Winifred Thompson’s watercolor painting “California Sun” depicts a sunrise over the horizon. Her use of colors makes everything seem as if the sun is the origin where all her shades of red, yellow and orange are emanating from. The colors also reflect off the water in background, adding a layer of realism to the piece.

At the same time, these warm colors intersect with the subtle usage of blue, green, white and gray that come together to make up the sky. Thompson’s foreground appears to show some grass with a morning fog rolling through.

Thompson’s work will appear from Jan. 27 until March 10 at the Adobe Art Gallery in Castro Valley in “Anything Goes, Almost,” an exhibit curated by ART Inc. Guests can view the exhibit from 11 p.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and admission is free for all attendees. The Adobe Gallery is located in the back of Adobe Park on San Miguel Ave. in Castro Valley.

“‘California Sun’ captures the dawning of a new day,” Thompson told The Pioneer. “I want my paintings to sparkle, so I often use vibrant colors to represent the thrill of being alive. ‘California Sun’ is a watercolor on yupo paper which is made of plastic.”

“Anything Goes, Almost” features nearly a dozen art styles including watercolor, digital photography, acrylic, ceramic, pastel and charcoal. The art on display was produced by Bay Area residents and ART Inc. members. This includes Cal State East Bay alum Lynne Shephard, whose acrylic painting “Ginko Leaf” is on display at the exhibit.

“The inspiration for my latest works, including the Gingko Leaf, is an ongoing desire to show a lot of textural quality,” Shephard said. “To achieve that I add acrylic media and collage to the canvas. In the case of the Gingko Leaf, I was finding the bright yellow leaves on the ground surrounding the gingko trees. Their wonderful shapes inspired me to include one of them in this painting.”

This exhibit is being presented by ART Inc., a partner of the Hayward Area Park and Recreation District (HARD). ART Inc. was founded in 1984 to support the Adobe Art Gallery via its membership fees, newsletter, website, art demonstrations and other social events.

ART Inc. President Stan Stadelman also had his work on display at the gallery. His watercolor piece entitled “Summer Camp” utilized different shades of green and brown to illustrate a naturalistic outdoor environment.

The foreground of his art features a grass field with stones painted in different shades of grey to convey dimension and detail. The mid ground shows a campsite with a firepit and several cabins where Stadelman manages to translate grainy wood textures using watercolor. Finally, the background of the painting is filled with trees, but they were painted using darker shades of brown and green to contrast his foreground and midground.

Rinna Flohr, director of the Expressions Art Gallery in Berkeley judged the artwork in the exhibit. Flohr’s appraisal determined the outcome of the award ceremony, in which many earned honorable mentions, but only five ART Inc. members earned the merit award. The recipients included: Lee Daguman, “Xochimilco;” Niambi Kee, “Family Portraits: Foremothers;” John Ries, “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie;” Marge Barta Atkins, “Matilija Fantasy #3” and Renea Turner “Stairway of Light.”

Atkins’ piece, “Matilija Fantasy #3,” is a floral painting made from watercolor. It was no surprise that fellow floral artist and judge Rina Flohr chose this work to receive a merit award. The background of the painting uses a mixture of warm colors in the center with cooler colors on each side of the painting.

The foreground of the piece features several flowers in full bloom, some with white petals and others with magenta petals created from a mixture of colors. The stems of the flower are painted with contrasting shades of green and even depicted some buds not yet in bloom.

President Stadelman of ART Inc. and the gallery director Leah Virsik both deemed the opening day of the event wonderful and congratulated the artists on their work. They were grateful for both the opportunities allowed by the gallery, and the efforts put forth by ART and its members for make events like these possible.

“Years ago I submitted my work to this gallery,” said Adobe Art Gallery director Leah Virsik. “It was and still is a place that’s full of potential. It’s very accessible, and I feel like it’s a hidden gem. There is definitely a community here.”