Desert artists collaborate to share art in our valley

A small confederacy of local artists has joined together like the Three Musketeers — all for one and one for all — to present its art and services to the community.

Called the Desert Artists Gifts and Collectibles, it displays wall murals and oil paintings, faux finish and stained glass, gem stone jewelry and ceramics for sale, even more if you scour the nooks and crannies of the new store.

Opening day was Wednesday at 370 N. Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. The store is only 900 square feet in size but packed floor to ceiling with art and collectibles, including vintage “Herend” Hungarian porcelain and hand-crafted jewelry.

“We have six artists now,” said Veronkia Pickett, a Palm Springs resident who speaks with the remnants of a Hungarian accent from her birthplace in Budapest, tempered by her formative years in South Africa. “But we will have more in the future.”

Pickett plans to feature guest artists four times a year at the store. To cover the rent and overhead, the artists pay Pickett 10 percent of the sales price of their artwork, “which is affordable and practical” for each artist, she said.

Pickett, who moved to Palm Springs in 1989, is a faux artist who can transform a beat-up piece of furniture from a garage sale into a thing of beauty. Using paint, stains and glaze, an old wooden table can be restored to appear like marble, stone or oak. Faux is a color-blending technique that can be used on walls, floors, furniture, countertops and other places. She sells instructional videos in faux painting and offers classes in the store.

Represented at the co-op is Barbara Andrik of Palm Springs, known for her murals, some of which have graced the homes of Liza Minnelli and other stars. The exterior mural at the original Las Casuelas restaurant next door is one of Andrik's. So realistic are her murals that one person walked into a wall thinking a door painted on it was real, she said.

Randyn Seymon, a painter from Cathedral City, is also a singer known locally for his musical renditions ranging from Frank Sinatra to the Beatles. Self-taught in both art and music, his paintings could be classified as photo-realism. He is currently showing images of pears on a large canvass, some measuring up to 8-by-8 feet.

A local photographer, Brook Pestana, has a display of photos printed on canvas, showing architecture from Spain and France. Alongside the photos are pieces by Laura Knight, a specialist in metal art with a soft and curvy quality depicting horses and other animals.

If the artwork is not enough for your senses, you can sample the tea in the shop or take some home. Pickett has blended Rooibos tea, which is touted as a soothing antidote for headaches, insomnia, indigestion and other ailments, with raspberry, orange and other teas to create an aromatic and healthy beverage.