CREATIVES

Margo Gallagher Other, Visual Arts I am a life-long creative, artist, and part owner of Vibe Gallery in downtown Petaluma. My latest artistic endeavor, KaleidaStars, involves taking photos, printing them out, and cutting them up into hundreds of pieces and putting them back together again to ultimately create a personally designed large scale kaleidoscope. My focus is photographing street art, flowers, memorial pieces, or anything that moves me. I love bright colors! Most of my work is commission based, but I also have prints and cards at the gallery.  

Ernesto Garay Literature, Poetry, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth Ernesto Garay is a poet, performer, teacher, and social justice activist. Ernesto is a bilingual teaching artist, offering residencies to students in grade 4-12.  Mr. Garay holds two Masters Degrees: one in Comparative Literature and the other in Ethnic Studies.  He is a poet in Residence at Creative Sonoma, California Poets in the Schools, and Azures Acres, teaching poetry as a form of healing to children, teens and adults living with intersectional vulnerability in schools and organizations in Sonoma County. Currently Mr. Garay is finishing his book of poetry: Reverberating Voices. It speaks about the experience of immigration, racism, healing the spirit, displacement and love while living in San Francisco, California, Mexico, Nicaragua and El Salvador during Central American Civil Wars of the 1970s and 1980s.  His poetry has been published in the DI-VȇrRSέ-City Anthology of the Austin International Poetry Festival, Pterodáctilo, La Revista, The Ethnic Studies Journal and Desde el Epicentro.   Mr. Garay has also performed and read his poetry in the Bay Area for venues such as MAPP (Mission Arts and Performance Project), Mama’s Art Café, and the University of California at Santa Cruz. He’s also read his poetry in North Bay venues like the Salon for the Arts, the Arlene Francis Center, the De Turk Round Barn, the Finely Center, the Sonoma County Museum, and in Southern California, at the Pitzer College at Claremont University.  He is passionate about justice and advocating for the Latino immigrant community.  Immensely creative and accomplished, he inspires us and moves among us with unfailing humility, generosity and grace.

Melissa Geissinger Design, Graphic Design I've been building websites for twenty years. I'm the author of the book, 1 Day Web Designer: How To Be A More Productive Freelancer. In 2011 I co-founded a community of web and digital media industry professionals called WIMP and organized a charity hackathon called WIMPgives which brought teams of volunteers together to build websites for nonprofits. The program ran for three years and was responsible for donating $200,000 worth of services to Sonoma County nonprofits.

Nicole Rose Gelormino Arts Administration, Illustration, Mixed, Other, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth, Visual Arts Nicole Rose Gelormino is a teaching artist and painter. A SF Bay Area native, Gelormino has maintained a studio practice alongside her career in teaching art and leading professional development in arts education for over a decade. In her studio practice, Gelormino is committed to the continued exploration of the nuances of personal memory, the body and internalized cultural paradigms. She employs the paint and painting methods in the process of reflection and discovery within the pscyho-visceral landscape. Gelormino holds a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Visual Art and recently served on the advisory panel to the California Department of Credentialing. She worked for a few years on the Teachers Advisory Group to the SF Museum of Modern Art, writing curriculum for their collection and special exhibitions. She has also worked in arts administration in schools and other non-profit and public agencies. Some additional settings she has taught in include: professional development for teachers in schools and museums, youth and families before and after school and at special events, summer arts programs run by the city of San Francisco. At Gateway High School, Gelormino also served as the Arts Department Coordinator and Teaching Coach for other teaching artists.  

Lisa Damico And Gena Richman Printmaking, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Youth, Visual Arts Lisa Damico* and Gena Richman**, are excited to offer you professional development integrating Social Emotional Learning and the Arts. We offer a staff development "special" condensed workshop or an expanded two session workshop either via Zoom or in person. Either will provide you with lessons you can do with your students the following day. The Arts and SEL pair perfectly together helping students gain and/or maintain a sense of well being in the classroom. The Arts provide students a way to learn, know and communicate aspects of themselves and others. Our PD is a make and take that will walk you through lessons to use at the beginning of the year which can be repeated as check-ins throughout the year. We recommend this workshop for early to upper elementary. Professional development fees on a sliding scale. Contact us for more information. Gena Richman genarichman@att.net and/or Lisa Damico ldamicoart@gmail.com  *Lisa received her BA in Child Development, a Minor in Fine Arts and went on to receive a K-12 teaching credential with a supplemental credential in Art. She provided professional development to California teachers and presented in state and national conferences through her association with the California Literature Project, integrating Visual and Performing Arts into teaching and assessing in Language Arts. Lisa retired after 32 years in the classroom and has now become a happy gardener and shamelessly spoils her Labrador Retriever. **Gena received her B.S. in Arts, followed by a K-12 teaching credential from SSU. She provided professional development to teachers on how to integrate the Arts into Mathematics during many sessions at the California Mathematics Conference at Asilomar. Gena retired after 20 years in the classroom and works out 5 days a week in order to keep up with her young grandson! Thank you for checking out Creative Sonoma! Look for grants and other workshops on their site! 

Philip Thomas George Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Painting, Visual Arts   I am moved by life around me, daily, in almost any place. Watching a young boy climb a tree or an elderly woman slowly cross the street with her patient dog — either scenario has the power to pull feelings out of me. My goal as an artist is to recreate what moves me, in the way that I see it or imagine it, in order to stir up the same emotions in my viewers and make a connection through something shared visually. Sonoma county provides a plethora of opportunities for observing people, animals, and nature which all aid in inspiring me to take action and create. My background is in UI design, but last year I took the leap into what I feel is my true calling and passion — creating artwork. If you'd like to work with me or hire me, please feel free to contact me.

Diane George Film Office, General Services

I am a Hair Stylist. I have extensive experience with "production styling" as well as cutting and barbering.

Scott Gibson Media, Photography, Teacher/Instructor, Video, Visual Arts Landscape/Nature/Wildlife. Ground-based and aerial/drone. Stills and Motion. Assignments, Commissions, Prints, Licensing, Photo Products. Award-winning photographer Scott Gibson creates the images for Gibson Outdoor Photography from his picturesque base in Northern California's Wine Country. From there, he travels the region, the western United States, and the world to capture images to educate, entertain, and inspire viewers. A serious hobby photographer for decades, Scott has spent recent years carefully refining his craft. His artistic eye helps him see and feel what others miss and his deep technical training helps him capture and share these experiences in his photographs. Scott's search for the next great image often provides opportunity for adventure. He is particularly proud of the acclaim for his images from an ascent of 14,505 foot Mount Whitney in California's Sierra Nevada mountains – camera in hand the entire 22 miles. Willing to go 'all in' to get the shot, Scott camped for days in the Oregon wilderness to capture the August 2017 total solar eclipse. His FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot certificate supports capturing fresh aerial points of view. His award-winning images are featured in private collections, winery publications, popular photo products, and stock photo services.

Julie Gieseke Acting, Directing, Illustration, Improvisation, Literature, Non-Fiction, Performance Art, Theatre, Visual Arts I am a speaker/emcee writer/performer consultant/facilitator coach/teacher that unfurls potential  

People, groups, things reach a state of readiness to open. The timing of unfurling can be a mystery. I was furled for most of my life. I longed to be open but did not know how to get there.

My work in all these realms is about unfurling — groups, conversations, individuals, myself. Life can furl us, we can furl ourselves, intentionally or otherwise. Furling is part of the process. Unfurling is inevitable. Expression, liberation, breakthrough … is all part of the furling and unfurling.

Bill Gittins Painting, Recovery Fund Grantee, Visual Arts Widely recognized for his vibrant “Colorist” oil paintings, Bill Gittins has logged many hours capturing the beauty of his surroundings in colorful, textural excellence. Painting both en plein air and in studio, his paintings are a visual delight; filled with robust, clean hues and distinctive dynamic brush and palette knife work. With a Colorist style that blends traditional with impressionism, and an impasto-like application, his superior handling of the medium results in paintings that convey complexity and movement. As the viewer, you will experience each new discovery for yourself, and be immersed in the moments that captured Bill’s attention. Taking his cues primarily from the elements of Land, Water and Sky, Bill challenges himself to transform his subjects from vistas remote and unaccustomed, to enticing scenes, immanent and familiar. Offering an invitation to enjoy and to feel at-home, each painting beckons you to linger and find welcomed repose. As a metaphor, pathways, and waterways, often leading you into Bill’s work are an artistic element of his process, rich in symbolism and intrigue. Embarking on each piece, he sees his palette as the trailhead for the adventure that awaits the viewer. As he departs and places those first applications of paint, the journey to another wonderful destination begins.

Joelle Gonçalves Dance, Performance Art Joelle Gonçalves is the principle dancer with Sol Flamenco and also works as the company's Artistic Director. Her formal dance training began in 2003 when she traveled to Sevilla, Spain, to study with Jose Galvan and has returned to Spain several times since then to study with world famous artists such as Manuel Betanzos, Leonor Leal, and Pilar Ortega. She has also studied at The Institute for Spanish Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with visiting Spanish artists. In addition to managing shows with some of the Bay Area’s finest artists, she has performed as a soloist with local dance companies, including Mi Alma Flamenca, Mark Taylor Flamenco, and the "Flamenco Room" at Thirsty Bear. She has received awards from the Sonoma Arts Council, The Alliance for California Traditional Arts. and received a personal letter from Cirque du Soleil talent scout, Guilio Scatola, requesting her audition (after seeing her perform at the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts) for the production of Ka. Most recently she was hired for the winter 2022 season of Cirque de Bobeme's "Gypsy" as a flamenco soloist.

Kevin Gonyo Audio, Composition, Design, Film, Graphic Design, Media, Music My name is Kevin Gonyo, and I love to create. Currently, I work as a designer at a non-profit in Santa Rosa. I received my BA in music from UCLA, and still compose and perform. Always looking to work with new people!

Annette Goodfriend Sculpture, Visual Arts I am fascinated by the perversity of nature.  My current work casts a critical, scientific, and humorous eye on the mutagenesis of form, from the cellular level to the limb. It examines and celebrates that moment of translation from cerebral to visceral. Recently I have been exploring the hand of man and the role of science in the natural world. While we develop investigative tools in biology, chemistry, and physics to research and understand our world, those same tools give us the capability of controlling and morphing the environment and ourselves. The catastrophic change that man’s actions have caused to our climate could be remedied if our vast scientific knowledge was matched by political will and implemented towards a remedy. And what about the politics of the body? Our knowledge of genetics and the molecular tools we have created could allow us to eradicate disease, but where is the ethical line? And who gets to draw that line? Who decides what traits are desirable, which to be eliminated? And who gets to utilize these tools of selection? These questions and concepts weave their way through my work, and hopefully open a pathway to necessary conversations.

Linda Goodman Painting, Printmaking, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth, Visual Arts A painter, printmaker and educator, Linda remembers how good she felt as an 8-year-old artist wearing the lanyard keychain she made on her favorite ladybug-buttons dress. The impish girl grew up to be an award-winning artist, earning an M.F.A. in Printmaking, at Mills College and a B.A. in Fine Art from Stanford. Her prints and paintings are in numerous museum and private collections. Ms. Goodman shares her passion for making art with her students, encouraging expressive freedom and fearlessness while honing perceptive and hands-on skills. She has been a studio art teacher for over 20 years in the U.S. and abroad. She worked with physically and mentally challenged students at Creative Growth and East Bay Recovery art centers through the Oakland Unified School District, and with clients with disabilities at a Chalk Hill Artist Residency in Healdsburg. Linda also worked as Vespa-riding cafe photographer in Florence, editor, graphic designer, and publisher of books on alternative energy.

Deborah Gray Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Painting, Visual Arts I'm a graphic designer, web designer, and artist with 20 years of experience. I specialize in UX. I love minimalism and clean design. My illustration work is mostly pen and ink with watercolor.

Kelly Gray Creative Sonoma Grantee, Fiction, Literature, Non-Fiction, Other, Poetry, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth Kelly Gray (she/her/hers) lives in Northern California on unceded Coast Miwok and Kashaya Pomo land. She writes about what she knows or is trying to know; parenting, eco-grief, mental health, dead things, monsters, prophetic animals, relationships to self and others, and rural life. She comes from a background in union organizing, birth work and reproductive justice,  & is a certified UC California Naturalist and trained raptor handler, all of which informs her writing. Gray is the author of Instructions for an Animal Body (MoonTide Press, 2021), Tiger Paw, Tiger Paw, Knife, Knife (Quarter Press, 2022) and the audio chapbook My Fingers are Whales and Other Stories of Cetology (Moon Child Press, 2021). She is the recipient of the 2022 Neutrino Short-Short Prize from Passages North and has been a finalist for Best of the Net, nominated for Pushcart Prizes and Best Short Fiction. Her writing appears or is forthcoming in Northwest Review, Passages North, Menacing Hedge, Newfound, Pithead Chapel, Atticus Review, trampset, Literary Mama, and other incredible journals & anthologies. Currently,  she is the Outreach & Assistant Editor at Bracken Magazine.

Dianna Grayer Directing, Theatre Dianna L. Grayer, PhD, a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist for over 25 years, loves to reach people through her writing. Dianna, a self-taught writer, director, and producer, enjoys working in all aspects of play production from prop design and construction to recruiting and casting actors. Over the past six years she has directed and produced plays about important issues that offer audiences opportunities to think, be affected and be educated; Black Lives Matter, LGBTQI, Depression, Bullying, and Rejection. Dianna’s passion for writing about topics that support and empower people continues in her other published works: 8 children’s books, a poetry book and a journaling book, each with accompanying CDs. Through her writings, Dianna contributes to her vision- Education, Justice, and Equality for all people.

Carissa Green Instrumental, Music, Other, Vocal Carissa Green is a singer/songwriter & vocalist hailing from Sonoma County whose musical influences include Americana, folk, blues, jazz, alternative, rock, funk, & reggae, to say the least. Like so many, she got the early church-going start! Miss Caris always has a ukulele on hand & plays to connect emotionally with people on that level only music can reach. Wherever there's music, there's instant community. She has been part of various, widely differing musical groups including Midnight Sun, Freedom Jazz Choir, Santa Rosa Junior College Choir, Saturn Goes Pop, Jon Gonzales Stringband, Jon Gonzales & Family, Helen's Mini Band, The Ukazookee Orchestra of Sonoma County, Jamie Clark Band, and the Hunka Hunka Hula Revue. She writes music that can be played solo, with a few fellow musicians, or a full band. She prefers to explore music from an inclusive perspective, often writing across genre lines and blurring the traditional sense of styling. Music is love! Music is as important as life itself. Sharing music is the ultimate honor & she endeavors to connect community around music in every way, shape and form available.

Janet Greene Children's, Dance, Instrumental, Literature, Music, Other, Storytelling, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Youth, Vocal Janet Greene is a teaching artist specializing in arts integration using music and movement. Janet received her M.A. in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis on Curriculum Development from Sonoma State University. She has a Level 3 Orff Certification and received Fulbright and Austrian Government Grants to attend the one year Special Course at the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria. Janet is in her 14th year as the TK-3rd grade Orff Music and Movement Specialist at Oak Grove Elementary School in Graton, California. For several years she was the pre-orchestra teacher for the Simply Strings El Sistema program sponsored by the Santa Rosa Symphony and was a mentor teacher for the San Francisco Symphony Keeping Scoreproject for classroom teachers. Janet has received numerous district grants to integrate music and movement into the K-4 Language Arts, ESL, Math and Science curricula. She currently has a 3-year grant to bring music and creative movement into the NGSS science curriculum at Oak Grove Elementary School. Her course Music, Movement and Language in Early Childhood is offered every spring at Mendocino College. She also teaches Introduction to Orff Schulwerk and Classroom Applications at the San Francisco International Orff Course. Janet has been a presenter for local and national music conferences. She has shared her interest in music, language and movement by offering courses for teachers and children in Bali, Bhutan, South Africa and Thailand. Janet enjoys dancing and playing the harpsichord, percussion, and the accordion.

Susan Greer Painting, Visual Arts "Painting en plein air allows me to explore the land I love, while doing what I love to do."

Susan, a third generation Bay Area native, lives in Sonoma County and works as a full-time artist. Her paintings - depicting the land she knows and loves - hang in private and corporate collections around the world.

Susan holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from SFSU and UCSC. She worked as a Product Designer with Broderbund Software, as a Curriculum Designer at Skywalker Ranch, and as an Editor at Addison Wesley Publishing Company before devoting her time to full-time painting. As part of her fine art studies, she's been fortunate to study with masterful teachers, including Daniel Keys, Wolf Kahn, and Ken Auster. Susan is a member of Oil Painters of America, The American Impressionist Society, The California Art Club, The Arts Council of Sonoma County, The Sebastopol Center for the Arts, and The Marin Arts Council. She has also served on the Sonoma County Museum Board as well as The Steering Committee for Sonoma County Art Trails.

Brent Gudzus Painting, Sculpture, Visual Arts Painter and sculptor.

TerriAnne Gutierrez Choreography, Composition, Dance, Instrumental, Music, Other, Performance Art, Professional Performance, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth ­Artist and community activist TerriAnne Gutierrez established Sirens Studio in 2001 We create, produce, present, and teach; *multicultural dance *theater *music Engaging a diverse group of Sonoma County and Bay Area artists, audiences, and students. Many racially mixed, and culturally specific ensembles consider Sirens Studio & Theater their artistic home, creating a thriving inter-generational community. Sirens is a non-profit 501©3 organization and over the past 15 years our programs and numerous activities have contributed to community development, stability and access to creative art making.  Presenting, co-presenting, scholarship, work exchange, apprentice, sponsorship and more are all here to serve the large dance, music and theater communities in Sonoma County and the San Francisco Bay Area.