As part of an ongoing series on Benitolink, the San Benito County Arts Council is featuring new artists every week in an effort to highlight some of the local talent participating in this year's Open Studios Art Tour on April 25-26 throughout San Benito County. The current featured artist, Andrea McCann, shares her background in exhibition design and painting horses. Visitors may view her work, including her painted horse, at the studio she is sharing with Susan Shirley, Leslie Holtaway and William McQuary at 854 Cole Rd. in Aromas during Open Studios weekend.
Andrea McCann obtained her B.A. in Studio Art (with an emphasis on printmaking), and a minor in English, from UC Davis. There she had the fortune of studying under such artists as Wayne Theibaud and Roland Peterson. During her 28 years at the Monterey Bay Aquarium she’s held a number of roles: production artist, graphic designer, illustrator, exhibit designer, and most recently, exhibit developer—a switch to the content and messaging side of exhibitions.
Her personal work has been experimental, exploratory and inventive—playing with her husband’s laser cutter, dabbling in alternative printmaking techniques, digital photography, jewelry, and most recently, convincing her BLM mustang gelding to be a canvas for drawing and painting using non-pressure, positive reinforcement training techniques. She often wonders what art medium or job she will settle on when she grows up…and then hopes she forever stays a kid, at least in spirit.
For more information about this year's tour or to download a map, visit www.sanbenitoarts.org or contact the Arts Council at 831.636.2787