![\"Silfredo](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/web-IMG_5071_2.jpg\")
<\/a>One reason Sjoberg started the \u201cArtists of North Park\u201d show was to meet the artists in the neighborhood, she said, as well as to encourage people to support local artists within their own neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Moreover, she wanted the artists to meet one another in hopes of creating a supportive, collaborative environment. The core of her vision has been to build community, to educate and to promote the artists of North Park.<\/p>\n
\u201c[This show is] open to people who make art. Showing their work is the next step to feeling like an artist,\u201d Sjoberg said.<\/p>\n
Beverly Fitzgerald, a new Uptown resident, attended her first exhibit at Expressive Arts that Saturday night. She said she and her mother joined the evening\u2019s event after they had been peeking through the windows while strolling through the area.<\/p>\n
Though not a trained artist, Fitzgerald said she is an \u201cartist at heart\u201d and feels welcome to express herself at the studio. \u201cI\u2019m totally sold on the place and I\u2019m planning on continuing to come to the events here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Joining Fitzgerald were a talented array of artists. One in particular was singer, songwriter and guitarist Marc Delgado, a North Park resident who has been a musician since he was 17 years old. He was a newcomer to the studio as well.<\/p>\n
\u201c[It is] a really nice room to play in [and is] an intimate experience. I like to be able to see the people\u2019s faces,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Delgado said his style is greatly influenced by Neil Young and will be releasing a solo album under the artist name of Wounded Knee next year, titled \u201cHigh in a Neon Dive.\u201d He also plays every Saturday with the band Snow Dog at Riley\u2019s Music Lounge in Point Loma.<\/p>\n
Among the other artists that evening was Silfredo La O Vigo, a professional dancer and instructor at Palomar College and North Park\u2019s A Time To Dance studios. His oil-based painting \u201cInspiration\u201d was conceived by combining his passion of dance and art. He crafts a story while the blank canvass lies on the floor beneath him, dancing as he paints.<\/p>\n Dan Landrum wowed attendees with his laser-cut \u201cCardboard Lamp\u201d collection, and newcomer Alisa Hernandez displayed an oil-based painting titled \u201cApartments on Alcatraz Island.\u201d Hernandez said she began painting in second grade, after being inspired by her teacher.<\/p>\n Retired San Diego employee Paula Thomas said she delved back into her art after nearly 40 years, in part to discover herself. She stumbled on Expressive Arts a year ago, and was inspired to begin her art again.<\/p>\n \u201cI put myself together after being blown away by life,\u201d she said. Her piece \u201cFlorida Canyon Figurine\u201d is a nature sculpture made from items she found while hiking one day.<\/p>\n Owner of a new Ray Street gallery, Signs of San Diego, Brandon Hubbard showcased his watercolor painting of North Park at Expressive Arts. He described his work as \u201cunique local art,\u201d focusing on \u201ciconic symbols that make up San Diego via photograph and sketch,\u201d including, of course, the North Park neon sign.<\/p>\n Sjoberg was a generous host. She welcomed the artists and audience with lavish and heartfelt gratitude, and took her time to make everyone feel comfortable. She has a natural ability to open people up.<\/p>\n \u201cLet people inspire, and make [art] your own,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/a>