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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.

Noor Adabachi
Noor Adabachi Architecture, Artisan, Dance, Design, Fashion Design, Folk Art, Functional Art, Furniture, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Mixed, Modern, Multi-Media, Other, Other, Other, Sculpture, Technical, Theatre, Visual Arts, Woodworking Noor Adabachi is a graduate of  the California Institute of the Arts: CalArts where he studied set and costume design. Past designs for foolsFURY include (dis)Place[d], directed by Ben Yalom, The Unheard of World, directed by Michelle Haner,  and Faulted, directed by Evren Odcikin.  After working on theater and dance productions in Los Angeles in the early 80's he concentrated on custom furniture design and fabrication, creating work for Milton Katselas, Oprah Winfrey, Catherine Bell, Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil and many others. His work has been featured in architectural magazines and on E The Entertainment Channel. Noor is grateful for his wife Debórah’s inspiration and encouragement to rekindle his relationship to theater after a long hiatus.
Jesus Bravo
Jesus Bravo Artisan, Functional Art, Furniture, Sculpture, Visual Arts As a child, and first generation immigrant in this country I was never completely sure about my future. After graduating high school, I applied to SRJC and selected the welding program. Although I had a wonderful education and certification, I was unable to secure a job in the field due to my immigration status. After fifteen years of being undocumented, I had the opportunity to acquire U.S. citizenship. After I landed my first welding job, it was at that shop where I learned to create metal art, or what I like to call forever art. I would stay after work and began to put my skills to the test, spending long hours and weekends to create my own style which is highly influenced by Mother Nature, my ancestral roots, and indigenous tribes around the American continent and the world. I began making simple yard art, while continuing to develop my skills. I then started making various furniture pieces, doing larger jobs such as gates, planter boxes, and repair jobs. With these projects, I continued to develop my style of art, including original art and commissioned pieces. Every day was and still is spent practicing, evolving, and pushing my skills to become a better fabricator and artist. This is what I call BravoSculpt. In the South Central Mexico, the town I was born and raised in is very close to a sacred Mexica location ca led Malinalco. Since it was so close, it was a place we frequented as a family throughout my childhood. Malinalco has influenced and inspired my work because it is a place of rich history where I have learned, and continue to learn about the rich heritage left by our ancestors– a location of the monolith Cuahucalli, where the Mexica eagle and jaguar warriors were Trained and Initiated. Communities need to heal from ongoing traumas and I believe culture helps us heal, including art. I also believe that knowledge is power, and as I continue to learn more about my own culture, it helps me expand knowledge of other cultures and communities. I began attending several cultural events around the Bay Area, including Dia de los Muertos at various locations, Mexica New Year in San Jose, and Carnaval in San Francisco. These events have heavily influenced me and my art, as they highlight many BIPOC communities. It is at these events where we experience a sense of community and a sense of belonging. Al participants and attendees, including myself, learn so much from each other– it is truly beautiful and inspiring. These events include ancestral ceremonies, dances, altars, among other traditions that have taught me many ways to celebrate all of our ancestors. In my daily life, I like to incorporate traditional, ancestral ways of giving. And through my art, I aim to share the knowledge I am acquiring. In addition, I have had the great pleasure to collaborate with several local community projects through incredible nonprofit organizations and community groups including Sonoma Immigrant Services, Art Escape, the Springs Municipal Advisory Council, and El Verano Elementary School.
Teresa Camozzi
Teresa Camozzi Mixed, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Visual Arts Bio : TeresaCamozzi Multimedia California artist Teresa Camozzi, born in Rabat, Morocco, immigrated to the United States when five years old. Her artwork evokes the complexity of the Islamic, while her immigration shades her political view.  Studying in San Francisco's Academy of Art, her mentor was Ernst Posey. Known internationally for large-scale permanent public artworks, she combines representational and abstract images via conventional art methods (photography, drawing) and computer technology. One example is a seven-story installation near Shanghai, China; another is at Miami International Airport. She earned the National 2009 Americans for the Arts Award for public work in Plano, Texas. She is currently engaged in creating and exhibiting her documentary series about the 2020 Pandemic. Healdsburg CA Februrary 2021
Ron Carter
Ron Carter Architecture, Artisan, Audio, Ceramics, Children's, Creative Sonoma Grantee, Design, Directing, Fashion Design, Fiction, Film, Functional Art, Furniture, Graphic Design, Illustration, Instrumental, Interior Design, Jewelry, Literature, Media, Mixed, Muralist, Music, Other, Other, Other, Painting, Photography, Poetry, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth, Theatre, Video, Visual Arts, Woodworking

My Path... Divergent visions gave rise to my creative present. A present refreshed by art as life and livelihood.

Experiences like the ‘Tubbs Fire’ that hit Santa Rosa serve to strengthen the ‘artist within me’. It foements subjective creative moments that utilize my past, present - and my future as focal lenses. Spontaneously, I chose The San Francisco Art Institute over The Rhode Island School of Design and the School of the Art Institute  at Chicago for my formal Art education. I received my BFA in Interdisciplinary Art and Public Art. I’ve studied stone sculpture for 10 years with Master Sculpture-Ante’ Marinovic, one of Croatia’s premier stone sculptors and is considered a Croatian national treasure. I explore the collaboration between artist, media and tool in such a fashion as to give rise to multiple layers of compressed info within each piece I create no matter if it is a purely visual work or an interactive space or environmental art form. For me, art screams out into all aspects of my life. As an artist in western society, dogma and bravado go hand in hand with economic choice. Art is my life. If it’s not nailed down or permanently affixed,  it’s in trouble of becoming art resource material. Well, upon further review, even that won’t deter me from considering an objects use in an art piece.
Hilarie Coate
Hilarie Coate Folk Art, Holidays Shop Local, Jewelry, Other, Other, Puppetry, Sculpture, Woodworking Hilarie Coate's works celebrate the Mexican holiday traditions of the Day of the Dead.  As an artisan, educator and pollinator of handcrafts and celebrations, she bridges the boundaries of life and death and of style and culture. With care and with respect and with an eye to both the history and the future of the holiday, she works in wax, wood, metal, tin, silk, paper, beading and clay in remembrance of los Muertos. She has taught children’s craft workshops, made parade art for the Grateful Dead, directed the Mendocino Coast Day of the Dead Festival, and was the only American volunteer in props and costumes at the 2017 CDMX Gran Desfile de Dia de los Muertos.  She studied papier-mâché mask making in Venice, Italy, and Catrinas en cartoneria in Puebla, Mexico and she integrates new international ideas and techniques in the syncretic tradition of the holiday. Her studio - Peace, Love & Death is located in Fulton Crossing and houses a library of hard to find Muertos art and history in print and on video. She offers festival support, custom pieces, and individual and group classes.   
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
da gordon dart
Da Gordon Dart Illustration, Painting, Sculpture, Visual Arts My work is clean, crisp, colorful and happy. It's a blend of American primitive simplicity, meticulous rendering and, in the case of my paintings, an unmistakable tight finish. My sculpture follows suit. I've been a gallery artist and illustrator for most of my career.  It's only been in the last decade or so that I chose to step into the world of metal sculpture.
Sara Downing
Sara Downing Design, Functional Art, Furniture, Interior Design, Photography, Sculpture, Visual Arts  I have spent the majority of my artistic career in photography, music and design+build fields. The majority of my photographic work over the last 25 years has been commercial in nature, with a focus on portraiture and architecture. Currently, my focus is designing and executing 2 and 3 dimensional large-scale photographic image installations for both residential and commercial applications.  My work tends to reflect painterly and abstract forms and I often concentrate my efforts on textural worlds distilled from the often-labeled mundane. I aim to surprise audiences with a new way to experience photography in a physically immersive construct. The more I walk this earth the more apparent it is to me. Tapping into which thoughts and actions bring me joy conversely allows me to more fully identify that which I should let go. What works for our STUFF also works for our psyche. To cut through the din of external voices telling us any number of things; to come to rely on one's own gauge to determine what feels good, what feels nourishing, what feels inspiring.

What whispers to you?

What is worthy of your attention?

What makes you feel good?
Anna Friesen
Anna Friesen Mixed, Painting, Photography, Visual Arts I imagine observe photograph collect then follow intuitive leads to usual and unique materials to express my feeling responses to the natural world
Scott Gibson
Scott Gibson Media, Photography, Teacher/Instructor, Video, Visual Arts Landscape/Nature/Wildlife. Ground-based and aerial/drone. Stills and Motion. Assignments, Commissions, Prints, Licensing, Photo Products. Award-winning photographer Scott Gibson creates the images for Gibson Outdoor Photography from his picturesque base in Northern California's Wine Country. From there, he travels the region, the western United States, and the world to capture images to educate, entertain, and inspire viewers. A serious hobby photographer for decades, Scott has spent recent years carefully refining his craft. His artistic eye helps him see and feel what others miss and his deep technical training helps him capture and share these experiences in his photographs. Scott's search for the next great image often provides opportunity for adventure. He is particularly proud of the acclaim for his images from an ascent of 14,505 foot Mount Whitney in California's Sierra Nevada mountains – camera in hand the entire 22 miles. Willing to go 'all in' to get the shot, Scott camped for days in the Oregon wilderness to capture the August 2017 total solar eclipse. His FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot certificate supports capturing fresh aerial points of view. His award-winning images are featured in private collections, winery publications, popular photo products, and stock photo services.
Jennifer LaPierre
Jennifer LaPierre Design, Interior Design, Mixed, Painting, Photography, Visual Arts
Artist ~ Designer
Fine Art - Curated Collections Residential - Commercial - Hospitality Art genre as fluid as our price point - Traditional, transitional and contemporary art created to your price point goals, variety of product and quick turn around time. I strive to approach each project utilizing all of my resources; my expertise in color and decorative painting, respect for composition and the lyrical nature of each space and the ability to layer a collection to gently reveal a vignette of individualism. I have been in the design industry since 1989, originally in decorative arts but have transitioned into interior design. I have participated in 16 Decorator Showcases and am familiar with the industry and comfortable with the demands of project management. I absolutely love what I do and have been eager to trade my scaffold in for a more grounded platform. I am very detail oriented and can multitask while maintaining a sense of pragmatic humor and grace. I am positive in in practice and mind, a problem solver and have a ravenous work ethic. I play well with others, enjoy collaborations and take great pride in cultivating long relationships with clients, artisans and contractors. Working with the same team of professional artisans close to twenty years, the studio strives to offer unique design solutions and techniques for each project. We create fine art, abstracts on plaster, custom wallpaper and focal wall panels, hand painted and custom wall covering, cracked linen wall covering and wallpaper, painted maps, murals, faux and decorative finishes, ornamental screens, painted tapestries, gilded panels, equestrian paintings and photography. The line in its entirety combines artistic interpretations of classic art with graphic and material elements of today. Currently represented at Shears and Window in San Francisco, CA 1993 Marin Design Showcase - Family Room 1995 Marin Design Showcase - Master Bed and Bath 1995 San Francisco Design Showcase - Boys Room 1995 Napa Design Showcase - Dining Room 1996 Marin Design Showcase - Kitchen 1996 San Francisco Design Showcase - Wine Room & Breakfast Room Wallcovering 1997 Marin Design Showcase - Dining Room 1997 San Francisco Design Showcase - Guest Room Wallcovering 1997 Nashville Design Showcase - Study 1998 Napa Design Showcase - Her Master Bath 1998 Los Angeles Idea House 2001 Marin Designer Showcase - Powder Room, Hallway 2005 Marin Design Showcase - Breakfast Room with Petersen Design Assoc. 2006 Marin Design Showcase - Library 2006 Salute to the Arts - Sonoma 2007 Vintage Festival - Sonoma 2007 Salute to the Arts - Sonoma 2008 Vintage Festival - Sonoma 2009 Vintage Festival - Sonoma 2010 San Francisco Design Showcase - Guest room Wallcovering / Upstairs Bathroom wallcovering/damask etched mirrors 2010 Marin Design Showcase - Guest bed 'La Grande Odalisque mural' / Teen Crib ceiling mural 2010 Sonoma Valley Museum of Modern Art - Moulin Rouge -9 paintings- 2010 Vintage Festival - Sonoma 2011 Hampton Classic/Equestrian series - Belmont, and Sonoma Horse Park - Highpoint North Carolina 2011 Marin Designer Showcase for Cecilie Starin 2012 SF MOMA Windows project, Sonoma Museum of Art Wet Paint, Sonoma Vintage Festival, Sonoma Horse Park Series 2013 Sonoma Horse Park Series, Sonoma Vintage Festival 2017 Las Vegas Winter Market Published: Architectural Digest, Northern California Home & Garden,Design Times, House to Home, SF Chronicle, Marin IJ, Press Democrat, Sonoma Country Life, CBS SF email; jenniferlapierre@hotmail.com 415-297-8992 Sonoma and San Francisco, CA Studio/Gallery viewing by appointment only

Adrian Litman
Adrian Litman Ceramics, Furniture, Illustration, Painting, Sculpture For the past 30 years, I have been working on a variety of projects for Civic, Corporate, Business and Residential clients, integrating art into architecture as well as designing free standing two and three dimensional pieces that create a sense of encounter and engagement through visual distinction or interaction. As an artist, I find inspiration and fuel for creative expression by contemplating the world around me. My inspiration is enhanced by concepts introduced by contemporary science, social issues, politics and cultural diversities. I use abstract and figurative interpretations to convey messages and emotions with sensibility, combining control and passion. Depending on the scope of design, volumes, shapes and vibrant luminous colors, are crafted to converge in an elegant harmony, stimulating the mind and emotions of the viewer. Having an eclectic approach to design, I feel comfortable flowing from dramatic subjects to whimsical and humorous themes. I have a broad range of diverse artistic skills and experience of working with a variety of durable materials like stainless steel, copper, brass, bronze, porcelain and glass as appropriate for harmonious integration with the site's architectural style and environment. For most of my large size public art designs, I cooperate with architects, structural engineers and licensed public art fabricators. As a basic principle, I create public art designs with flexibility in order to allow the project stakeholders and community input and participation. 
 
 
Takao Saito
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.
Dawn Thomas
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.  
Barbie Watts
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?
Dana Woodman
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 😸.