The softer side of the city

Young Chang

They check the city’s streets, check out your books and keep swimmers

safe at the beach. But on Monday, the public can see a different side of

Newport Beach city employees. A hidden side. An artistic side.

A medley of two-dimensional art by city employees will be on display

through Oct. 31 at City Hall. The exhibit is the brainchild of Hallie

Strock, the city’s cultural arts coordinator.

Strock, who will show her watercolors of sunflowers and a mother pig

with piglets, created the idea for a city employee art exhibit in early

spring. The idea got a good response and thus the exhibit was planned.

Around 20 Newport Beach city workers are participating.

“I thought, wouldn’t that be great if we could show kind of the other

side of the employees? The creative side?” Strock said.

Robert Masters, a city public works inspector, will showcase the

stained-glass windows he makes in his garage. Masters finds his artistic

visions expressed best by melting, sawing and welding colored glass and

lead strips together.

He makes ceramic pots and does woodwork too, but said stained glass

affords him the most artistry.

“I can visualize something, and it appears,” he said. “And this is my

way of doing things that take my mind off from work.”

Phyllis Scheffler, a librarian at the Mariners Branch Library, once

snapped a picture of Prince Charles playing polo in the desert. A camera

store owner at Cerritos Mall wanted to hang it in the shop. Scheffler

agreed and got a kick out of seeing her art in public.

This time her other photos -- of twin boys, canoes and Icelandic

poppies -- will have their moment of fame.

Jennifer Bloomfield, a lifeguard for Newport Beach, plans to display

two paintings. One is an acrylic rendition of a building in Europe with a

hunched old man wearing a blue coat and black pants walking in front --

an imitation of a Norman Rockwell character.

Bloomfield, who entered an art contest as a high school freshman,

knows how it feels to stand aside and overhear strangers’ reactions to

her art. Most loved it.

A few, who thought they might’ve done things a bit differently,

unknowingly gave her some pointers.

“When you know someone else likes [your work], it makes you want to

take a chance on doing this as a side job,” Bloomfield said.

FYI

WHAT: Original works by city of Newport Beach employees

WHEN: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday from Sept. 11 through

Oct. 31.

WHERE: Newport Beach City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd.

COST: Free

CALL: (949) 717-3870.