I can't remember the last time I was at Montalvo Arts Center. As I walked around the estate I recalled so many memories of coming here with my son when he was little. We've shared a lot of laughter at this special place. It is very different coming here on my own. I enjoyed sitting in the Italianate Formal Garden listening to the birds chirping as I was writing in my journal. Sitting in the garden I noticed a mixture of old and new art, surrounding me amongst the trees. I loved losing myself in the beauty and forgetting all about daily life. I felt peace, happiness, and tranquility. It is wonderful that you can visit this place for free. We are so lucky to have such a stunning place in the Bay Area, especially in Saratoga, that is so rich in history. Sometimes there is a "Project Space Gallery" exhibit but not today. In the past we have enjoyed checking out the exhibits. We have also been here for some shows in the Carriage Theater which are always fun!
The Historic Villa was built in 1912 by James Duval Phelan Montalvo. Montalvo was Phelan's treasure hence the griffins on the entrance pillars. When Phelan died in April 1930, he left Montalvo to the San Francisco Art Association as a charitable trust for public use. Phelan's wish was to have an Artist Residency Program at Montalvo. It began in the late 1930's. The Lucas Artist Program, with specially designed studios for various disciplines, was completed in 2003 with accommodations for ten artists, plus one culinary expert. Integrated through the resident program other public program offerings include classical and contemporary music education classes and performances for all ages.
Historic Villa
Oval Garden
This intimate garden serves as the elegant backdrop for many of the wedding ceremonies that take place at Montalvo. The lawn used to be Senator Phelan's swimming pool. The area was filled in and planted over in the 1950's. If one looks closely, it is still possible to see remnants of the pool's design, including the tails of stone dolphins that decorated the edges of the pool.
Spanish Courtyard
Framed on three sides by the Villa and on the fourth by a dramatic wall fountain, this "sunken" courtyard is a favored location for wedding receptions and summer luncheons. Plantings of Wisteria, and Australian Tree Ferns provide a calming complement to the soothing sounds of both the wall fountain and the central marble fountain in the brick courtyard patio.
"Fountain of Life" by Kenny Scharf
This blue tendril-like water fountain combines cartoon-like features. LA-based artist Kenny Scharf often uses a vocabulary of cartoon personalities drawn from his childhood. The natural world remains his primary inspiration.
"Control Tower" by Cameron Hockenson
Control Tower is Hockenson's contribution to Sculpture of the Grounds. He built this "bird condominium" over the course of a three-month-long residency at Montalvo in collaboration with fellow resident Robert Davis and Montalvo's Garden Curator, Delmar Mc McComb, to enrich the architectonic critique with an electronic sound and bird garden.
"O California, best beloved land" by Ann Weber
California artist Ann Weber transforms the ordinary medium of cardboard into impressive large-scale sculptures reminiscent of pods, gourds, and organic spires. "O California, best beloved land" was created during her Montalvo residency in 2010.
The Italianate Formal Garden
Senator Phelan was an admirer of Italian art and culture which led to his creation of this garden at Montalvo in the 1920's. When he traveled in 1922 Phelan sent photographs and plans of gardens he visited.
Love Temple
"Broken Wing" by David Middlebrook
Broken Wing (2004) is a bronze work that represents objects, often taken for granted, that are depended upon as part of our daily routine - like a wing nut for a carpenter. This piece is installed in the Phelan Cactus Garden, located on the north end of the Italianate Garden.
"Twisted Heart and the Eucalyptus Muse" by Chistopher Loomis
Twisted Heart and Eucalyptus Muse refers to a California lumber baron's unrealized dream of replacing achres of native tree species felled using timber clear cutting methods during the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the large scale commercial planting of Eucalyptus trees.
"One Voice" (Yek Seda) by Taraneh Hemani
In Persian the word yek seda means one voice or shared sound/voice. With One voice, Hemani presents a modular sculptural installation that connects voices, and carries messages, stories, lullabies, whispers and shouts from one person to another. The decorated structures, which are basic tube-like shapes in clusters, draw inspiration from technologies like the voice pipe and speaking tubes.
After my adventures at Montalvo Arts Center I headed over to the Saratoga Village on Big Basin Way. A few times on my way to Hakone Gardens I had noticed "Sue's Gallery Cafe" and reminded myself to stop there someday. It seemed like a perfect day to stop there after enjoying so much art at Montalvo. There were many people sitting outside on the nice patio enjoying the beautiful day.
I decided to go inside and check out the menu. The menu consisted of coffee, teas, pastries, flat bread, and ice cream. Most of the pastries were already gone except for some scones. Since it was lunch time I decided to try J.J's Flat Bread. I enjoyed the flat bread, which consists of Naan bread, basil pesto, honey & maple smoked ham, Havarti cheese, baby arugula, served with a balsamic reduction. A woman in line suggested trying their short bread cookies. She bought a package and shared a couple of pistachio short bread cookies from Satura Cakes in Los Altos with me and a few other women. They were delicious. I enjoyed it with a latte and ended up buying a package myself and taking them home for my family to enjoy.
Sue's Gallery Cafe is both a gallery for Sue's handmade ceramics, as well as a specialty coffee shop, which opened up in November 2015. The interactive nature of the cafe allows guests to try out their ceramic pieces with every latte, tea, ice cream or pastry that they order. Every handmade piece serves as a reminder for us to take things slow, counting the process as important as the end destination. Their philosophy is for every drink and food offered on the menu to be one that is locally sourced.
If February 2017 they expanded the gallery to provide more seating and to give the pottery the ample display space it deserves. Sue has been molding clay for thirty years, beginning in Korea. She believes ceramics are pottery and pottery is meant to be used. She believes her pieces are used as functional items in the home and kitchen that live up to their purpose. The pottery that you see in the gallery are all items used at the cafe or on display in the gallery.
After ordering my food I took a look around the cafe and gallery. I was really drawn to the gallery space. This would be a great spot to hang with friends or have a small event. The gallery has such a warm and homey feeling. The even offer pottery workshops in the gallery, which I would like to check out. Since it was such a beautiful day outside, I decided to join the rest of the crowd and sit on the patio. This was definitely the perfect place to end my day of art and nature and to stop and take a breath from everyday life.
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