'Art of the Flower' for the spring show at the Z Cafe

BONSALL – Lots of flowers and trees will be seen at the Z Cafe's new exhibit "Art of the Flower," starting March 5 through June 3. A reception will be held Saturday, March 16, from 3-5 p.m. at the Z Cafe in Bonsall.

The main artist is Suzanne Beckstrom, a local artist from Carlsbad. Her passion for art was first ignited as a young student, she said, when she viewed a film on the life of Michelangelo.

"It was at that precise moment that I fell in love with art," Beckstrom said.

Drawing lessons and design school followed, providing the foundation for her art.

Although she has enjoyed working in many mediums, her current focus is painting in acrylics. Her painting style presents the viewer with an intimate perspective of her favorite subject – flowers. The vibrant colors and fluid elegant lines of each flower attract and inspire her, she said, and she finds the acrylic medium particularly well-suited to capturing her subjects, each one so uniquely beautiful.

Beckstrom's paintings have been featured at Fallbrook Art Center, Off Track Gallery in Encinitas and San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas. See more of her work at http://www.pushinpaintstudio.com.

Neill Ketchum will be showing some of her tree portraits in various media, and Eric Skjarstad's Steampunk Art will also be on display.

Skjarstad left home in 1968, packing his meager belongings, including his tools and motorcycle, moving to Vashon Island near Seattle where he learned to be a plumber.

While working on many old homes he collected faucets, hose valves and any other antique plumbing parts and saved them for over 40 years. He sold his business in Los Angeles and moved to San Diego, set up his workshop and began creating steampunk sculptures out of the antique and other things he had collected. He said he loves to make interesting and eclectic things for people to enjoy.

Skjarstad's creation "Water and Power" is made of an old gal­vanized expansion tank set on a big water valve wheel handle. Black iron pipe and fittings create a tree of an­tique leg bathtub valves, lavatory sink faucets, boiler drains, hose bibs, shower heads, soap holders, bathroom water cup holder, a pressure gauge off a ship and a hand pump from a old home that was mounted next to an old galvanized kitchen sink. Water was pumped from a well to a tank in the attic, and water gravity fed to this old faucet.

The lights are dimmable LED to accent the piece and bring power to the steampunk artwork as it brings to "light" how much people rely on electricity.

Guest are invited to come have a nibble or share a glass of wine downstairs at the Z Cafe in River Village.

Submitted by Z Cafe.