Por Ken Williams | Editor

From art to music, North Park Festival of the Arts showcases local talent

Uptown artist Denisse Wolf is thrilled to see her bold painting selected as the grand prize winner in the Featured Artist Contest at the North Park Festival of the Arts.

“I feel extremely happy and excited to be chosen as the winner,” Wolf said. “It is an honor to see my work recognized.”

The winning piece, “Twiggs,” will be showcased May 16 when the 19th annual festival returns to downtown North Park.

Wolf will join dozens of artists, dancers, entertainers and musicians, including North Park resident Michael McGraw who will be performing with his band, the Butchers.

“North Park Festival of Arts is such a great vibe, always showcasing great art and music coming out of San Diego,” McGraw said. “I feel it is a great way to get our music in front of people who will appreciate the songwriting and passion in what we do.”

Like McGraw, Wolf expects the exposure to thousands of visitors at the festival will be a great way for her to be discovered by a larger audience.

“My goal this year is to try to branch out more in the San Diego community,” she said, adding that she believes her hard work over the past four and a half years is “paying off.”

Wolf’s artwork is inspired by her professional pursuits as a graphic artist and illustrator; she works in North Park and lived in City Heights with her husband. Those elements are combined within her paintings in what she terms “a marriage of both,” with an emphasis on both positive and negative spaces.

She is known for her large portraits of famous people, such as Twiggy, Obama and Einstein. “I love strong personalities and bold and stern faces,” Wolf said. “But it’s mainly the stories behind the faces that inspire me.”

For example, look at one of her latest works featuring Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. “The Frida piece challenged me to make it more than just a portrait,” she said, noting that the painting illustrates her growth as an artist. “I combined them in the painting, showing their love and their tormented relationship, and yet how they were bonded for life in love.”

Wolf is naturally inclined toward Mexican artists, given that she was born in Tijuana. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen when she was 13, and attended the Academy of Our Lady of Peace in Normal Heights. She studied art, graphics design and illustration here and in Florence, Italy.

At 31, Wolf looks forward to her continued evolution as an artist. And for Michael McGraw, the festival weekend marks a big step for his band. Not only does the band perform at 1:30 p.m. May 16 on the Observatory Stage during the festival, but later that night Michael McGraw and the Butchers will unveil their new album.

“The CD release party is Saturday, May 9 at Soda Bar,” McGraw said. “It is with a great band Hit Dog Hollar who is moving to Nashville and another local psych-folk band The Heart Beat Trail. We have some great new merchandise and cheap CDs so come out and let’s share a whiskey. Should be a good time!”

The band has been around since 2009 when McGraw formed a three-piece studio band. He said the band would add big beats and fuzzy guitars, changing their image.

“We kept getting booked with pretty mellow acts and so the name ‘the Butchers’ just helped add a little attitude since our music has more bite than most singer/songwriters. The current lineup are some longtime friends Archie Archbold on keys, Kevin Boyd on bass and Bryon Andersen or Nick Haliotis on drums,” he said.

McGraw describes the band’s current musical style.

“Every song we do as a band builds from the idea of a simple well-crafted song. We strive to create impactful songs that make you think about your own life and feel accessible, in the vein of Pete Yorn and Ryan Adams,” he said. “It’s a sound that combines a love for the Brit rock scene with the heartfelt sensibilities of a singer-songwriter. Someone once described us as  a ‘fuzzy Tom Petty meets ’90s lo-fi rock.’”

—Ken Williams is Editor of Uptown News and Mission Valley News and can be reached at [email protected] o al 619-961-1952.