Artists | CreativeSonoma.org

Vegar Abelsnes Film, Film Office, Media, Multimedia, Photography, Video, Visual Arts Vegar Abelsnes is a global lifestyle, location, portrait, and food photographer & director, who is currently based in Sonoma County. For many years he worked out of New York, then San Francisco, and now Petaluma, CA. At the age of 19, he left Norway to go traveling around the world in search of a greater purpose. After nearly two years of exploring – during which he experienced, saw, and tasted much of what the world had to offer – Vegar discovered the irrepressible desire in him to photograph. For Vegar photography developed beyond an avocation, into both a profession and a lifelong passion. Vegar strongly believes in creating a collaborative environment on his shoots and is known in the industry for the subtle, yet effective ways in which he directs his talent and crew. His ability to capture spontaneous and authentic moments – without sacrificing technical or aesthetic perfection – is a testament not only to Vegar’s professionalism but also to that of his team. His personable approach makes for a fun and relaxed atmosphere, regardless of the size and complexity of a production.

Valerie Adams Artisan, Design, Functional Art, Glass, Graphic Design, Holidays Shop Local, Other, Other, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth, Visual Arts

I’m a northern California girl whose been creating all my life. With a 30-year background as a graphic designer my creative vision has centered on laying out printed pieces that provoke thought, convey information, and create a reaction.

With an emphasis on kilnformed glass since 2001, I use many of the same design principles of balance, focus, and harmony. I design and create one-of-a-kind fused glass artwork and lighting, functional and decorative tableware, smile-inducing garden art, and dazzling accessories.

Juicy colors, off-beat arrangements, and clean, aesthetic layouts define my approach. I’m continually thrilled by the magical aspect of transforming individual sharp bits of colored glass into luscious collectibles that reflect your good taste. Each piece is handmade, one at a time, in my Sonoma County studio.

I’ve been honored to participate in Professional Artists in Residency programs at the prestigious Pilchuck School of Glass in Washington state and the Bullseye Glass Company’s Dealer’s Forum, which prepares artists to teach in the field of glass art. I’m an enthusiastic and generous instructor providing classes to small groups, and one-on-one mentoring for those interested in personalized instruction.

Hemu Aggarwal Painting, Visual Arts

Hemu is multi-talented.

She is a graphic designer, painter, poet, fashion designer, tennis coach, and now the author of a book, The Forbidden Letters. A True Story. Published in paperback and Kindle on Amazon Books worldwide.

Hemu Aggarwal’s work captivates the viewer with its visual beauty, harmony, vibrant colors, intense depth, and fluidity of motion. Her work intrigue, tells stories, and creates a mood all at once. She creates paintings in acrylic on wood or canvas. Lately, she has found new media, Digital. Most of her work is in the styles of abstract or Subjective Expressionism. Artist’s statement: “It’s hard to explain why I paint or what inspires me. I have a thousand ideas in my head and continually experiment with different subjects, styles, and techniques. I long to explore so much more out there in the world. Sometimes I surprise myself when I can convert my imagination into two-dimensional art. My passion is in creating various textures and then painting with Acrylic colors over the rough surfaces or experimenting with various tools and filters in digital technique”. Her commercial work: created many album covers of well-known artists like Tom Jones, Mantovani, Engelbert Humperdinck, Brotherhood of Man, and Frijid Pink, one of the last records of the Beatles, and a single by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

She lives in Petaluma, California. To see more paintings and additional information, Google: Hemu Aggarwal.

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.

Peter Alan Mixed, Recovery Fund Grantee, Visual Arts Peter Alan, visual/conceptual mixed media artist was born and raised in Southern California, completing his under-grad at Sonoma State University in Studio Fine Art, History and Psychology. Then he lived in Italy to experience the concepts of art history, while receiving a mentorship from a local native Roman painter (name, non-disclosure agreement). Since then Alan has held a number of painting studios making art for galleries, non-gallery venues and private collectors mostly in Southern and Northern California. Principles and elements of painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture all come together into one application. Mostly on paper or on plywood panel, a wide-range of content goes through a vigorous and rigorous process. With oil paint, plaster, charcoal and collage, Alan develops richly dynamic surfaces using additive and deductive "marks" – an image, a scrape, a slash of paint, etc. Tinkering with anything art-makeable at reach, his concepts range from layered portraits, figures, dresses, fingerprints, Americana icons, walls with journal-entry-like stencil and text. Overall, Alan's style falls inside Traditional and a Contemporary Art. With figurative academia and unconventionality of the avant-garde experimentation Alan brings forth boldness, sensitivity and playfulness with a dark spin. 2018-2020, Alan created artwork from the remnant ash and debris collected from his Glen Ellen home/painting studio lost in 2017 Nuns Wildfire. As a revisit to the Jasper John's "flag" motif, the American and also the California flag depict a kind Symbolism of his content of loss, but now transformed into his most dynamic creative process. The ash, strips of charred wood and other remnant “found objects" integrated with collaged ink-jet images printed on emergency assistance organizations' handouts as well as pages from his journal/sketchbook, Alan offered up inspiration and healing for his community stricken with the aftermath of one of the worse National wildfire on record.

Jonqui Albin Illustration, Painting, Performance Art, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts Action Expression is the trademark of Jonqui Albin's art. Core bodies of work are large scale installations, wire sculptures and paintings. They are inspired by conceptual drawings derive from live, offsite study sketches in 2D and 3D. Resulting works often incorporate original techniques and unusual materials. Evolved thru art scenes of Los Angeles, Berkeley and San Francisco, Jonqui is currently based in her Sonoma Studio, 45 minute north of San Francisco, California. Jonqui@jonqui.com

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.

Richard Alpert Film, Media, Mixed, Music, Painting, Performance Art, Photography, Sculpture, Visual Arts A curious, child-like perspective grounds an an art practice that references an empirical understanding and philosophy of the world. Much like the aleatory approach of Marcel Duchamp and John Cage, chance and random occurrence inform details of ongoing exploration that at times includes found objects (detritus in my case). At the same time, I use scientific concepts and methods to organize visual material, sometimes embracing a kind of self-referential esoteric humor and reflecting some aspect of our culture. I draw upon different formats, such as performance art, video, installation, sound, painting, drawing, photography, object sculpture, and recently books (of collected photograph images) with formalist and minimalist approaches. Gradations of color and form, repeated patterns, geometric structure, and modulated sound help construct my ideas into visual, auditory, and conceptual viewable art. The art becomes a story, a process, a recording, and a visual architecture. Biography Richard H. Alpert is an American sculptor, abstract filmmaker, and performance artist born in New York City in 1947. He is a recipient of the 1979-1980 National Endowment for the Arts Artist's Fellowship Grant. Exhibitions include various venues and formats in the USA, Europe, and Japan, including the Petzel Gallery, NYC; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA; Museum of Conceptual Art, San Francisco, CA; The American Center, Paris, France; and Kermin Prefecture Hall, Tokyo, Japan.

Wigberto "Betto" Alvarez-Perez Media, Multi-Media, Multimedia, Photography, Storytelling, Video, Visual Arts I am a Video Storytelling, I was born at Sogamoso. Colombia. I have worked in many audiovisual projects, documentaries and institutional videos for government institutions and non-profit organizations. Right now, I am based in the north SF bay area, and my goal is to bring the spirit and passion from the Andes and Colombia to Northern California.

Kelsi Anderson Illustration, Mixed, Multi-Media, Visual Arts Kelsi Anderson (@wildearthart), is an earth-based community artist who creates large-scale earth art that connects us deeper with the natural world. Over the last 15 years, she has worked with the earth to create site specific art that shifts our perspectives, opens our hearts, and deepens our understanding + relationship with the earth. She believes art and creativity is a healing + educational tool available to everyone, and facilitates collaborative art making experiences to groups ranging from 3 - 250+ ppl, and ages from youth to seniors, both in the public, educational, corporate and private sectors.

Nicole Irene Anderson Mixed, Painting, Visual Arts

Working in oil, casein, and drawing media, I create paintings and drawings that convey a collective uneasiness and human vulnerability reflective of our current times. I explore complex questions of land, home, and the psychological impact of expansion in the American West through the language of landscape centered around my home state of California. These contemplative works bring forth multiple associations and conflicting emotions regarding our environment: the often personal and tender memories of home; the comfort and beauty of the ordinary landscape; painful histories; and the anxieties of living in a world forever altered by human-caused climate change.

I travel to locations throughout California, searching for areas that elicit a response triggering the nervous system where environmental damage, human alteration, or architectural remnants of the past are noticeable. I document these visual tensions between pain and beauty with my camera and use the photographs as source material for my compositions. These everyday places become visual metaphors for more significant societal and environmental concerns, advocating for empathy and care that should be practiced for the land we inhabit.

To view work, exhibition images, and CV, visit my website: https://www.nicoleireneanderson.com/ I'd love to talk with you. Please reach out to schedule a studio visit or to inquire about a painting. I look forward to hearing from you! Contact: nicoleirene.studio@gmail.com

T Barny Sculpture, Visual Arts

A native of California, with a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design, T Barny has been creating sculpture professionally for over 40 years. During his career, T Barny has produced over 1000 works in steel, bronze, wood and water - but his fascination is with stone. He has carved 211 different kinds of rock from 53 countries. His work has been shown in over 90 galleries worldwide, and he has participated in more than 500 individual and group exhibitions.

The sculptures that T Barny creates present a visual wonder and beg the question, “How does he do that?” T Barny aspires to create sculptures that reflect a world filled with magic and wonder. His works are produced through a method of direct carving, which entails no preconceived notions or models from which to derive the final shape of his pieces. Instead, he allows the natural rhythms of the materials he uses to guide him to a final product, rich with serene fluidity.

Deb Breton Painting, Visual Arts Deb Breton is an abstract expressionist artist working in Sonoma County, California. She creates vibrant paintings using acrylics, oils, and collage. Her abstract artworks evoke the viewer's imagination, while her portrait work celebrates the human spirit. Painting intuitively, she allows the artwork to flow from her subconscious mind onto the canvas. "Every gestural mark, brushstroke, and drop of paint is an expression of emotion. And it's this energy in these paintings that I share with you." I'm an avid fruit and vegetable gardener, animal lover, birder, cancer survivor and meditation enthusiast. Notable clients include Warner Bros Studios, Dali Museum and Nestle

Monica Bryant Illustration, Mixed, Painting, Photography, Visual Arts Monica Bryant is a mixed-media artist. She was born in Kansas, received her BA in Art from the University of Hawaii and her MFA from UC Berkeley. In 2004 she was awarded a fellowship at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York. Bryant is a credentialed Art Teacher who chaired the Art Department at Ursuline High School in Santa Rosa, CA for nine years. After Ursuline closed in 2011, Bryant instructed drawing and color theory at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in San Francisco. She also became the art teacher at Brush Creek Montessori School in Santa Rosa until June 2014. Bryant is a Sonoma County Art Trails Artist and her work has been exhibited nationally and in Singapore. Influenced by her international travel experiences, including the three years she lived in Singapore, Bryant created distinctive remixed photographs of South East Asia in the 60’s. The photographic mixed-media works were exhibited in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Caffe Museo, October 2005. Bryant’s past work includes a large rebar and fiberglass apron, papier-mâché objects and paintings and drawings. In a newspaper article years ago, Khysie Horn said “Bryant is a conceptual artist who invites reflection and introspection”. In 2002 Bryant was the lead artist for the mural on the Press Democrat Building entitled The 50 Who Shaped Sonoma County in the 20th Century. https://www.monikaiart.studio/

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.

Cade Burkhammer Artisan, Audio, Ceramics, Design, Fiction, Functional Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Instrumental, Interior Design, Literature, Media, Mixed, Multi-Media, Music, Other, Other, Other, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Video, Visual Arts Cade Burkhammer, born April 21st 1973, has been painting and exhibiting paintings and playing music since he was 13 years old around the country. Painting styles include surreal oils, abstract acrylic and latex, experimental and controlled mixed media, watercolor illustration, original Photoshop photography, ceramics, bronze sculpture, writing, landscape design, gardening, science, healing arts, bardic meditation, drumming, piano, DJ... Cade is the creator of 'The Wise Fool Tarot', a self-published independent manifesto that took 15 years of research, meditation, painting, writing and raising funds for printing and distributing. This year will be Cade's second tarot release collaborating with another author. His third oracle deck is in the making. Cade is the creator of 'Wrecords', a series of recordings and sound collages in the vain of Vicki Bennett and Philip Jeck, which is the musical accompaniment for the video series 'Recycled Memories.' A multi-media event featuring video and sound collage of noisy vintage meditation of the forgotten past and dreamy future combined with live drums, piano and sometimes female vocals.

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

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.

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.

Kim Wilson Cinematic Lifestyle Imagery Photography, Visual Arts Cinematic Lifestyle Imagery by Kim Wilson

Lifestyle photography is artistically photographing people in real-life situations. This hybrid of portrait photography and editorial/documentary style photography, which allows me to tell a larger story within a single frame. This form of photography requires a more personal relationship between photographer and client that transcends studio-style portraits. Cinematic Lifestyle Imagery offers completely customized shoots that are location and activity-centric based solely on the clients' personal passions and preferences. The process starts with an in-person consultation to determine the scope of your photo shoot. Call 707 242 1042 or email kim@kwhotog.com to set up a consultation.

Marsha Connell Other, Painting, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts MARSHA CONNELL was nurtured in her love for art, nature, and learning by her grandfather, Samuel Riss, watercolor painter and Renaissance farmer in Upstate New York. She expresses this legacy in her passion for the environment, and through painting en plein air. Marsha Connell’s paintings are a dance in color. She combines observation—mirroring the natural world—with improvisation—giving voice to the spirit of place. Watching, listening, hiking, dancing, trusting intuition and gesture, infuses her painterly representation with an energetic and abstract sensibility. She is a graduate of Skidmore College with a B. S. in Fine Arts and San Francisco State University with a Masters in Sculpture. Marsha has been on the art faculty of Santa Rosa Junior College for many years and is a visiting artist at Sonoma State University. She has received grants from the Pepperwood Foundation and the California Arts Council and has been a Fellow of the California Arts Project. Marsha is Chair of the Steering Committee for Sonoma County Art Trails Open Studios, a program of Sebastopol Center for the Arts. Her Santa Rosa studio, #24 on the 2017 Art Trails map, will be open to the public from 10-5 on October 14, 15, 21, and 22, and by appointment the rest of the year. A Collector's Guide to 141 artists' studios is available online at http://www.sonomacountyarttrails.org or by calling 707-829-4797. She also chairs the year round Art Trails Gallery at Corricks, 637 4th Street, in Downtown Santa Rosa, where she regularly exhibits her paintings. Marsha has presented art workshops and lectures in diverse locales, from California to Alaska, New Mexico, Oregon, New York, Mexico and France. She has participated in numerous exhibitions regionally and internationally, and her work is in many private, healthcare, and public collections. She loves to collaborate with scientists, teaching drawing to master naturalist students, and with other artists and teachers, expanding the parameters of the arts and the joys of creative process for students of every age and in many disciplines.

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

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

Michael Costantini Painting, Sculpture, Visual Arts Painting and sculpture both inform each other. When content moves freely between disciplines surprises can occur exponentially fast. I find that it's in the transformation where my greatest value exists. The spaces in between are lively and rich with information.

Catherine Cruz Multi-Media, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth Artist Statement Catherine B Cruz is a French-American abstract artist who works with mixed media, multi-layered collage, and reclaimed materials. Informed by more than twenty-five years of experience in the design world, Catherine takes inspiration from a unique perspective, which spans architecture, interior design, and sustainability. Her art work is informed by textures and patterns created by the passing of time and the effects of the natural elements on the built environment. A walk in any city like New York, Paris or Barcelona, is always a source of inspiration. In the process of observing the contrast between new and old architecture, the textures of walls, the torn posters, and the typography on the storefronts, she creates her own visual vocabulary that she utilizes in her mixed media work. She is also attracted to textures found in the rural environment such as old wooden fences, painted barns, and rusted metal that she photographs, analyzes and abstracts. She is not interested in replicating them but instead she lets them inform her art. As a predominantly self-taught artist, she has developed her style by exploring materials and techniques. Her abstract vocabulary is based on intuitive mark making, lines and forms, as well as the exploration of visual and tactile textures and a good understanding of color. Her process involves layering materials on wood panels or canvas such as her own painted papers, vintage papers, paint, graphite, and oil pastels. The layers are often sanded to reveal patterns and details. Artist Biography Catherine was born in Mantes-la-Jolie, France, not too far from Claude Monet’s home and gardens. She grew up in several places including Versailles and the Cote d’Azur, attending high school in Cannes. While a teenager, she was an exchange student near Nashville, Tennessee, and later on she moved to the US on her own to attend college. She received a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design (Cum Laude) from Florida State University in 1993 and had a successful career as residential and commercial interior designer, followed by a second career and the creation of her own business, C2 Green Solutions, as a LEED-accredited green building consultant working with international architectural firms in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, and Houston. Always an avid learner, she has studied art history, color theory, painting, classical figure drawing, perspective, printing, and pottery in both France and the US. Her passion is to encourage others to unleash their creativity, experiment with materials, and connect with their imagination. In 2018 she created Be You Art Studio and launched her creative workshops for children and adults. She shares her time between Sebastopol, California, and Valence, France, with her husband and her son.

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