.
For information, call 566-5741 or visit www.lehner-rhoades.com or www.scottsvalleyartcenter.com.