I invite you to visit my studio during the first annual “Almost Fringe Festival” taking place in Anderson Valley April 21-23, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm each day.

This event will be dramatically different from my usual open studio events (like the one coming up Memorial Day Weekend, May 27-29). For the “Almost Fringe Festival,” I will be painting a large canvas, in real time, so visitors can watch an artist at work. And that’s not the only difference.

I have composed a large painting about endangered species. The design is already on canvas. I will start applying color at 11:00 am on Friday, April 21st and continue to paint through Sunday afternoon, April 23rd. If you are interested in how an artist develops a large work, you can come by more than once and see how the painting progresses during those 3 days. (This could be fun for your artistically inclined youngsters or visitors.)

http://antoinettevongrone.com

You can also watch a multimedia presentation aligned with the message of the painting. My collaborators for this project are two wonderfully talented young women, Julia Brock and Cozette Ellis, who attend Anderson Valley High School. Together we have created a digital video incorporating beautiful music, imagery and poetry.

In the finale you can see renowned actor Rene Auberjonois, a part-time resident of Boonville, presenting a poem he once sent to me, that was the original inspiration for the video. The video will be playing throughout the weekend, to underscore the message of the painting and much more.

It was wonderful to work with both Julia and Cozette, especially since we share the same concerns despite being generations apart. The result is a powerful presentation and message — I hope you can come and experience this multimedia event.
For more info about other events and locations in the valley visit https://www.visitmendocino.com/fringe/almost-fringe-festival-anderson/