The Ramona Art & Wine Festival has chosen a painting by Ramona artist Johnathan Martinez as its commemorative art for the 2021 Ramona Art and Wine Festival.
Martinez is a painter, muralist and wine barrel artist. His 2021 commemorative painting shows three women in colorful clothes with no faces, each with a glass of wine surrounded by brightly colored landscape.
He said he intentionally paints people without facial features and distinctive fingers to keep the lines and shapes simplified The blank faces allow the viewer to project their own story into the painting and make an emotional connection, he said.
His other works in Ramona include the “La Quinceañera” mural at Leslie’s Pool Supplies; two utility boxes outside the Woman’s Club; and wine barrel art for previous Art & Wine Festivals. He will be exhibiting his art at the festival on Friday, Nov. 5, and at Hatfield Creek Vineyards & Winery, 1625 Highway 78, on Sunday, Nov. 7.
His commemorative painting will be shown at the Gala event for VIP passport holders on Friday, Oct. 29 at Old Julian Vineyards and Winery, 25325 East Old Julian Highway. It will be featured on the cover of the festival’s program, and the framed painting will be auctioned online with bidding to begin on Oct. 29 at https://www.accelevents.com/e/RamonaArtWineFestival; and to close at 2 p.m. Nov. 7 at a live auction for his painting and five hand-painted wine barrels.
Martinez can be reached by email at [email protected] More of his works can be seen online at: http://www.jmstudioart.com/ or on Facebook @jmstudioart.
The Ninth annual Ramona Art & Wine Festival, which benefits the Ramona H.E.A.R.T. Mural Project, will feature nine wineries participating in a three-day progressive event on Friday to Sunday, Nov. 5-7. For more information, visit https://ramonaartandwinefest.net or call 760-787-1102.
Stop signs proposed for the Estates to be considered by supervisors March 2
The county Traffic Advisory Committee voted unanimously Oct. 22 to recommend that stop signs be installed at three San Diego Country Estate intersections to improve road safety.
The intersections are Vista Vicente Drive at Calistoga Drive, Vista Vicente Drive at Barona Mesa Road, and Barona Mesa Road at Barona Mesa Way.
The recommendation is set to be heard by the county Board of Supervisors on March 2. The supervisors must approve the signs before they can be installed, which County traffic engineer Zoubir Ouadah said takes about two to four weeks, including road striping.
Ramona Community Planning Group member Casey Lynch, who chairs the group’s Transportation/Trails Subcommittee, spoke in favor of adding the stop signs during the committee’s Zoom meeting.
Lynch said the move toward making road safety improvements in the Estates was initiated by community members including Rebecca Geiger and Jackie Sedler. They were spurred by the death of 14-year-old Logan Krapf, who was struck and killed by a pickup truck while he was riding his skateboard on Barona Mesa Road the evening of Nov. 24, 2020.
After the collision, county staff studied average daily traffic volumes and average daily traffic speeds along Vista Vista Vicente and Barona Mesa. They also considered the design of the roads, the neighborhoods and lane striping, said Lynch, who earlier said he was alarmed that the studies showed drivers’ average speeds were 44 mph in a 25-mph zone.
“It’s going to help reduce speeds … and make the intersections safer,” Lynch said. “We’re taking steps to slow down speeds to prevent kids from getting hit again.”
Dentist offers to buy Halloween candy for charitable donation
Ramona Family Dentistry is offering to buy back Halloween candy from trick-or-treaters and donate the proceeds to Ramona Food & Clothes Closet.
Each year the dentist holds a “Halloween Candy Buy Back” campaign and pays $1 per pound for Halloween candy. The candy this year will be donated to Ramona Food & Clothes Closet for their holiday events.
Ramona Family Dentistry is located at 425 Tenth St., Suite B. For more information, call the dentist at 760-789-0170.
Ramona Family Dentistry is buying Halloween candy and donating the candy to Ramona Food & Clothes Closet.
(Courtesy Ramona Family Dentistry)
