Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.
San Jose’s South First Fridays ArtWalk, the downtown event that has featured the work of up to 50 local artists from around the Bay, will hold its last street market of the year Friday, Oct. 4.
Attendees of this year’s series have encountered creative work ranging from teenagers jump-starting a business of homemade coconut candles, to veteran painters showcasing years’ worth of art.
One exhibitor slated for the Friday event, Eddie Ramirez, showcases paintings of familiar South Bay sights, like the Winchester Shopping Center sign and Pink Elephant Bakery.
“I like San Jose,” Ramirez said. “It’s just like a smaller community. I’m speaking to a smaller audience, but the memories are still there. People still admire that.”
First Friday ArtWalk was formed by Cherri Lakey and her partner Brian Eder after they moved to the downtown South First Area (SoFA). The couple, who co-own San Jose’s art gallery Anno Domini, sought to make a place for “independent creatives.”
Lakey said such artists use their work to change the world’s outlook on ordinary life with fresh “perspectives and possibilities,” admitting that it is not an easy task.
“It’s a hard thing to be an artist … then to come out and share that work with people,” she said.
Ramirez, a San Jose native, said that in capturing places that he’s visited, he can share memories that go back to his childhood with the attendees who stop by his tent.
He started his series of area iconic images during the COVID pandemic. Trying to cope with the economic shutdown, he says he found solace in his art and tried to take it one step further to help those experiencing the same struggle.
“I was noticing all these businesses trying to advertise, trying to make it through it,” he said. “In a way I was helping advertise. It was my little contribution.”
Then, when the pandemic began to wane, “I just kept doing San Jose.”
Ramirez isn’t the only artist who longs to create a connection with his audience. At the most recent ArtWalk in September, artist Steven Reece was actively painting under his canopy among piles of hand-drawn stickers and hanging wood carvings.
Standing in front of a canvas of palm trees under a purple sunset, Reece recorded his strokes on his iPhone. He planned to later post the videos online.
“People can go on my YouTube and see these time lapses,” he said. “They’re like 15 minutes long. You can skip to the end to see the whole thing, but if you want to see my new details day after day, just see it through.”
Mother-daughter attendees Alexandria and Mia Merissem of Los Gatos said they came to experience a night of lively art together. The excitement was even greater as Alexandria got to bring her daughter to the outing for the first time.
“It’s a fun thing to be at, and different from Los Gatos, where it is more settled,” Alexandria said.
Artist Julianne Bonnet’s tent offered a unique approach to art and modern technology called “photographic composites.” Using Photoshop and Lightroom applications, Bonnet meshes together up to 10 images to create one picture.
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“Each one is kind of a meditation on something that I’m working on internally,” she said. “So, every single one has to do with a kind of healing from past trauma or just trying to evolve, emotionally and spiritually.”
Bonnet’s photographic composites focus on struggles of everyday life, health and mental health related issues. She says her inspiration comes from seeing viewers’ responses.
“I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot when someone comes into the booth, they see an image and they cry,” she said. “That’s when I know that I’ve nailed it, that they get the message that it means something to them.”
Event co-producer Lakey says the interaction between artist and observer is key. The participants’ experience “helps them go back into their community and be better. They carry that with them through their daily life and into their communities.”
The free-of-charge ArtWalk will be held Friday, Oct. 4 at 366 S. 1st St. from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. For a lineup of featured artists and a printable walking map, go to www.southfirstfridays.com.
Autumn Alvarez is majoring in journalism at San Francisco State University.
