About Member Artists
Chris Boyd
Chris Boyd:
Under the eyes of my teachers, I developed my own skills and discipline. But it was in my early childhood during wondrous days spent at my grandparents' farm, when I was allowed to roam, to watch and to dream, that nature became a vital part of me. My connections to nature can be seen in my animal creations, but also I enjoy designing bowls that resemble seed pods and cups that have the intricate structure of a flower, mushroom or squash. Walks in the garden, along the beach and in the woods reveal new forms and new ways of seeing. There is always a new frontier.
Under the eyes of my teachers, I developed my own skills and discipline. But it was in my early childhood during wondrous days spent at my grandparents' farm, when I was allowed to roam, to watch and to dream, that nature became a vital part of me. My connections to nature can be seen in my animal creations, but also I enjoy designing bowls that resemble seed pods and cups that have the intricate structure of a flower, mushroom or squash. Walks in the garden, along the beach and in the woods reveal new forms and new ways of seeing. There is always a new frontier.
Robert Breyer
Robert Breyer paints in oil, acrylic and watercolor, sculpts in clay, wood, plaster and stone, and makes original woodcuts, etchings, and monoprints. He paints in overlapping styles ranging from traditional landscape to Bay Area figurative. Taking inspiration from Matisse, Bonnard, Park, Neri, Joan Brown, and Nathan Oliveira, he discards pictorial cliches, seeking to bring a new consciousness to the moment, "to help see a face, a gesture, a hand, a breast, differently, in a new light." He spent many years in New Mexico, exhibiting in Taos, Santa Fe, Sedona and Scottsdale before moving to Sonoma County, where he lives and works in Graton.
Sandy Eastoak
Sandy Eastoak was raised by trees in New England and educated by forests of Oregon, Northern California, and New Mexico. She studied at Antioch College, University of Oregon, and with Lou Fish in Saint Lucia and Richard McDaniel in Santa Rosa.
Chinese and Japanese art affected her early. She studied sumi painting, cared for Oriental collections at the Schnitzer Museum, and practiced Zen for 30 years. Individual influences include Hiroshige, Emily Carr, Morris Graves, Jan Jones, Fritz Scholder, Joy Harjo, and Rick Bartow.
Since her first solo show in 1977, her art has appeared in over 40 solo and 130 group shows on the West Coast, Northeast, and Southwest. Her work is collected in 23 states and 19 countries. She is a published poet and editor/illustrator of Dharma Family Treasures. She helps the Sebastopol Celtic Music Festival, Salmonid Restoration Federation, and Honor the Earth.
In the early 70’s, she pledged to create images that heal the rift between human culture and all our relations. This quest leads into Indian country, and she now believes ecological harmony is inseparable from indigenous ways.
www.sandyeastoak.com
Click here to see a video of Sandy talking about her work.
Click here for Sandy's new Facebook Page.
Chinese and Japanese art affected her early. She studied sumi painting, cared for Oriental collections at the Schnitzer Museum, and practiced Zen for 30 years. Individual influences include Hiroshige, Emily Carr, Morris Graves, Jan Jones, Fritz Scholder, Joy Harjo, and Rick Bartow.
Since her first solo show in 1977, her art has appeared in over 40 solo and 130 group shows on the West Coast, Northeast, and Southwest. Her work is collected in 23 states and 19 countries. She is a published poet and editor/illustrator of Dharma Family Treasures. She helps the Sebastopol Celtic Music Festival, Salmonid Restoration Federation, and Honor the Earth.
In the early 70’s, she pledged to create images that heal the rift between human culture and all our relations. This quest leads into Indian country, and she now believes ecological harmony is inseparable from indigenous ways.
www.sandyeastoak.com
Click here to see a video of Sandy talking about her work.
Click here for Sandy's new Facebook Page.
Everett Jensen
Everett Jensen:
My purpose as an artist is to illustrate and draw attention to what I call the "organic necessity" of our visual world, where things grow, change, mature, and even decay with always an elegant abstract organic beauty and creativity. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, each rose is not simply a rose, nor is it simply pretty. Rather, it is an incredibly complicated and diverse visual arrangement of forms and colors, surrounded by an equally complicated environment. I use classical principles and elements of design to build structure and form with color and value (light and dark), always seeking and experimenting with new design interpretations.
www.everettwjensen.com
My purpose as an artist is to illustrate and draw attention to what I call the "organic necessity" of our visual world, where things grow, change, mature, and even decay with always an elegant abstract organic beauty and creativity. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, each rose is not simply a rose, nor is it simply pretty. Rather, it is an incredibly complicated and diverse visual arrangement of forms and colors, surrounded by an equally complicated environment. I use classical principles and elements of design to build structure and form with color and value (light and dark), always seeking and experimenting with new design interpretations.
www.everettwjensen.com
Bert Kaplan
Bert Kaplan:
My paintings arise out of a lifelong fascination with the world of nature. As a child, I was continually making collections of flowers, leaves, rocks, etc., much to the consternation of my mother who could never quite understand her son’s preoccupation. Now, it is the love of looking at and experiencing viscerally the beauty that surrounds us, and the need to express and share those emotional experiences that fuel my work. “In beauty there is truth.”
Conceptually, I try to emphasize the creative process of painting as a tool for personal transformation. I always felt that art was alive in me somewhere, but for much of my life I was too blocked with self-doubt and criticism to allow it to come forth. As I worked through the layers over the years, I have gained a more positive attitude toward myself and my work, allowing me to more fully explore whatever gifts I have been given.
www.bertkaplan.com
My paintings arise out of a lifelong fascination with the world of nature. As a child, I was continually making collections of flowers, leaves, rocks, etc., much to the consternation of my mother who could never quite understand her son’s preoccupation. Now, it is the love of looking at and experiencing viscerally the beauty that surrounds us, and the need to express and share those emotional experiences that fuel my work. “In beauty there is truth.”
Conceptually, I try to emphasize the creative process of painting as a tool for personal transformation. I always felt that art was alive in me somewhere, but for much of my life I was too blocked with self-doubt and criticism to allow it to come forth. As I worked through the layers over the years, I have gained a more positive attitude toward myself and my work, allowing me to more fully explore whatever gifts I have been given.
www.bertkaplan.com
Kalia Kliban
Kalia Kliban:
I was raised in a house full of creativity and art supplies. Though my parents were both cartoonists by trade, they spent a lot of time working with other media, making jewelry, furniture, sculpture and clothing according to whim or need. In college I decided on a career in graphic design, but after a short and unhappy stint in the advertising industry realized that I preferred making actual, physical things. I retrained as a woodworker and have been much more happily, though less lucratively, working with wood ever since. Most of my woodworking career has been spent making furniture and cabinets, with a little side trip into guitar repair and making guitar parts, but I’ve loved turning from the first time a friend plonked me down in front of his lathe and chucked in a piece of madrone. I still use the carving mallet I made that day, my first turned object, and have been extending and improving my skills ever since.
I love wooden bowls and plates. They feel good. They’re useful and beautiful, and they can last a lifetime. A well-made bowl can be a wonderful way to honor the tree the wood came from, and a wonderful way to grace a table.
See a step-by-step photo story of how Kalia makes her beautiful porringers on her Facebook page.
I was raised in a house full of creativity and art supplies. Though my parents were both cartoonists by trade, they spent a lot of time working with other media, making jewelry, furniture, sculpture and clothing according to whim or need. In college I decided on a career in graphic design, but after a short and unhappy stint in the advertising industry realized that I preferred making actual, physical things. I retrained as a woodworker and have been much more happily, though less lucratively, working with wood ever since. Most of my woodworking career has been spent making furniture and cabinets, with a little side trip into guitar repair and making guitar parts, but I’ve loved turning from the first time a friend plonked me down in front of his lathe and chucked in a piece of madrone. I still use the carving mallet I made that day, my first turned object, and have been extending and improving my skills ever since.
I love wooden bowls and plates. They feel good. They’re useful and beautiful, and they can last a lifetime. A well-made bowl can be a wonderful way to honor the tree the wood came from, and a wonderful way to grace a table.
See a step-by-step photo story of how Kalia makes her beautiful porringers on her Facebook page.
Amanda Lane
Born in Holland of English/Dutch descent, photographer Amanda Lane studied photography at the Royal College of Art, London. She specialized in 19th Century printing techniques, became an expert in fine printing, and acted as consultant for many photographers. Sensitized to the chemicals, in 2002, Amanda was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, presented by Queen Elizabeth II to transform all her skills to Digital.
Amanda has worked on commissions from Vogue, The Sunday Times, corporate institutions, and private portrait clients. The unique quality of her work comes through the combination of photographic skills and her printing expertise.
Amanda now lives in Sebastopol with her 9 year old daughter Sophia. She accepts local commissions from wineries and other businesses, building a body of work that supports and reflects sustainable food economies. She created Camera Locavora, a series of exhibits to support Farm to Table, bringing awareness of our local resources to a “room full of local eaters.”
Amanda has worked on commissions from Vogue, The Sunday Times, corporate institutions, and private portrait clients. The unique quality of her work comes through the combination of photographic skills and her printing expertise.
Amanda now lives in Sebastopol with her 9 year old daughter Sophia. She accepts local commissions from wineries and other businesses, building a body of work that supports and reflects sustainable food economies. She created Camera Locavora, a series of exhibits to support Farm to Table, bringing awareness of our local resources to a “room full of local eaters.”
Joann Lustig
Joann Lustig has been a professional jeweler for the last 30 years. Her business was originally established with her husband. After he passed away, Joann took over the designing, creating and marketing, and has been doing this one-woman operation for the past 17 years. Their original vision was to create jewelry that was unique, colorful, beautiful and long lasting--pieces that could be worn for a lifetime and then passed on to the next generation. Working only in gold, often incorporating gemstones, and using the lost-wax process, Joann creates one-of-kind rings, pendants, wedding sets and earrings.
For the past 20 years she has been showing and selling her work almost exclusively at arts and crafts shows on the East Coast. Being at Sebastopol Gallery is a new endeavor and outlet for Joann’s jewelry. She is excited about making her art jewelry available locally. Being at the Gallery also means that she is available to design new pieces with customers’ gemstones. She especially enjoys making jewelry that symbolizes and celebrates important events--weddings, birthdays and other special occasions.
For the past 20 years she has been showing and selling her work almost exclusively at arts and crafts shows on the East Coast. Being at Sebastopol Gallery is a new endeavor and outlet for Joann’s jewelry. She is excited about making her art jewelry available locally. Being at the Gallery also means that she is available to design new pieces with customers’ gemstones. She especially enjoys making jewelry that symbolizes and celebrates important events--weddings, birthdays and other special occasions.
Paula Matzinger
Paula Matzinger:
Brightly hued California landscapes are a favorite subject of mine, reminiscent of my grandfather’s early California plein air paintings. I paint in oils when outside, enjoying the Sonoma County countryside. I also use acrylics in my studio, painting from digital photos.
My mother’s artwork also influences my landscape, portrait, figure and still-lifes. I share her desire to paint everyday objects, and the people, animals and landscapes that spark my emotional or aesthetic interest. Like her, I prefer a loose, impressionistic style.
I sometimes wander into abstraction, influenced by contemporary and abstract painting studies at UC Berkeley. Perspective is often a strong element in my compositions, reflecting my past experience in architecture and graphics.
I constantly experiment and learn as I paint. Each new painting I start seems to emerge, as if on its own. I am often surprised by what happens on the canvas in front of me.
www.paulamatzinger.com
Brightly hued California landscapes are a favorite subject of mine, reminiscent of my grandfather’s early California plein air paintings. I paint in oils when outside, enjoying the Sonoma County countryside. I also use acrylics in my studio, painting from digital photos.
My mother’s artwork also influences my landscape, portrait, figure and still-lifes. I share her desire to paint everyday objects, and the people, animals and landscapes that spark my emotional or aesthetic interest. Like her, I prefer a loose, impressionistic style.
I sometimes wander into abstraction, influenced by contemporary and abstract painting studies at UC Berkeley. Perspective is often a strong element in my compositions, reflecting my past experience in architecture and graphics.
I constantly experiment and learn as I paint. Each new painting I start seems to emerge, as if on its own. I am often surprised by what happens on the canvas in front of me.
www.paulamatzinger.com
James Reynolds
James Reynolds:
I absolutely love to paint. There is no greater challenge in my life, and no greater satisfaction. Creating a piece of art is a fascinating puzzle to solve intellectually, but we artists are also called upon to integrate our most profound emotional and spiritual responses into the work.
I have come to believe that artists provide an important role in awakening a sense of appreciation, not simply of beauty, but of the fragile nature of this fabulous landscape. It is easy to feel depressed and overwhelmed about the direction our species has taken, and being lectured about the need for change rarely inspires us to act. But if our hearts are touched by poetry, if we can connect with a deep sense of the perfection that is the Earth, and the tragedy of its loss, perhaps we will begin to act with greater care and wisdom. A new painting emerges on my easel - a prayer going out into the universe, my song of joy and hope.
www.JamesRReynolds.net
I absolutely love to paint. There is no greater challenge in my life, and no greater satisfaction. Creating a piece of art is a fascinating puzzle to solve intellectually, but we artists are also called upon to integrate our most profound emotional and spiritual responses into the work.
I have come to believe that artists provide an important role in awakening a sense of appreciation, not simply of beauty, but of the fragile nature of this fabulous landscape. It is easy to feel depressed and overwhelmed about the direction our species has taken, and being lectured about the need for change rarely inspires us to act. But if our hearts are touched by poetry, if we can connect with a deep sense of the perfection that is the Earth, and the tragedy of its loss, perhaps we will begin to act with greater care and wisdom. A new painting emerges on my easel - a prayer going out into the universe, my song of joy and hope.
www.JamesRReynolds.net
Connie Robeson
With Earth itself as her inspiration, Connie Robeson sculpts iconic masks, animal totems, rattles, plates, bowls and vases rich with texture and earthy color. Her clay monoprints glow with exotic colors and shapes. Born in Germany, she studied at the University of Heidelberg, and has lived in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Marin County, and San Francisco. She now lives in Rohnert Park, and devotes her life exclusively to her art.
You can see an album of her pit fire process on Facebook.
You can see an album of her pit fire process on Facebook.
Susan Saint Thomas
Susan St. Thomas draws her inspiration from dreams, myths and the unseen realm of the natural world. She is devoted to creating images which touch the spirit, evoke a sense of peace and harmony and remind us of the multi-dimensional world in which we live. Her unique paintings have been exhibited extensively in the U.S. and Europe including shows in Beverly Hills, Amsterdam and San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. Her work has been featured in several books and widely published as art cards, calendars and prints.
Since 1990, Susan has been an adjunct faculty member in the graduate arts program at John F. Kennedy University in Berkeley. She currently teaches at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Mendocino Arts Center, Schoolhouse Studio and leads other healing arts workshops in the Bay Area.
Susan lives with her husband, Joel, also an artist, and their 4 cat friends in a 100 year old remodeled schoolhouse in the redwoods of Occidental where they have a studio, gallery and garden with stone labyrinth.
Come visit the Schoolhouse Studio/Gallery. Open by appointment, 707 874-9462.
www.stthomassart.com.
Since 1990, Susan has been an adjunct faculty member in the graduate arts program at John F. Kennedy University in Berkeley. She currently teaches at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Mendocino Arts Center, Schoolhouse Studio and leads other healing arts workshops in the Bay Area.
Susan lives with her husband, Joel, also an artist, and their 4 cat friends in a 100 year old remodeled schoolhouse in the redwoods of Occidental where they have a studio, gallery and garden with stone labyrinth.
Come visit the Schoolhouse Studio/Gallery. Open by appointment, 707 874-9462.
www.stthomassart.com.
Teri Sloat
Teri Sloat taught for several years in the bush in Alaska, then helped create children’s literature and curriculum with Alaska’s native peoples. This started her career in writing and illustrating trade books for children--twenty-some so far. Now she tells stories as wall pieces, using a variety of mediums. She finds that people are hungry for folklore told through images.
Teri enjoys speaking to artists and writers of all ages, from local groups to international audiences. I feel our jobs as artists is to encourage the imagination of everyone. Most of my talks are on the importance of telling our own stories.
Teri studied at Oregon State and Sonoma State Universities. Her clients include Dutton, Putnam, Simon & Schuster, Sesame Street, Children’s Television Workshop, and International Reading Association. Her galleries include L’Attitude (Boston) and Stephans Fine Arts (Anchorage).
Landscape is Teri’s new passion: I am a plein air painter and have painted from the Rockies west. I am in love with the hills we live in, from pasture to sea. You will find me parked somewhere, on a narrow road or someone’s ranch, painting, with gratitude, once or twice a week.
www.terisloat.com
www.terisloat.blogspot.com
Rebeca Trevino
Rebeca Trevino:
I call what I do "OBTAINIUM ART". . . made from art materials not bought new, but obtained in other ways, such as second-hand, dumpster diving, chance findings or donations”
I call what I do "OBTAINIUM ART". . . made from art materials not bought new, but obtained in other ways, such as second-hand, dumpster diving, chance findings or donations”
