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CREATIVES

Entrepreneurs.  Innovators.  Interpreters of life’s jagged edges and silken pathways.  Soothsayers and sorcerers.  These words and more define the creative individuals who have chosen Sonoma as their home.  Explore their methods and mediums in these pages and be inspired.

Are you a creative professional in Sonoma County working to satisfy your artistic expression and make a living with your work?  Register HERE to have your own page included on CreativeSonoma.org.

Roberta Ahrens
Roberta Ahrens Artisan, Fiber Art, Functional Art, Illustration, Jewelry, Mixed, Muralist, Other, Other, Painting, Sculpture, Visual Arts Roberta Ahrens is one of Northern California’s Master Decorative Painters & Fine Artists. With over 30 years experience in the application of classic and contemporary painted finishes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Roberta’s extensive experience in painting large-scale murals combined with the practical knowledge of artistic applications acquired over a long career led her to develop a unique style of Fine Art painting in 2005. She continues to develop and refine the technique of painting on hand-prepared canvases called "cracked linen". Her love of horticulture brought her to focus on botanical subjects, diving into what she calls the architecture of nature. The results are truly breathtaking. By etching into the plaster she creates a new contemporary yet interestingly old world style, adding a depth and presence to her floral subjects that sets her work apart. She is considered a Legacy Artist,  and currently selling at the highest level of her career with a body of over 250 fine art pieces sold since she began her focus on Fine Art in 2005. ​
Jane Ingram Allen
Jane Ingram Allen Fiber Art, Mixed, Other, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture Jane Ingram Allen, originally from Alabama, lived in Taiwan from 2004-2012 and moved back to the USA in August 2012, settling in Santa Rosa, CA. She continues her career as an international artist using sustainable materials and collaborative processes to raise public awareness about environmental issues.  In January 2004 she first went to Taiwan as a Fulbright Scholar to do her hand papermaking art with Taiwan’s natural materials. She received a second Fulbright grant with sponsorship by Taiwan’s National Endowment for Culture and Art, and completed her “Made in Taiwan” project in July 2005. After the Fulbright grants, Jane worked as an independent artist with many organizations in Taiwan and other countries and initiated several environmental sculpture projects in Taiwan. Jane is also a former university art professor and experienced curator and arts writer. She has received awards for artist in residencies in the USA, Philippines, Japan, Nepal, Brazil, China, Tanzania, Taiwan, Turkey and Indonesia.  She completed site specific sculpture installation projects with handmade paper and seeds in 2020 and 2021 in Sacramento, CA, Cloverdale, Oregon and Steckborn, Switzerland, and had exhibitions of her work in Australia, Japan, Switzerland, and the USA.
Abby Bard
Abby Bard Artisan, Fiber Art, Functional Art, Holidays Shop Local, Other I weave functional textiles to wear and for home décor using rayon, cotton, and wool yarns, with a touch of metallic threads to add sparkle. Weaving became my passion following a trip to Guatemala in 1974, where I learned to weave on a back strap loom. Returning to San Francisco, I studied 4-harness weaving with Anne Wilson at the DeYoung Museum School and shared a studio with fiber artist Rebecca Lyon.  After moving to Sonoma County, I designed and wove clothing fabrics for Greentree Weaving in Cotati, and started my own line of textiles in 1984.   My work is inspired by nature, by my travels to Mexico, Peru and Thailand and, in particular, my garden.
Allegra Burke
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.  
Mari Capon
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.
Jason Cool
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

  1. 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
Ehme Haas
Ehme Haas Artisan, Audio, Ceramics, Fiber Art, Jewelry, Literature, Media, Mixed, Multi-Media, Music, Other, Painting, Poetry, Sculpture, Visual Arts, Vocal e.h.me is a multi-medium, hungry fArtist currently beginning an exploration of the play between place and perspective with mobile-inspired, found object suspended sculpture. an imported local of the Russian River area with a tendency toward forest frolicking, she is inspired by birth cycles and bridges, plastic bags caught in tree boughs, fermentation and regeneration. she seeks to convey a sense of the beautiful wonder within even the 'ugly' parts of experience. create(or) de(con)struct
Lindsay Hunter
Lindsay Hunter Artisan, Design, Fashion Design, Fiber Art, Functional Art, Furniture, Media, Mixed, Multi-Media, Other, Other, Other, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Video, Visual Arts LINDSAY HUNTER Santa Rosa, CA nutbarstudios@gmail.com SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS • Successfully promotes own business, stays in budget and executes projects on time. • Develop and implement K-9 enrichment programming: classroom, after-school, homeschool, county library, and summer camp; kid's area manager for large public events. • Demonstrated instructional and classroom management experience providing interesting and thought-provoking lessons supporting a personal mission of excellence. Provides a caring, safe and supportive environment for student learning. • Workshop presenter at reMAKE Education. • Network with businesses and community leaders and recruit volunteers for events. • Warm effective communication with both children and adults from diverse backgrounds, in person and written. • 10 years consumer product design and development, mostly for leading fashion manufacturers: Levi’s and Esprit, from initial concept through preproduction. • Initiated and created product concepts, materials development, textile patterns, garment styling and presentation materials. • Managed development of logo and graphics, hired artists, directed art concepts and approved final artwork for production. • Traveled throughout Asia and US working with sample and production manufacturers ensuring excellent products. • Researched market trends, analyzed competitor’s products for style, fabric, fit. • Conducted focus group research and marketing studies to identify target consumer. • Presented findings and product line concepts to Executive Management in order to advise and influence them on fashion trend direction and product design selections. • Nominated for Outstanding Faculty award at FIDM. Twice recognized for initiative, leadership and team building at Levi Strauss. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY 09/04-present Nutbar Studios Owner • Rincon Valley Education Foundation After-school Enrichment Program Provider • Whited Elementary Digital Storytelling Instructor • Rincon Valley Unified homeschool and Instructor Lego Robotics Trainer • Sonoma County Library Enrichment Program Provider • Sonoma State Excel Kids Summer Program Provider • Workshop Presenter at reMAKE Education • Levi's (Leipheimer) Granfondo Kid's Area Manager • The Great Handcar Regatta Kid's Area Manager • Gaia Online Merchandise Developer 01/13-06/15 Paraeducator Rincon Valley Unified 08/12-06/13 Science Facilitator, Noon Duty Rincon Valley Unified 03/03-08/04 College Instructor Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, SF 02/02-02/03 Administrative Assistant Feldenkrais Resources, Berkeley 04/01-11/01 Office Manager VoiceWare Systems, San Francisco 06/99-12/00 Student UC Berkeley Extension, Berkeley & San Francisco 09/94-03/99 Apparel Designer Levi Strauss & Co., San Francisco EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Arts – Emphasis in Product Design and Fashion San Francisco State University Project Management Certificate University of California Berkeley Extension PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT • SCOE Teaching and Learning Institute 2015 • Lego Learning Symposium at SCOE 2015 • SRJC Basic PC Repair and Maintenance Workshop 2014 • RVUSD Technology Summit 2013 • SCOE iPad Symposium 2013 • California Association for the Gifted Symposium 2013 AFFILIATIONS • Northbay Maker Educators • 180 Studios Community Maker Space
Mirka Knaster
Mirka Knaster Artisan, Fiber Art, Mixed, Visual Arts Natural environments, East Asian aesthetics, the places I've lived and traveled, 20th-century abstract art, and my meditation practice are the most important influences and inspirations for my art. Growing up cross-culturally, I am drawn to learn and appreciate how people around the world create with a wide range of materials--plants, clay, wood, stone, metal, glass, hides--and equipment, especially their own hands. After many years as a writer and editor using words to convey ideas and emotions to others, I began to also communicate with fibers because it's exhilarating to engage with color, texture, line, shape and space, pattern and design. I approach the creative process as an open-ended improvisation. Works emerge intuitively, even serendipitously, as I feel my way into each piece, choosing this color or that textile, dyeing cloth with indigo or rust, incorporating paper, metal or wood, adding another layer for transparency, working up texture, stitching another mark or brushing on paint or ink. Along the way, I embrace and celebrate the surprises.
Nao Kobayashi
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. ​
Laura Leipzig
Laura Leipzig Arts Administration, Dance, Fiber Art, Visual Arts Laura is passionate about bringing accessible, hight quality, visual and performing arts to to her community. As Education Outreach Manager at the Santa Rosa Symphony, she brings music education opportunities to schools throughout Sonoma County. Her past positions have included Education & Program Manager at the Museum of Sonoma County,  Program Manager at Chalk Hill Artist Residency, Gallery Manager at the Arts Guild of Sonoma, and Teaching Artist with the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. Before pursuing a career in non-profit arts, Laura managed a custom frame shop and art supply store where she first discovered her love of supporting the local art community. She holds a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from San Francisco State University's College of Extended Education, and a BA in Studio Art (photography concentration) with a Minor in Dance from Sonoma State University. Laura has been performing as a member of Healdsburg based, UpSide Dance Company since 2016. In 2020 she discovered her passion for weaving and fiber arts. She primarily works on a 48 inch, 4 shaft floor loom and is an active member of the Redwood Guild of Fiber Arts.  
Jacqueline Mallegni
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. 
Spring Maxfield
Spring Maxfield Artisan, Arts Administration, Ceramics, Fiber Art, Film Office, Mixed, Multi-Media, Other, Other, Talent, Theatre, Visual Arts, Woodworking Spring Maxfield is the Founder and Executive Director of Santa Rosa Urban Arts Partnership in Northern California. She works to create space to provide relevant, community driven arts and cultural programming. Her engagement activities and curatorial work has taken place in public spaces, underground galleries, wineries throughout Sonoma County, and established art institutions. Spring has served as a longtime participant and on the production team of Maker Faires both in the Bay Area and NY. She also cofounded the wildly popular Great Handcar Regatta arts festival, which drew crowds of up to 25,000 to Santa Rosa between 2008 and 2011. She regularly serves on a number of grassroots, city government, and private art foundation committees, using these roles to support and cultivate artists, creative businesses, community groups, and arts programming. She holds Bachelors’ of Arts in Art History and Art Practice and a Master’s degree in Museum Studies. When not busy engaging her international arts community, Spring can be found in the garden at her urban homestead with two daughters, and her husband—artist Todd Barricklow.
Susan Miron
Susan Miron Artisan, Fiber Art, Glass, Other About Susan Miron Susan Miron has been a professional artist for more than 25 years. Her experience covers a wide variety of artistic media, ranging from oil and acrylic painting, to wood and metal sculpture. Over the years she has developed a special affinity for three-dimentional fiber art, focusing primarily on basketry. Her works have been exhibited in galleries across the United States, and have won numerous awards of excellence in juried exhibits. She has received several grants from the California Arts Council and the National Endowment For The Arts. Her work has been on exhibit at the Oakland (California) Museum and The California Museum of Art. All of her works are one-of-a-kind, and reflect her emphasis on the uniqueness of the idea which inspired it. Owing to the nature of her craft, much of her work shows the influence of Native American culture through the use of chosen materials and stylistic influence, but always, her works combine a variety of influences into a truly individual creation. Susan studied art at San Jose State University, Taos Art Institute, California State University Hayward, and various workshops and seminars. She is an active member of many art and basketry organizations. She has taught her craft extensively, at levels ranging from the most elementary to college level, and worked as Artist in Residence at Napa State Hospital (California) for many years, and curated numerous exhibits of work by her students.
Zyssa Morales
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
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
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.  
Julia Pozsgai
Julia Pozsgai Artisan, Fiber Art, Jewelry, Mixed, Painting, Visual Arts I have autism and express myself in shapes and colors. Through art I am able to connect to the world. Art is a core part of who I am. I create acrylic paintings, fiber arts, and precious metal clay jewelry. Art for sale includes: paintings, prints, greeting cards, metal sculptures, jewelry, and purses made from upholstery samples. This year I have created some new art products which include Eco-friendly Utensil Packets sewn with hand-dyed fabrics and multi-metal jewelry. I also make Fiber Arts Wabi-Sabi dolls (perfectly imperfect) and wishing ukulele pillows. Over the last 7 years, I have grown my own company called “Pansy Creations”.  I present my work at multiple venues throughout Sonoma County including the Arts Guild of Sonoma and Fine Line Art Supplies in Sonoma, MadeLocal Marketplace, Museums of Sonoma County Gift Shop, and Rileystreet Art Supply in Santa Rosa, Hopscotch Gifts and Gallery in Healdsburg, Sebastopol Center for the Arts in Sebastopol, Stones Throw in Cotati, and the Petaluma Art Center in Petaluma.  In addition I sell my work directly and online.  I also do commissioned paintings or prints for customers.  I have been juried into multiple Call-to-Artists shows.  Most recent shows include: the Arts Guild “The Place I Live”, the Art Ambassador’s “Love is a Rebellious Bird” exhibit at Mantra Winery in Novato, Arts Guild of Sonoma’s National Juried Competition entitled “Alchemy” in which two of my art works were chosen, and Sonoma Community Center’s “Valley of Talent” show. Over the past several years I have been accepted into Holiday shows including: the Sonoma Community Center’s Holiday Art and Craft Sale in which I was one of the top selling artists for the weekend, and the Healdsburg Center for the Arts Holiday Gift Gallery.  My Trashion Fashion “Geyser Gown” tied for third place in 2018, and my “Planetarium” gown won the “Out of this World” award in 2019 at the Sonoma Community Center’s annual event.  I was invited to model and display the gowns this year at the Daily Acts Climate Concert/SOMO event center, Rohnert Park, CA and at the Petaluma Village Network talk about Recycling. I do a one-woman show every year. This year was called “Nature’s Magic takes Wing” held in August of 2019 at the Petaluma Arts Center. I did record sales in just 3 weeks with a $1000 painting selling before we had barely opened the show.  I presented a two month Geyser show at Old Faithful of California in Calistoga in 2018. I have participated in many first Thursday ArtWalks in the town of Sonoma over the last two years exhibiting at Sotheby’s on the Plaza of Sonoma, Jeff Cohn Cellars for a two month exhibit, a one night presentation at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, and this year at HomeBridge Mortgage.  These opportunities to meet more of my community and new fans has been great. I love to participate every year at the Wine County Nature and Optics Festival and also at the G3 Marketplace in Sonoma.  I annually have painted a wooden wine box award which is given to an award- winning filmmaker at the Sonoma International Film Festival. I have a new series of paintings in the works, new ways to create with fabric, a new Trashion Fashion design (temporarily on hold) and am busily sewing masks. I have lots of enthusiasm and energy to create! I hope to inspire others. If you are thinking about creating, I would say…“How about now?!”
Kusuma Sparks
Kusuma Sparks Artisan, Design, Fashion Design, Fiber Art Kusuma Sparks is an environmentalist who fought the urge to create beautiful things with textiles (and lost).
Despite her youthful ambition to land a Fulbright Grant and ‘save the world’, she finally (and begrudgingly) had to admit she had a gift and passion for textiles and, in the end, she became an artisan of fine garments for women who share her vision of a better world. Maybe it was because she couldn’t stand seeing her for-a-cause friends suffer bad aesthetics. Maybe it was a rebellious act against the industry.
Whatever the reason, for nearly two decades she has devoted herself to textiles arts; wrestling with the subject throughout the US, Europe and India. She finally got the courage (and the push) to open her doors to other women who are also seeking to do good, feel good and look beautiful. From original pattern-making through silk painting, embroidery, and fabric manipulation techniques, her work places emphasis on artisan hand-work skills that are unparalleled by machines today. Aside from sustainability and ethics, themes in her work revolve around nature with dreamy and romantic interpretations. Read her full bio here.

Adelle Stoll
Adelle Stoll Artisan, Design, Fashion Design, Fiber Art, Jewelry Handcrafted for the Modern Minimalist  Adelle Stoll combines her love of modern design with nimble hands to create original handbags and jewelry from her studio Store at The Barlow. Classic and bold architectural shapes are crafted from soft materials resulting in iconic pieces destined to become heirlooms. Each piece is designed and crafted with love by modern accessories designer Adelle Stoll in Sonoma County, California. Materials  All Adelle Stoll goods are made using supreme materials specifically chosen for their quality and durability. Using the finest oil tanned leathers sourced from the United States, leather is hand cut to create stylish pieces, designed for years of use. 100% German wool felt in vibrant, saturated colors and hand fabricated brass rods and hardware define Adelle Stoll’s original designs. Meet Adelle Stoll Ever since Adelle can remember she’s had an active mind filled with creative ideas. Bored by high school academics, she found her niche in theater arts courses and at 16 performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Discovering that traditional academics weren’t for her, Adelle charted her own course with entrepreneurial thinking built around creativity. A child of the 70s who watched American manufacturing disappear, Adelle wanted to give people a place to shop for quality products that weren’t made in China. The answer? She opened The Silo, a Sonoma County shop carrying modern artisan goods, all made in America.  At the helm of The Silo, Adelle saw an opportunity to fill a void. Many trendy handbags were overly adorned and cheaply made. With poor quality materials made by machines only, these mass produced bags didn’t jive with Adelle or her clientele. By virtue of meeting her customers at the shop, Adelle received immediate feedback and refined the designs that are now her trademark style. After a successful stint, Adelle closed The Silo to focus on expanding her product lines. If Adelle hadn’t discovered her inner theater geek years ago, she might have dropped out of high school. Reaching troubled teens is a cause close to her heart that has morphed into a business strategy. Adelle dreams of hiring foster children who’ve aged out of the system. She wants to give them an opportunity to learn a trade and access their creativity. Teens could be taught pattern making, design thinking, or marketing, while learning about personal integrity through responsibility. Her ultimate goal? For each teenager to look beyond personal circumstances and believe in their potential. So many ideas, it’s surprising she sleeps. Adelle creates new original designs and wearable art every season. Producing small batches of handcrafted bags and jewelry are just the beginning. Currently in the design pipeline are modern women’s shoes, men’s accessories, and minimalist home decor items; all designed and handcrafted by Adelle Stoll in Sonoma County, California.
Keyaira Terry
Keyaira Terry Artisan, Design, Fiber Art, Functional Art, Interior Design, Mixed, Other, Other, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts Keyaira Terry is an artist with a bold spirit and an old soul. Born and raised in Ukiah, a small farm town in Northern California, Keyaira had a childhood that was deeply connected to the soil and earth, learning to use everything around her as a tool or resource. Keyaira spent her formative years with her grandmother sewing, tending to the land they lived on, and caring for an array of farm animals. Trading goods and commodities among their close-knit farm community was commonplace and shaped Keyaira’s perspective on sustainability and the true meaning of “locally sourced”. Keyaira recalls utilizing all the resources available to her and minimizing waste as being a paramount part of her existence, “if we didn’t have it we made it, if something broke we fixed it”. These collective experiences helped cultivate Keyaira as an artist and inspire her present-day work and ethos — A homespun nostalgia with a modern sensibility, rooted by a love for natural, sustainable and ethically sourced materials. Keyaira currently resides in Santa Rosa, California with her husband, Weston, and their two English bulldogs, Lola and Olive. She splits her time between running her own business as a designer and maker, weaving instructor, and creating commissioned pieces. She has collaborated with companies such as Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, Studio 11 Designs, Bustle Events and has been featured by Sonoma Magazine, Apartment Therapy and Etsy.
Luann Udell
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.
Jill Valavanis
Jill Valavanis Artisan, Fiber Art, Jewelry, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth, Visual Arts I am a teaching artist. With an MFA in Integrated Three-Dimensional Media, I use a variety of materials to create sculptural and functional objects. Fiber is my favorite medium. Currently, I am using my sewing machine to create freehand abstract embroidered pieces. For over 20 years I have enjoyed teaching art to both children and adults, from toddlers to seniors, in schools, colleges, community centers, museums, art centers, gardens, and private homes. I believe that anyone has the capacity to be creative, and that making art is good for one's mental and physical health.
Niki Wildflower
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
Kari Wishingrad
Kari Wishingrad Acting, Artisan, Fiber Art, Film, Film Office, Improvisation, Media, Talent, Theatre Growing up in New York City, Kari began her performing career at an early age influenced by attending a performing arts grammar school near Lincoln Center as well as by Joseph Kipness, a close family friend who was a Broadway Producer. She was four years old when she saw her first Broadway show “I Had a Ball” starring Buddy Hackett. When Karen Morrow took the stage and sang, Kari knew then and there that she wanted to perform. Kari has acted in plays, mostly musicals, throughout grammar school, high school and college at SUNY New Paltz. During her sophomore year abroad she joined an English language theater group in Besançon, France. Kari continued performing in theater when she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area landing a role in “Tokens: A Play on the Plague”. Produced by Whoopi Goldberg, written by David Schein, and directed by Robert Ernst. “Tokens” ran for 32 extended performances at Theatre Artaud and won eleven Bay Area theater awards. In 2002 Kari turned her focus to film, voice over, industrials, television, print, regional and national commercials. She has acted in dozens of features and short independent films, many of which have been in the festival circuit and may be seen on DVD via Netflix and Amazon.com. Kari is currently producing a film based on the “SHE” that celebrates the women of the Beat generation. She continues expanding her talents while enjoying living in Northern California’s wine country.