By Marissa GOULD

It was an artful Saturday for the Montrose Shopping Park, the location of ArtWalk. Artists of every type gathered on Honolulu Avenue to sell their wares. Booths and stands were set up to better showcase their work, whatever the medium. Those who strolled by could find oil paintings, watercolors, jewelry, pottery and even clothes. One artist even brought a guitar so that fellow artists and patrons could listen to some relaxing music while wandering the avenue. The music, art, and the relatively mild weather created a calm ambience.

Cynthia “Zelda” Schiff was one of the artists who participated in the Saturday’s ArtWalk. She specializes in homemade jewelry and fused glass. Her glasswork included vivid trees of all sorts of colors on a translucent background. Her jewelry featured colorful beads that were perfectly wound with wire. It was Schiff’s second year at the ArtWalk, and she has also participated in the Malibu Art Festival and the Lake Arrowhead Art and Wine Festival. Even though she has been to some of the bigger art exhibits, she said that she loves the Montrose ArtWalk because it gives her “a down home kind of feeling.”

Anna Lopez has been overseeing the Montrose Art Walk for the past two years. She is the owner of Boulevard 34 on Ocean View Boulevard and is the vice president of the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the event.

Lopez said that one of her goals for the ArtWalk is to raise the visibility of the ArtWalk in order to get more people to attend.

“Supporting local artists is what I’m passionate about,” Lopez said. She herself is an artisan and displayed her own line of jewelry at the ArtWalk.

Another ArtWalk is planned for July 18. Attending is free; to be a featured artist, contact the Montrose chamber office at (818) 249-7171.

  Marissa GOULD