Art Pop on Castro
Art Pop just opened on Castro Street. It’s fabulous, but temporary, so be sure you stop by before it closes on December 16, 2018. It is at 275 Castro street, downtown Mountain View.
There are about 15 artists together, under one roof. The artists will change, so even if you stop by this week, you should still go again in a week or two.
I spoke with some of them on opening day. Atreyee, of Cretetctera, has a gorgeous selection of handmade hats/berets. For every hat she sells, she donates one to a homeless person in our community. She also paints cards. They’re inspired by the landscape at Shoreline Park. Atreyee is also an art teacher at Community School of Music and Art.
Ears and Whiskers sells charming mouse characters dressed as both royalty, and commoners. Some of them even have pet dragons.
Kendal from Sager Family Farms has raw honey and other handmade items made from her honey and wax.
Estephania from Young Anatomy paints using that dot technique (pointillism) and her work is gorgeous. She also has beaded jewelry.
Ozzie’s Oasis is a collection of vintage household containers, planted with ferns and succulents. Ozzie told me that all of the containers are from estate sales in Mountain View, and that he loves matching the containers to the personality of the plants.
Mansi Makes sells dye-sublimation printed scarves (and custom printed leggings) that are created from her original paintings.
Any Texture has bags that are all made from materials gathered at Fabmo. Honestly, if you haven’t been to Fabmo, you need to go. Zwia, the artist, told me that everything is one-of-a-kind and made from their designer upholstery and home decor fabrics that would have gone into landfill, but were rescued by Fabmo and distributed to the art community.
Restote also has bags created from supplies she got at Fabmo. The artist calls them “mom-made” so we know they’re super functional and built to last.
Corinne, of Garden Art, is a mosaic artist and has wall art, vases and shoes covered in bits of recycled dishes, mirror and tile.
Stephanie Maclean Contemporary Art has a nice selection of her paintings on display. I remember her artwork from last year. There’s a little painting of a goat that (photo above) that caught my eye as soon as I walked in the door.
Lisa, from Design Girl Jewels, is another an art teacher from Community School of Music and Art. Her jewelry is made from up-cycled wood, paper, glass and metal. It perfect for someone who wants light-weight accessories, that make a bold statement. Some are iridescent, and others look like rare gemstones, and others are tiny watercolor paintings on vintage book pages.
Kathy Bonte, is the founder and organizer of Art Pop. Her booth, Yellow Rose Designs, is the first one you see as you enter the store on Castro. Please stop by and say hello and tell her how much you enjoy seeing handmade items downtown. She makes beautiful jewelry that incorporates recycled leather, mixed metals and glass beads. She uses strips of leather to create floral designs that are so creative. I love that she brought this collection of artisans to our downtown community.
This is the second year of Art Pop in Mountain View, and this years store is even better than last year. I love that it reflects the creative spirit of local startups. They’re all looking out for each other, since all of the artists can’t be at the store every day, they help watch each other’s booth and answer questions from customers.
It’s the perfect place to get unique #madeinMountainView items. Be sure to stop by before they close for the season, on December 16th. I love Mountain View.
