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.

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.

Christine Hourscht Children's, Illustration, Mixed, Painting, Visual Arts

Living in a small town in California, Christine Renee Hourscht is surrounded by nature’s beauty.

She likes to hike among the trees, admiring flowers, birds, and other animals. She is also enchanted by the ocean, lakes, insects, sky, and fresh air. It fills her with colorful inspiration.

As an artist, Christine is passionate about the beauty of life and lives in gratitude. Her artwork portrays this with whimsical movements, shapes and colors. Her philosophy is to “Live to love” and “Every breath we take is precious.” Her artwork is a way to share moments in time.

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.

Jacqueline Kramer Illustration, Music, Painting, Visual Arts, Vocal Jacqueline Kramer graduated from Bennington College with a degree in painting and sculpture where she focused on large color field stain paintings and sculpture made from found objects. Her first one- woman show, which exhibited her rendition of the Zen series, the “The 10 Bulls”, was in 1979 in Napa, California. Her watercolors and mixed media paintings, of eucalyptus and local flowers, are in personal collections. Jacqueline taught art at the Julie Nation Fashion Institute and color line and design through the Santa Rosa Junior College. She lives and paints in Sonoma, California. I am interested in making art that sheds light on the beauty and interconnectedness of life, especially in places where beauty and interconnectedness is hard to find. My work is informed by my Zen Buddhist practice, by a response to what is happening in the world and by expressionist and color field painters such as Monet, Van Gogh, Rothko and Chagall. Using color, line and design, experimentation and a determination to bring about work that has depth and significance, I am interested in inspiring others to look at life around them with fresh eyes.

MJ Lindo-Lawyer Illustration, Mixed, Muralist, Painting, Visual Arts Painting from her bay area home studio filled with cactus, ferns and philodendrons, MJ Lindo-Lawyer explores alternative universes and whimsical, dark fantastical worlds using different mediums. Being self-taught, it was tough for MJ to settle on a medium until she fell in love with oil paint and wooden canvases. Known for her use of creamy pastels and rich skin tones, MJ creates a world of whimsy in which a giantess woman can befriend a tiny bear cub or a group of miniature elephants’ campfire around a forest goddess for warmth. Since 2003, MJ has been telling versions of her life story and other women’s stories through her multi-cultural woman and their interactions with these alternative universes and unique furry friends. MJ Lindo-Lawyer lives and works in the Bay area with her husband and studio mates her kitten Garbage and her 160 lb Neapolitan Mastiff Mellow.

Mother Magica Artisan, Audio, Choreography, Composition, Dance, Design, Fashion Design, Instrumental, Jewelry, Media, Music, Other, Photography, Video, Visual Arts, Vocal

Artist , Muse, CRAZY

I am a creative designer and maker of music, videos, jewelery, clothing, wigs, dance and short storys..... I am a constant comic in all ways of life. Being able to laugh at everything is my true gift. I practice gratitude... I am sooooo greatfull to be alive and able to inspire you to create and love!

Tim McGee Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Visual Arts Over 20 years experience in design and illustration; both traditional and digital techniques for commercial, web and publishing projects.

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.

Zyssa Morales Artisan, Ceramics, Fiber Art, Illustration, Jewelry, Mixed, Other, Painting, Visual Arts, Woodworking My name is Zyssa Morales and I am a craft artist. I was born in Ecuador but have been raised in the United States. I’m passionate about art and would love to use it to bring awareness to social and environmental issues.

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

Evelyn Nitzberg Illustration, Other, Painting, Visual Arts I'm a Sonoma County, California Artist. I grew up on a chicken ranch through the 1950s. My NYC parents came by train to Petaluma in 1949 on their honeymoon. They tell me that I started drawing when I was only two years old...and I never stopped making art. Aside from working in the family business, growing up in the country was a mecca for exploration and discovery. I spent many happy hours alone, drawing and constructing things, or with my siblings running through the fields, thrilling over pollywogs, climbing trees, digging through the owl pile in the barn looking for mouse bones to glue to my grandfather's thrown away cigar box tops. In college I majored in Painting and Drawing at San Francisco State University; toward the end of my undergrad days I learned as much as I could about Printing Technology. I spent ten years working as a Photolithographer in Bay Area Print Shops. I also wound up painting a 4'x16' mural depicting the history of printing technology in the U.S. It was presented at the St. Francis Hotel in SF during the 125th anniversary convention and was published across the U.S. and Canada. In the 1980s I worked as part of a team of field biologists censusing Gray Whales in Bajia Magdalena in the Lagunas in Baja. As a result of these incredible adventures with Ron Patterson and Ron LaValley I wound up working as a freelance Biological Illustrator for the local community college. My artistic bent has taken me in many directions: muralist for the ITU in SF, illustrator of CD covers for NY Sticktet player, Steve Adelson, logo designer for the band Signia (2004), flyer design for Norman Greenbaum of Spirit in the Sky, T-shirt and fabric design, many commissioned paintings for clients in L.A., Chicago, SF, NYC, Marin County. I currently continue to oil paint and teach in my rural studio. I love to paint very special biographical personal pieces for clients. I still love the creative process! In 2015 I earned the esteemed status of Signature Artist with Society of Western Artists for having earned 150 points over a three year period for having been juried into shows at 5 points each for bi-monthly shows and 30 points each for the annual exhibits. I have exhibited and won awards for my paintings since I was 17 years old. And I won the Petaluma Art Association annual scholarship when I graduated from Petaluma High School in 1970. My exhibit resume is extensive and includes Award of Merit at the State Fair in Sacramento, all First Place Awards, Best of Show Overall and monetary award at the Cloverdale Citrus Fair, numerous First Place Awards with San Francisco Women Artists and Society of Western Artists whose annual juried in exhibits honored me as an artist in print in the annual catalogs in '13,'14,'16. I continue to teacher Drawing and Printmaking with Petaluma Adult Education, at the Petaluma Art Center and in my studio. I taught for Sonoma County Schools for more than 20 years.

Erin Rose Opperman Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Mixed, Other, Painting, Photography, Visual Arts

Here’s the important stuff: I have a strong, varied background in visual arts with a photography degree from Sonoma State University as well as a degree in graphic design + branding from San Francisco’s FIDM. For nearly three years I had the pleasure of working in-house, as Art Director at an award winning advertising agency, The Engine is Red. I focused on brand strategy, marketing concepts, and fully custom digital experiences. I collaborated within a team to create concepts, strategies, and results. And I led a team to ensure ideas were upheld, best practices were met, and expectations were always surpassed. I now work freelance to serve my own clients as Erin Rose Creative. I offer agency-quailty creative services without the agency price or hassle.

Here’s the fun stuff: I’m an inexplicable mix of a wildly punctual, reliable, detail-oriented, deadline driven professional AND terrible adult person who can’t make a bed or cook a meal to save her life. I’m quirky and fun, but smart, focused and I get things done. I’m obsessed with Palm Springs, anything ‘70’s, and if I could create my own version of Mt. Rushmore it would include Bowie, Warhol, Kahlo, and Frances McDormand. I've formally studied photography, painting, and design. Which leads me to be a multidisciplinary artist with a wide body of works, across a multitude of media types. I highly suggest following me on Instagram. I'm fun.

Judy Pagnusat Artisan, Glass, Jewelry, Teacher/Instructor I am an artist who has always loved making jewelry. I make jewelry out of every medium I have ever worked in, be it crochet, paper, glass or metal. In recent years my favored materials have been glass and metal clay. My new passion is metal fabrication, enameling and up-cycled jewelry made from vintage flatware. I am available to teach fused glass, metal clay or metal fabrication at your location or my studio in Cotati, CA. My work is featured and for sale at "The Artisans Co-op Gallery" in Bodega, CA

Steven Radice Composition, Illustration, Instrumental, Music, Other, Painting, Technical, Theatre, Visual Arts, Vocal Are you smiling? Is it fun? That's what I look for in my art, in my life. I want to play. I want to share. In music or visual art, I offer the joy of my heart. And yes, I've won the awards, endorsements, audiences and whatever. That's nice, but Love is what matters. Smile, dance, live the life. Balance. Enjoy.

Eva-Lena Rehnmark Illustration, Visual Arts

Eva-Lena Rehnmark has been working as an illustrator and designer for over 15 years.

She is the author and illustrator of a nonfiction book about wolves (Neither God Nor Devil : Rethinking our Perceptions of Wolves, Pomegranate, 2000.) Eva-Lena also creates commercial work such as wine labels, brochures, promotional material, and patterns. This Sonoma based artist also creates hand painted marriage certificates and paintings that are collected internationally

Christopher Reiger Illustration, Literature, Mixed, Non-Fiction, Painting, Printmaking, Visual Arts

Originally from the rural Delmarva Peninsula on the mid-Atlantic coast, Christopher attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, before moving to New York City, where he lived and worked for a decade. He graduated from the MFA program at the School of Visual Arts (NYC) in 2002.

Whether exploring an abandoned city lot or a tract of forest far from an urban center, he still feels the same excitement he felt as a boy, when he found many of his experiences in the "natural" world similar to those of Lewis Carroll’s Alice. Carroll’s premise that "things get curiouser and curiouser" guided Christopher through many an outdoor adventure. As an adult, his love of the outdoors has evolved into a fascination with natural history, conservation, and ecology, and his visual art, illustration, design, and writing projects wrestle with contemporary constructions of nature, and the human relationship to nonhuman animal species.

Christopher lives in Northern California with his wife and two young sons.

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

Rachel Shayne Edelstein Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Media, Other, Visual Arts While earning her bachelors degree in fine art from UC Santa Cruz, Rachel has had illustrations published in City on a Hill Press, Primer, and Santa Cruz Weekly. After graduating in 2011, Rachel began working as a graphic designer. She specializes in digital, watercolor, and ink mediums. Her recent work includes graphic design and web production for ecommerce. In her spare time she enjoys drawing, reading, and running.

Dylan Smith Ballet, Choreography, Dance, Illustration, Literature, Modern, Non-Fiction, Other, Other, Poetry, Professional Performance, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts Dylan Smith is a Bay Area dancer, choreographer, instructor and visual artist. He holds a BA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College and is on staff at Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Mr. Smith has performed and choreographed with Transcendence Theatre Company in Sonoma, California the past few years earning him Broadway World San Francisco's Best Choreography Award for 2015. Other performing credits include the Japan and North American Tours of 42nd Street, JUBILEE! at Bally's Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and Principal Dancer on Holland America Line. As a choreographer and instructor his experience ranges from the Alvin Ailey Children's Program, Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University just to name a few. In addition to the performing arts, Dylan has rediscovered his joy and passion for visual art, creating new works based on childhood pieces. He has had three, well attended, successful exhibitions here in California and plans to keep moving forward with developing a brand entitled "Hair Pop Out Mania". He is available for private dance and theatre instruction, group classes, choreography as well as visual art commissions.

William Smith Printmaking, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts

William Smith (b.1970) received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with an emphasis in printmaking from Sonoma State University, CA. in 1996.

As an undergraduate student at SSU, he collaborated with many artists as a printer and technician at Aurobora Press, in San Francisco and independently around the Bay Area. In 1998, he received his Master of Fine Arts Degree from West Virginia University.

After completing his graduate studies, he returned to California where he continued to work at Aurobora Press and teach part-time at Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior College. He has taught all levels of drawing (including figure drawing), foundations courses in design as well as printmaking. He still teaches part time at Santa Rosa Junior College while making and showing his art.

In addition to art, he is a music enthusiast and has played drums in various punk and hard rock bands since the 90’s. William Smith lives and works in Santa Rosa, CA. Passersby may hear anything from classic jazz to hardcore punk and metal bellowing from his studio.

Charles Versaggi Literature, Non-Fiction, Photography, Visual Arts Like an insatiable moth, I've been a light chaser for many years. I love photography for its science, craft, art, and power to expand our vision. But most of all as a tool that enables us to see and share novel perspectives, informing stories that evoke feelings of awe, empathy, and community with the world around us. Charles Versaggi is a native San Franciscan of Italian heritage, who now lives in Petaluma. Earning a doctorate in marine biology, he learned to appreciate the wonders of nature both under and above the water — often with camera in tow. A mass-media science fellowship writing for the Milwaukee Journal paved the way to science writing, life science communications, and photojournalism. He has participated in juried group photo exhibitions and has published numerous articles and photoessays. He is currently working on North Beach Light (© 2018), a collection of photoessays that reflect on his early years of living in North Beach when it was the City’s “Italianita” and the center of Beat lifestyle, topless bars, and jazz clubs, leading to flower power and the Summer of Love.

Arthur Waligora Illustration, Literature, Painting, Poetry, Visual Arts

Hi there!

I moved to the Bay area from LA working as a Digital Art Director for a major enthusiast publishing company. Since relocating I have been eager to start working with paint and other mediums to express myself. Very grateful to have been invited by Petaluma Arts Center to speak at one of their Idea Lounge events.

Carlea Warren-Rossi Illustration, Mixed, Other, Painting, Visual Arts Carlea developed an interest in art from an early age. As her family would say, she was born with a pencil in her hand. Due to her shy nature as a child, she had difficulty communicating with others solely through words, so art became her form of communication with the outside world. It existed as a way to openly express her feelings, emotions and beliefs, since images could cross over so many linguistic and cultural barriers. Born and raised in California, Carlea went on to receive her B.A. in art studio from the University of California, Davis. Currently, her focus is combining art with social justice and community building.

Barbie Watts Artisan, Creative Sonoma Grantee, Functional Art, Illustration, Mixed, Multi-Media, Other, Other, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Youth, Visual Arts Living through some iconoclastic times, I feel like the truth seeker and the magician, asking viewers to see what I see in my drawings, paintings, sculpture, video’s and writing about it all. I grew up in a family of exceptional people. Trained in painting and ballet from a young age, I would move on to different mediums and styles of art for the the rest of my life. I would pour myself into every style, medium and philosophy I could afford. Having to find alternative sources for the necessities of, say, painting, I scoured alleys and dumpsters at businesses, looking for and finding paper for drawing or mat board, wood for stretching canvas, sometimes the canvas. I also found canvas and more, not at the art store, but discount fabric stores or hardware store. I still reuse today, making paper mache containers, boxes and pencil cups, using plastic clamshells, soup cans, as molds. Old aluminum foil makes great armatures for my smaller pieces, the mermaid candlestick holders or boxes and such. Water is my current interest and being able to make air to water collectors in a way it would catch the public s attention. I think there power in having some control over those things that are normally out of our control, like the drought in California. Water from Air collectors on’t depend on anyone or any company, to work. They can be made from the simplest materials. WHY aren’t there more?

CREATIVES

Hi there!