Artists showcase work ‘Beyond Our Doors’ at Rancho Bernardo Library

Two dozen scenic landscape paintings are on exhibit in the Rancho Bernardo Library through Dec. 31.

“Beyond Our Doors” features the work of Poway resident Doris Bertch and Rancho Bernardo resident Jo-Lind Eckstein. The free exhibit was installed on Oct. 2 along the library’s upstairs hallway.

“Jo-Lind and I have been friends for a good 15 years at least (and) we still paint together when we can,” Bertch said. “I have a small outdoor area I use for the oil/cold wax medium. It has an area for Jo-Lind to use. She’s been a wonderful friend and also mentor.”

They met through the North County Society of Fine Arts, which arranged their exhibit in the library. Bertch joined 25 years ago and Eckstein 15 years ago. Bertch has had two previous RB Library exhibits through NCSFA, which meets in the library, while this is the first for Eckstein.

Bertch, who worked as a logistics analyst for a defense contractor, is a transplant from the Pacific Northwest, moving from Seattle to San Diego by way of Idaho. She has lived in San Diego County since 1987 and in Poway since 1997.

“When I stopped working a friend talked me into going to Oasis when it was in Escondido for a watercolor class,” Bertch said. “I enjoyed the class, but not watercolor. Then I saw a pastel demonstration, tried it and liked that because of the freshness and colors. I just like using them.”

According to Bertch, pastel can sometimes be “a struggle (to use), but because of the effort I like it best.”

Recently she has branched out into oil painting and oil with cold wax techniques.

“When you mix the oil with wax it feels like butter,” she said. “I like to do a lot of layers … and this dries faster (than just oil). I also like the feel of it, pushing the paint around.”

While Bertch, 75, had no prior art experience to the Oasis class 25 years ago, she comes from a long line of crafters and artists.

“Always fascinated by the ocean and the natural landscapes in my surroundings, I try to paint what I see and feel,” she said.

She attributed part of her love for seascapes to coming from Seattle.

“Water has always been important to me,” said Bertch, who has attended numerous workshops and classes over the years and taken online classes through the Cold Wax Academy.

Bertch said she enjoys the online classes taught by Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin because they include artists from around the world.

Her art has been shown at many galleries, including the Escondido Municipal Gallery, Coal Gallery in Carlsbad, Poway Center for the Performing Arts, Gallery 21 in Balboa Park’s Spanish Village and at Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church.

She is also a member of the Pastel Society of Southern California and Escondido Municipal Gallery.

Of her paintings in the library exhibit, Bertch said her favorites are a pastel titled “Rhythm of the Sea” and an oil and cold wax painting called “Waiting for Rain.”

Eckstein, 89, said she began on her artistic journey at age 6 when she took lessons at an art academy in Memphis and continued through college. She did not get to pursue it much as the wife of a Navy pilot raising three children, but returned to painting when she had more time to devote to it decades later.

“I am a fickle painter, going from one medium to another, never staying long; partly because I don’t want to start copying myself and/or there might be a wonderful scene passing by that begs to be painted right then,” Eckstein said.

She has had solo shows on the East Coast and in the San Diego area, including the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park. National and international shows included the Grumbacher Show in Alexandria, Virginia; Maryland Federation of Arts in Annapolis; San Diego Museum of Art’s Artists Guild’s En Plein Air International Show and the Biennale International Contemporary Art in Florence, Italy.

Her favorite mediums are pastels and oils.

“Pastel because you get almost instant gratification and oils because you do not have to worry about glass and reflections,” Eckstein said. “I do not do watercolor because I have a tendency to change mid-stream and with watercolor that is not as easy.”

Eckstein said the subject of her artwork is the determining factor in which medium she uses. She mostly paints people, but also enjoys landscapes, which are the focus for the library exhibit. Of those at the library, Eckstein said a pastel titled “Oak and Fields” is among her favorites.

Eckstein moved from Virginia to Escondido in 2000 and to Casa de las Campanas in Rancho Bernardo six years ago. Her two-month exhibit at Casa featuring 52 paintings just closed.

The paintings by both artists are for sale. Those interested can email Bertch at dabertch@gmail.com or Eckstein at jolindeckstein@gmail.com.

The exhibit can be viewed during library hours. The Rancho Bernardo Library is at 17110 Bernardo Center Drive.