Best of 2003: Best Inexpensive, High-Quality Art

C Note Sale
San Diego Art Institute
1439 El Prado, Balboa Park
619-236-0011

This semiannual event (June and December) features paintings, photographs, and sculptures created by local San Diego artists, many of whom are in attendance to meet and greet. The works are varied -- landscapes, contemporary and abstract pieces, still lifes, portraits, and mixed media -- and the sale benefits the Art Institute. But get there early; the buyers get grabby. At a recent C Note, a four-by-six-foot abstract oil painting by Anna Rappoli went for $200; a smaller acrylic of a whimsical coffee cup by Shirley Maier sold for $100.