Ed Troxell Media, Multi-Media, Video Ed Troxell is a video & business coach teaching Real Estate agents and Entrepreneurs how to drive more business with video and stand out as the industry expert online. Host of The Good Agent podcast. Ed breaks the technology down in a way that makes sense and is easy to implement right away. He focuses on teaching business owners how to use easily use video marketing in their business. Ed is a serial entrepreneur who brings a unique skill set to the table – he’s a teacher, speaker, consultant, digital marketer, techie, and podcaster who helps business owners be more creative and easily build their online empires. Ed knows that when he pairs people up with the right resources, and they’re willing to take action, they’re capable of accomplishing anything. He simply shows them what’s possible with today’s technology so that they can show up, deliver, and engage with their audience online. Discover more at EdTroxell.com

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!

Sophie Turchin Artisan, Other Hi there! My name is Sophie Turchin and I am the owner and candle maker of Lunar Wick Candle Co. I make handcrafted 100% soy wax candles that are non-toxic and crystal and plant infused. All of my candles consist of carefully curated, clean ingredients and made with intention. Crystal and plant infused, my candles are made with specific purposes in mind, such as self love, relaxation, confidence, money, good luck, etc. To learn more, visit our website (http://Lunarwickcandleco.com) or check out our Instagram!

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.

Christine Urbanek Design, Graphic Design I love the creative world, especially where it converges with marketing and communications! I've spent the majority of my professional life working in a creative environment—from a small fine arts publishing company in London, to nonprofit organizations in the West and Midwest, to becoming a freelance designer and returning to my California roots. I am deadline-driven, a self starter and love collaborating with clients to make beautiful pieces that inform, engage and delight!

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.

Nicholas Valdez Fiction, Literature, Non-Fiction, Teacher/Instructor I write and edit for those who need help finding their way through words. As an editor, I specialize in developmental editing, helping writers create, organize, and improve their work. Whether I'm writing or editing, I infuse my work with the awe I feel when I consider the structure, the complexity, and the beauty of the English language. I hold a Ph.D. in English from UC Riverside, where I studied film and visual culture, American literature, and rhetorical theory.

Therese Van Wiele Painting, Visual Arts I've been painting for 45 years with just a bit of formal art instruction. I paint representational  "landscapes with a twist." Every painting I do has a story within it or something unusual about it that viewers can find if they are inclined to look for it. I describe my paintings as not merely "pretty pictures," although at first glance they might be considered pretty.  Yet they always have a deeper story, or personal meaning, or something hidden within the painting that viewers can interpret or discover for themselves. I like to create art that leaves people wondering and curious about what is really going on within the pretty picture. Each painting I do has a reason to exist. I frequently don't find the reason myself until I'm almost done painting it. Then it tells its me its story. I'm always glad to provide an explanation of why it exists or the meaning behind it, or, of course, a viewer can interpret it for him or herself. Over the years I've had my work accepted into several juried art shows. I've displayed and sold much of my artwork in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area in Minnesota where I used to live. I moved to Petaluma 7 years ago and am now trying to re-establish myself as a known artist in Sonoma County. I currently have 2 paintings on for sale at Gallery One on Western Ave. in old downtown Petaluma.

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

Michelle Vidro Design, Graphic Design

Michelle Vidro: Visual Bon Vivant

What is a visual bon vivant, you ask? I knew you wanted to know. As a visual bon vivant I bring sharp focus to your branding goals for marketing your business, service, or product with a keen eye and one clear voice. A lifelong artist, I approach projects with creative flair, balancing color, images, font, and story. As an accomplished business person I know what it means to deliver a clear, concise message to your audience. This combination of business savvy and creativity is very powerful... not to be underestimated. Invest in this significant aspect of your business plan, increase your ROI and inspire brand loyalty!

I am a team player and thrive on the power of collaboration. My professional training (Art Center College of Design) taught me to draw ideas and concepts when words are not enough. Remaining calm and centered in brainstorming meetings and under tight deadlines always makes a lasting impression, making me uniquely qualified to provide you with the kind of creative support you seek, independently, or on your team.

Please feel free to contact me if you have a project you would like to discuss, or just to say hello! I would like that very much.

Looking Forward, Michelle

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

Hi there!

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

David Ward Music Orange County transplant to Sonoma County in 2012, studying Geography / Art History with a Museum Management minor at Sonoma State University. Primarily an after-hours musician and home recorder, I identify as a songwriter and love to play live. Now that I've played guitar for over ten years, my music has become more guitar-drive than anything else but keeping up with bass guitar, viola, piano, and trying my luck with live drums and drum production. For visual arts, I only dabble in my limited creations: I love to shoot amateur 35mm film but when it comes to painting and drawing I mostly do charcoal and conte work or just graphite drawings. Only in the past year have I begun to work a few times with acrylic paints, india ink, and paper collage as well as paper sculpture. Always looking for the next adventure!

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

Daniel Wasik Artisan, Design, Recovery Fund Grantee, Visual Arts Daniel Wasik - Artist, Designer, Knitter

Carole Watanabe Mixed, Painting, Sculpture, Visual Arts Watanabe's past (leading to this romantic present), includes establishing the first nationally recognized Gallery for the Fiber Arts in San Francisco; founding the Apprentice Alliance (a non-profit organization dedicated to placing apprentices with masters in all fields of endeavor); and a life-long commitment to creating supportive communities that nourish the wild art spirit in all of us. Her tapestries, sculptural handmade paper works and paintings hang in private collections, hotels, banks, hospitals and corporate offices across the country. Currently, she is living and teaching the concept of "life as an art form" during the winters at her art school in Sebastopol, CA known as Art Heaven, and summers in the French fauvist village of Collioure where she paints and sells her work in her own gallery L'Art Vivant. Carole resides in Sebastopol, California on Ragle Road at Chez la Vie, a retirement compound created with her husband, Jazz Musician, Don Watanabe.

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?

Andrea Wedell Painting, Visual Arts Andrea Wedell is the daughter and grand-daughter of artists and architects. Growing up, she was surrounded by strong willed artists, and grew to hold beauty as the guiding force in her own life. When her grandfather, Alexander Stoller sold half of his land in the Berkshire mountains to cast one of his largest marble sculptures in bronze, it was acquired by the American Embassy in Paris. Andrea attended the opening ceremony, and shortly after, captivated by the magnitude of culture available in Europe, uprooted from her native California and moved to Paris. The France adventure spanned 27 years before she moved back to her much-loved California in 2013. Andrea has a bachelor of Arts from UCLA, and while in Paris, she studied under acclaimed Beaux Art teachers Michele Massiou and Jacqueline Guillermain for over 10 years. She began exhibiting regularly at the Grand Marche d’Art Contemporain in Paris, before becoming a permanent artist with Galerie BE Espace also in Paris for 10 years. Her work has been published by Les Editions Arcadia in France. In California, she was a featured artist at Toadfish Contemporary Gallery in Sausalito and is featured currently at Desta Gallery in San Anselmo. She has been making art for two decades, and teaching for one. Her second profession as a certified life coach further enhances her art education practice. andreawedell.com

Asherah Weiss Arts Administration, Creative Sonoma Grantee, Folk Art, Illustration, Improvisation, Mixed, Multi-Media, Muralist, Other, Other, Other, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Puppetry, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth, Theatre, Visual Arts Asherah Weiss is an educator, community artist, and organizer.  Since graduating from California College of the Arts in 2011, she has helped start many projects that bring people together around arts and placemaking, in Sonoma County and the Bay Area, including the PLACE for Sustainable Living in Oakland, and womb space collaborative arts in Santa Rosa.  Her belief in the democracy of the arts has inspired her to bring creativity to people of all ages and abilities, including as a credentialed art teacher at Healdsburg Junior High through the first school years of the pandemic.  In 2022, she co-created the globally known project Peptoc, a hotline and series of posters with uplifting messages from kids (call 707-8PEPTOC), and is now continuing the project with Jessica Martin in the form of a book full of young people’s wisdom and humor from around the world.  Her excitement lies in what creativity can do for the world— making things more collaborative, sustainable, beautiful and meaningful.   Current Projects include:

• Co-creator of the Peptoc Project, currently taking submissions for a book of uplifting messages from young people around the world.  See peptoc.net
• Programs Director at Artstart
• Coordinator of Earth Protector Parade at the 1st Climate Fest on April 22nd, 2022 in the Healdsburg Plaza
• Artist in Residence at West Side Elementary School

L. Scott Weiss Acting, Recovery Fund Grantee, Theatre Actor / Voice Actor / Voice-over

Amy A. Whitcomb Artisan, Fiction, Functional Art, Holidays Shop Local, Literature, Non-Fiction, Other, Other, Poetry I create fine art, functional art, and opportunities for myself and others to observe, reflect, discover, and build community through the written word. Please consider supporting my paper and book arts by purchasing blank journals for yourself and your loved ones. Each journal is unique -- made from repurposed, locally sourced materials -- to encourage reflection and creative expression. Please visit www.amyawhitcomb.com/artist to learn more about me.

Becky White Audio, Composition, Film, Instrumental, Media, Music, Photography, Video, Visual Arts, Vocal Becky White  (she/her) is a musician (vocalist, guitar & synth), music producer and videographer/photographer artist based in Petaluma, CA.  She has been a lifelong activist for social and environmental justice, and runs her production company MakeARTNow.org which is focused on creating media for a changing world.   Becky White has published four original CDs and has been performing her whole life. A dedicated student of music from diverse locations such as Berklee College Of Music, The Ali Akbar Khan College, and gamelan masters in the jungles of Bali Indonesia.  She also studied conservation biology and wildlife ecology, which has been a major influence In her music and support of social and environmental justice. Becky continues to learn and experiment with singing, field recordings, found and created instruments, vintage guitars, pianos & synths, computers, MIDI, and the study of indian classical music.  Along with various client projects, Becky records and produces music and videos for her band FIREKEEPER,  for her label and production company MakeARTNow.org. 

Lindsay Whiting Literature I’m a Book Coach who helps self-publishers plan, prepare, publish, and promote nonfiction books. My decades-long career in print and publishing gives me a complete understanding of how to build a high-quality book from manuscript development to design to print to marketing — and the practical, hands-on experience to educate, guide, and coach others who are new to it. I want my clients to feel that they have someone who understands what they are going through, someone to give them sound advice, and someone to support them when they need it most. You are not alone…

Cynthia Whitman Acting, Audio, Film, Film Office, Folk Art, Improvisation, Literature, Media, Music, Other, Puppetry, Talent, Theatre, Video, Vocal I’m a professional, union voice actor based in Sonoma, with 14 years of professional stage & screen experience. I am available for voiceover work in: - Commercials - Videos - Audio Books - Animation - Podcasts - Corporate Narration - E-learning - Apps - Video Games - Audio tours - Singing - Etc. I have a professional home recording studio with… - Microphone - Røde NT1 - Interface - Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 - DAW - TwistedWave - Computer - MacBook Pro - Headphones - Sony MDR-7506 Or, I am happy to record at any Bay Area recording studio of your choice. I am also a professional high soprano singer, vocal range G3-F6, with experience in musical theatre, light opera, & choral singing. And I am available to work as an on-camera actor for commercials, lifestyle-modeling, or scripted narrative films. I am a member of both acting unions, SAG-AFTRA and AEA.

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

Carolyn Wilson Mixed, Visual Arts Carolyn Wilson is a British mixed media artist living in Sebastopol. A lover of texture, she specializes in creating collage that has a rich tactile surface, with partially hidden layers that create a sense of mystery and history. In her art studio you will find her surrounded by a mountain of hand-colored papers, with glue and brush in hand. She creates using water media such as watercolor and acrylic ink, rice papers and found elements. “Communicating more than what is often visible on the surface, my collages usually begin life in an abstract way then grow into something more recognizable. Using ephemera, such as maps, printed words, letters and postage stamps that I have collected on my travels, my art is literally embedded with fragments of my life story. You often need to step up and take a close look to discover these hidden surprises.”” – says Carolyn. Carolyn has participated in Sonoma County Art Trails Open Studios since 2014, and her work is available year-round at Upstairs Art Gallery in Healdsburg. Paintings by Carolyn have been published in 2 books: The Encyclopedia of Watercolour Techniques by Hazel Harrison (UK, 2018) and The New Encyclopedia of Watercolor Techniques by Hazel Harrison (USA, 2010).