{"product_id":"estatefreshaustincom-2947","title":"Calvin Canepa 1979 Lake Tahoe California Harbor","description":"Frame measures 29\" x 41\", Painting measures 24\" x 36\" painted on 1979 by Calvin\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Canepa who can be read about below. The painting is undamaged and has not been\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;restored, canvas is tight, frame is also in great condition.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Not many people are “discovered” in kindergarten, but Calvin Canepa’s artistic\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;talents were apparent at the age of 5.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;“The superintendent of the Lake Tahoe school district saw a painting I did and\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;was impressed,” Canepa said.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;“He contacted my mother and told her that she should expose me to as many\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;outdoor scenes as possible so I could further develop my artistic abilities.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;“I had the first exhibition of my work when I was in the first grade.”\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt; Canepa is a self-taught fine artist. He concentrates on outdoor scenes and\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;still lifes. The area around Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada foothills serves\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;as the subject for most of his paintings.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;When Canepa isn’t painting or exhibiting his art, he works as a clerk at the\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Bel-Air market in Cameron Park. “When my daughter came to live with me,\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;following the death of her mother, I needed a job with health benefits that\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;would cover both of us,” he recalled. “I also wanted to work less than 40 hours\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;a week so I could have more time to concentrate on my painting. “That’s why I\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;applied to work at Bel Air. It was a Union job and I could work less than\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;full-time and still be eligible for benefits.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;‘The only way to go’\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;“I also had an uncle and two cousins who were Union members and worked for\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Lucky. I saw how they lived a solid middle-class lifestyle, so I knew Union was\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;the only way to go.”\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Canepa works the overnight shift because it lets him paint and market his art\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;during the day.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;“Selling paintings is an up-and-down business,” Canepa said. “Having a secure\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Union job with benefits has been a lifesaver for me.”\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;His union-negotiated health benefits were especially useful when he had to have\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;back surgery seven years ago.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;“I was out of work for six months,” Canepa said. ”Everything was taken care of.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to pay for the surgery and could\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;concentrate on getting better.”\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Canepa’s goal is to get his art into more galleries and eventually into museums.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;“Having your work hang in a museum would be very prestigious,” he said.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt; “But showing my work in as many galleries as possible is also important,\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;because I can sell more of my paintings.”\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;One of Canepa’s paintings sold for $14,000 to Bank of America and still hangs in\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;the bank’s corporate offices.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Although he is nowhere near retirement age, Canepa plans to keep working as long\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;as he can.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;“Work sharpens my artistic abilities,” Canepa said. “Having less free time is\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;good, because you need a sense of urgency to paint. If you have too much time on\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;your hands, you can get lazy.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;More information about Canepa’s artwork can be found at his\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;website, www.calvincanepafineart.com.","brand":"sale - www.estatefreshaustin.com Estate Fresh Austin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47400010088664,"sku":"1345428298_293F","price":1205.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/6284\/7960\/files\/calvin-canepa-1979-lake-tahoe-california-harborestate-fresh-austin-982425.png?v=1757940447","url":"https:\/\/estatefreshaustin.com\/zh-hant\/products\/estatefreshaustincom-2947","provider":"Estate Fresh Austin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}