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Jacquelyn Vierra painted a piano that will be used during Sunday's Treasure Island Wine Fest featuring Lodi wines. Vierra and the piano are pictured at St. Jorge Winery on Tuesday morning in Acampo. »Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)
Local artist Jacquelyn Vierra hopes funky piano will help Treasure Island event hit high note
Art flows from Jacquelyn Vierra. The Lodi native was raised at the walnut orchard being converted to a vineyard, which is home to new St. Jorge's Winery in Acampo.
She has been drawing since she was three years old. At 15, she picked up her first paintbrush and found her calling. She has spent the time since then learning, traveling and creating. After graduating from Lodi High School in 2001, she attended San Jose State and majored in fine art and minored in graphic design. She earned her master's degree at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She has studied and painted in Europe, and her work is featured at 625 Gallery in San Francisco through the end of October.
"Drawing has always been a stepping stone to get to painting," she said. "Once you master the skill of drawing, the next step is painting."
Sunday at the Treasure Island Wine Fest featuring Lodi wines, Vierra is showcasing a piece of art that isn't served in a wine glass. She has painted a piano to reflect San Francisco's reputation as a Bohemian and psychedelic city.
The piano will serve as the artistic centerpiece of an event that will feature Lodi wines in the Bay Area for a day.
The result is uniquely San Franciscan. Vibrant greens and yellows, as well as soothing purples and blues, cascade across the piano. The back features the words "Lodi Appellation" in red, offset by a tranquil landscape.
It took her roughly 24 hours to paint. Vierra said she spent about six hours a day painting it for four days.
She worked with seven colors and added and mixed her own.
Vierra said that while no specific part of the piano was difficult to paint, the legs were very transparent and she had to keep applying coats. She said it took three coats of paint to get the layers right.
Jackie Vierra painted a piano that will be used during Sunday's Treasure Island Wine Fest featuring Lodi wines. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)
She did the entire design freehand and only taped off the piano's keys.
Vierra's comfort zone for painting includes landscapes of San Francisco, Europe and Lake Tahoe. She also is at ease painting the human form. She admitted the piano was a departure from her usual style, but still enjoyed the experience.
"I'm not an illustrator," Vierra said. "It's very different from my style."
At the urging of event coordinators, she painted the piano in a manner that would embrace San Francisco's history and image as a unconventional and fun city. Across the face of the piano, a music note, a heart and a peace sign adorn the instrument.
Vierra said she was excited to contribute to the Treasure Island Wine Fest because she enjoys seeing her hometown get attention.
"I lived in the city (of San Francisco) for three years and in the Bay Area for eight," she said. "When people would say they were going winetasting, it was always to Napa, Sonoma or Paso Robles. It was never Lodi."
Vierra said she is surprised more people don't know about Lodi's great wines, but she wants the Treasure Island Wine Fest to become an annual event to build Lodi's visibility.
"It's fun to get involved in a good cause," she said.
The piano is not the only artwork of Vierra's that will be on display at the Treasure Island Wine Fest. Vierra created the banner that will hang over St. Jorge's booth and took the pictures of the winery that will be given to guests on postcards.
Vierra's official title for St. Jorge's Winery is event coordinator, but she said she fills in wherever she is needed.
Besides having creations virtually all over the festival, Vierra's artwork is being shown through the end of the month at 625 Gallery in San Francisco, located at 625 Sutter St. It features her paintings of figures and landscapes inspired by traditional artists such as Rembrandt. She describes her artwork as a mix of both the Renaissance and Baroque periods, as well as contemporary.
Mandy Zeboski will be one of several people playing the piano on Sunday. Zeboski is a classically trained pianist who also plays popular music. She said she saw a picture of the piano and was impressed by it.
"I didn't know what to expect," she said. "She did a really good job. The lines are clean and you can tell a lot of time was put into it."
Charlene Lange, of Lange Twins Winery said the piano fits the personality of the event, and it will be reappearing regularly at Lodi winetasting events. She said it will be at First Sip and Zinfest, and the instrument is "our little mascot" for upcoming events. Lange, the coordinator of the festival, said the piano is "funky and energetic."
Lange said her son went to school with Vierra and her artistic talents made her a natural choice to create this piece, even though it wasn't like her usual artwork.
"It was her donation," Lange said. "It reflects the nature of the whole event."
Contact reporter Jordan Guinn at jordang@lodinews.com.
Jackie Vierra painted a piano that will be used during Sunday's Treasure Island Wine Fest featuring Lodi wines. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)
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