Left Coast Annual

Yes, there are statements about our current world situation embodied in the works, but done with subtlety. And some are simply personal, such as grief for a lost mother in Gretchen Telzrow’s “In the Depths of Memory,” others using humor and irony, like the shoes in Rose Sellery’s “Union of Two Soles.”

There’s nothing dismal or gloomy about the artworks themselves. Amidst ache and angst there is always belief that there is yet something better to aspire toward.

The Center’s original Bay Area Annual expanded in 2012 to the whole West Coast. An average of 350 artists enter each year, from which esteemed jurors create a show of 50 works.

This year’s exhibition encompasses two galleries, one for the broader selected works, the second featuring the top award winners: Michele Foyer and Madelyn Covey.

There is an abundance of art “focused on the environment,” according to Shields, “and with it fear about our impact as humans. Many artists submitted work in craft-based media, itself a means of returning to one’s roots and making things by hand.”

Joseph Heffernan’s “Acidificate” visually straddles the form of a human heart or a Mayan ceramic flute, colorfully striped in yellow, red, blue and green. Yet its message is about the destruction of our coral reefs. You wouldn’t know that just looking at it.

“Organic Specimens Accordion Fold Book” by Shelby Graham is self-explanatory paper florally printed and folded.

Deborah Corsini’s “Screen Idol” is a woven abstract cellphone homage.

Diane Fenster presents an archival pigment print from an image transfer “Fear in a Handful of Dust” with obvious emotional impact, as does “The First Day of War” by Olena Kuznetsova, a photograph printed on metal. Each is esthetically interesting, beyond the message.

Marie Bergstedt’s “Gentle Men on the Street” in mixed fibers captures that moment of delight in street musicians most people feel, when that uplifting treat of sound creates a peaceful oasis amid our rushing lives.

There are two more traditional portraits: pastel “Hayden On Russian Ridge” by Gabriel Coke, and “Marie” by Amber DeSilva in oil.

Clayton Thiel’s “Landscape Dreamer Dreaming” is a clay head reclined like a classic Buddha, with a glazed dream land and skyscape. Literal, yet mystical.

Unlike many art shows, this one is not dominated by two-dimensional paintings. It’s a panoply of three-dimensional forms.

The range of materials, genres and techniques is wide: etching, watercolor, pastel, oil, acrylic, photography, digital printing, ink, fiber art, ceramics, glass, leather, mixed media, metal and more, ranging from purely abstract to photorealism. Mokuhunga (Japanese wood block printing), sewing, weaving, crocheting, embroidery, recycled materials — what a list.

So many ways to send us a message of deep feelings. Art by human hearts and human hands.

“It can also challenge us to redefine our values, cultivate resilience and maintain a sense of hope for a more stable future,” Dr. Shields said.

Bring your sense of hope to the show.

There will be a gallery walk with juror Dr. Shields, chief curator and assistant director of the Crocker Museum, April 11 at 1:30 p.m. Don’t miss the Pacifica Art Guild’s studios in the complex, as some artists may be open for visitors.

You Can Create Too: The Center runs a hands-on series “Crafter-Noon” on the second Sunday monthly from 2-5 p.m. Two-hour sessions of guided creative activities to try or learn skills, materials provided, and you even get to take home your original work. Summer camps start in June with registration beginning soon.

Sanchez Art Center, 1220 Linda Mar Blvd., Pacifica, (650) 355-1894, sanchezartcenter.org.

Bart Charlow, author, artist and consultant blends over 45 years of painting and photography with narrative storytelling. Explore the intersection of observation and expression through his insights on the local art scene, find his books at bartcharlow.com and his art at bartsart.weebly.com.