It is with extreme sadness that we learned last night the passing of Sacramento native Harry Fonseca on December 28, 2006.

Harry, born in 1946 in Sacramento, was of Nisenan Maidu, Hawaiian, and Portuguese heritage. He studied at Sacramento City College and later with Frank LaPena at Sacramento State University.

Gillian and I discovered the wonderful artwork of Harry Fonseca at the Smithsonian Institute this past Thanksgiving holiday (see our November 30th post).

Recently, we purchased a house in Dallas and have been looking for contemporary artwork to complement our living space. We booked an April visit of the Santa Fe, New Mexico art galleries. Knowing that Harry has a studio in Santa Fe, we decided to put his studio on the must see list.

Unwittingly, last night we checked out his website in preparation of our visit, and saw the announcement of his passing.

Harry Fonseca was a great inspirational artist. Sacramento and beyond will miss this extraordinary talent.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive