Delicato Vineyards is holding its 22nd annual Fine Art Show from Saturday, Jan. 16 through Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010. All art in this show will be available for sale.

Artists who would like to participate in the contest are to bring their entries from Dec. 26 through Jan. 8 to Delicato, located on Highway 99 just north of Manteca. An application blank may be obtained by phoning, faxing, E-mailing, or visiting the Wine Tasting Room in Manteca. You may also download the application form from the following site: http://www.dfvtastingroom.com.

Up to five pieces of art per artist may be entered ($8 per entry) in the competition. The contest is open to entries by the creators of original art produced within the last three years. The Manteca Tasting Room Staff will be accepting entries from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mediums of acrylic, watercolor, pastel, oil, charcoal or ink will be accepted. Photographs, computer altered and regular, need to be entered in our Photography Show in July. Judging of the original pieces in the categories of Landscape, Wine/Grapes, Portrait, Animals, Whimsical and Other will be held on Saturday, Jan. 9.If all categories receive sufficient entries, twenty awards totaling over $1,600 will be presented at the February 6 award ceremony.

The judge for 2010 is Claire Verbiest of San Jose. Mrs. Verbiest is a Belgian native who lived in the Congo and in Germany before moving to San Jose with her husband and their two children. An award-winning artist and a signature member of several art societies, Verbiest is considered one of the finest watercolor and pastel artists in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is well known for her lively, crisp and truthful depictions of people, landscapes, flowers and objects and for her distinctive use of color. She teaches watercolor and pastel painting classes and conducts painting workshops throughout the US, Canada and Europe. She frequently serves as a juror for local art shows. “I paint because I must and I am a painter most of the time,” Claire Verbiest.

Numerous styles of art from many West Coast artists will be on display at Delicato from Jan. 16 through Feb. 6. Admission is free to the public.

Visitors will be encouraged to taste the latest wine releases while viewing and/or purchasing the art. Be sure to vote for your favorite piece of art.

There is a great deal of competition among the artists for your vote for the coveted Visitors’ Award.

Delicato Vineyards is located on Highway 99, four miles north of Manteca. The tasting room, where the art will be displayed, is open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

For more information, phone 824-3500 or fax 824-3510.