City Hall is offering up a free dose of art with every visit. Among the many departments handing out stacks of paperwork and permits, the art gallery gracing the walls of City Hall’s central corridor is doling out inspiration to passersby.
For the past five years, the City Hall gallery has given local artists a chance to feature their favorite pieces of art. The six, two-month long exhibits throughout the year showcase work from different local artists, Cathy Mirelez, City of Gilroy Recreation Supervisor said.
Since June 30, amateur photographer and digital artist John Hopkins of Gilroy has had his “bees view” macro photos and his digitally painted landscapes and portraits on display.
Having recently transitioned into semi-professional artistry, Hopkins said he enjoys photography and digital artistry as a creative outlet from his career in the technology industry
“I just like creating images. I have always enjoyed doing it since high school,” he said. “I took about three decades off from art and now as I’ve transitioned into retirement it is something I want to pursue.”
The gallery showcases 35 of Hopkins’ creations; textured and digitally painted portraits of friends and family members; and close-up, detailed photos of animals, plants and objects.
“It’s more artistic photography. I like to keep a lot of variety,” Hopkins said. “I experiment on a lot of type of things, everything starts out as a photo, but I add overlays, textures and other effects to them.”
Hopkins said he is proud to be selected as a featured artist.
“I belong to the Morgan Hill Photography Club,” he continued. “I have done a couple of their club galleries and have pieces in the Arts Alliance, but I have never had anything in this gallery.”
In the future, Hopkins said he wants to integrate more artistic media into his photos such as woodworking.
“When I get time, I want to integrate more into my photos, but right now I just don’t have the time and energy to do that,” he said.
Many of Hopkins’ artworks are for sale at the City Hall art gallery and online at hopkins-sw.com. Hopkins said locals should contact him through his website or in person if they are interested in buying any artworks.
Mirelez said local artists should contact her if they are interested in displaying their art in the city hall gallery.
