The Lamorinda Arts Council (Council) invites you to join Bill Carmel at an artist reception in his honor at the Wilder Art Gallery on Sunday, March 6 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Carmel, of San Ramon, is the featured artist for the month of March. He is showing three large abstract paintings composed as public art projects and recent work of three large prints on vinyl. For the remainder of March, unless the City of Orinda changes its COVID-19 precautions, you can view his exhibit at the Council’s virtual gallery at www.lamorindaarts.org/online-galleries.  Private viewings can be arranged by contacting Curator Aniston Breslin at wildergallery@lamorindaarts.org

His public art projects are part of an ongoing relationship with other artists and community partners engaged in making collaborative artwork. The piece entitled “Veil Tapestry” is a work that asks members of our community to paint sacred words on a large traveling canvas. The pieces he titled “Festival Wheelies” were done with Danville artist John Barry, creator of the trAction painting process. The work was painted during the Art and Wine Festival in Lafayette.  In trAction painting, paint is dribbled onto wheels of vehicles driven by the artists and laid down as colorful tracks. Plus, it’s fun. For the festival, wheels of toy cars were dipped in acrylic paint and driven over the canvas, building up colorful layers and patterns over time.

Carmel created a mural entitled “The Ballad of Rocky the Squirrel and Andy the Hummer” for Maggie Boscoe’s Artify Orinda project in 2020. You can see it on the side of the Mash Gas building next time you are in the neighborhood.  He is also part of the curation team in the Art Gallery in the Orinda Library. Thursday

An art educator, Carmel said, “I am creating a workbook that uses art to teach the other academic subjects. It is inspired by Common Core Standards and uses art lessons to bring creativity and critical thinking into the study of other academic subjects. Not only does Common Core curriculum emphasize critical thinking skills and creative strategies but it promotes Social – Emotional Learning.”

The Wilder Art and Garden Center is located at 20 Orinda Fields Way, Orinda. The exhibit runs March 1 through 31 and is in-person on the reception date but virtual the rest of the month. Viewings by appointment with Curator Aniston Breslin can be arranged by request at wildergallery@lamorindaarts.org.  Questions? Call the Lamorinda Arts Council at 925.359.9940.