Woman and Snake-Healing

Woman and Snake-Healing

Cover | Mary Ann Merker

Woman and Snake-Healing (color pencil on photo paper). This 2006 drawing by Emeryville artist Mary Ann Merker is part of her “Woman and Nature” series, which melds primal and straightforward drawing with technology. Merker scans and prints her original sketches and then draws over them to form a series that expresses many states of mind in one ongoing format. Her work has been exhibited in numerous shows and private collections, and has garnered prestigious awards for works on paper. She is currently Civic Arts Coordinator for the City of Berkeley and one of 87 artists featured in the 20th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition, held October 7-29 at 5630 Bay Street, Emeryville. For information, call (510) 652-6122 or visit www.emeryarts.org. To reach the artist directly, e-mail MARossini@aol.com.

Faces of the East Bay

In the Philanthropic Swim

In the Philanthropic Swim

Rockridge residents John Bliss and Kim Thompson may live far removed the gritty flats of East and West Oakland. But this philanthropic couple see themselves as one with the citizens of Oakland, particularly those who are struggling financially, and they’re leading a campaign to get their “financially blessed” peers to invest in the community like they have by funding city programs to teach kids how to swim.