Crosby Heafey acquired the painting as part of the finishing touches in the remodeling of its Oakland office. Oakland office managing partner, John Lynn Smith, commented: "We chose the work of an Oakland artist, Anthony Holdsworth, because his art reflects the spirit of the city in which we both work — a real city with real people, growing, changing. This painting is a tangible demonstration of Crosby Heafey's commitment to the Oakland community. We are very happy to have it."
Holdsworth, who has painted scenes of Oakland for more than 30 years, described his passion for depicting this city in a recent profile for the San Francisco Chronicle: "I'm interested in being part of the community and making that the subject of the painting. One of the interesting things about working on the street is you get to see everything going on. Normally, if you just pass by, you don't have a sense of it being there." (San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, November 2, 2001, by Rona Marech.)
Although Holdsworth has painted in other cities and countries, including Mexico, Italy and France, he always comes back to the streets of Oakland where he is subject to the comments, advice and criticisms of people just passing by. He seems to relish this interaction and thinks of it as his "first and primary audience.… I am interested in reaching people, so out on the street I get a sense of what people see or don't see, understand and don't understand. I'm in a position, in some cases, to open their eyes."
Holdsworth offers oil painting classes at his studio at 351 Lewis Street in Oakland, which is open the last Sunday of every month from noon to 5 PM. He is also offering 12-day outdoor painting classes in Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico in October and January. If you'd like to learn more about Anthony Holdsworth, visit his web site at www.anthonyholdsworth.com.