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Impact

The embodiment of California’s Central Valley is captured in Merced’s newest fine dining restaurant Rainbird located within the historic El Capitan Hotel.  With a well curated and thought-provoking tasting menu, Executive Chef Quentin Garcia celebrates the very best of the season. The name, Rainbird, pays homage to our rich agricultural region and refers to a bird known to sing before rain signaling a forthcoming bountiful harvest.

The current farms and vendors featured at Rainbird are: 

Humble Rice Farmer, Winton CA

Burroughs Family Farms, Denair CA

Vista Ranch, Merced CA

Sweet Arnold Farms, Winton CA

Old Lake Mill, George Pena, Merced CA

Margaret Haden

Ontogenesis

Ceramics

Dimensions: 50” x 96” (on wall)

Bio: Margaret grew up in California's Central Valley, but more recently lived in New York where she received her MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Margaret is now living a relatively nomadic, bicoastal lifestyle. Margaret makes things out of clay, working with her hands to build vessel-oriented objects as well as utilitarian pottery. Her process of cutting and removing clay while simultaneously adding and pushing dictates a degree of imperfection in the form, creating a unique organism each and every time.

Contact: mbhaden@gmail.com

Art Info: The piece represents an aerial view of an almond orchard. There are 4 rows of 8 forms. The forms are all in a grid similar to the way tree orchards are laid out. The 8 forms in each row are representing the germination of a growing almond tree (from flower to seed). The colors are similar but not hyperrealistic to the different stages of almond tree growth. Whites, pinks, greens, browns, and gold are scattered throughout. 

Daniel Van Gerpen

Peregrinate

Mixed media on canvas

Dimensions: 48“ x 72” each

Bio: Daniel grew up in the Midwest and began creating art at an early age fostered by a painterly mother and a pastoral father. With continued education and exploration, Daniel has worked to develop a style that reflects the contemplative nature of the natural landscape. On his work, Daniel notes that “the inherent rhythm of the rows of agriculture is juxtaposed by the flowing curves of the river. The ebb and flow of nature create landscapes smoothed, carved, and hewn into shape by the seemingly invisible forces of time.”

Contact: daniel@dvgcreative.com 831 -320 -0944

Dal Henderson

Break Down

Archival rag print with polyurethane on wood Dimensions: 30“ x 72”

Bio: Dal’s work is the result of constant decision-making. He deals with materials as honestly as possible, seeking to develop cohesive surfaces. Dal’s primary goal is to make art that is both closed and open. The art is closed when the surface seems complete. It remains open because it doesn’t necessarily deal with representational imagery. It is its own image, its own idea, and there are questions that haven’t been answered. “The end result of my art making is that I have a fragment of reality. It is a piece of something I can hold onto,” he notes.

Contact: dal@dalhenderson.com; dal5@pacbell.net

Photography Credits

Gary Fx LaMorte

Christopher Stromberg