The Occidental Center for the Arts will exhibit “New Paintings” by three local and well known artists—Adam Wolpert, Tony King, and Bill Wheeler. The gallery exhibit of landscape paintings runs from September 4 through November 1 at 3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental, CA. www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org Artists reception on Saturday, September 12 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Refreshments served. Free admission. Donations accepted.

Three nationally-known, old friends and master painters –Tony King, Bill Wheeler and Adam Wolpert– present their newest paintings at the Occidental Center for the Arts (OCA). This will be the second time these three local artists, all of whom live close to Occidental, will exhibit their work together in the OCA gallery. Their last joint show at OCA drew crowds, due not only to their stellar work, but to who they are and what they represent in Sonoma County. Adam Wolpert is one of the founders of the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, where he still lives and works (www.oaec.org). Bill Wheeler’s famous ranch on Coleman Valley Road, “Wheeler Ranch,” plays an important role in local history. Tony King is an artist long celebrated in the New York art scene who, decades ago, set roots in the Sonoma County art community and has shown in all major Sonoma County venues

Each of the painters have a unique and deep connection to Sonoma County that is reflected in their landscapes that are the subject of the show. All these connections and rich history make this show special and unusual. Although the three have different styles and approaches to the challenge of painting outdoors, they all share a profound love and respect for the land and for a practice that has engaged many years of their lives.

They have educational backgrounds that are impressive, e.g. Stanford, Yale, University of California, San Francisco Art Institute. These old friends create a synergistic environment when they are together. Tony, Bill and Adam have all shown at the Sonoma County Museum and many other venues both alone and sometimes together in groups of two or three. As friends and colleagues, they go way back. They showed together at the Mills Building in San Francisco in 1995 and the Fairfield Center for the Arts in 1996. Seeing them and their work together is a lesson in Sonoma County history and an historic event in itself.

Adam Wolpert – adamwolpert.com – adam@adamwolpert.com
After a rigorous 2-year training in classical realism at Studio Cecil-Graves in Florence, Italy, Wolpert completed an MFA at UC San Diego. He has had major gallery representation since 1988, including many solo exhibitions and group shows. Wolpert co-founded the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, www.oaec.org, in 1994 and has taught and lectured throughout California. Wolpert’s last regional exhibitions were presented by the Sonoma County Museum of Art and Quicksilver Mine Co.

Tony King – tonykingart.com – tonykingart@gmail.com
Tony King is a nationally recognized artist whose work is exhibited by major museums and collections. After studying at Stanford in the 1960’s, King moved to New York and began his career as an abstract painter. King’s then occasional activity of painting landscapes evolved into a primary theme by 1982. In 1992, after living and working in New York for over 20 years, he and his family moved to Northern California and for some years was also associated with the Sonoma Four.

Bill Wheeler – http://www.freestone.com/wheeler.html
http://www.georgekrevskygallery.com/dynamic/artist_bio.asp?ArtistID=40

William Wheeler is a celebrated painter who has lived, painted, and exhibited in the San Francisco Bay Area for over twenty years. Wheeler studied at Yale University and then at The San Francisco Art Institute with Richard Diebenkorn and Nathan Olivera. He was a member of the “Sonoma Four” group of open air painters. A conservationist at heart, Wheeler is a man who knows and deeply respects the land.