Artists | CreativeSonoma.org

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.

Linda Schroeter Painting, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts Artist Bio: Linda J Schroeter (b. 1963, Australia) is a representational oil painter based out of Geyserville, Sonoma County. Linda has always had a passion for drawing and painting and has been drawn towards realism through inspiring Dutch masters of light such as Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer. Her most current body of work continues her exploration into important visual vocabulary in Western art, working in traditional methods inspired by nature and natural light. Her paintings all have a significant symbolic meaning and together form an allegorical visual treat for the viewer’s intellect to decipher making her paintings interact with both the artist’s intention and the viewer’s analysis. Notable Accomplishments: Art Renewal Center Associate Living Master American Woman Artist Associate with Distinction Australian Governor Generals Award for Art Excellence

Larry Sheradon Artisan, Design, Functional Art, Furniture, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Jewelry, Multi-Media, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Visual Arts, Woodworking Larry has recently been manifesting a long dream of creating whimsical CNC light sculptures and functional festival deco. With experience in 3D algorithmic design, illustration, woodwork, programming, electronics and altar creation, he draws on inspiring plant forms and the radiant spirit of nature in his designs. He currently lives in the redwoods of Northern California.

Mamoru Shimokochi Painting, Visual Arts Mamoru Shimokochi is an accomplished fine art painter and his paintings have been exhibited in galleries and juried shows. His work hangs in corporate and private collections. Artist statement: Simple elements – line, form, space and bold color – this is the visual language that fascinates me. I strive to create depth and balance, simplifying elements down to the minimal. It’s as much about what you don’t see as what you do. My background: Many years as a brand identity designer, helps me focus and distill the elements that make up my vision. I choose a strong and simple visual expression that combines bold form and color to create a sense of dynamism and tension that captures the eye. Painting Shows: Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Biennial Juried Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA National Orange Juried Show, San Bernardino, CA - Honorable Mention Mt. San Antonio Gallery, Mt. San Antonio College, CA - Purchase Award Downey Museum of Art Show, Juried Show MM Shinno Gallery, Los Angeles, Group Show Sidney Rothman Gallery, New Jersey Los Angeles Art Association, Group Show Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Juried shows, Sebastopol, CA Chroma Gallery, Santa Rosa, CA The de Young Open Exhibition, San Francisco, October 2020

Dylan Smith Ballet, Choreography, Dance, Illustration, Literature, Modern, Non-Fiction, Other, Other, Poetry, Professional Performance, Teacher/Instructor, Visual Arts Dylan Smith is a Bay Area dancer, choreographer, instructor and visual artist. He holds a BA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College and is on staff at Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Mr. Smith has performed and choreographed with Transcendence Theatre Company in Sonoma, California the past few years earning him Broadway World San Francisco's Best Choreography Award for 2015. Other performing credits include the Japan and North American Tours of 42nd Street, JUBILEE! at Bally's Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and Principal Dancer on Holland America Line. As a choreographer and instructor his experience ranges from the Alvin Ailey Children's Program, Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University just to name a few. In addition to the performing arts, Dylan has rediscovered his joy and passion for visual art, creating new works based on childhood pieces. He has had three, well attended, successful exhibitions here in California and plans to keep moving forward with developing a brand entitled "Hair Pop Out Mania". He is available for private dance and theatre instruction, group classes, choreography as well as visual art commissions.

Kusuma Sparks Artisan, Design, Fashion Design, Fiber Art Kusuma Sparks is an environmentalist who fought the urge to create beautiful things with textiles (and lost).

Despite her youthful ambition to land a Fulbright Grant and ‘save the world’, she finally (and begrudgingly) had to admit she had a gift and passion for textiles and, in the end, she became an artisan of fine garments for women who share her vision of a better world. Maybe it was because she couldn’t stand seeing her for-a-cause friends suffer bad aesthetics. Maybe it was a rebellious act against the industry.

Whatever the reason, for nearly two decades she has devoted herself to textiles arts; wrestling with the subject throughout the US, Europe and India. She finally got the courage (and the push) to open her doors to other women who are also seeking to do good, feel good and look beautiful. From original pattern-making through silk painting, embroidery, and fabric manipulation techniques, her work places emphasis on artisan hand-work skills that are unparalleled by machines today. Aside from sustainability and ethics, themes in her work revolve around nature with dreamy and romantic interpretations. Read her full bio here.

Katherine Spiering Painting, Visual Arts Reckless, boisterous, raucous, unusual, or just plain modern? However you describe her art, it will never be accused of being subdued. Katherine Spiering is a fine arts and multimedia graphic illustrator who creates art with attitude. Originally from Seattle, she broke out of the classical confines of her early parochial schooling by packing up and heading for distant exotic lands. Later, she hung out with Seattle's Belltown Art crowd, an artist encampment in the Denny Regrade area. By the time she had completed a year at the Cornish School of Allied Arts and earned a degree in Psychology from the University of Washington, K. had developed an artistic eye by viewing life through the lens of a camera and by shooting images of her travels abroad as well as in her own backyard. In the early '80s, she presented an entire Polaroid exhibition called "Void Space," a collection of graffiti art photographed in Seattle's downtown Skid Row district. She was influenced and excited by street art, geek (or skin) art and just about everything else out of the ordinary. Today, that influence is reflected in her paintings as a kind of high-amped energy with raw symbology and a spontaneity fused with her own sense of humor. For example, there is her portfolio of radical canines, a lively and diverse depiction of dogs created in multiple media, and a far cry from the fuzzy faces found on brochures for the American Kennel Club! When asked, "Why dogs?

Adelle Stoll Artisan, Design, Fashion Design, Fiber Art, Jewelry Handcrafted for the Modern Minimalist Adelle Stoll combines her love of modern design with nimble hands to create original handbags and jewelry from her studio Store at The Barlow. Classic and bold architectural shapes are crafted from soft materials resulting in iconic pieces destined to become heirlooms. Each piece is designed and crafted with love by modern accessories designer Adelle Stoll in Sonoma County, California. Materials All Adelle Stoll goods are made using supreme materials specifically chosen for their quality and durability. Using the finest oil tanned leathers sourced from the United States, leather is hand cut to create stylish pieces, designed for years of use. 100% German wool felt in vibrant, saturated colors and hand fabricated brass rods and hardware define Adelle Stoll’s original designs. Meet Adelle Stoll Ever since Adelle can remember she’s had an active mind filled with creative ideas. Bored by high school academics, she found her niche in theater arts courses and at 16 performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Discovering that traditional academics weren’t for her, Adelle charted her own course with entrepreneurial thinking built around creativity. A child of the 70s who watched American manufacturing disappear, Adelle wanted to give people a place to shop for quality products that weren’t made in China. The answer? She opened The Silo, a Sonoma County shop carrying modern artisan goods, all made in America. At the helm of The Silo, Adelle saw an opportunity to fill a void. Many trendy handbags were overly adorned and cheaply made. With poor quality materials made by machines only, these mass produced bags didn’t jive with Adelle or her clientele. By virtue of meeting her customers at the shop, Adelle received immediate feedback and refined the designs that are now her trademark style. After a successful stint, Adelle closed The Silo to focus on expanding her product lines. If Adelle hadn’t discovered her inner theater geek years ago, she might have dropped out of high school. Reaching troubled teens is a cause close to her heart that has morphed into a business strategy. Adelle dreams of hiring foster children who’ve aged out of the system. She wants to give them an opportunity to learn a trade and access their creativity. Teens could be taught pattern making, design thinking, or marketing, while learning about personal integrity through responsibility. Her ultimate goal? For each teenager to look beyond personal circumstances and believe in their potential. So many ideas, it’s surprising she sleeps. Adelle creates new original designs and wearable art every season. Producing small batches of handcrafted bags and jewelry are just the beginning. Currently in the design pipeline are modern women’s shoes, men’s accessories, and minimalist home decor items; all designed and handcrafted by Adelle Stoll in Sonoma County, California.

Cathleen Swanson Ceramics, Dance, Folk Art, Improvisation, Media, Mixed, Painting, Photography, Recovery Fund Grantee, Sculpture, Teacher/Instructor, Video, Visual Arts I am not limited to one medium nor style. My art is an exploration, an adventure and a spiritual journey. I love to share art-making with others. The Spirit Houses are made by hand from clay.

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 Thompson Mixed, Painting Using fluid acrylic, I work these color-field gestural abstractions to a sense of resolution. In my explorations and attention to the present, meanings occur as actions arise through the process. What is revealed, through gesture and alteration, becomes a metaphor for the passage of time, shifting internal states, changing perspective, retrieval and integration. The paintings are evidence of a journey... material and engagement the carrier of meaning.

Patti Trimble Literature, Mixed, Multi-Media, Other, Painting, Performance Art, Poetry, Theatre, Visual Arts I'm a Marin native, and have been a painter and poet most of my life, exhibiting paintings in galleries and museums and performing lyric poems in theaters, festivals, and other venues, often with music, sometimes with projected images. My work has always touched on wild places and environmental issues, and these days my focus is entirely on climate change and the anthropocene. I think by writing and painting, as wholistically as possible. In my poems, there has always been a freedom to bring themes and styles together. I have been painting a long time, and now I just want to think better about the world and our place in it. In the studio these days sticking to a single prescribed style feels way too limiting. I want wholistic images to appear, images that tell me something new: from gestural abstraction, to realism, science diagrams, words, intuitive and imaginative surprises, appropriation, automatism, surrealism. Poetry and painting are professions, and I have also worked as a National Park Naturalist; as studio assistant to first-generation abstract expressionists (for ten years in New York); as a science and literature writer; and as creative writing and visual art professor.

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!

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.

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

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

Richard Wizardsky Audio, Design, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Media, Mixed, Painting, Photography, Visual Arts

I have been illustrating and painting all my life and have been painting on glass for about 20 years.

I graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania USA. I graduated with a triple majors in Graphic design, Illustration, and 3 dimensional design. With that education I embarked on a carrier as a graphic designer for Mellon Bank, Bd&E, A.Magazine, In Pittsburgh newsweekly, and produced and Edited Further Magazine,and then short stint into movie graphics for Disney and Lions GateFilms. I have been showing in galleries since 1989 from One Taste Gallery in San Francisco, a group show at the Buddha"s Palm Gallery, Coffee Bizarre, Frame of Mind Gallery, Main Street Coffee,Coffee Bazaar and Slice of Life, Peace in Medicine Gallery, The Pine Cone, Aubergine Emporium, Tiny Town, Hardcore, Guyaki to name a few in West County.. Then in Pittsburgh At Lascquax Gallery, The Beehive, City Books the Zenith Gallery, the Pittsburgh regional history museum as well as the Bloomfield Gallery, my works also adorn Theresa Heinze's foundation for fine arts, More recently showing at Tiny Town, hardcore, Guyaki,Fat heads Gallery , Polk street Gallery, Aubergine after Dark Emporium, Live painting at Festivals and local concert venues such as hop Monk and Lupin Lodge. I focus my artistic sights on the Images and objects of nature, using vivid color to convey their most exuberant form. Through my art I hope to bring people closer to the spiritual relm of the natural world they are immersed in.

Artist Highlights

ArtWanted.com Gallery: Fine Art
Represented By: FurtherImages
Past Clients: Mellon Bank, Disney, Inn Pittsburgh Magazine, Further Images and words, Film Joey coyle, Heinz Foundation, DDf&m etc

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 😸.

Kay Young Artisan, Glass Kay Young loves to play with color and textures. She is currently creating functional glass dinnerware for the retail and the wholesale marketplace as well as making one-of-a-kind mixed media collage pieces on glass. Her use of layered papers, paint, and gold leaf offer a depth not normally seen in mixed media. She holds a BFA in Textiles from The California College of Arts and Crafts and a Certificate in Client Services and Business from Santa Rosa Junior College. Her work has appeared in publications including Sunset, Better Homes and Gardens, Traditional Homes, Crafts Report, Cheers magazines, Horchow, Boston Museum of Art Store , and Femail Creations catalogs, and has appeared on HGTV's Thats' Clever tv series. Her work is collected by many celebrities including Sandra Bullock, John Travolta and The Clintons. She was invited to create a glass holiday ornament for the Clinton White House as well as for Victoria Magazine which hung in the Women's Art Museum in Washington, DC. Her hand painted, functional dinnerware has been purchased by over 300 galleries and museum stores since the early 90's. Kay Lives in Santa Rosa, CA and is the owner of Hopscotch Gifts & Gallery inside the Fulton Crossing artisan Center. Her shop was one of three finalists in the 2022 Best of Sonoma County Gift Shop category by the Press Democrat's Reader's Poll. She is a mentor to other artists who want to learn more about the business of art and is starting a formal workshop on that subject in 2023.

CREATIVES

Artist Highlights