By Linda Michael | Foothills Art Association

Roberta Labastida’s goal as an artist is to bring movement, freshness, and rich color-excitement to the figures, floras, and fauna she creates. She has always enjoyed oil and acrylic painting, but she finds great freedom and spirit in watercolor techniques. She has taken art classes from Drew Bandish, Elsimae Cleeton, Barbara Peterson and Ken Goldman.

A San Diego native, Labastida went to Mission Bay High School, aspiring to be commercial artist. However, she became a teacher after attending San Diego State University where she earned a bachelor’s in liberal studies, a second degree in visual arts, and a teaching credential.

During her years teaching, Labastida provided her students with many art experiences and art venues where they could show their work. She also wrote a curriculum for the San Diego County schools about the Kumeyaay culture, and that led her to write and illustrate a children’s book titled “My Kumeyaay Village” (Sunbelt Publications). Since retirement, her focus is on refining her own art skills and on establishing art programs in the Mountain Empire School District where she taught.

Currently, Labastida is vice president of the San Diego Art Association, on the board of Foothills Art Association, and a member of the San Diego Watercolor Society.

Labastida’s artwork will be featured at the gallery from Sept. 7–Oct. 3. She invites everyone to drop by on any Saturday during her gallery exhibit between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to meet her, see the show, and enjoy some refreshments.

—Linda Michael is the editor of the Foothills Art Association newsletter Footnotes. Reach her at [email protected]