Editor:

I was delighted to see the NCJ's cover showing local artist Curtis Otto ("Curtis Otto Was a Painter," Nov. 12). "A feature story! A tribute!" I thought.

How mistaken I was! The very non-representative selection of paintings, including a messy storage room and a crusty pallet, and the treatise on Mr. Otto's housekeeping skills were unnecessarily mean and snotty.

Either Jennifer Fumiko Cahill did not do her homework or she was not allowed sufficient time to do any. If she had looked at the paintings at the Morris Graves Museum from the 1960s that were exhibited a year or two ago and the retrospective at the now-closed Sewell Gallery about a year ago and every Arts Alive at the C Street Hall Gallery and in many private collections in Humboldt today, she would have written a feature story, a eulogy and tribute instead of a small-town gossip rant.

Mr. Otto was 92 when he passed away two weeks ago. He was still painting and thinking of new subjects several months ago. He was a tremendous force and great contributor to the Eureka art scene and its notable rise. He was an example and mentor to many artists in Eureka. Eureka is proud to have had him represent our beautiful natural environment, our Victorians, our women as well as ships, bridges and skyscrapers in his amazing collection of masterpieces.

Xandra Manns, Eureka