Lake Tahoe Community College’s student art show is sprawling—starting in a clump in the college’s main commons area, then twisting, turning and trailing down hallways in an almost-dizzying, staggering number. Among the multitudes of talent featured in the show (which runs through June 18), here are a few of my favorites:

“Parrelel Bunny” by Forest Jett, acrylic pen

“Angora Fire” by Dorothy Davis, watermedia/dye on silk

“What Haley Saw” by Dorothy Davis, printmaking/dry point

“Aspens on Silk” by Nina Major, watermedia/dye on silk

Just in case you need another reason to head to Tahoe City this weekend… Student art from North Tahoe High School and Forest Charter is on display at North Tahoe Arts‘ Corison Gallery through the 31st, 11am to 4pm.

… your artwork, that is. Only five days left to get a clever poster design off to the South Lake Tahoe Soroptimist club, who is looking to promote its annual An Evening of Food & Wine Tasting. For the full story and entry details, visit Tahoe Arts and Mountain Culture.

High Country News, the finest publication covering the American West, needs our word-smithing help. They are looking to craft a compelling bumper sticker, and the top three selections aren’t quite cutting it. I just submitted a few ideas… click here to check it out and contribute.

Through the end of June, dinner at Truckee’s Dragonfly gets a little more scenic with photography on display by Elizabeth and Olof Carmel. The owners of The Carmel Gallery, Elizabeth and Olof are adept at capturing Tahoe’s natural beauty—and giving it a fine art twist (see Elizabeth’s Silver & Gold above). Stop by their new, improved location just blocks away from Dragonfly (and behind their former gallery space) on Donner Pass Road for a closer look at their work, as well as furniture by Tom Beebe and Berkeley Mills.

Oh how I love Truckee Book & Bean… let me count the ways.

1) By nature, they buy and sell used books, brew fantastic organic coffee and are just plain cozy.

2) They go above and beyond to host all sorts of community gatherings, including movie, chess, knitting and open mic nights.

3) My fellow Tahoe Writers Group member Karen Terrey will be there tomorrow, Friday May 15, at 6pm for a poetry reading and open mic session. Karen’s super talented, so check her and her friends out—or get up there and spout out something yourself.

The work of my favorite local artist will now be on the backs of adventure-seekers around the globe thanks to Patagonia’s latest t-shirt release. I was introduced to Phyllis Shafer four years ago while working at Tahoe Quarterly magazine. I’ve since followed her career and am continually amazed. Her recent Stremmel Gallery exhibition brought out some stunning new paintings like Tallac Rex and Late Autumn Along the Carson. The “living moment” that she always strives to capture certainly falls in line with Patagonia’s ideals.

LTCC flyer for the show (the top right image is Karl Schwiesow's work)

A trip down to South Lake Tahoe last night to visit my friends Karl and Jenna reopened my eyes to two things: 1) Karl is a phenomenal artist (don’t worry, I’ll be profiling him soon) with unique perspectives on sculpture, portraiture and painting. 2) Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC), where Karl is a student, is a breeding ground for some stellar artistic talents.

Join me Sunday May 17, 2–5pm, for the opening of LTCC’s 2009 Student Art Exhibition, where more than 500 works will be on display and juried. Can’t make it on Sunday? The exhibit runs through June 18, and look for more updates from me soon.