Visual Arts Archives - CreativeSonoma.org

LIA Bonagura-Transue Painting, Visual Arts Lia Bonagura-Transue was born and raised in New York City to artist parents. She attended the now famous High School of Music & Art in NYC, studied Design at the California Institute of the Arts and completed her formal education in Illustration and Painting at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. After a ten year reign as founding director of the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Lia found her way back to her true passion…painting. Connecting with her deep design & illustrative roots while painting with oil on canvas, Lia infuses highly personal yet commonly shared content with carefully composed, balanced, but often stark graphic representations of our shared reality. Painting about our mutual experiences in this manner exposes the viewer to a deeper, emotionally charged & individualized message.

Ipolani Bovee Folk Art, Illustration, Mixed, Other, Visual Arts

Ipolani Bovee

Artists Bio

Ipolani Bovee is a native Hawaiian artist born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ipolani has demonstrated an eloquent talent in her pursuit of art focusing on watercolor, digital art, as well as pen and ink. Her artistry consists of a profusion of personal expression, art for art’s sake and the natural world around her.

Her influence of personal experiences and environment have allowed her to transcend in her talent of line drawing, hatching, shading, stippling and blending techniques.

She is married with 3 children and currently resides in Cloverdale, California where she owns and operates KO Studio Art and Tattoo.

Jesus Bravo Artisan, Functional Art, Furniture, Sculpture, Visual Arts As a child, and first generation immigrant in this country I was never completely sure about my future. After graduating high school, I applied to SRJC and selected the welding program. Although I had a wonderful education and certification, I was unable to secure a job in the field due to my immigration status. After fifteen years of being undocumented, I had the opportunity to acquire U.S. citizenship. After I landed my first welding job, it was at that shop where I learned to create metal art, or what I like to call forever art. I would stay after work and began to put my skills to the test, spending long hours and weekends to create my own style which is highly influenced by Mother Nature, my ancestral roots, and indigenous tribes around the American continent and the world. I began making simple yard art, while continuing to develop my skills. I then started making various furniture pieces, doing larger jobs such as gates, planter boxes, and repair jobs. With these projects, I continued to develop my style of art, including original art and commissioned pieces. Every day was and still is spent practicing, evolving, and pushing my skills to become a better fabricator and artist. This is what I call BravoSculpt. In the South Central Mexico, the town I was born and raised in is very close to a sacred Mexica location ca led Malinalco. Since it was so close, it was a place we frequented as a family throughout my childhood. Malinalco has influenced and inspired my work because it is a place of rich history where I have learned, and continue to learn about the rich heritage left by our ancestors– a location of the monolith Cuahucalli, where the Mexica eagle and jaguar warriors were Trained and Initiated. Communities need to heal from ongoing traumas and I believe culture helps us heal, including art. I also believe that knowledge is power, and as I continue to learn more about my own culture, it helps me expand knowledge of other cultures and communities. I began attending several cultural events around the Bay Area, including Dia de los Muertos at various locations, Mexica New Year in San Jose, and Carnaval in San Francisco. These events have heavily influenced me and my art, as they highlight many BIPOC communities. It is at these events where we experience a sense of community and a sense of belonging. Al participants and attendees, including myself, learn so much from each other– it is truly beautiful and inspiring. These events include ancestral ceremonies, dances, altars, among other traditions that have taught me many ways to celebrate all of our ancestors. In my daily life, I like to incorporate traditional, ancestral ways of giving. And through my art, I aim to share the knowledge I am acquiring. In addition, I have had the great pleasure to collaborate with several local community projects through incredible nonprofit organizations and community groups including Sonoma Immigrant Services, Art Escape, the Springs Municipal Advisory Council, and El Verano Elementary School.

Deb Breton Painting, Visual Arts Deb Breton is an abstract expressionist artist working in Sonoma County, California. She creates vibrant paintings using acrylics, oils, and collage. Her abstract artworks evoke the viewer's imagination, while her portrait work celebrates the human spirit. Painting intuitively, she allows the artwork to flow from her subconscious mind onto the canvas. "Every gestural mark, brushstroke, and drop of paint is an expression of emotion. And it's this energy in these paintings that I share with you." I'm an avid fruit and vegetable gardener, animal lover, birder, cancer survivor and meditation enthusiast. Notable clients include Warner Bros Studios, Dali Museum and Nestle

Monica Bryant Illustration, Mixed, Painting, Photography, Visual Arts Monica Bryant is a mixed-media artist. She was born in Kansas, received her BA in Art from the University of Hawaii and her MFA from UC Berkeley. In 2004 she was awarded a fellowship at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York. Bryant is a credentialed Art Teacher who chaired the Art Department at Ursuline High School in Santa Rosa, CA for nine years. After Ursuline closed in 2011, Bryant instructed drawing and color theory at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in San Francisco. She also became the art teacher at Brush Creek Montessori School in Santa Rosa until June 2014. Bryant is a Sonoma County Art Trails Artist and her work has been exhibited nationally and in Singapore. Influenced by her international travel experiences, including the three years she lived in Singapore, Bryant created distinctive remixed photographs of South East Asia in the 60’s. The photographic mixed-media works were exhibited in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Caffe Museo, October 2005. Bryant’s past work includes a large rebar and fiberglass apron, papier-mâché objects and paintings and drawings. In a newspaper article years ago, Khysie Horn said “Bryant is a conceptual artist who invites reflection and introspection”. In 2002 Bryant was the lead artist for the mural on the Press Democrat Building entitled The 50 Who Shaped Sonoma County in the 20th Century. https://www.monikaiart.studio/

Allegra Burke Artisan, Fiber Art, Jewelry, Mixed, Multi-Media, Printmaking, Recovery Fund Grantee, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts, Woodworking A self employed working artist since 2003, I am also an instructor, problem solver and creative. I work in a variety of mediums: Sculpture, Collage, Printmaking, Fiber art, Kanoko Shibori, Shifu, Book making, Boro, Tapestry, Assemblage, Encaustic, Felting, International mail art, Marbling, Block printing, and Mono printing. I have taught at the SRJC, Riley St, and by request to various art groups.

Cade Burkhammer Artisan, Audio, Ceramics, Design, Fiction, Functional Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Instrumental, Interior Design, Literature, Media, Mixed, Multi-Media, Music, Other, Other, Other, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Video, Visual Arts Cade Burkhammer, born April 21st 1973, has been painting and exhibiting paintings and playing music since he was 13 years old around the country. Painting styles include surreal oils, abstract acrylic and latex, experimental and controlled mixed media, watercolor illustration, original Photoshop photography, ceramics, bronze sculpture, writing, landscape design, gardening, science, healing arts, bardic meditation, drumming, piano, DJ... Cade is the creator of 'The Wise Fool Tarot', a self-published independent manifesto that took 15 years of research, meditation, painting, writing and raising funds for printing and distributing. This year will be Cade's second tarot release collaborating with another author. His third oracle deck is in the making. Cade is the creator of 'Wrecords', a series of recordings and sound collages in the vain of Vicki Bennett and Philip Jeck, which is the musical accompaniment for the video series 'Recycled Memories.' A multi-media event featuring video and sound collage of noisy vintage meditation of the forgotten past and dreamy future combined with live drums, piano and sometimes female vocals.

Reena Burton Illustration, Mixed, Painting, Visual Arts Born and raised in beautiful Sonoma County, CA. I studied Fine Art in college, and fell in love with youth work and community arts. I worked for many years in non-profits and schools teaching art and community building skills to children and youth. I also have a deep connection to spirituality. I studied theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, and worked for a time in youth ministry, teaching young people skills to access their creative and spiritual voice. I am constantly searching for new ways to express my art, and my works range from painting, drawing, mixed media, and collage. My pieces call from my life experiences, world events, and social issues. Most commonly featured themes are relationships, spirituality, intersectional feminism, self-love, green witchcraft, body image, gender norms, sexuality, and social justice. I am an amateur seamstress, a green witch, and love painting small (and occasionally big) faces. I love to run, swim, snuggle with my family, practice yoga, play in the dirt, walk barefoot, and take long baths. Things like crystals and flowers make me really, really happy. Rom-coms and British mysteries are my sweet spot. Also am a bit of a nudist. When an opportunity presents itself, I can transform into a mermaid fairly quickly. I live in Graton, California with my family: partner Zeb, son Emmett, and (very) large kitty Charlie.

Patti Buttitta Artisan, Design, Functional Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Mixed, Other, Other, Other, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Visual Arts Patti Buttitta, artist and graphic designer— Patti draws on her background and experience as an artist, illustrator, writer and printmaker. She enjoys the challenge of complicated projects, but relishes the simple and immediate. She is known for innovative graphic design ideas, including logos, brand packaging, catalogs, books, publications, newsletters, direct-mail marketing campaigns and websites. She has achieved stunning results within limited budgets. Clearly communicating and concisely articulating concepts, she works with clients, colleagues, vendors, suppliers and other professionals to bring creative concepts to life. Her illustrations have complemented her many design solutions for wine labels, food packaging, marketing materials and brochures. Patti has turned her attention to website design, applying the same sense for clear communication and satisfying visual organization.

Nicoletta Camerin Photography, Visual Arts

I am a creative individual with an educational background in both Humanities and Design and a solid business management expertise. I am driven by my passion for creating beautiful images that not only arise an emotional response but also tell a story. I am passionate about preserving memories and representing someone’s story through images. With my camera, I can be bold, observe reality undisturbed and I can get closer to people: my camera is not only my creative outlet but also my way in into people’s true selves.

Teresa Camozzi Mixed, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Visual Arts Bio : TeresaCamozzi Multimedia California artist Teresa Camozzi, born in Rabat, Morocco, immigrated to the United States when five years old. Her artwork evokes the complexity of the Islamic, while her immigration shades her political view. Studying in San Francisco's Academy of Art, her mentor was Ernst Posey. Known internationally for large-scale permanent public artworks, she combines representational and abstract images via conventional art methods (photography, drawing) and computer technology. One example is a seven-story installation near Shanghai, China; another is at Miami International Airport. She earned the National 2009 Americans for the Arts Award for public work in Plano, Texas. She is currently engaged in creating and exhibiting her documentary series about the 2020 Pandemic. Healdsburg CA Februrary 2021

Katerina Capetanos Mixed, Painting, Visual Arts I am a self-taught encaustic artist living and working in the Sonoma Valley. I'm inspired by nature, bright color and movement. My artworks are described as abstract, fantastical botanicals. I use encaustic paints and mixed media to create bright, colorful "botanical," paintings that I create using my imagination.

Mari Capon Acting, Artisan, Arts Administration, Ballet, Ballroom, Children's, Choreography, Dance, Directing, Fiber Art, Fiction, Folk Art, Hip-Hop & Funk, Illustration, Improvisation, Improvisation, Latin, Literature, Media, Modern, Muralist, Music, Non-Fiction, Other, Other, Other, Painting, Performance Art, Poetry, Printmaking, Puppetry, Sculpture, Storytelling, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth, Theatre, Video, Visual Arts, Vocal Mari has been professionally involved in the arts world for over twenty years. As a child, she was a creative dancer at Virginia Tanner's Children Dance Theater, and she oil painted and sang in choirs. As a teen she acted, and was a make-up artist, poet, essayist, and ballroom dancer, and in young adulthood, she was a tango dancer and professional performing artist as an Art Model for artists working for Disney, EA, and countless Universities, Ateliers, Institutes, and Studios, and especially enjoyed set, costume, and lighting designs for painters and illustrators. Upon realizing that she most enjoyed coaching artists through their process, she began teaching, first creating art curriculum for a K-12 after-school program while becoming bilingual in Peru, before returning to the U.S. to become a certified cognitive movement, creative dance, and preschool music instructor. She began providing, teaching, and consulting for bilingual preschools and Summer Camps, tutoring, and coaching gymnastics, and continued to teach the arts and sports. She also taught inclusive sex education and spiritual development for children at interfaith, non-denominational churches, and facilitated somatic processing, while attending weekly classes in various forms. As an undergrad, Mari authored an Interdisciplinary Arts Curriculum Program for Pre-K through 12th Grade and became credentialed. She will research, publish, and offer her program while continuing to teach Interdisciplinary Arts.

Carol Carey Mixed, Visual Arts

Carol (C.J.) Carey was born in Key West, Florida and raised primarily in Texas. She attended the University of Oklahoma where she received her B.A. degree in History. She studied law at the University of Tulsa, earning her J.D. degree in 2002. She is currently a first grade teacher as well as a license attorney in Oklahoma. Art has always been a factor in her life as several of her siblings are artists. When she was a teenager, her dream was to be a fashion designer so she spent hours drawing clothing designs.

Ms. Carey is self-taught and began working in decoupage before picking up a book on mixed-media. She started experimenting with various mediums until she developed a style that is uniquely her own. Her work is usually a reflection of the Steampunk phenomena and incorporates those ideas into interesting settings. She uses modeling paste for texture as well as paper, acrylic paint, ink, and stains. She always finishes her work with a layer of mica dry pigment so that the work seems to glow under light. She is currently working on a "MacBeth" piece for a Sacramento Fine Arts Center exhibition.

She has exhibited at the Sacramento Arts Festival, the Petaluma Art Center, and High Hand Gallery in Loomis, CA. She will be back at the Sacramento Arts Festival in October 2020.

Ron Carter Architecture, Artisan, Ceramics, Design, Functional Art, Furniture, Illustration, Interior Design, Jewelry, Literature, Mixed, Music, Other, Other, Other, Painting, Photography, Poetry, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth, Visual Arts My Path... Divergent visions gave rise to my creative present. A present refreshed by art as life and livelihood. Experiences like the ‘Tubbs Fire’ that hit Santa Rosa serve to strengthen the ‘artist within me’. It foements subjective creative moments that utilize my past, present - and my future as focal lenses. Spontaneously, I chose The San Francisco Art Institute over The Rhode Island School of Design and the School of the Art Institute at Chicago for my formal Art education. I received my BFA in Interdisciplinary Art and Public Art. I’ve studied stone sculpture for 10 years with Master Sculpture-Ante’ Marinovic, one of Croatia’s premier stone sculptors and is considered a Croatian national treasure. I explore the collaboration between artist, media and tool in such a fashion as to give rise to multiple layers of compressed info within each piece I create no matter if it is a purely visual work or an interactive space or environmental art form. For me, art screams out into all aspects of my life. As an artist in western society, dogma and bravado go hand in hand with economic choice. Art is my life. If it’s not nailed down or permanently affixed, it’s in trouble of becoming art resource material. Well, upon further review, even that won’t deter me from considering an objects use in an art piece.

Joann Cassady Artisan, Ceramics, Design, Graphic Design, Sculpture, Visual Arts JOANN CASSADY, Ceramic Sculptor As an artist, my life has gone full circle. After art school and a career in commercial graphics, I left the industry to follow my heart back to early childhood, playing in the backyard, squishing mud pies through my fingers. This time around, clay has replaced the mud but the pleasure I get from holding the earth in my hands is just the same. And with the clay has come a passion for a firing technique called “Raku” which in Japanese means, “pleasure" or "enjoyment”. For the past twelve years I have traveled to Mexico to study pottery with Juan Quezada, considered a National Living Treasure in his country. Working with Juan and my many other friends in the pueblo of Mata Ortiz has been a wonderful learning experience. I have discovered new methods of working with clay using only the most basic of tools and from these experiences, grown steadily as an artist. Even more than that, however, getting to know the Mata Ortiz community has been the cultural event of a lifetime. More recently I have been able to work collaboratively with Jerardo Tena, who is one of the finest painters in the pueblo. Annually I sponsor him and together we give workshops sharing the techniques of Mata Ortiz with colleges, art centers and community centers around the Bay Area. Now I look for what I can do next and challenge myself to create something different today than I did yesterday. I'm drawn to create shapes that are simple and elegant and in their simplicity, capture your eye’s attention. Then, in contrast, are my whimsical Raku Fish, each one an original and each one with it’s own personality sure to bring a smile to your face. My pieces are all original, all made by hand using coils of clay and pinching techniques and then fired by Raku or Pit Firing techniques. Molds are not used in my process and there are no short cuts. The clay and the process can be unforgiving, even humbling at times, and not all pieces reach the intended end. But when they do, the magic in that moment is the inspiration that drives the process and fuels my passion to do it again. It's a joy. Joann Cassady • Whimsical & Sculptural Raku & Pit Fired Ceramics 245 Theresa Court, Healdsburg, CA 95448 • 707 431-8319 • www.imakepots.com

Grace Cheung-Schulman Photography Artist Statement I use photography as a means to document the world around me in ways that evoke emotion. Drawing inspiration from music, photography is visual melody, and color is visual harmony. My process is to immerse myself fully into the environment, in a visual meditation - to feel the sound and silence, to hear the movement and stillness. My goal is to experience and document the essence of the subject - its inner spirit - through capturing light and shade, colors, lines and shapes. I seek to bring out the beauty of what I see and to share my vision with the world. About Me I was born and raised in Hong Kong. In my youth, I studied music and the visual arts, and dabbled in photography. After a long and varied career in music education and arts administration in Hong Kong, Canada, and the United States, I relocated to Northern California. The beauty of the natural scenery inspired me to pick up my camera again. I have developed a very eclectic portfolio, covering landscape, nature, abstracts, architecture, classic cars, and documentary photography. I also collaborates with artists of other media to document and highlight their works. I strongly believe in the power of the visual image, and in the way visual storytelling can inspire, motivate, and enable social change.

Steven Chiurco Architecture, Artisan, Design, Functional Art, Furniture, Interior Design, Other, Sculpture, Visual Arts I am a designer of creative and functional metal products. I own a local metal fabrication and design firm in Sonoma. Specializing in home accessories, furniture and lighting.

Kim Wilson Cinematic Lifestyle Imagery Photography, Visual Arts Cinematic Lifestyle Imagery by Kim Wilson

Lifestyle photography is artistically photographing people in real-life situations. This hybrid of portrait photography and editorial/documentary style photography, which allows me to tell a larger story within a single frame. This form of photography requires a more personal relationship between photographer and client that transcends studio-style portraits. Cinematic Lifestyle Imagery offers completely customized shoots that are location and activity-centric based solely on the clients' personal passions and preferences. The process starts with an in-person consultation to determine the scope of your photo shoot. Call 707 242 1042 or email kim@kwhotog.com to set up a consultation.

Hilarie Coate Folk Art, Holidays Shop Local, Jewelry, Other, Other, Puppetry, Sculpture, Woodworking Hilarie Coate's works celebrate the Mexican holiday traditions of the Day of the Dead. As an artisan, educator and pollinator of handcrafts and celebrations, she bridges the boundaries of life and death and of style and culture. With care and with respect and with an eye to both the history and the future of the holiday, she works in wax, wood, metal, tin, silk, paper, beading and clay in remembrance of los Muertos. She has taught children’s craft workshops, made parade art for the Grateful Dead, directed the Mendocino Coast Day of the Dead Festival, and was the only American volunteer in props and costumes at the 2017 CDMX Gran Desfile de Dia de los Muertos. She studied papier-mâché mask making in Venice, Italy, and Catrinas en cartoneria in Puebla, Mexico and she integrates new international ideas and techniques in the syncretic tradition of the holiday. Her studio - Peace, Love & Death is located in Fulton Crossing and houses a library of hard to find Muertos art and history in print and on video. She offers festival support, custom pieces, and individual and group classes.

Marsha Connell Other, Painting, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts MARSHA CONNELL was nurtured in her love for art, nature, and learning by her grandfather, Samuel Riss, watercolor painter and Renaissance farmer in Upstate New York. She expresses this legacy in her passion for the environment, and through painting en plein air. Marsha Connell’s paintings are a dance in color. She combines observation—mirroring the natural world—with improvisation—giving voice to the spirit of place. Watching, listening, hiking, dancing, trusting intuition and gesture, infuses her painterly representation with an energetic and abstract sensibility. She is a graduate of Skidmore College with a B. S. in Fine Arts and San Francisco State University with a Masters in Sculpture. Marsha has been on the art faculty of Santa Rosa Junior College for many years and is a visiting artist at Sonoma State University. She has received grants from the Pepperwood Foundation and the California Arts Council and has been a Fellow of the California Arts Project. Marsha is Chair of the Steering Committee for Sonoma County Art Trails Open Studios, a program of Sebastopol Center for the Arts. Her Santa Rosa studio, #24 on the 2017 Art Trails map, will be open to the public from 10-5 on October 14, 15, 21, and 22, and by appointment the rest of the year. A Collector's Guide to 141 artists' studios is available online at http://www.sonomacountyarttrails.org or by calling 707-829-4797. She also chairs the year round Art Trails Gallery at Corricks, 637 4th Street, in Downtown Santa Rosa, where she regularly exhibits her paintings. Marsha has presented art workshops and lectures in diverse locales, from California to Alaska, New Mexico, Oregon, New York, Mexico and France. She has participated in numerous exhibitions regionally and internationally, and her work is in many private, healthcare, and public collections. She loves to collaborate with scientists, teaching drawing to master naturalist students, and with other artists and teachers, expanding the parameters of the arts and the joys of creative process for students of every age and in many disciplines.

Jason Cool Acting, Architecture, Artisan, Arts Administration, Ballroom, Ceramics, Children's, Choreography, Composition, Crew, Dance, Design, Directing, Equipment, Fashion Design, Fiber Art, Fiction, Film Office, Folk Art, Functional Art, Furniture, General Services, Glass, Hip-Hop & Funk, Illustration, Improvisation, Improvisation, Instrumental, Interior Design, Jewelry, Literature, Media, Mixed, Modern, Multi-Media, Music, Non-Fiction, Other, Other, Other, Other, Other, Other, Other, Other, Other, Painting, Performance Art, Photography, Poetry, Production, Professional Performance, Puppetry, Sculpture, Storytelling, Talent, Teacher/Instructor, Theatre, Visual Arts, Vocal, Woodworking

Jason Cool/Henson

Raised by musical and artistic tallent. from my grandfather Walter cool.writing and composing set designs on and off Broadway as well as music teacher. He tought me many things about music ,set design ,and writing stories making songs.mom colleen cool was a d.j for many years growing up .her morning talk show won an addy award. experience of the evolution of radio stations format from vinal,reel to reel,8 track,cassette,cd,to digital.learned lots about the insider secrets and politics , selling air time ,being a paid musical artist.and much more.on my dad's side .the "story family." his grandmother had 21 kids .4 sets of twins ,all natural birth!all musicians playing together ofton..on ed sullvon show and groucho marks.this popular family band and I would practice at grandma's regularly. As a kid growing up. i would try many instruments pianos ,drums,accordion ,banjo ,mandolin etc. I have been in theater,loved the arts, music ,writer. open to everything since i was a young kid.arts and music are my life!if i dont know how to do something,i will be honest!i ask,try and will do all things of interest with love !and any collaboration with heart.I Compromise to learn others perspectives because im always learning. preforming on and off stage.jamming with the public.sharing what i know. Learning what others are willing or able to teach.I loved all the music,art,storys,I have been a part of, or experienced 1999 to current over 15 countries I visited. World Share

Michael Costantini Painting, Sculpture, Visual Arts Painting and sculpture both inform each other. When content moves freely between disciplines surprises can occur exponentially fast. I find that it's in the transformation where my greatest value exists. The spaces in between are lively and rich with information.

Catherine Cruz Multi-Media, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth Artist Statement Catherine B Cruz is a French-American abstract artist who works with mixed media, multi-layered collage, and reclaimed materials. Informed by more than twenty-five years of experience in the design world, Catherine takes inspiration from a unique perspective, which spans architecture, interior design, and sustainability. Her art work is informed by textures and patterns created by the passing of time and the effects of the natural elements on the built environment. A walk in any city like New York, Paris or Barcelona, is always a source of inspiration. In the process of observing the contrast between new and old architecture, the textures of walls, the torn posters, and the typography on the storefronts, she creates her own visual vocabulary that she utilizes in her mixed media work. She is also attracted to textures found in the rural environment such as old wooden fences, painted barns, and rusted metal that she photographs, analyzes and abstracts. She is not interested in replicating them but instead she lets them inform her art. As a predominantly self-taught artist, she has developed her style by exploring materials and techniques. Her abstract vocabulary is based on intuitive mark making, lines and forms, as well as the exploration of visual and tactile textures and a good understanding of color. Her process involves layering materials on wood panels or canvas such as her own painted papers, vintage papers, paint, graphite, and oil pastels. The layers are often sanded to reveal patterns and details. Artist Biography Catherine was born in Mantes-la-Jolie, France, not too far from Claude Monet’s home and gardens. She grew up in several places including Versailles and the Cote d’Azur, attending high school in Cannes. While a teenager, she was an exchange student near Nashville, Tennessee, and later on she moved to the US on her own to attend college. She received a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design (Cum Laude) from Florida State University in 1993 and had a successful career as residential and commercial interior designer, followed by a second career and the creation of her own business, C2 Green Solutions, as a LEED-accredited green building consultant working with international architectural firms in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, and Houston. Always an avid learner, she has studied art history, color theory, painting, classical figure drawing, perspective, printing, and pottery in both France and the US. Her passion is to encourage others to unleash their creativity, experiment with materials, and connect with their imagination. In 2018 she created Be You Art Studio and launched her creative workshops for children and adults. She shares her time between Sebastopol, California, and Valence, France, with her husband and her son.

CREATIVES