Artists have worked in Sand City for decades, but at the beginning, many were living illegally in empty warehouses. When Sand City changed the West End zoning from heavy industrial to mixed-use, artists came crawling out of the woodwork, ready to take a more visible role in the life of the small, industrial town. These Sand City artists planted the seed for the West End Celebration and remain, even in its expanded form, an integral part of the undertaking. This weekend a dozen resident creative types will host open studios, while 85-plus artisans and artists will set up their wares for admiration and sale across several blocks.


Suzka (or Susan Collins) has lived in Sand City for more than 20 years, and has helped with the festival for eight. In addition to seeding the community garden, she designed the West End website and pushed for the “Green Scene,” a section of vendors and artists promoting environmental awareness in life and in their work. With an abstract, colorful approach, Suzka works across many different visual mediums, including cartoons, painting, web design, and film. She has worked for years on stage backdrops for the Monterey Jazz Festival. 


“I love painting large paintings because I disappear,” she says. “There’s no real ego involved, because it’s bigger than I am.” 


Alan Arellano, Mark Bava and Jeff Smith met when they were all artists in Sand City, working in mediums as diverse as bronze sculpture, nature oil painting, and graphic design. Their proximity led them to bond over their musical interests and before long, form a “rock fusion” jam band known as Couch. Even though they no longer have studios in Sand City, they make their debut at West End this year, joined by other local musicians Michael Mahoney, Steve Kelly and Jaqui Hope for a noon-12:45pm slot on Sunday. Their artistic work, too, will be on display at a gallery across the street.


Artist Todd Kruper, a member of the Sand City Council, has worked with the Celebration since its inception (acting as director for seven), which means he remembers what a flop the first year was. Kruper calls himself a mixed media artist, practicing painting, sculpture and “found art,” in which he uses everyday objects (“anything I can get my hands on”). Recently, he finished seven cast bronze vases – covered with orchid flower and plant designs – to include in a show called Orchids at his 637 Ortiz #A studio.


While the Wild West-esque days of setting up illegally in warehouses may be long gone, Kruper says freedom of a different type – namely, artistic freedom – still reigns. “Down here,” he says, “pretty much anything goes.” 


West End Celebration’s participating artists host booths 10am-5pm Saturday and 11am-5pm Sunday on Ortiz Avenue in Sand City. Free admission. Visit www.westendcelebration.com for a map of open studios.