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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.

Valerie Adams
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.
Richard Alpert
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.
Deb Breton
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
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.  
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.
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
Alan Hall
Alan Hall Composition, Instrumental, Mixed, Music, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts

Alan Hall

Musician, Composer, Drummer, Mixed-Media Artist, Band Leader of "Ratatet"

I started my life as a professional drummer at 13 years, a visual artist 20 years later, now I'm also an active composer and band leader of my own neo-jazz sextet, Ratatet.

In addition to being an active performer and artist, I teach drum lessons, workshops and ensembles at schools and Jazz camps throughout the Bay Area. My teaching is based at California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley and Cal State East Bay in Hayward.

My art work is in several private collections on East and West coasts and can be viewed at my art website: www.amiguelart.com

My compositions can be heard at www.ratatet.com and www.jazzdrumming.com.

Music and Visual Art are two different modes of expressions for me. Both seem to function as positive feedback loops for me, and I hope, others. I'm striving to integrrate the two art forms in both a personal and social context.
Jenny Harp
Jenny Harp Artisan, Mixed, Printmaking, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Visual Arts, Woodworking I am an artist and educator living and working in Sonoma County. I have been a professor of studio arts at Sonoma State University for 8 years teaching drawing, fundamentals, and printmaking. I also teach workshops within the community. My creative work includes many different mediums and explores color, texture, limitations, and mark-making.
Barbara Kelley
Barbara Kelley Mixed, Painting, Printmaking, Visual Arts Barbara Kelley is a Printmaker and Painter. Originally from Alaska, she now resides in The Sea Ranch and Santa Rosa, CA. Her Santa Rosa studio is open year round by appointment. Barbara completed college, combining courses from the California State University and the University of California Berkeley, followed by three additional years of college art courses specializing in printmaking and painting. She also studied at the Kala Art Institute, Rocky Vine Press, Evans Encaustics, and Brinker Ink. Her works, recently selected to join the Pat Clark International Art Collection at the Ellsworth Foundation in Iowa Falls, joins a collection, which includes works by Man Ray, Japanese artist Kojiro Akagi, and Danish artist Leif Peterson. Her work is also in public collections of the Brooklyn Art Library, Kaiser Permanente, U.S. Department of State, Art in Embassies Program, Visual Artists’ Registry. Private collections of her works reside in Australia, Canada, Europe, and throughout the United States. Barbara’s works are exhibited widely, most recently at Spindrift Gallery, Icehouse Gallery, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Museum of Los Gatos, Quercia Gallery, Haldan Art Gallery, The Dolphin Gallery, and the W. Keith and Janet Kellogg Art Gallery.
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.
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. 
 
 
Christopher Mckee
Christopher Mckee Artisan, Ceramics, Functional Art, Furniture, Illustration, Mixed, Other, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts, Woodworking more to come
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.
aNna rybaT
ANna RybaT Mixed, Painting, Visual Arts Studied aRt in Vienna, Austria after high school (1971 - 1974). I learned about Secessionism, Dada, Jugendstil, Abstract Expressionism and Impressionism in music, aRt and German/Austrian literature at Modeschule Hetzendorf  and Linzer Akademie fur Kunst.  I studied with Austrian artist Josef Schützenhöfer.  After returning to USA, I earned B.S. degree (SUNY -Regents) while on active duty U.S. Navy (1976-2000) and M.A. ed, (Geo. Washington U.).  After leaving the service I earned second undergraduate degree (B.F.A., Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA) using G.I. Bill benefits. By using color and textures, shadows to represent things other than things I took a “leap of faith” to loosen from the discipline and rigors of military conformity. My "Fields of Color", body of work includes 2D and sculpted 3D paintings using mixed media.    
Colin Talcroft
Colin Talcroft Mixed, Photography, Printmaking, Visual Arts About the Artist I am self-taught and active in a range of media, including drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, and photography. I got interested in photography at the age of eight and began drawing at an earlier age. Figure drawing has been a life-long interest, and the nude has figured prominently in my photographic work as well. In the realm of abstract art, I have worked extensively as a printmaker and more recently in collage. My printmaking has included traditional methods such as etching and woodblock printing, but many of my prints use methods of my own—for example, printing from corrugated board and from found objects such as twine, bubble plastic, and paper cutouts. My collage work is abstract and painterly, using monotypes I make myself and, less commonly, found paper artifacts. Since around 2014, collage has been my main artistic pursuit.
Kathleen Truax
Kathleen Truax Illustration, Painting, Visual Arts How many times did I choose a career path? The first time: My major. Art was my preference, but disliking the attitude of the art department I abandoned it for psychology. It turned out the professors were behaviorists, and that didn't suit me either. I settled on history, a good place to start when you are only 18! But art wasn't forgotten. I married at 21 and while my children were young I took 10 years of studio art classes, enough to constitute a minor, if anyone was counting. The second time: An advanced degree: Again I looked at an art degree. Still no. Psychology won and this time it was a better fit. I became a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and practiced for 29 years. Possibly the all of this was necessary to mature as an artist. The third time? 5 years ago when I retired. I was itching to paint more than ever before! Now I have the time--and perhaps not the worry about starvation! I have not settled on a style nor narrowed my subjects of interest. Portraiture, Figure & Landscape still predominate in my work. Since retirement I have embraced abstraction and surrealism as well. Because of my background as a therapist, both are far more interesting to me than they might have been earlier. I have a lifetime storehouse of sights, ideas and feelings: shapes, colors, lines, concepts, symbols, images, dreams, & fears that may emerge on a canvas— sometimes surprising me--when I play with paint and then develop whatever shows up, almost unbidden. While it is true that we don't get to return to an early choice and re-do it, I feel as if I have had the opportunity to do the next best thing--return to an early love, painting, and go at it with even greater enthusiasm than before!
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 😸.