Another artist shows the happy side of life through her cheery, "Good Moo's" and "Cricket’s Cove." For Cameron Murley, "painting is a hobby. You get serenity, unlike anything else. It puts you in a meditation mood," and it gives her the strength to cope with life. Her art reflects the simple, elegant beauty of nature and country life. Anna Carpenter leads a double life. She goes to class at night, and by day she's a legal secretary for the Department of Justice. Art is a passionate means of expressing the beauty of life for her. One of her pieces, "Celebration of Succulents," depicts a budding tropical flower, called a protea. "The flower opens slowly and begins to unfold," she said. Her painting captures the essence of the unveiling of a lush flower. The most expensive piece in the gallery, valued at $2000, belongs to Sul Ah Han, a third semester PCC student, who hopes to transfer to UCLA. I don’t really care if I sell it. This is my first show, it doesn't matter if someone buys it" she saud. "I was feeling sad when I painted it, for me this art piece shows how hard life is." For student artist Tina Black, art is "something I have to do. Hopefully it is something I can make a living out of. I want to make beautiful things for people to look at, because there is so much ugliness in the world," she added. Through the colorful canvases of "Stepping Stone," and "Spectauaral Motion” beauty is reflected in each stroke. Megan Sheinkopf has the most pieces on display, 10. She, however, is an English major who said "for me art is just a hobby. I just love to create beautiful and aesthetically pleasing art to my own eyes. She considers herself a self-taught artist; it is just a natural talent of expression. Poppy van Ditmar is another artist who has a lot to celebrate. Not only is she exhibiting three pieces at the Holmes' gallery, but she became a United States citizen and turned 65, all in the same day. Ditmar, who is a native of Poland, mainly works in watercolor. "It is difficult for me to do something crazy; I like to do smaller pieces. I love nature and peaceful things," she said with a smile. Her paintings show the simplicity and elegance of life through the petals of flowers. "AlI my Iife I wanted to paint, but I never had the time. In America, you can go to school and learn anything " Artist Rene Robles doesn't have alI his work being displayed "I have six more, but they were too provocative," he said. "Art is my life; I was born an artist. I was drawn into painting when I was 18. It helps me release and stay focused," he said. Wen he is not painting, Robles makes drums for a living. He plays music for money as well. " I do everything for myself. I don't do it for anybody else, or for money," he added. The art gallery at Holmes Body Shop is open Monday-Friday 7 am to 7 p.m, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to I p m. The PCC and show will continue through Dec. 30. While you're getting you're car spiffed-up, you can browse through the art gallery, and look at an array of PCC talent.
	Snuggled next to a noisy auto body shop, and blooming along side a jumble of car parts, a sophisticated exhibit of art work by PCC students is on display. At Holmes Body Shop, 1095 E. Colorado Blvd, an array of colorful paintings and pen and ink drawings can be found in the waiting area. Mechanics and PCC artists go hand-in-hand at this high-class car repair shop/art gallery. PCC art students arc not only displaying, but they are also selling their work for prices ranging from $100 to $2000. Joey Gonzalez, a PCC art student who coordinated the exhibit, said he was looking for a change, and he wanted to expand PCC art beyond the campus. "It would be too easy to exhibit in the gallery, you can just talk to a teacher and get in," he saud Gonzalez is showing six of his own colorful pieces of art, that range from an "Exploding Heart" to a "Little Girl" "There is a lot of talent at this school; PCC has an incredible art department," he added. Gonzalez brought the artists together and coordinated the display at this shop under the guidance of Linda Malm, the division dean of art. This exhibit "exposed PCC students to the public, and gave them a true life experience, said Malm. "The students deserve a real pat on the back" They faced many obstacles in using the gallery space to properly hang their art, said Susan Bravender, a professor of art who helped sponsor this student exhibit. Tracy Holmes, who manages the art gallery in her husband’s shop, encouraged PCC art students to show and sell their work there. With towering ceilings and high windows, Holmes Body Shop exhibits PCC art work in a setting beautiful enough to rival the most sophisticated museum. "l'm the artist in the family. This gallery made it a happy marriage for us," said Holmes. She has displayed art in her husband’s shop for about a year. She has showed the multimedia art of local elementary school and middle school children, as well as the work of Hollywood makeup artist, Jeff Angell. Now, she has taken on the works of PCC students. She said she hopes to see them continue exhibiting there. "Hopefully more businesses will take hold of this idea. I encourage them to support artists, because artists need to be in a gallery," she said. Holmes fells that artists must have public places to exhibit, to become recognized in the public's eye. Not only are artists thankful for this opportunity to show off their talent, but “it gives our customers something to look at while they are waiting for their cars to be fixed." she said. For many of the PCC Students, this is their first professional exhibit. With gleaming eyes and tapping hearts, they excitedly watch potential customers admire the art work. K. Howell has only taken one semester at PCC, and is currently displaying some of her paintings, including "Toenails," and “Guitar” at the body shop. "Art is always there for me, it is something where I don't have to worry about all the negativity in life," Howell said.
	tracy@art4racing.com • ph 626-441-8871