December 2013

Featured Artist

Pamela Mejia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 2013

featured artist

James Kelly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 2013
Featured Artist

Claudette Garcia

of Tracy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 2013

featured artist

Randy Klassen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 2013

featured artist

Don Hukari

 

 

 

 

May 2013

featured artist

Renatta Hayes

 

"Leather"

March 2013

featured artist

KIm Barrington

 

February 2013

 

PAMELA MEJIA • COPPEROPOLIS

 

Along with music and gardening, art has been my pleasure and favorite pastime all my life. I attended College of Marin and received a BA in Art and history way back when. But after college as my children were growing up I kept coming back to College of Marin for additional classes. Drawing, design, life drawing , painting, sculpture, fabric arts  - you name it, I probably took it.

 

Later, when I moved to San Francisco, I continued with my interests, taking classes from SF State, City College of San Francisco, The Art Institute, Academy of Art, Fort Mason sculpture studio etc. etc. I took night classes, weekend classes,  workshops, any thing I could manage and still hold down a day job. I joined the society of SF Women Artists and worked in their gallery on Hayes Street. Mostly I had been painting in oils and sculpturing in clay.

 

 In 2001, I retired, and decided to get more involved in some community programs. I became a volunteer at the Asian Art Museum and helped with the family art program there. I also became a Friend of Filoli, with an eye to do some volunteering at the gorgeous estate and gardens there.  Filoli also has an active arts program and I decided to take yet another workshop, this one a "beginning watercolor" class with instructor was Jann Pollard, a well know teacher and water-colorist. For me, it was a seminal moment. With Jann's enthusiasm and encouragement, I dove in - and was forever transformed. There is a pure thrill in making those transparent washes of sometimes vivid, sometimes subtle color! I was both amazed and inspired! Watercolor...I was hooked!

 

Very soon, I was also humbled. I was beginning to learn how difficult the medium can be! But the hook was set. I gave up all other mediums. At another Filoli workshop, I ran into a couple of like minded enthusiasts, who told me about a wonderful teacher, who gave watercolor classes on Friday and Saturdays in the Old Train Station, in Half Moon Bay. She took students at all levels and worked with them on an individual basis to develop their unique potentials. I called and introduced myself and got directions to attend her next class. That is how I came to meet my friend and teacher, Jennifer Almodova Roberts, with whom I have been painting, whenever possible, ever since. I continue to take other classes and workshops, to explore new techniques and materials and develop different ideas, voices, to gain insights and in general, push the envelope of my expertise. No matter how much you think you know, watercolor always has more to offer. It is sometimes illusive and can be thoroughly frustrating, but no matter, it is always a joy to me!

JAMES KELLY • MURPHY'S

 

James Kelly has been drawing and painting people all his life. When James was ten, his mother’s private art tutor, Abraham Nussbaum, an accomplished portrait and figurative artist, gave James private lessons. James later studied at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles and the Academy of Art in San Francisco. He returned to both schools to teach.

 

As art director for Atari from 1977 through 1983, Kelly was in charge of marketing design, packaging and the illustration department. As a commercial illustrator for twenty years, James work has been seen in countless movie posters, book covers and national ad campaigns.

James worked freelance for notables as Coca Cola, Disney Studios, Bank of America, U.S Air Force, Boeing, British Airlines, Levi Strauss, Ford Motor Corp., Boy Scouts of America, National Parks, National Geographic, Playboy and Sunset Magazine.

 

"I can draw and paint anything from landscape to still life," says Kelly, "but my passion is painting the human figure."

 

After his twenty-year career as an illustrator and designer, Kelly decided to concentrate on painting the female figure. As a portrait and figurative artist, his subjects include celebrities, sports heroes, corporate leaders, and every day people.

 

"A successful portrait is much more than just a likeness. You want to capture the spirit of the person. Those who know the subject see the traits and attitudes they know as part of the person's personality. Those who do not know the subject should be able to see something that shows what kind of individual they are."

 

James is an internationally published portrait artist. His figurative works have earned him the reputation as one of the finest artistic interpreters of the female figure. James resides in both California and Minnesota.

I really enjoy being out in nature and seeing the natural beauty around us. I love to explore with the camera and find images within the scene, whether grand or intimate. I hope my images help viewers be able to share in my experience and get a sense of the amazing things that Mother Nature is capable of. Growing up in Montana, I spent a lot of time outdoors with my family. We would go camping every summer in amazing locations. Whether we were in Yellowstone or Glacier National Parks or up in the Canadian Rockies, there was an abundance of beauty all around. I spent a lot of time with a camera as a child, shooting whatever caught my eye. Looking at it now, it wasn’t much to look at, but lit the spark to where I am at today. It took me many years before I was able to couple my passion for nature with my desire to capture what I was seeing, with a camera. Although I am pretty much self-taught, I have been fortunate to work with some amazing photographers that have helped me to grow and understand the nuances of creating beautiful images. I have a fundamental belief that the learning never stops and when you stop learning, you stop growing. I am always seeking to learn new techniques and methods to improve my capabilities and further my ability to make great pictures. I hope you enjoy viewing my images as much as I enjoyed making them.
Brent Fraser

RANDY KLASSEN • SAN ANDREAS

 

Randy’s dad was an artist who studied with one of Canada’s foremost watercolorists, Walter J. Phillips. When Randy was 12, his art career began when these two famous artists included him in a sketching trip to the Canadian Rockies.

 

“I’ve painted ever since, trying my hand at pastel, pen and ink, oil and acrylics, but always returning to my favorite and most challenging medium, watercolor,” Randy said. “Painting was an avid hobby with me until 1981 when it became a full-time profession.”

 

Randy said it is inspiration and challenge that gets him started on a project. “After that, it’s pretty demanding work. I like the design I find in detail and it takes time to capture the relevant details that give my art the designation of ‘realism’. My hope is that the finished product will return to the viewer some of the original inspiration that got me started.”

 

Randy has received awards in San Francisco, Palm Springs, and other U.S. cities. Last year, Randy and his wife, Joyce, returned to one of their favorite places, Calaveras County, and he is happy to be painting the charm of the foothills.

Jim's  interest has always been with the edges of vision; not only the literal edge of the field of view, but also with the transitory and all those things we ignore when we look at what we're looking at. So, at various times his works have depicted the imperfections in our eye fluid (floaters), what we see when we close our eyes, and afterimages. For years he worked with the imagery of window frames and the ghost images found while watching television.

The past 10 years or so, Jim has been paying attention to reflections and shadows, not really a new idea ,  but one which has given him a rich field for experiment. By overlapping and interweaving these elements Jim creates just about anything he wants-- landscape, figurative or still life imagery, without ever having to resort to conventional rendering. "Freedom!" Jim says.

Jim has a MA in Art from Cal State Sacramento and a BFA in Advertising Design from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.  He has won numerous awards, including Best of Show at the Roseville Arts Center Open, Auburn Art Show, and the Camellia Festival Fine Art Competiton. Jim is a former teacher at Columbia College.

RENETTA HAYES • JAMESTOWN

Renetta is primarily a pastel artist, but also works in oils and watercolor. She has a
BA in Art from San Jose State University and taught elementary school in a Fine Arts and Creative Expression mini school in San Jose. She left teaching to pursue a career in the computer industry.

 

She is a pilot, having owned her own plane and loves to garden, read. and travel.  She lives in Jamestown in a home she and her husband, Carroll, designed and built.   Carroll & Renetta have traveled extensively and much of her work comes from photographs she has taken while traveling.

 

Since retirement, Renetta has been working actively with her art for the past 15 years taking ongoing classes and exploring her passion. She credits Georgia Herrick for most of her growth in the use of pastels and Kitty Davids for being her mentor. She is past president of the Valley Art Association and is active in the Mother Lode Art Association as Newsletter Editor and Chairman of the Annual Fall Art Show for the past two years. She is also a member of the Pastel Society of the West Coast and the Central Sierra Arts Council. She has won numerous awards for her work in various shows and is in many private collections. 

 

"I strive to continue to develop proficiency relative to the intricacies and nuances of creating art that will evoke an emotional response from the viewer. The process of developing and building a painting is both fascinating and exciting.   I love it!!"

The eleven Third Anniversary Leather Contest entries are pictured above.  They include 3-D entries "What's in Your Purse? Circa 1890" by Ruth Morrow (Arnold), "Old Leather Saddlebag" by Carolynn Troedson (Waterford), "Like Father, Like Son" by Joyce Klassen (San Andreas), and "Cowboy Anniversary" quilt by Shera Winter (Angels Camp).  2-D entries include "Packin' Leather" watercolor by Kim Barrington (Angels Camp), "Dancing Boots" watercolor and "Best Foot Forward" graphite by Margo Flanagan (Manteca), "Chris and Nolan at the Roundup" acrylic by Barbara Conley (Sonora), "Chaps" pen and ink with pastel by Marlene Barnes Dotur of Jamestown, "Remains of the Day" watercolor by Liz Reinhard (Groveland), and "The Carriage Lamp" oil by Kathleen Canning (Murphys).

MARY JEAN ST. CLAIRE • ANGELS CAMP

Mary Jean became an aspiring artist in early childhood and has continued her pursuit of art throughout her life. With a heavy focus on art in high school and college, she continued her studies in the Bay Area with artists such as Howard Brodie (a favorite) and Dr. Raymond Brose. A past member of the University Art Club in Palo Alto, Mary Jean was a participant and multiple prize winner in Bay Area juried shows. Through the University Art Club, she also exhibited in one man shows. Her paintings can be found in many private collections.

A long hiatus from painting occurred when she returned to school to study interior design with a focus on antique furniture.  Shortly after completing her interior design studies, she opened an antique store which featured period furniture along with 19^th century decorative items.   The store hosted ASID events and continuing education lectures by local experts in the decorative arts field. Even though she felt that she was fulfilling her love of art through decorative arts, she missed the thrill of creating art on a canvas. She is a past member of the Committee for Art at Stanford and the San Francisco Ceramic Circle.

A move to Angels Camp in 2006 created the opportunity for Mary Jean to revisit her love of oil painting. Here she continues to paint and study with many of the area’s finest artists in pursuit of the improvement of her work; and, most of all, to learn to put down her brush once a painting is finished. She is in the process of exploring working with pastels but still feels more comfortable with a paintbrush in her hand.

She loves to paint subjects found locally and feels fortunate to live in an area with such an abundance of objects from which to choose.

A member of the Mother Lode Art Association, Central Sierra Arts Council and the California Art Club, Mary Jean’s work can be viewed at Town Hall Arts in Copperopolis, CA.