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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.

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.
DENNIS KOHN
DENNIS KOHN Photography, Recovery Fund Grantee, Visual Arts

DENNIS KOHN, professional photographer, teacher, world traveler, image maker, pioneer, environmentalist, and student of life, is as diverse as his background indicates.

Graduated with Honors from Pennsylvania State University in l969 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Dennis continued his education through l971 with graduate studies in photography.   In 1975, to follow his destiny, he left teaching to open the first DENNIS KOHN STUDIOS in New Hope, Pennsylvania.  After a split in a business partnership, the first studio was closed and DENNIS KOHN STUDIOS in Laguna Beach, California was born. Several years later, Dennis would re-locate to the Bay area where he has been working for the past 30 years.  In l982 through l985, Dennis returned to teaching by offering weekend photographic seminars to places as Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, and Monterey and Carmel.  These workshops taught the "Art of Photographing the Landscape".

DENNIS KOHN currently sells Photographic Art worldwide to individuals and corporations through art consultants, galleries, and prestigious outdoor art shows throughout the western states, as well as his own studio/gallery in Santa Rosa. Dennis has won numerous awards for his images:  from the white-washed villages of GREECE,  the remote villages of rural CHINA;  to the wonderful waters of TAHITI, and the history of two European countries SPAIN and PORTUGAL; and the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts of TURKEY. Dennis' latest collections include images of the Buddhist monks and remote villages of THAILAND, and the rich history and multi-religious temples of ISRAEL and images of the  wonderful Himalayan Mountains of NEPAL, and most recently extensive travel through some of the most sacred places in INDIA.

In addition to his worldly travels, his renown work of the SAN FRANCISCO landscape as well as his work from YOSEMITE, LAKE TAHOE and the SONOMA and NAPA WINE COUNTRY have made him a prominent figure in the Bay Area's extensive photographic world. The latest ARCHITECTURAL ABSTRACT COLLECTION, sponsored by one of the countries premier photo labs, BAY PHOTO, has been a major departure for Dennis from his landscape work. The Dimensional Overlay images that he produces are unique and have been featured in many of the trade magazines. Awards have been received from Professional Photographers of America (PPofA), Travel and Leisure Magazine, as well as awards of recognition and purchase awards from shows as: LA QUINTA ARTS FESTIVAL, BEVERLY HILLS, AFFAIR IN THE GARDENS, CHERRY CREEK ART FESTIVAL and  the prestigious SAUSALITO ARTS FESTIVAL.


Jacqueline Kramer
Jacqueline Kramer Illustration, Music, Painting, Visual Arts, Vocal Jacqueline Kramer graduated from Bennington College with a degree in painting and sculpture where she focused on large color field stain paintings and sculpture made from found objects. Her first one- woman show, which exhibited her rendition of the Zen series, the “The 10 Bulls”, was in 1979 in Napa, California. Her watercolors and mixed media paintings, of eucalyptus and local flowers, are in personal collections. Jacqueline taught art at the Julie Nation Fashion Institute and color line and design through the Santa Rosa Junior College. She lives and paints in Sonoma, California. I am interested in making art that sheds light on the beauty and interconnectedness of life, especially in places where beauty and interconnectedness is hard to find. My work is informed by my Zen Buddhist practice, by a response to what is happening in the world and by expressionist and color field painters such as Monet, Van Gogh, Rothko and Chagall. Using color, line and design, experimentation and a determination to bring about work that has depth and significance, I am interested in inspiring others to look at life around them with fresh eyes.  
Chelsea Rose Kurnick
Chelsea Rose Kurnick Creative Sonoma Grantee, Literature, Non-Fiction, Performance Art, Photography, Poetry, Visual Arts Chelsea Rose Kurnick (she/her) is a writer and artist from southern California living in Sonoma County. She earned a BA in Linguistics in 2010 from the University of California Riverside, where she was also editor-in-chief of Mosaic: A Journal of Literature and Art. In 2013-14, she created and hosted The Casserole, an online literary reading series that aired live on Youtube featuring remote guests from all over the world.  Chelsea began studying the craft of poetry at age 15 and began curating literary arts events at 20. She attributes most of her education in writing to community workshops and weekly open mics, which she has sought out since 2005 in every city she’s lived. Chelsea believes that poetry and storytelling are powerful tools for building empathy and are at their most vital when experienced in person.  Chelsea’s work explores longing and loss, sometimes personal and sometimes global in scope; she writes of messy partnerships and humankind’s tenuous relationship to the material world we inhabit. 
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

Laura Leipzig
Laura Leipzig Arts Administration, Dance, Fiber Art, Visual Arts Laura is passionate about bringing accessible, hight quality, visual and performing arts to to her community. As Education Outreach Manager at the Santa Rosa Symphony, she brings music education opportunities to schools throughout Sonoma County. Her past positions have included Education & Program Manager at the Museum of Sonoma County,  Program Manager at Chalk Hill Artist Residency, Gallery Manager at the Arts Guild of Sonoma, and Teaching Artist with the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. Before pursuing a career in non-profit arts, Laura managed a custom frame shop and art supply store where she first discovered her love of supporting the local art community. She holds a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from San Francisco State University's College of Extended Education, and a BA in Studio Art (photography concentration) with a Minor in Dance from Sonoma State University. Laura has been performing as a member of Healdsburg based, UpSide Dance Company since 2016. In 2020 she discovered her passion for weaving and fiber arts. She primarily works on a 48 inch, 4 shaft floor loom and is an active member of the Redwood Guild of Fiber Arts.  
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. 
 
 
Tawnya Lively
Tawnya Lively Mixed, Visual Arts I make mixed media art & designs focused on pattern, texture and color using collage and mosaic materials. I have a B.A. degree in both Art History and Painting with a minor in Art Management from Sonoma State University. For ten years, I worked as a project manager in game design - coordinating artists, sound designers and software engineers. In the aftermath of the October 2017 fires, I founded Firestorm Mosaics in which I create new heirlooms for those who lost homes using the broken pieces of porcelain and ceramic that were recovered from the ashes of their properties. I also coordinate other mosaic artists to help with the project in addition to hosting workshops for those who would like to make their own projects.
Karen Lockert
Karen Lockert Artisan, Ceramics, Fiction, Literature, Mixed, Other, Painting, Sculpture, Visual Arts Karen Lockert was always the kid who daydreamed her way through school, seeing beauty in what most other people thought was quite ordinary, if not downright ugly. Her career was launched only after leaving her position as a high school art teacher in Los Angeles, when she began to understand that she had been repeatedly “re-birthing” and “re-homing” herself through her art work. She is probably best known for her evocative, mixed-media compositions of the vintage, vernacular architecture of West Sonoma County, where she now lives. Her work has been exhibited at many galleries in the Russian River area, including Occidental Center for the Arts, Russian River Art Gallery, Cooprider Gallery, Graton Gallery, Lawson Gallery, and the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. In addition, she was a regular participant in Art @ the Source, West Sonoma County’s Open Studio tour for several years. As a spiritual, meditative artist at heart, it has been said that “her newest work gorgeously draws people into a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them”.
Gayle Manfre
Gayle Manfre Mixed, Other, Painting, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts Gayle Manfre is a teaching artist, painter and art advocate. She one of the founders of Art Escape Sonoma, Sonoma Treasure Artist of 2010 and was awarded The Youth Mural Award from Precita Eyes Muralist in San Francisco. Gayle has been a teaching artist in Sonoma Valley since the 80s. She retired in 2017 and has been happily paintings since then Gayle is a member of the Arts Guild of Sonoma. My paintings are joyful and colorful and range from a wide variety of subjects. I am inspired by my travels and living in beautiful Sonoma.
Christopher Mckee
Christopher Mckee Artisan, Ceramics, Functional Art, Furniture, Illustration, Mixed, Other, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts, Woodworking more to come
Adrian Mendoza
Adrian Mendoza Photography, Visual Arts An award winning California photojournalist now working as a public relations photographer for a community college. Specialty in college and university promotional capture - with minimal oversight - on tight (often daily) deadlines for social media and brochures/catalogues. Considerable experience in aerial (non-drone) photography of architecture, infrastructure, vineyards in Sonoma and Napa Valleys, multi-year documentation of the California Delta and related conveyance channels (i.e., sloughs, canals, reservoirs, etc.). Concurrent with my reality-based imaging is a passion for digital image processing in Adobe Photoshop.
TumbleWeed Expressions Meryl Juniper
TumbleWeed Expressions Meryl Juniper Artisan, Ceramics, Holidays Shop Local, Mixed, Muralist, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Visual Arts While following the seasons within her Expressive Arts Inspirations, Meryl intertwines over 4 decades of Multimedia Arts Educational Experiences and Community Arts Activism. Meryl ignites and delicately encourages artistic expression and a sense of humility and humanity, while inspiring hands-on, process based learning, along with a curriculum integrated focus. In this we weave a healthy approach, revealing and enlivening the naturally creative self.  Simultaneously, Meryl thrives within her close to 5 decades of experience engaging a life within: Multimedia Visual Arts and the Performative realms of Nature Based and Street Performance Ritual, Improvisational Movement, Dance Theater, Improvisational Vocal Play, Song Writing, Movement Infused Personal Storytelling and Somatic Movement Practices. Moreover, Meryl commits, inspires and dedicates her artistic being to Community Arts Production, Process and Presentation.  Lastly, Meryl’s instinctive devotion to the natural world and the offerings of Eco Somatic Engagement, allows her to share the wisdom gleaned and harvested from all her experiences living close and being inspired by the earth, while continuously extending a steadfast faithfulness to the practices of Expressive Arts, Natural Medicine Making, Farming, Holistic Nutrition and Parenting, while moving within a Heart Centered Living Folks Arts Tradition.  
Karen Miles
Karen Miles Acting, Ballet, Choreography, Dance, Film Office, Improvisation, Music, Other, Other, Other, Performance Art, Talent, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Teaching Artist for Youth, Theatre, Visual Arts, Vocal Combining the arts with movement and meditation has the profound ability to build a community of resilience, authenticity, and compassion.   I believe in creating a sacred space for curiosity and play, for learning and growing, for creative expression and supportive listening. I am an actress, singer, dancer, yoga instructor and teacher.  I work with students from K-8 grades, as well as adults. I am currently co-directing the after school Performing Arts program at a local elementary school.  My partner and I also have a Stagecraft class we offer to get students/parents involved backstage.  Other programming includes Art & Yoga, Creative Movement, and Explore Yoga Path.  All can be modified children and adults.  I have an extensive background in dance and the performing arts, I am a certified yoga instructor, a CA certified substitute teacher, and a PCS art docent.  My mission is for all my students/clients to walk away feeling creative, empowered and emboldened to share their gifts with the world.
Taryn Moller Nicoll
Taryn Moller Nicoll Arts Administration, Illustration, Mixed, Painting, Printmaking, Teacher/Instructor, Teaching Artist for Adults, Visual Arts
Taryn Möller Nicoll (MFA'17, Louisiana State University) is a visual artist and instructor with ten years of experience in art education, curatorial practice and public program development.
     In her studio practice, Taryn explores the intersection of fine art, medical science and the human body. She seeks refreshed investigations into notions of the good and the beautiful and, for her, that entry point is the human body; that ‘envelope’ rendering us equal: equally fragile, equally resilient. Her works have been exhibited at venues such as Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Johns Hopkins Welch Medical Library, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, and the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge.
     Taryn has taught foundations, studio art and art history courses at Nova Southeastern University and Louisiana State University. Additionally, she has delivered artist lectures at academic institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Maryland; the University of Dresden, Germany, and the University of Pretoria, South Africa.
      Prior to relocating to the North Bay in 2022, Taryn was the Chief Curator for the City of Pembroke Pines in Florida. In this role, she directed exhibitions, cultural events and art education initiatives at Pembroke Pines' cultural institutions, including the Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery, Studio 18 Art Complex and the Charles F. Dodge City Center.
Zyssa Morales
Zyssa Morales Artisan, Ceramics, Fiber Art, Illustration, Jewelry, Mixed, Other, Painting, Visual Arts, Woodworking My name is Zyssa Morales and I am a craft artist. I was born in Ecuador but have been raised in the United States. I’m passionate about art and would love to use it to bring awareness to social and environmental issues.
Kalia Mussetter
Kalia Mussetter Artisan, Children's, Fiber Art, Literature, Mixed, Non-Fiction, Other, Other, Painting, Performance Art, Poetry, Teacher/Instructor, Theatre, Visual Arts    
Erin Rose Opperman
Erin Rose Opperman Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Mixed, Other, Painting, Photography, Visual Arts
  Here’s the important stuff: I have a strong, varied background in visual arts with a photography degree from Sonoma State University as well as a degree in graphic design + branding from San Francisco’s FIDM. For nearly three years I had the pleasure of working in-house, as Art Director at an award winning advertising agency, The Engine is Red. I focused on brand strategy, marketing concepts, and fully custom digital experiences. I collaborated within a team to create concepts, strategies, and results. And I led a team to ensure ideas were upheld, best practices were met, and expectations were always surpassed. I now work freelance to serve my own clients as Erin Rose Creative. I offer agency-quailty creative services without the agency price or hassle.  
Here’s the fun stuff: I’m an inexplicable mix of a wildly punctual, reliable, detail-oriented, deadline driven professional AND terrible adult person who can’t make a bed or cook a meal to save her life. I’m quirky and fun, but smart, focused and I get things done. I’m obsessed with Palm Springs, anything ‘70’s, and if I could create my own version of Mt. Rushmore it would include Bowie, Warhol, Kahlo, and Frances McDormand. I've formally studied photography, painting, and design. Which leads me to be a multidisciplinary artist with a wide body of works, across a multitude of media types. I highly suggest following me on Instagram. I'm fun.

Eileen Parent
Eileen Parent Mixed, Other, Painting, Printmaking, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts Eileen Parent is an abstract printmaker living in Sonoma County, C.A. She was born in upstate New York and grew up surrounded by nature. Her artwork is influenced by her surroundings and her curiosity to explore the organic shapes and patterns she finds in nature and urban environments. She uses line and mark making to create a response to these patterns. She is interested in time, repetition, intuition, and the documentation of our physical presence. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in painting and drawing from UC Berkeley. While experimenting with different artistic mediums she was drawn to the process of printmaking. She fell in love with printmaking’s traditional techniques and historical background and went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking from Sonoma State University. She has exhibited her work in Sonoma County and the greater San Francisco Bay area. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the California College of the Arts and is currently a lecturer in Art Studio at Sonoma State University.
Brenda Phillips
Brenda Phillips Sculpture, Visual Arts ReBirth Living Sculpture pulls together passed on decorative art pieces and plants — typically succulents — to create upcycled living sculptures for homes, establishments, and gardens. Imagine everything from a small, multi-colored glass arrangement with succulents to 4 feet tall fountains made of stacked ceramic pieces to a 9-foot tall art sculpture with a central spinning ornate frame to take selfies in — perfect for a winery or city sculpture garden — to welded, galvanized metal pots on rods to grow tomatoes inside to a tranquil and harmonious succulent composition on drift wood hung with dangling windchimes to hanging light fixtures overflowing with plants. Each of our pieces utilizes repurposed items combined in new ways along with plants. The resulting sculptures are unexpected living creations that change with time and conditions. Each is unique, designed by hand, often multi-purpose, and harmonious. Some inspire joy, others whimsy, and others are peaceful. The vast range of styles, colors, materials, and shapes dare to challenge the viewer to find that one piece that speaks to them most.
Anne Reeves
Anne Reeves Graphic Design, Other, Photography Creative Strategist and artist with a passion for visual and verbal communication especially contemporary abstract art and branding design. Originally from Surrey, England, I graduated from the West Surrey College of Art & Design. I have 30 years' design and branding experience in London and Los Angeles, first with Saul Bass on corporate identity design then running our branding design firm with clients such as Disney, UCLA and the Museum of Contemporary Art, LA. Most recently, I was Brand & Creative Strategist with Sonoma State's Center for Environmental Inquiry where I created a b Now creating my own art and happy to live in beautiful Sonoma County.
Rachel Brooks Richardson
Rachel Brooks Richardson Design, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Other, Painting, Photography, Visual Arts Rachel Brooks is a seasoned illustrator, painter, and muralist. She has worked in the art and design field for over 14 years. She obtained her BFA in Design at The Art Institute of San Francisco and immediately entered the fashion industry, where she started her career in apparel design and illustration. She has worked as a successful Art Director for various Bay Area companies while pursuing her passions in painting and public art. Her work has been showcased in San Francisco, throughout the Bay Area and Yekaterinburg, Russia. Rachel is currently a Resident Artist at Fulton Street Crossing in Santa Rosa, CA.
Nick Robles
Nick Robles Artisan, Ceramics, Functional Art, Other, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Visual Arts Originally from Southern California, I first found myself in Sonoma Country to attend Sonoma State University and am excited to have recently relocated to Petaluma. Taking inspiration from my Hispanic roots, playful spirit, and a modern aesthetic I use bold colors, organic forms, and an appreciation for imperfection to create a cohesive body while creating both functional and fine art. With the addition of functional ceramics and textiles I founded, Technicolor Dino. After years of dedicating both time and effort to starting a small business, I plan to use the funds from Sonoma Creative to have a space dedicated to fine art. A place devoted to drawing and painting so I can leave the worries and to-do lists of running a small business at the door to focus on creating.
Beverly Todd Rose
Beverly Todd Rose Photography, Visual Arts When I was a young woman, I found the semi-wild beauty of the James River Park in Richmond, Virginia so magnificent, that I decided to take up photography in the hopes of capturing and sharing what I saw. Since then, I have continued my efforts to reflect back to others the beauty, the grandeur, and the wonder that I encounter. My photographs originate from the San Francisco Bay area and Northern California Wine Country, from the East and West coasts, from Yosemite, and from anywhere and everywhere else that I have visited. I offer these photographs to you, in an effort to share the calmness, beauty, humor, and joy that I see.
michele rosett
Michele Rosett Painting, Visual Arts Michele Rosett Fine Art
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