Author: Heidi Alonzo

Posted: Wednesday, Oct 1st, 2014, by: Tarmo Hannula, Register Pajaronian

WATSONVILLE — A Watsonville artist, who has painted in the Monterey Bay area for 40 years, is the creative force behind the 2014 Evening of Wine and Roses poster. Heidi Gottfried-Alonzo is shown with her original oil pastel and colored pencil on paper work Tuesday at her Watsonville home. Her artwork was chosen for the 2014 Evening of Wine and Roses poster.

(Photo by Tarmo Hannula/Register-Pajaronian)

For the complete article see the 10-02-2014 issue of the Register-Pajaronian .

Posted: Thursday, Oct 20th,
By: Tarmo Hannula, Register Pajaronian

A new oil pastel painting, “The Mystery at Pinto Lake,” was unveiled Monday at Watsonville Public Library on Main Street.

The 3-foot-by-4-foot framed work, painted by Watsonville artist Heidi Alonzo, will eventually hang on the first floor of the library behind the main circulation desk, library director Carol Heitzig said.

The work was commissioned by local developer George Ow Jr.

The work is a colorful, highly stylized visual recounting of a story that began on June 17, 1992, at Pinto Lake County Park where Anita Mendoza-Contreras, a local resident, noticed what appeared to be an image of the outline typically used for the Virgin of Guadalupe appearing in the bark of an oak tree. The apparition has grown to be a major attraction, especially for many Central Coast residents who are from Mexico, where the Virgin Guadalupe is significant to the Catholic religion. Even today, a shrine filled with candles, hundreds of fresh and plastic flowers, photographs and religious objects marks the spot. Each anniversary of the discovery, hundreds of pilgrims converge at the site to pay honor and pray.

“I love libraries and I love this library,” Ow told a gathering of about 15 people at the unveiling. “I also love Heidi’s painting. Elias (Alonzo’s husband) had written a very lyrical prose/poem about the virgin at Pinto Lake and Heidi brought the words to this painting.”

Heidi Alonzo has been a member of the faculty at St. Francis Central Coast Catholic High School for nine years. In addition to teaching art, she instructs classes on computer design and graphics and serves as yearbook adviser.

Sentinel staff report, May 12, 2005

When the ballots were counted Wednesday, local artist Heidi Gottfried emerged as the winner — and the runner-up — in the annual Monterey Bay Strawberry Festival poster contest.

The 11th annual festival will be Aug. 6 and 7 in downtown Watsonville.

Festival organizers met Wednesday to make plans and pick the poster from among the top 10 of 17 entries.

Organizers hope to top last year’s crowd, estimated at 67,000 people, with plenty of live entertainment. The names of acts weren’t released, but organizers said to expect lots of brass and percussion.

The festival will also include a soccer tournament, and there will be lots of food, including the celebrated fruit.

Gottfried’s winning design, which features a giant strawberry floating above a panorama of a beach, strawberry field and the landmark bandstand in the City Plaza, will be used to advertise the festival. The poster will be plastered throughout the Monterey Bay area and will hang in 250 restaurants, motels and corporate lunch rooms between San Jose and San Francisco.

Gottfried, who entered twice, will collect $750 for her first and second place entries. The St. Francis Central Coast Catholic High School art teacher previously designed the poster for the Santa Cruz County Fair.

Third place, and a $100 prize, went to Peggy Marketello of Santa Cruz. Andra Rudolph of Santa Cruz earned an honorable mention.