In March 2020, following the unexpected closure of the Fine Arts Museums due to COVID-19, the call for submissions was announced for "The de Young Open", and beginning in June, local artists were encouraged to submit recent or newly created work to the exhibition through an online portal. An impressive 11,514 artworks were submitted by 6,188 artists from across the nine Bay Area counties.

Every artwork image was reviewed anonymously multiple times by a group of qualified jurors who did not know the identities of the artists. The jurors included four Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco curators and three prominent Bay Area artists: Mildred Howard, Hung Liu, and Enrique Chagoya. Given the space limitations in the main exhibition galleries, the seven jurors were faced with the challenging task of selecting and accepting less than 8% of all the works submitted.

Tom Gehrig's work, Reconnoitering Deception Pass, was selected for the exhibit. Measuring 40" x 50", this oil painting showcases an expansive cloud-filled sky, anchored by a rocky shoreline. In the distance, a tugboat is hauling an illuminated lighthouse across the ocean – destination unknown. ​

​Further intrigue is discovered through the overlook horizon. A fire is burning, figures are ascending a cliff, and a central character surveys the scene using a vintage scope. This dynamic landscape tells a story, completely open to the viewer's interpretation.

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