Carlsbad on Canvas By Barbara Brill
Local painters till Carlsbad landscapes for artistic inspiration. Six artists have filled their portfolios with scenes from the Village-by-the-Sea.

Mary Helmreich
When Mary Helmreich first saw the Twin Inns Restaurant on Carlsbad Boulevard after moving to Olivenhein 25 years ago, she fell in love with the historical Victorian building that was once the home of Gerhard Schutte, one of Carlsbad’s founders.

“It reminded me of the architecture in New England,” said Massachusetts native Helmreich, also recalling being struck by the huge chickens in front of the restaurant. (At the time, it was famous for its fried chicken dinners.) She was also fascinated with the fields of flowers around Carlsbad, something she said she didn’t see in New England.

So Helmreich began painting, using watercolors. By then, watercolors had become her favorite medium because they were quicker, easier to carry and more colorful than the sculpture work she had been doing for years.

While in high school, Helmreich studied painting at the De Cordova Museum in Massachusetts and at Cummington School of the Arts in the Berkshires. She majored in sculpture at Bard College New York and continued her studies at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Now her work can be seen at the Corner Frame Shop in Leucadia and at the Frame Designs & Gallery in Del Mar. It will also be on exhibit at the Old Town Art Show Sept. 16 and 17 and at the Octoberfest in Encinitas on Sept. 24. www.bac81.com

Bob Merson
Bob Merson, a California native, got a taste for the arts at the age of 10 when he began taking pictures at car races. And as his passion for cars grew, so did his passion for surfing and his passion for the arts.

His next step was pen-and-ink drawings. Today, Merson — who lived in Carlsbad for 15 years before moving to Oceanside three years ago with his wife, Yvonne, and their two sons — enjoys working with oils, acrylics, watercolors, digital art and his cameras.

With the ocean as his love and inspiration, Merson puts his artistic talents to work to celebrate the history and the heritage of the surfing lifestyle. He also enjoys directing his talents to show off cars — including Woodies — as well as local scenes.

Merson, a sales representative in the construction industry, has had his art published in automotive magazines, such as Road & Track. His work can be seen locally at the Art & Antique Mall on State Street. He also makes art donations to the Surfrider Foundation and to the Oceanside Longboard Club. surfnart.com/merson.htm

Bonnie Gleason
Bonnie Gleason enjoys capturing on canvas the inherent beauty she sees in nature and in man’s creations. “Even the darkest and dreariest day has its own amazing beauty,” said Gleason, who knew from an early age, when she began finger painting, that she was hooked on art.

But it wasn’t until her retirement in 2000 — after working as a high school and college counselor, a musical theater choreographer and producer, a greeting card designer and the founder of MiraCosta College’s Dance Department — that Gleason really got a chance to pick up her paint brushes. She started taking art classes at MiraCosta (where she is still an adjunct counselor and instructor).

Of her experience, Gleason states, “I owe a lot of my success to my teachers, especially Diane Adams.” Adams works primarily from the photographs she takes with the two cameras she carries at all times.

Ninety-eight percent of Gleason’s paintings — all of which she mats and frames herself — are Carlsbad scenes. A Carlsbad resident since 1994, she says she paints close to home because she sees so much beauty in her own community.

Gleason’s award-winning art has been on exhibit throughout the county. It can now be seen at the C.O.A.L. Gallery in the Village. www.miracosta.edu/home/BGleason/

Alan Marblestone
Alan Marblestone, a Carlsbad resident since 1990, paints at his studio in the Village. His selected medium is oils, mainly in the Old Masters’ style, using their recognized glazing techniques. He focuses his work on restored old cars and old buildings in downtown Carlsbad.

“I don’t do what most artists do and paint the well-known historical structures like Neiman’s (now Ocean House) and the railroad depot,” said Marblestone. Instead, he chooses to put many of the Village’s unrecognized old structures on canvas. He has painted buildings that now house eateries, such as Pizza Port, Don’s Country Kitchen and Super Donut.

Marblestone began his artistic education in 1982 in Los Angeles, where he attended classes at the Butwin School of Art, U.C.L.A.’s Extension Division and Larry Gluck’s Mission Renaissance School. His work has been shown in the California State Bar’s art exhibits, the San Diego County Fair, the C.O.A.L. Gallery, the Cannon Art Gallery at the Dove Library and at a variety of juried exhibits.

Marblestone, a retired attorney, also serves on the board of the Carlsbad Friends of the Arts and the Carlsbad Library and Arts Foundation. www.sdvag.net/M/AlanM.htm

Wade Koniakowsky
After a highly successful 25-year career in advertising and graphic design, Wade Koniakowsky has turned his attention to fine art. “When I started painting several years ago, it possessed me. I just couldn’t stop,” said the Carlsbad resident. He moved to California in 1978 from Texas, where he learned to surf on the Gulf Coast.

“I’ve been deeply involved in art and surfing most of my life, and I enjoy translating the power and magic of the ocean to canvas,” Koniakowsky states. He loves to paint Carlsbad beaches — from Ponto to Tamarack — as well as Agua Hedionda Lagoon and the trails around Aviara. And he enjoys blending fine art with commercial art.

Often, Koniakowsky works on location, from photographs he took or from the visions in his head. He paints mainly with oils, but also with watercolors and acrylics; he also does serigraphic prints.

Over the years, Koniakowsky has received hundreds of awards for his ad work. He now has exhibits in museums and galleries throughout California, Hawaii, Texas, New Jersey and Florida, as well as in England, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. Locally, his art can be seen at the Pacific Surf Art Gallery in Cardiff. www.koniakowsky.com

Tony Spineto
Tony Spineto calls himself a “die-hard surfer who lives a simple life.” He believes that much of his unique style as an artist can be attributed to all the time he spends at the beach, particularly in Carlsbad.

“I’m always inspired by the ocean — its beauty, its strength and man’s ongoing desire to ride the waves,” Spineto states. He points out that he knows the works of art he has been creating with oils in the past five years — many of which are illustrated with complementary surfing scenes — only minutely express the boundless and measureless nature of the ocean.

“I’m a fine artist who does surfing… and landscaping and some portraits,” says Spineto, who studied at the Art Institute of Southern California. He continues to learn through his exploration of the Masters.

Spineto’s work is showcased at the Pacific Surf Art Gallery in Cardiff, at the Oceanside Surf Museum and at Gallery HB in Huntington Beach. He also supports the Surfrider Foundation and San Diego Baykeeper by donating artwork for their fundraising events.

Spineto, a teacher at Carlsbad Village Academy for the past three years, lives in Encinitas with his wife, Erin, and their two children, Eli and Shea. www.spinetostudios.com •