Artists in Belmont treasure old school

Artists have called 1870 Art Center home since 1985 after Waters and a group of others moved their studios out of the Twin Pines Art Center where artists had practiced their craft since 1977, when the Belmont City Council first established a home for artists.

Belmont has been friendly to artists for more than 30 years but a $1.3 million budget deficit has pinned the city’s department heads with finding ways to trim the gap.

An early idea to raise revenue for the city was to convert the classrooms at the old Barrett Elementary School into spaces to lease for private use.

Artists cried foul, however, and the newest proposal to help the city raise money is to charge the artists higher rents for studio space.

A modest rent increase is acceptable, Waters said, but the city may be trying to get more out of the artists than they can afford.

"Doubling the rent will wipe us out,” Waters said. "They must think artists are rich.”

Take painter Felicia Forte, for instance. Forte was renting studio space in an old chilly barn in San Gregario before she found 1870 Art Center.

She pays about $275 a month to lease half a classroom she shares with another artist.

The Los Angeles native is determined to one day make a living as an artist even though she must work another job to survive.

She is one of the newest members at the enclave, having been with the group for just two months now.

Some of her studio mates, however, have had space at the old elementary school since it first opened.

Susan Trubow first came to 1870 Art Center in the late 1980s and came back to lease space in 2003.

"You don’t make a living as an artist. I occasionally sell something. I almost break even,” Trubow said.

Martha Safra, an oil painter, has about 14 art students she teaches at the studio. She conducts classes with about five students at a time and has generated enough studio foot traffic to help sell her own art.

Another artist, Serene Flax, paints seascapes in her Belmont studio. For eight years, she painted desert scenes but has found a new solace in bringing coral reefs to life.

The art center hosts the occasional school field trip but Waters wants to bring more children into the studios, particularly with schools being forced to slash art classes.

1870 Art Center also has an established art gallery with exhibits including works of resident artists and outstanding artists from throughout the country.

Next month is the annual Spring Open Studios. On May 8 and May 9, the public is invited to come to the art center and check out its members’ work.

The school is an ideal spot for the artists because of its high ceilings and large windows to let in natural light. It has its drawbacks, though, as there is no heat in the complex, the electricity is shoddy and the acoustic tiles throughout the school likely contain asbestos, Waters said.

Art has been a passion for Waters since the 1950s. She is hoping the city finds value in the art center.

"Hopefully, the city wants us to stay,” Waters said.

Bill Silverfarb can be reached by e-mail: silverfarb@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.