Collage Archives - CreativeSonoma.org

Peter Hassen Mixed, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Video, Visual Arts Peter Hassen is a visual artist based in Sonoma, California. His work focuses on themes of nature, science and spirituality. Working in a variety of mediums, such as painting, sculpture, photography and printmaking, Hassen seeks to create dialogue between these themes, and raise questions about our societies, cultures and their commonalities. Peter earned his B.F.A. in Studio Art from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has exhibited his work, ranging from sculpture, painting and installation, in national galleries and public lands for more than two decades. From 2012-2014 Peter activated his Values Project series in the cities of Napa and Sacramento. Over 800 value words where stenciled in public parking lots in Napa and Sacramento in collaboration with city governments and local organizations. In 2021 Peter's monumental metal sculptures from his Cycles series were exhibited by the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art in the Sonoma Plaza.

Ash Hay Film, Media, Other, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Visual Arts My art is diaristic and centered in the body; how it communicates with the earth, itself, and bodies around it. In my work, I explore ideas of gender expression, body acceptance, and radical softness. Fatness, my own and others’, comes up often as I am continually confronted with how fat bodies are treated and how they navigate this world. My use of large soft sculpture, techniques of paper layering in my paintings and works on paper, and a color palette rooted in the color pink, all support my overarching theme of softness as power. I am influenced heavily by the works of Loise Bourgeois and Kiki Smith as well as the lineage of fiber artists and crafters in my own family.

Gerald Huth Holidays Shop Local, Mixed, Painting, Sculpture, Visual Arts I have been living and working in Sonoma County for 31 years, after moving from New York City.I have had exhibitions in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, as well as a great many throughout the United States. I am an original member of the Sonoma County ArtTrails open studio tour, as well as a founding member of the Art at the Source studio tour, when I was on the Board of Directors of the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. My studio and gallery are in Forestville, and are open year round by appointment, as well as during ArtTrails. I am also involved in teaching art, and conduct a monthly collage workshop in my studio. I volunteer teaching art in Sonoma County schools, and have spent the past seven winters volunteering as an art teacher with foundations in Cambodia and India.

Leslie Ihrig Functional Art, Furniture, Illustration, Painting, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Youth, Visual Arts I am an artist living in Petaluma, CA. I taught in Petaluma schools for 23 years. I am, currently, on the Board at the Petaluma Arts Center. My passion is painting and finding ways to connect arts to education. Years ago, I was a furniture design coordinator and a visual merchandising manager for Macy's California. I have a BA in Art from San Jose State University and a teaching credential from Dominican University (San Rafael). I always worked art into the curriculum, using integrated strategies in my classroom in all subject areas - ELA, math, science, history, and, of course, fine art. I incorporated VTS (Visual Thinking Strategies) throughout my curriculum, as well. My work has been sold at Studio Gallery in San Francisco and at the Petaluma Arts Center. I have also shown my work at the Cabrillo College Gallery, Aqus Cafe, and I have greeting cards available at Vibe Gallery in Petaluma. I painted a piano for the Friends of Petaluma River Project (Petaluma Pete) and participated in the Black Lives Matter street mural in Petaluma. My work includes portraits of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Alexandria Ocasio Cortes, Greta Thunberg, and other important figures as well as commissioned portraits. Please visit my website to view my work.

Sue Kearney Graphic Design, Mixed, Other, Painting

They say it’s good to have an artist statement. Here goes:

My work is all variations on a theme, and the theme is flow. Flow and restraint. I’m better at the first than the second. Finding my way to creating the art I envision (and have rarely achieved) is what keeps me coming back to the art table, again and again.

#fluidity #flow #fluidartbysuekearney #abstractartbysuekearney #collage #chainpull #greetingcards #frameable #handmade #madewithlove #followme #fluidart #fluidartist #acrylicpour #paintpour #pourpainting #fluidacrylics #abstractart #originalart #giftidea #creative #instagramart #simplifyyourlife #simplicitea #collage #acrylicskins #leadfollow #makeamark #makeyourmark

Barbara Kelley Mixed, Painting, Printmaking, Visual Arts Barbara Kelley is a Printmaker and Painter. Originally from Alaska, she now resides in The Sea Ranch and Santa Rosa, CA. Her Santa Rosa studio is open year round by appointment. Barbara completed college, combining courses from the California State University and the University of California Berkeley, followed by three additional years of college art courses specializing in printmaking and painting. She also studied at the Kala Art Institute, Rocky Vine Press, Evans Encaustics, and Brinker Ink. Her works, recently selected to join the Pat Clark International Art Collection at the Ellsworth Foundation in Iowa Falls, joins a collection, which includes works by Man Ray, Japanese artist Kojiro Akagi, and Danish artist Leif Peterson. Her work is also in public collections of the Brooklyn Art Library, Kaiser Permanente, U.S. Department of State, Art in Embassies Program, Visual Artists’ Registry. Private collections of her works reside in Australia, Canada, Europe, and throughout the United States. Barbara’s works are exhibited widely, most recently at Spindrift Gallery, Icehouse Gallery, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Museum of Los Gatos, Quercia Gallery, Haldan Art Gallery, The Dolphin Gallery, and the W. Keith and Janet Kellogg Art Gallery.

Nao Kobayashi Artisan, Design, Fashion Design, Fiber Art, Folk Art, Performance Art, Puppetry, Technical, Theatre Nao Kobayashi designs and creates puppets and costume for theater, TV and film, museums, institutes, and entertainment. Originally from Japan and recently in northern California, she holds a MFA in Costume Design and Technology in Theatre, TV and Film from San Diego State University, a BA in Technical Theater from Sonoma State University. Over the past decade she has worked on various projects with dance, theater productions, fashion and entertainment companies, as well as artworks with independent artists, dancers, musicians and performers in Japan and artists from other countries. She currently works as a fabricator at Images in Motion a TV puppet company in Sonoma. In puppetry, she utilizes skills of sketch, sculpture, fabric modification and fabrication, and martial art and dance as movement and body understanding. She often works in creative teams with interdisciplinary characteristics, by expanding ideas to cross borders, as well as deepening and refining details.

DENNIS KOHN Photography, Recovery Fund Grantee, Visual Arts

DENNIS KOHN, professional photographer, teacher, world traveler, image maker, pioneer, environmentalist, and student of life, is as diverse as his background indicates.

Graduated with Honors from Pennsylvania State University in l969 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Dennis continued his education through l971 with graduate studies in photography. In 1975, to follow his destiny, he left teaching to open the first DENNIS KOHN STUDIOS in New Hope, Pennsylvania. After a split in a business partnership, the first studio was closed and DENNIS KOHN STUDIOS in Laguna Beach, California was born. Several years later, Dennis would re-locate to the Bay area where he has been working for the past 30 years. In l982 through l985, Dennis returned to teaching by offering weekend photographic seminars to places as Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, and Monterey and Carmel. These workshops taught the "Art of Photographing the Landscape".

DENNIS KOHN currently sells Photographic Art worldwide to individuals and corporations through art consultants, galleries, and prestigious outdoor art shows throughout the western states, as well as his own studio/gallery in Santa Rosa. Dennis has won numerous awards for his images: from the white-washed villages of GREECE, the remote villages of rural CHINA; to the wonderful waters of TAHITI, and the history of two European countries SPAIN and PORTUGAL; and the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts of TURKEY. Dennis' latest collections include images of the Buddhist monks and remote villages of THAILAND, and the rich history and multi-religious temples of ISRAEL and images of the wonderful Himalayan Mountains of NEPAL, and most recently extensive travel through some of the most sacred places in INDIA.

In addition to his worldly travels, his renown work of the SAN FRANCISCO landscape as well as his work from YOSEMITE, LAKE TAHOE and the SONOMA and NAPA WINE COUNTRY have made him a prominent figure in the Bay Area's extensive photographic world. The latest ARCHITECTURAL ABSTRACT COLLECTION, sponsored by one of the countries premier photo labs, BAY PHOTO, has been a major departure for Dennis from his landscape work. The Dimensional Overlay images that he produces are unique and have been featured in many of the trade magazines. Awards have been received from Professional Photographers of America (PPofA), Travel and Leisure Magazine, as well as awards of recognition and purchase awards from shows as: LA QUINTA ARTS FESTIVAL, BEVERLY HILLS, AFFAIR IN THE GARDENS, CHERRY CREEK ART FESTIVAL and the prestigious SAUSALITO ARTS FESTIVAL.

Leslie M. Levy Acting, Artisan, Audio, Composition, Crew, Directing, Fiction, Film, Film Office, Folk Art, Improvisation, Literature, Media, Mixed, Multi-Media, Multimedia, Music, Non-Fiction, Other, Photography, Poetry, Production, Storytelling, Talent, Technical, Theatre, Video, Visual Arts, Vocal I am a developing multifaceted creative based in Sonoma County, offering a breadth of knowledge and growing experience. Currently a senior at Sonoma State University in Communication and Media, I am looking for collaborative and mentorship opportunities within Sonoma County primarily and the Bay Area at large. A writer to the bone, I have experience with video work of all kinds (mostly camera, lighting, and directing/producing, some with editing) as well as some audio experience (ever-expanding because it is my second passion next to writing). I believe I have a lot to offer in a wide range of areas and love helping creative juices flow like watersheds into a project.

Tawnya Lively Mixed, Visual Arts I make mixed media art & designs focused on pattern, texture and color using collage and mosaic materials. I have a B.A. degree in both Art History and Painting with a minor in Art Management from Sonoma State University. For ten years, I worked as a project manager in game design - coordinating artists, sound designers and software engineers. In the aftermath of the October 2017 fires, I founded Firestorm Mosaics in which I create new heirlooms for those who lost homes using the broken pieces of porcelain and ceramic that were recovered from the ashes of their properties. I also coordinate other mosaic artists to help with the project in addition to hosting workshops for those who would like to make their own projects.

Karen Lockert Artisan, Ceramics, Fiction, Literature, Mixed, Other, Painting, Sculpture, Visual Arts Karen Lockert was always the kid who daydreamed her way through school, seeing beauty in what most other people thought was quite ordinary, if not downright ugly. Her career was launched only after leaving her position as a high school art teacher in Los Angeles, when she began to understand that she had been repeatedly “re-birthing” and “re-homing” herself through her art work. She is probably best known for her evocative, mixed-media compositions of the vintage, vernacular architecture of West Sonoma County, where she now lives. Her work has been exhibited at many galleries in the Russian River area, including Occidental Center for the Arts, Russian River Art Gallery, Cooprider Gallery, Graton Gallery, Lawson Gallery, and the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. In addition, she was a regular participant in Art @ the Source, West Sonoma County’s Open Studio tour for several years. As a spiritual, meditative artist at heart, it has been said that “her newest work gorgeously draws people into a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them”.

Gayle Manfre Mixed, Other, Painting, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts Gayle Manfre is a teaching artist, painter and art advocate. She one of the founders of Art Escape Sonoma, Sonoma Treasure Artist of 2010 and was awarded The Youth Mural Award from Precita Eyes Muralist in San Francisco. Gayle has been a teaching artist in Sonoma Valley since the 80s. She retired in 2017 and has been happily paintings since then Gayle is a member of the Arts Guild of Sonoma. My paintings are joyful and colorful and range from a wide variety of subjects. I am inspired by my travels and living in beautiful Sonoma.

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

TumbleWeed Expressions Meryl Juniper Artisan, Ceramics, Holidays Shop Local, Mixed, Muralist, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Visual Arts While following the seasons within her Expressive Arts Inspirations, Meryl intertwines over 4 decades of Multimedia Arts Educational Experiences and Community Arts Activism. Meryl ignites and delicately encourages artistic expression and a sense of humility and humanity, while inspiring hands-on, process based learning, along with a curriculum integrated focus. In this we weave a healthy approach, revealing and enlivening the naturally creative self. Simultaneously, Meryl thrives within her close to 5 decades of experience engaging a life within: Multimedia Visual Arts and the Performative realms of Nature Based and Street Performance Ritual, Improvisational Movement, Dance Theater, Improvisational Vocal Play, Song Writing, Movement Infused Personal Storytelling and Somatic Movement Practices. Moreover, Meryl commits, inspires and dedicates her artistic being to Community Arts Production, Process and Presentation. Lastly, Meryl’s instinctive devotion to the natural world and the offerings of Eco Somatic Engagement, allows her to share the wisdom gleaned and harvested from all her experiences living close and being inspired by the earth, while continuously extending a steadfast faithfulness to the practices of Expressive Arts, Natural Medicine Making, Farming, Holistic Nutrition and Parenting, while moving within a Heart Centered Living Folks Arts Tradition.

Taryn Moller Nicoll Arts Administration, Illustration, Mixed, Painting, Printmaking, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Visual Arts

Taryn Möller Nicoll (MFA'17, Louisiana State University) is a visual artist and instructor with ten years of experience in art education, curatorial practice and public program development.

In her studio practice, Taryn explores the intersection of fine art, medical science and the human body. She seeks refreshed investigations into notions of the good and the beautiful and, for her, that entry point is the human body; that ‘envelope’ rendering us equal: equally fragile, equally resilient. Her works have been exhibited at venues such as Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Johns Hopkins Welch Medical Library, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, and the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge.

Taryn has taught foundations, studio art and art history courses at Nova Southeastern University and Louisiana State University. Additionally, she has delivered artist lectures at academic institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Maryland; the University of Dresden, Germany, and the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Prior to relocating to the North Bay in 2022, Taryn was the Chief Curator for the City of Pembroke Pines in Florida. In this role, she directed exhibitions, cultural events and art education initiatives at Pembroke Pines' cultural institutions, including the Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery, Studio 18 Art Complex and the Charles F. Dodge City Center.

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

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).

Jessica Yoshiko Rasmussen Arts Administration, Mixed, Visual Arts I'm an interdisciplinary artist. My work ranges from assemblage to interactive installation art, from conceptual work to jewelry making. My perennial interest in discarded materials often drives me to incorporate objects that have a history and which carry meaning into my work both symbolically and energetically. I run a small art business, Va Va Vortex - a monthly art subscription service. I mail subscribers one work of art each month, usually accompanied by a mini-art history lesson that relates to the piece. Monthly installments are also posted on instagram: @VaVaVortex

Alex Ross Artisan, Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Mixed, Other, Other, Painting, Visual Arts I was born with a passion to be creative. Drawing, painting with a variety of mediums just makes me feel alive. I've been a graphic designer for a big chunk of my working life. Advertising, publication design, illustration; pet portraits, (lots of cats, humorous & realistic) still life, floral, landscape, product design, some photography and collage. I've found that experimenting with all these different forms of creating art is not only challenging to me, but extremely satisfying. Due to several surgeries and broken wrist on my left hand (being left handed) has left me with the opportunity to express myself in new ways. It's been a slow & painful road, although being an artist is just who I am. So I'm on a new path of adventure. My website is www.alexrossdesigns.net. I have original artwork and prints for sale. Also I have 2 shops on www.Zazzle.com/aleecatcreations & www.Zazzle.com/alexrossdesigns. My artwork is on a variety of products. Please visit these stores to view my work & purchase some products. It gives me great pleasure to put a smile on people's faces when they enjoy my art. It is absolutely nourishing & healing to my soul. Thank you for your interest. Alex

Abraham Schroeder Children's, Design, Graphic Design, Literature, Mixed, Photography, Sculpture, Visual Arts I am an artist, designer, and author living in Petaluma. My art includes digital, mixed media, and sculpture, electronics, metal, clay, collage. I also do freelance graphic and web design. My children's picture books are The Gentleman Bat (http://www.TheGentlemanBat.com) and Too Many Tables (http://www.TooManyTables.com). Before moving to CA, I worked for 7 years in the Asian Art Department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. During that time I managed a massive 5-year project to catalog, digitize, and rehouse the MFA's spectacular collection of 50,000+ Japanese prints. An 1880’s woodblock print of bats by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi in the MFA collection was the seed of inspiration for The Gentleman Bat. Read more about the hidden art historical references and book production process at http://www.TheGentlemanBat.com. My second book, Too Many Tables, features fun, colorful illustrations and a comically entertaining story, with a subtle message of generosity and community woven throughout. I do school, library, bookstore, and children's museum visits with large and small audiences. Depending on age and interest, I adjust the presentation to the group, often including interactive drawing activities, amazing bat facts and science, and introductions to Japanese woodblock prints. As an artist who worked closely with the illustrators of my books, I am always happy discuss the book making and illustration process, as well as writing, rhyming, and editing, and I do Skype/FaceTime for schools and groups around the country.