A colorful painting of El Toro Mountain
– the symbol of Morgan Hill – that could be worth $8,500 is
nearly ready for display when the new library opens July 21, thanks
to local donors and a professional artist who offered her services
on the cheap.
Morgan Hill – A colorful painting of El Toro Mountain – the symbol of Morgan Hill – that could be worth $8,500 is nearly ready for display when the new library opens July 21, thanks to local donors and a professional artist who offered her services on the cheap.
“We wanted to help the new library financially and this was a great way to see where the money went,” said Elaine Ditmore, who donated $5,000 with her husband, Dana Ditmore, to commission the contemporary painting.
The five-feet-wide by five-feet-tall piece is a patchwork of bold colors and the work of successful local artist Jylian Gustlin, who can fetch $8,500 for paintings that big.
Gustlin, a Los Gatos resident, has sold more than 700 paintings to galleries and collectors. She offered her services at a reduced rate to support Morgan Hill’s new $19-million library. It’s the first time she has done a commissioned piece for a public building.
“I am very excited about being displayed in the library,” said Gustlin. “I’ve toured the new library and it’s beautiful. I am honored to be part of this project.”
Gustlin has spent two months working on the yet-to-be-named El Toro painting. She is applying the final touches to the vivid El Toro landscape at her Morgan Hill studio on Sycamore Drive in unincorporated south west county land.
“I kind of sculpt my paintings,” Gustlin explained, adding she uses knives and spatulas in the process. “I build up layers and scrape them down. If something feels to good to soon it stalls me.”
A native of the Bay Area, Gustlin grew up during the technology explosion of Silicon Valley. She worked for 12 years as a graphic artist for Apple despite leaving San Jose State one semester short of a degree in computer science and mathematics to attend the Academy of Art College in San Francisco.
“I knew if I had finished school I would never would have been an artist,” Gustlin said.
Morgan Hill’s 28,000-square-foot library is under construction next to the existing one on Peak Avenue. The Morgan Hill Redevelopment Agency is financing the project. The Santa Clara County Library will operate the facility as one of its eight branches.
Public support is making artwork such as Gustlin’s painting possible for the new library.
The Beyond Books Campaign, organized by the Friends of the Morgan Hill Library, has raised $165,000 for sculptures, murals, multi-media equipment, a children’s puppet stage and other enriching elements. The group’s fund-raising target is $180,000.
“We’re so pleased to have work of this quality in our library,” said Carol O’Hare, president of the Friends of the Morgan Hill Library, speaking about Gustlin’s painting. “It links the Morgan Hill library and the public to a nationally known artist.”
In addition to the painting, the group has commissioned an outdoor sculpture, a hanging art piece and murals for both the children’s and adults’ areas.
