Wood Archives - CreativeSonoma.org

Jacqueline Mallegni Artisan, Design, Fiber Art, Graphic Design, Mixed, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Visual Arts I create mixed media sculpture with rattan, handmade paper, cast flax and silk fiber, sometimes embellished with mono-prints infused with indigo, sumi ink and handmade plant based inks and stains. Making and the art of transformation from tangible to intangible returning to a tangible form is very alluring for me. I am interested in working with materials that translate my appreciation for mother-nature's installations formed by water, wind, light and dark. Patterns in nature, textures and seasonal changes inform my sculptures that reveal primitive and refined qualities. Aside from nature's inspiration, I’m also interested in the concept of the ethereal journey, motherhood, vacancy, loss, renewal and how emotional responses can evoke beauty. I began making Asian style paper with kozo fiber in 1987. My journey with paper and sculpture has been varied from light fixtures to stone carving to ethereal mixed media sculpture. The thread of my creative process always begins with paper. I’m excited about creating the Chrysalis series that feels like a merging of many techniques developed over the years bringing many voices together that I refer to as contemplative sculpture.

Hannah Mayree Artisan, Audio, Composition, Creative Sonoma Grantee, Folk Art, Instrumental, Media, Music, Other, Teacher/Instructor, Vocal, Woodworking Hannah Mayree (she/her/they/them) is a creative facilitator and musician who's work and art lends itself as a tool for redesigning and reconnecting to our roots as humans on this planet. A banjoist, multi-instrumentalist, producer and vocalist, Hannah shares original and traditional banjo compositions as well as harmonies through acoustic live vocal looping and reminds us of the power found in our relationship to the earth, music and community. They co-founded and creatively direct the Black Banjo Reclamation Project which is currently creating musical, cultural and land-based opportunities for Black, Afro-Diasporic communities around the world to work with the banjo as a tool for reclaiming ancestral wisdom & creating Afro-futures.

Christopher Mckee Artisan, Ceramics, Functional Art, Furniture, Illustration, Mixed, Other, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts, Woodworking more to come

Colton Measles Design, Functional Art, Interior Design, Other, Sculpture, Visual Arts, Woodworking Colton Measles is a 30 year old artist and wood carver from Colorado and recently moved to Sonoma County in mid December of 2017 to pursue and further his work as a professional decorative woodworker. Coltons work has developed through the creation of stand alone visual art pieces crafted from wood such as scroll carvings, high and low bas-relief, engravings and fully relieved sculpture. Colton has studied extensively and has a close relationship with Craig Hone of Provo Utah, the only professional wood carver and artist to win both first and second place prizes in the Northern Nationals Carving Competition and also a two time winner of the Dixie Invitational as well as winner of the Carvers Cup Competition in Park City UT. (Craig's work can be seen at craighonestudio.com) Colton has also been instructed in the creation and application of custom wood stain glazing techniques for bas-relief and sculptural wood carving and fine wood finishing by Robin Coalson, another friend and teacher. (Robins work can be seen at robincoalsonstudio.com and some of her work is on display at the D'Artagnan Vineyards in Sacramento California.) Colton was born and raised in Durango Colorado, where he developed skills in wood carving and sculpture over the course of four years, having been a student of art and artists of other mediums since his youth. Immediately before moving to the Sonoma County area from Colorado he had been working as an artist and woodcarver full time for three years in a wood shop and studio attached to his former residence. Colton has a background in construction and loves applying his craft to interior, and, although less often, exterior architectural carving. He was at one time commissioned to create four separate stand-alone art pieces for the Durango Dharma Center; A nonprofit meditation community closely linked with the Spirit Rock Meditation and Retreat Center in Woodacre California, just north of San Rafael. One of these pieces was a high relief carving including highly relieved birds and lotus flowers in a wonderfully harmonious and flowing design layout and two were functional and decoratively carved wooden boxes for the collection of donations. The fourth was a decoratively carved stand for a Tibetan singing bowl. (These pieces are on constant display in their current location and can be seen on Colton's Instagram page @truenaturecarving) Colton's art is influenced by many traditional mediums. He has studied acanthus scroll and the systems of its design as well as Celtic knot work and depicting all ranges of natural vegetation with a focus on realism. Colton enjoys utilizing design themes from traditional oriental carpentry, in furniture as well as architecture, in his work and has dedicated much time to the study and creation of anatomically correct creatures of all sorts, including fish, birds, animals and insects. Colton is inspired by ideas of cooperative pursuits with other artists and crafters, and by benefit work and his door is open to all inquiries of the kind. His contact info is included in his profile here on creativesonoma.org

Justine Mendoza Graphic Design, Woodworking Justine Mendoza is a multi-skilled visual designer whose experience has ranged from nudging vector points and kerning at a digital type foundry to completely rebranding and directing the marketing strategy of a quickly growing eco-friendly company. Working for smaller businesses has brought a broad spectrum of skills to her fingertips ranging from social marketing and advertising to customizing and populating e-commerce platforms. She now student-teaching at ArtQuest while in the Art teaching credential program at SSU. In addition to the graphic design work mentioned above she also designs and laser cuts custom signage and decorative pieces, specializing in collaborations with fellow artists.

Kalia Mussetter Artisan, Children's, Fiber Art, Literature, Mixed, Non-Fiction, Other, Other, Painting, Performance Art, Poetry, Teacher/Instructor, Theatre, Visual Arts

Michael Palace Artisan, Woodworking My art is an homage to our connection with nature. I make alters to the natural world. It is a way to acknowledge our life and the planet into which we are inextricably woven. We tend to view ourselves as separate, so we don't hold the earth as something loved, something sacred to us. My art is so that we have a place to honor our lives and that which connects us to the awe all around us. My art uses recognizable forms and icons, like the tree. Trees are a symbol of life, an emissary of nature, and a material of construction. I create using trees that have been killed and cast aside as firewood and landfill. I believe that there is always more than one point of view on any given object, and that those views may be both opposing and correct. This is the basis of the concept of a paradox. I see my art this way: the wood is medium and messenger, a victim and a champion, alive and dead. When a piece has been created, the wood has also been transformed from “garbage” to art. The judgment of what is valuable has been altered. The trees body has become a shrine and is integrated back into life as a reality and a symbol

Brenda Phillips Sculpture, Visual Arts ReBirth Living Sculpture pulls together passed on decorative art pieces and plants — typically succulents — to create upcycled living sculptures for homes, establishments, and gardens. Imagine everything from a small, multi-colored glass arrangement with succulents to 4 feet tall fountains made of stacked ceramic pieces to a 9-foot tall art sculpture with a central spinning ornate frame to take selfies in — perfect for a winery or city sculpture garden — to welded, galvanized metal pots on rods to grow tomatoes inside to a tranquil and harmonious succulent composition on drift wood hung with dangling windchimes to hanging light fixtures overflowing with plants. Each of our pieces utilizes repurposed items combined in new ways along with plants. The resulting sculptures are unexpected living creations that change with time and conditions. Each is unique, designed by hand, often multi-purpose, and harmonious. Some inspire joy, others whimsy, and others are peaceful. The vast range of styles, colors, materials, and shapes dare to challenge the viewer to find that one piece that speaks to them most.

Karen Pierce Gonzalez Artisan, Fiber Art, Fiction, Literature, Mixed, Non-Fiction, Other, Poetry I have been writing since I discovered paper and pen. My love of words led me to write fiction, non-fiction, and poetry which appears in many publications including Big Blend Magazine, Lagom Journal, Postcard Poems and Prose, Potato Soup Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Tiny Thimble Magazine, Twist in Time, Voice of Eve and other publications. My work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and has received several state and local awards. I have facilitated creative writing workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area (Napa Community College, Santa Rosa Junior College Extension, local community centers, etc.). I am also a mixed-media artist. I work intuitively with tree bark, chalk/oil pastels, fibers, fabrics and, when lucky, salmon leather. I am also folklorist and am publisher of FolkHeart Press which has produced Write Your Own Family Folktales, Love Potions, Lotions, and Lore, Spanish Cuisine: One Region at a Time, and more. Literary Projects includes development of Mystery Writers in the Mausoleum, and memberships include California Association of Storytellers, North Bay Poetics, Santa Rosa Art Center, Sonoma County Folk Society, and Western Folklore Society.

Karen Pierce Gonzalez Fiction, Folk Art, Media, Mixed, Multi-Media, Other, Other, Other, Photography, Poetry, Sculpture, Video, Visual Arts

My literary credits include 4 published poetry collections: Coyote in the Basket of My Ribs (Kelsay Books), True North and Sightings From a Star Wheel (Origami Poems Project), Down River with Li Po (Black Cat Poetry Press. Numerous stories, essays, and poems in several anthologies, podcasts, and publications including Eat the Storms III, Four Feathers Press, Golden Walkman Magazine, IceFloe Press, Nightingale and Sparrow, San Francisco Magazine, Supernatural Park, Tiny Thimble Magazine, Twist in Time, Voice of Eve.

Several plays have been staged through Fringe of Marin Short Play Festivals (2022, 2023).

I am also a former journalist (San Francisco Chronicle, Marin Independent Journal, etc.) and folklore columnist. I have written family folktale e-guides and publish quarterly 'Get Ekphrastic with Folk Art' blogs . I also create the hybrid folklore/art video series "as the story goes' and have also facilitated a range of creative writing and folktale writing workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area.

As a visual artist, I work intuitively with found and recycled element. More than 30 images have appeared in literary arts journals, including 3 cover images (Chestnut Review, Feral Journal of Poetry and Art, Nightingale and Sparrow). My art has been exhibited at Santa Rosa Arts Center, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Truckenbrod Gallery (Oregon), and Virtual Art in the Park (Petaluma).

Rachel Brooks Richardson Design, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Other, Painting, Photography, Visual Arts Rachel Brooks is a seasoned illustrator, painter, and muralist. She has worked in the art and design field for over 14 years. She obtained her BFA in Design at The Art Institute of San Francisco and immediately entered the fashion industry, where she started her career in apparel design and illustration. She has worked as a successful Art Director for various Bay Area companies while pursuing her passions in painting and public art. Her work has been showcased in San Francisco, throughout the Bay Area and Yekaterinburg, Russia. Rachel is currently a Resident Artist at Fulton Street Crossing in Santa Rosa, CA.

Takao Saito Other, Sculpture Takao Saito is an abstract artist specialized in large-scale metal sculptures for outdoor display. He has devoted years of study to create unique art forms that incorporate a three-dimensional structure with a wide variety of media including metal, wood, ceramics, canvas, and oil paints.

Brooklyn, New York

After receiving an M.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Takao moved to New York to focus on developing his innovative style and techniques. He had numerous exhibitions in the U.S. and worldwide, and his work was featured in several world-renowned publications. An art critic once described Takao's artwork as “a powerful sense of the physical experience of man’s encounter with nature”.

Bodega Bay, California

In 2015, Takao and his wife visited Bodega Bay, California, for the first time and were captivated by the beauty of its nature and wildlife. A couple of months later, they departed from their residence in New York of over 40 years and moved to Bodega Bay, which inspired and conceived Takao's latest work "The Bodega Bay Series". While dedicating his life to exploring and conveying his sentiments for nature through his artwork, he and his wife continue being active members of the community in Sonoma County.

Rob Senn Sculpture, Visual Arts During regular work hours, I am a national business consultant, providing growth strategies for companies in the entertainment marketplace. But I also build site specific landscape sculptures that seek to inspire viewers while respecting the uniquely beautiful scenery of Sonoma County. r

Adam Sharron Architecture, Artisan, Design, Functional Art, Visual Arts, Woodworking I am a designer who seeks to create spaces and objects that add interest and serendipity to our built and lived environments. Spolia Design/Build is a landscape architecture practice, based in Santa Rosa, that focuses on cultivating, planning, and building beautiful spaces and objects.

Larry Sheradon Artisan, Design, Functional Art, Furniture, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Jewelry, Multi-Media, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Visual Arts, Woodworking Larry has recently been manifesting a long dream of creating whimsical CNC light sculptures and functional festival deco. With experience in 3D algorithmic design, illustration, woodwork, programming, electronics and altar creation, he draws on inspiring plant forms and the radiant spirit of nature in his designs. He currently lives in the redwoods of Northern California.

Jewel Shield Artisan, Ceramics, Composition, Instrumental, Music, Other, Other, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts, Vocal Music is the Universal language of all people and creation. I am a lifelong Artisan with a deep love and appreciation for harmony and beauty. The creative spark that leads me from within feels natural and familiar. It perhaps comes from an experience of many lifetimes being emerged in the arts and my ancestral lineage that includes many artists, musicians and teachers. I have been a professional harpist, musician, artist, teacher and mentor since the early 1980’s. I have a passion for creating and contributing more love, beauty and peace in the world through music, arts and compassionate teaching. I have a BFA in Studio Arts/ Ceramics with a background in Creative Arts Therapies and also Certifications in Sound, Voice and Music Healing, and Yoga of the Voice and Transformational Life Mastery Coaching. Although I have played and performed a variety of genres and styles mostly rooted in world and ethnic traditions, I am currently focused on my own creative compositions and contemplative improvisations on Harp, my primary instrument, as well as exploring and creating new music, instruments and sounds for healing. I am a holistic and compassionate teacher and creative mentor. Primarily being a self taught musician, I love to empower my students and assist them in discovery of their inner guide and teacher. Music is natural to everything, it is what connect us and has powerful transforming and healing benefits. I currently perform ambient background for special events, receptions, featured performances, Sacred occasions and meditations, healing and magical SoundScapes. I also perform music as accompaniment for yoga, dance, chi gong and tai chi classes, poetry readings and other various events and collaborations. As a multi instrumentalist I play a variety of instruments, especially in my Sound Healing work, including Crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, Native American flutes, and zithers. I am now combining my experience and artistry, and working on designing instruments that anyone can enjoy playing and experience the powerful and therapeuticbenefits of making music.

Cathleen Swanson Ceramics, Dance, Folk Art, Improvisation, Media, Mixed, Painting, Photography, Recovery Fund Grantee, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Video, Visual Arts I am not limited to one medium nor style. My art is an exploration, an adventure and a spiritual journey. I love to share art-making with others. The Spirit Houses are made by hand from clay.

Dawn Thomas Artisan, Audio, Ceramics, Dance, Design, Fiction, Film, Folk Art, Functional Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Literature, Media, Mixed, Other, Other, Other, Other, Other, Other, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Visual Arts Dawn A. Thomas 707.245.4735 cloudsdriftingby@gmail.com Objective: To help build a vital Sonoma County Arts community as an experienced artist, and a teacher who provides a competitive and comprehensive Arts/Maker education for my students. Education and Credentials: Single Subject Art Credential - Sonoma State University - NCLB 1/2007 CLAD Multiple Subject Teaching Credential - Sonoma State University 5/2004 Medialink Web Design/Technology Certificate - Bay Area Video Coalition 6/2000 5th-year Graduate Certificate in Art, U.C. at Santa Cruz 6/1990 Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art, U.C. at Santa Cruz 6/1989 Kinetic Artist Event Awards: SFMOMA's soapbox derby, Best Pun trophy, 2022 Best Theme Cart Design, the Cotatitarod, Cotati, 2019 1st Place Engineering for Team Pineapple, Kinetic Grand Championship, Eureka, CA 2018 Grand Champion for Team Pineapple, Obtainium Cup, Vallejo, 2019 1st place speed for the Pineapple Handcar, Willits Kinetic Carnivale, Willits, 2015 Best Engineering for the Whittaker Paddlewheel, Rivertown Revival, Petaluma, 2014 2nd Place for Red Couch Pedal-powered railcar, Wunderkammer Handcar Races, Santa Rosa, CA 2013 Teaching Experience: Santa Rosa City Schools, 2006 - current Art/Maker/Teen Living/Digital Media, Santa Rosa Middle School, 2007-2022 Students explore the foundations of Art and Making, and develop a personal portfolio. Teen living/culinary involves cooking, career exploration, interior design, sewing, and communication and conflict resolution skills. Digital Media explores digital storytelling and culminates in movies, webpages and other digital fulfillment. From 2007-2015 we produced a weekly cable news broadcast for the school. Art 1, Montgomery High School, 2014-2015 Our beginning Art curriculum asks students to develop their drawing skills, and to utilize the Elements of Art and Principles of Design. Exercises lead to projects which offer student-selected content, but hold students accountable to develop technical skills. Art / Project Make Teacher, Hilliard Comstock Middle School, 2007-2013 In 2013, we launched our district’s first middle school Project MAKE! elective, which is an award-winning (2014 Jack London Award) interdisciplinary, exploratory STE(A)M class (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.) Art Teacher, Piner High School, 2007-2008 Art Teacher, Summer School, Montgomery site, 2007 Art Teacher, Elsie Allen High School, 2006-2007 Educational Awards: Jack London Award for Educational Innovation (Project Make!) 2014 Other Experience: A practicing Artist, I have shown with Art Trails, and at various Sonoma County venues. I have been an exhibitor at Maker Faires for 4 years.

Luann Udell Artisan, Fiber Art, Jewelry, Literature, Mixed, Non-Fiction, Other, Other, Printmaking, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts, Woodworking Ancient Stories Retold in Modern Artifacts Luann Udell is a double-juried of the prestigious League of New Hampshire Craftsmen in stitchery and non-metal jewelry. She handcrafts wall hangings, assemblages, sculptures, and jewelry inspired by prehistoric, tribal, and world art. She tells stories about ancient cultures through art, using a colorful and distinctive combination of fiber, polymer and mixed media. Running horses, fossil fish, bears, birds, bulls, otters and shaman figures are common elements in her work. By exploring our connection to those artists of the distant past, she illuminates her thoughts on what it means to be human in our modern times. “I believe we all have a place and a purpose in this world. I found mine through my art. And through my art, I encourage others to find inspiration to make their own place in the world. So much of our ancient human history sheds light on how we can make better choices today.” Luann’s interest in world art began while studying art history in college at the University of Michigan. “I particularly enjoyed seeing exhibits about ancient artifacts—pottery shards, bone tools, textile fragments too tattered and worn to indentify. Tenderly mounted under temples of glass, carefully labeled for display, they seem to speak in whispers of a time forgotten, of a people lost to us in antiquity.” When she focused her energy on becoming an artist, her first—and current--source of inspiration was the very same prehistoric cave paintings she’d studied in college so many years before. Luann’s work has appeared in national juried craft exhibitions and publications. Her work has been carried by fine art and craft galleries across the country. She teaches professional development skills for artists and craftspeople. She is also a published writer, with a book, ebooks, published articles, and two regular columns in craft magazines to her credit. In addition to her own blog about a life making art, she now writes a regular column for Fine Art Views, an online art marketing magazine. After living in New Hampshire for 27 years, she moved to Santa Rosa, California in 2014, because, she says, you’re never too old to make a major reboot in your life.

Niki Wildflower Artisan, Creative Sonoma Grantee, Design, Fashion Design, Fiber Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Mixed, Other, Painting, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Youth, Visual Arts Niki Wildflower is a nomadic Artist who currently resides in Petaluma California. She has been influenced by muralists, agitprop art, graffiti and 90’s riot grrrl bands with a focus on women’s rights. Motivated by body-positive activism and our culture’s idea of beauty standards, she chooses to depict female figures as monumental and sacred because of society's poor representation of women. She hopes to capture the strength of softness and the beauty of large women who are unapologetically themselves. As a graduate of Central Connecticut State University her background has been a mixture of easel paintings, life drawings, and murals that specifically concentrate on figurative work. Her figures show closed female forms juxtaposed open and confident power stances, representative of the inner battle women face each day as well as the destruction of female egos. Confident figures challenge today’s beauty norms by portraying large dominant women gazing back at the viewer - a concept of looking and being looked at. Her murals and paintings are the culmination of her art education and experience and are the framework of Niki Wildflower’s dexterity. Her subjects include 2nd and 3rd wave feminist icons, models from multiple social media platforms, and people from everyday life. The struggle to incorporate text and street art aesthetics is unified by her experimentation with spray paint and stickered lettering. Working on a large scale provides a mural-like ambiance that exempli

Dana Woodman Artisan, Design, Functional Art, Furniture, Graphic Design, Other, Other, Sculpture, Visual Arts, Woodworking Dana founded Chimera Art Space in early 2012 as a place to bring talented, creative and innovative people in the North Bay together. He has worked as a software consultant and serial entrepreneur for nearly a decade working with companies including Google and Comcast and founding multiple companies. Dana builds interactive art sculptures, furniture, and other artwork using woodworking, metalworking, 3D printing, laser cutting, electrics and CNC machining. He studied fine art at the University of the Pacific and loves traveling, the outdoors and kittens 😸.

Martín Zúñiga Mixed, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Youth, Visual Arts Between the freeways of 5 and the 99, there are rows of fields as far as the eye can see. The sun is high and hot, the fields are lush, and they are filled with thousands of farm workers. Their faces, arms and legs are covered to protect from the sun and the toxic pesticides used on the crops. The work is backbreaking, and yet, they are almost invisible. Martín Zúñiga, from Michoacan, Mexico, had his first introduction to the United States in these fields and is the product of this experience. An autodidact in work and art, Martín has learned his craft by doing. After the fields, Martín worked in construction, learning the skills he would soon transfer to his art – welding; framing; understanding the strength and qualities of wood, metal, paint, plasters, lighting. Martín’s experience as a migrant, as an undocumented worker, as a Mexican-American in the United States, as a man who speaks in an accented English, and as a target of undeserved police attention, shapes his art. However, his art claims and celebrates a new world, one that recognizes and honors his roots. Martín completed a series of public art pieces in downtown Salinas (Central Coast) and downtown Selma (Central Valley), celebrating the cities' workers and their contributions to the unique character of small, rural cities. More recently, Martín has taught and led art workshops at the Museum of Sonoma County, the Restorative Justice Program, and in Roseland Unified Schools.

CREATIVES

Brooklyn, New York

Bodega Bay, California