Sandra Smith-Dugan shows art in San Jose

The first San Jose City College art exhibit of the year will feature landscape painter Sandra Smith-Dugan.

The reception will take place Saturday, Feb. 22 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Carmen Castellano Fine Arts Gallery at SJCC.

“It’s very exciting,” said Smith-Dugan. “I’ve heard the students are enjoying the exhibit and I feel honored to show work here.”

Students can view the gallery Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

Smith-Dugan was born and educated in the Bay Area, earning a bachelor in fine arts in painting and drawing from University of California, Santa Cruz.

She said she got her artistic inspiration from her family, and her mother has a degree in fine arts from UC Berkeley.

Most of Smith-Dugan’s work consists of oil on canvas or board paintings of landscapes, figurative works and urbanscapes.

She “strives to fully express the inherent character of my subject,”according to her website, Smith-dugan.com.

Smith-Dugan said her favorite artist is John Singer Sargent because of his loose, expressive brushwork.

Her brushwork is just as excellent as she forms the motion of waves and wind into her art pieces.

Smith-Dugan plans to come to the SJCC campus Wednesday, Feb. 19 to talk to art students and offer advice to help them improve their skills and achieve their dreams.

Students can get their work displayed in the art gallery by talking to one of the gallery managers, Eve Mathias or Chris Woods.

“We look for timely exhibits,” said Woods. “It would help to speak to us in advance if students wanted to have their work displayed.”

Students are welcome to view this free and easily accessible exhibit which will contain Smith-Dugan’s 25 paintings and drawings until the end of the month.