Meet Artist Judy Ryder

 Judy Ryder 

ARTIST’S STATEMENT ____________________________________________________________________________ 

T-017 Kinda Daffy by_Judy Ryder wc 13x5 $200

I stepped into the world of art seven years ago when I took my first photography class. Taking photos opened my eyes in a new, inquisitive and expansive way to what was around me. 

As one thing often leads to another, a photographer friend encouraged me to join Popi Tyler’s watercolor class. This was an invitation to learn something new. Her weekly class provided an opportunity to sink into the study and practice of painting while observing my emerging style and expression. Popi has been a wonderful teacher. 

When I paint, I open to my evolving creative process, and I love how it offers an element of surprise between intention and what is finally captured on paper. As I was drawn to the abstract in photography, I also enjoy combining realism and abstract in my paintings. 

My home is in Sebastopol, California, where my husband and I raised our    family and continue to reside. 

Judy Ryder

judyryder43@icloud.com 

707-888-850

Meet Artist Robin Mooney

 

Robin Mooney - Cupertino, California 

Nearing the end of a 36-year career as a Civil Engineer and worried about what trouble I might get myself into in my retirement, my wife and sister-in-law conspired. For a birthday, they surprised me with paints, brushes, paper and a week-long watercolor workshop with Dale Laitinen. While I was obviously in way over my head, I greatly enjoyed that workshop. I return most years to Dale’s Virginia City workshops to paint and reconnect with friends. 

 After using up my allotment of classes in furniture design and sculpture at De Anza College, my artistic endeavors now focus on watercolor. I especially enjoy painting with my friends, Ron and Popi Tyler in Santa Rosa. It was with Popi’s encouragement and support that I entered this show. 

T-008 Three Amigos by Robin Mooney wc 21x17 $500

T-009 It is what it is by Robin Mooney wc 26x21 $600

O-031 Virginia City #3 by Robin Mooney wc 29x23 $700

O-032 Virginia City Mine Shafts by Robin Mooney wc 29x23 $7003

Meet Artist Shauna Rae Engbrecht

 SHAUNA RAE ENGBRECHT

 “ART BY SHAUNA” 

O-158 At the Beach by Shauna Engbrecht oil 20x27 $950.

As a young girl growing up in Klamath Falls, I rode horses and learned to love landscapes painted by God and the beauty in His sky. 

 I always had a desire to create, and as a child my grandmother saw my passion for art and ordered the “Fad of the Month” club for me. It cemented my love of anything artistic. 

I married in 1975 and was widowed in 1986 with four children under 10 to raise, and now have nine grandchildren. I worked as a baker and managed a bakery in the Rogue Valley. In 1993, my sister and I opened a bakery/deli of our own. After 28 years, we sold it in 2021. So now, it’s my turn to be able to pursue my love of art! 

O-160 Paradise Beach by Shauna Engbrecht oil 24x48 $1500

EDUCATION: 

Rogue River High School graduate, Rogue River, Oregon 

Bassist Fashion Institute, Portland, Oregon— studied fashion and window display. 

 I currently teach art at a Christian school. 

ART: 

As an adult, I studied one-stroke painting with Donna Dewberry. Moved on to a pastel painting group in the Rogue Valley. 

 I’ve completed online classes with Scott Christenson. 

 I’ve been fortunate enough to sell several of my pieces and now with more free time, I’m ready to see what else can be done to market, display and sell my art.

Meet Artist Paula Gale Tooman

O-026 Hope by Paula Tooman wc 24x20 $300

Paula Gale Tooman Bio

 

I feel like I am coming home when I enter the art show at Ironstone Vineyards. The Gold Country has always been special to me. My husband and I love sitting on the Ironstone patio outside the wine tasting room having apple wine and sandwiches. It’s a privilege to return as a painter to one of my favorite places.

I am Paula Gale Tooman and I’ve been painting since my mid-twenties. I first got interested in water color when I took a class from Muriel Doggett in adult education in Pleasanton, California. It only took six weeks to fall in love with the fluid surprises of painting with water colors. I’ve never been able to pry myself away from this medium – it’s exciting, vibrant, unpredictable, and just plain fun. A friend and I would try to go plein-air painting every few weeks. Sometimes we went to the Sacramento Delta but mainly we painted in the Gold Country. Dogs loved us, and people would meander by to see what we were doing. The spectators seemed to be kind and somewhat envious of the fun we were having.

When I had my first two children I felt I was too busy to paint. But I didn’t know what busy really was until my husband and I adopted twelve Ethiopians between 1994 and 1996. I was too busy to do much of anything. Our last adoption was in 1999 of a handicapped Down’s syndrome baby girl. But … I still dreamed of those days of painting in the Gold Country and wanted to try again. When I was in my late fifties I had only three kids at home – it felt like a vacation.

This year has been very busy and very strange because of Covid-19 and many new commitments. I would really like this coming year to spend more time in my studio. There is always so much to learn as a watercolor painter. There are new colors, new subjects, and new technologies; sometimes it’s overwhelming. For instance there are proportions, reflections and perspective – I thought I knew them, then I looked again at the subjects. Really it’s all a great challenge and such great fun!

 

Meet Artist Holly Johbnston

O-033 minstrel_life by Holly Johnston acr 12x9 $175

             Holly Johnston is a local artist living in Murphys. She is excited to share her painting “Minstrel Life” which is an homage to the other art forms she draws inspiration from. In this piece she wanted to challenge herself to explore realism and still life while incorporating her personality and passions. The mandolin represents her love for music and the three knives her passion for juggling and living life to the fullest – and slightly on the edge. 

            As a child Holly always loved to draw. She took classes in watercolors for several years from Martha Wallace. Since then she has been primarily self-taught with the occasional class and input from her artistic brother Jesse. Holly decided to branch out into acrylics in her 20’s.Not long after, her aunt was kind enough to give her a massive set of paints and brushes for Christmas which inspired her to further develop herself as a painter. 

             She enjoys exploring different subjects and challenging herself to make each piece unique and beautiful. The last couple of years she has been working on collaborative pieces with her fiancée Jeremiah Heath, one of which is featured in this year’s Daffodil art display. 

             Besides painting Holly loves to garden and spend time outdoors. She finds joy in bringing beauty and abundance from the earth. She also has a passion for the performance arts. A juggler, she has performed across the globe from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland to the local Black Bart Playhouse. Holly may also be seen in the local theater community, most recently with Shakespeare on the Vine. She also loves to play and listen to music, and enjoys exploring a wide variety of styles and genres. 

             Holly hopes to express in her art the passion that she feels for what she loves.

Meet Artist Ann Nall

 

T-002 In the Wind by Ann Nall wc 11x14 $250

Ann Nall

 1212 Shell Ave, Pacific Grove, CA 93950

 web: annnall.com 

email: nall8900@comcast.net

Statement 

I have been a watercolor artist for many years. I love deciding what to paint, where to place my brush and color, and watching the water take my idea in a completely different direction. Yes, my skill lets me have the water and color remain in my chosen place, but transience and imperfection lead to magic. Watercolor is about magic. 

Biography 

Ann started painting in 1985 to escape the pressure of work. Her first lesson was in the basement of a community center in Virginia, just outside Washington DC. Her teacher taught her how to hold a brush, mix colors, and put what she saw onto paper. Watercolor landscapes and still life slowly evolved into a love of painting animals and finally hundreds of detailed, realistic pet portraits. 

She has experimented with acrylics, applying paint directly from the tube onto canvas. She is also an enthusiast for decoupaged glass. While she has created some dramatic pieces of which she is proud, she always returns to paper and water.

Her work is currently on display at the Carmel Valley Art Association and Avant Garden, both in Carmel Valley, California. 

 Past Juried Shows and Awards Include: 

Ironstone Winery, Murphys, CA (1st place winner of Themed competition) 

Pacific Grove Public Library, CA (one of 12 for their 105th anniversary, national competition) 

San Luis Obispo Art Museum, CA (Art of Fine Craftsmanship) 

Northern California Arts Association, Sacramento, CA (Award of Excellence) Fusion Art Gallery, Palm Springs, CA (juried in 5 different competitions & honorable mention) 

Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA (Awarded Honorable Mention) Carmel, CA (Carmel By the Sea Holiday Banner, one of 20 winners) 

Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL (benefit auction) 

WGBH Boston, MA (auctioned poster design) 

Artists Group of Charlestown, Charlestown, MA (founding member)

Meet Collaborating Artists, Holly Johnston and Jeremiah Heath

    

T-018 dolce_primavera by Holly-Jeremiah Johnston-Heath mm 30x15 $500

        Holly Johnston and Jeremiah Heath are a local artistic couple living in Murphys. They have done many collaborative art projects both visual and musical. Holly has been painting since she was a child and taking watercolor classes with Martha Wallace. Her work a local nursery helped to inspire this series. Jeremiah has been drawing fantasy–adventure pencil and ink for approximately ten years, taking inspiration for this latest series from equal parts Arthur Rackham and Alberto Vargas. Together they have been developing their mixed-media style, Jeremiah drawing the figure with pencil and ink on paper and Holly painting the scenery with acrylic on canvas. Their first series is sci-fi inspired and nearly complete, their second series centers around fantasy flower fairies. “Dolce Primavera” is their second piece in this series. This is their first public presentation of their collaborative art. 

  

   Holly started doing acrylic paintings around eight years ago, drawing inspiration from the great outdoors. In her art she seeks to capture the awe that she feels in experiencing the pinnacles of natural beauty. Besides painting, Holly also has a passion for the performance arts. She has been in a number of local plays, juggling shows and is excited about she and Jeremiah’s budding musical project “BlackGrass” in which she plays mandolin.

    Jeremiah started drawing approximately ten years ago as an escape from the performing arts, in order to develop something for himself. He slowly realized that visual mediums are also a performing art if you keep showing them to people. The first art book he bought was “How to Draw Dragons”, from there he started drawing Manga inspired by the Greek myths. He is inspired in his art by craggy mountain ranges and lonely landscapes. In this latest series, he is trying to bring out a bit of whimsy in defiance of a merciless world. He also has a diverse artistic background in music and drama, he plays guitar in their musical duo. 

     Holly and Jeremiah hope that their audience enjoys the playful and lighthearted aspect that they seek to share.

Meet Artist Stephanie Rose Long

 Stephanie Rose Long 707-694-0367 

O-120 scotts_horse by Stephanie Long pastel 18x24 $1850

 Stephanie grew up in Florida and Vermont riding, drawing, and loving horses. She started art classes at age 8 and horses were always her favorite subject. Graduating from the University of Hawaii in 1982 with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Design and Photography, and from there moved to San Francisco to freelance. Her love of horses kept calling her back and in 1992 she moved to Nevada where she met her husband, performance horse trainer Gary Long. Since then, her life has revolved around horses and art. Helping train cutting and cow horses, has been a major inspiration for her. 

O-117 zack_by Stephanie Long pastel 14x20 $1100

 A bold use of color and shallow depth of field is reminiscent of Stephanie’s work in design and photography. While working mainly in soft pastel, her lifelong love of horses and daily interaction are evident in the intimate details she portrays in her paintings. She enjoys making a bold statement of a subtle point, bringing attention to the littlest things which evoke the essence and energy of the subject matter. 

 Now living in Tuolumne, CA. Stephanie continues to make western art, enjoys pet portraiture and also paints her original designs on leather purses, and makes one-of-a kind beaded jewelry. She has won numerous awards and is a Signature Member of Pastel Society of the West Coast, Associate member of the Pastel Society of America. 

O-118 downtown_tuolumne by Stephanie Long pastel 20x16 $950
JUDGES MERIT AWARD

Currently showing work at Aloft Gallery in Sonora and Art on Main in Murphys, CA 

To see more of her work go to www.wildrosewesternart.com or www.facebook.com/stephanieroselong at Wild Rose Western Art 

COMMISSIONS ARE GLADLY ACCEPTED

Meet Artist Twyla Olsen

 Twyla Olsen – Artist Biography

T-019 Daffodil joy by Twyla Olsen acr 30x20 $700

Artist, Twyla Olsen is inspired by the beauty of nature and seeks the intersection of spirituality, color, and artistic expression. Olsen paints landscapes, abstracts, and nature scenes from this source. She believes her creativity and artistic expression thrives on frequent exploration and travels to New Mexico, Arizona, the Sierra Nevada Mountains and beyond to source inspiration in nature.

Currently, Twyla is a member of Art on Main in Murphy’s, CA. She was a member of Studio B for five years 2009 - 2014, located in downtown Sonora. She shared the space with five other working artists who exhibit art in this historic building and airy gallery space. 

T-020 Spring in the Gold Country by Twyla Olsen acr 20x20 $600

 Twyla has shown in regional galleries in Healdsburg, Jamestown, Modesto, and Merced. Her work has been shown at Ventana Gallery on Washington St. in downtown Sonora for over 3 years. Her work has been exhibited in Arizona State University Gallery in Phoenix, Arizona and was a member of the artist co-op in Mesa, Arizona from 2014 to 2016. 

 When attending classes at Scottsdale Art School in Arizona she was fortunate to work with national and internationally known instructors. She has studied with local artists in the Mother Lode area. Twyla enjoys working with collage and multiple medias to create whimsical pieces and a variation from only painting. 

 Twyla says, “I follow the advice of the late Danny Kaye ~ 

 “Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint you can on it!” 

Contact Info: (209) 617-6899

Twylaolsen@gmail.com 

P.O. Box 2091 

 Columbia, CA 95310

Meet Artist Myra Steward

 

“EVERY PAINTING TELLS A STORY AND CAPTURES A SINGLE MOMENT OR THOUGHT IN TIME.” - Myra Steward

 

O-024 Transitions by Myra Steward wc 12x12 $250

From the artist, "Art is an essential part of my everyday life, trying to incorporate it in all that I do. I had dreamed of painting since I was a little girl. After reading the book, The Artist's Way, I finally gave myself permission to try painting. It is now my passion!"

Myra is a Master Painter member of NCA, Northern California Artists, and she has been accepted into juried art shows throughout California and has won multiple prizes including being the featured artist for the 2015/2016 Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival.  She is also a member of Santa Clara Watercolor society, and she has also contributed numerous volunteer and served on the NCA board as the courtesy chair.

The mediums and subject matter Myra uses are varied.  She works primarily in watercolor and mixed media. Myra's favorite new method of watercolor is using handmade papers and canvases to paint on; she also enjoys painting a variety of subject matters, but she especially likes to paint birds and animals.  Myra's style is to always paint with a limited palette of just one blue, one yellow and one red, keeping herself challenged to create as many shades of color as possible!

The pandemic has brought a lot of change to Myra’s life; she and her husband Steve moved from the Sacramento area to the Bay Area to be closer to their son and his family of four. “It’s been an adjustment moving away from friends, but the huge bonus is living down the block from our son and his family. My art is changing as I live my new life. It's very exciting to feel as if I’m experiencing life through the eyes of my grandsons.”

 

www.myrasteward.com

 

Meet Artist Sharon Moore

O-106 Path by Sharon Moore acr 30x20 $850

 

O-107 Cliff on the Beach by Sharon Moore acr 30x20 $650

Meet Artist Cristy Bright

 

Artist Statement

 

Cristy Bright / cab ART

Mixed-Media Artist

 

O-102 double_frame_circle_with_flowers by Cristy Bright mm 12x12 $160

The mixed-media art I create is a process of experimentation, influenced by my personal creative journey through fiber arts, painting, calligraphy, ceramics, and flower arranging.  I have no template or design-ideas beforehand and simply start the process on a wood or cloth canvas by layering paint, paper I create, paper from books and magazines, stamps, stencils, ink, and markers. With no defined artistic endpoint in mind, I stop after about 3 to 8 layers when I feel that the colors and textures are right, and I’ve created a pleasing and interesting background.

Although again experimental, the colors and textures in a background do influence the design of the foreground artwork and appearance of the completed art piece. I often join or weave together materials found in nature (dried flowers and pods, sticks, moss, shells, and stones) with yarns, fabrics, or strings to create a 3-dimensional, nature-inspired image. My hope for every piece is that neither the background or foreground overpowers, but compliments, to create a single connected image with independent details that the eye continues to find fresh and new with each look.

 

Allowing the piece to unfold as I progress through each stage is both inspiring and motivating. The process creates art that simply can’t be duplicated - each piece is truly one of a kind.

 

O-103 container_with_flowers by Cristy Bright mm 14x14 $200

O-104 weaving_with_flowers.by Cristy Bright mm 10x20 $200
FAMILY MERIT AWARD

 Artist Stephen M. Testa 

19736 Jesus Maria Road 

Mokelumne Hill, CA 95245 

Cell: (209) 402-6574 

Office: (209) 754-1422 

Email: stesta@goldrush.com 

O-130 rusty_old_soul by Stephen Testa wc 16x14 $200

Stephen Testa is a geologist whose subjects are in painting landscapes of geological interest,...
, black and white images of iconic geological figures and landscapes from the great surveys of the 19th Century, and wildlife (including domestic pets). For Stephen, the media of choice is watercolor and the transformation from an historic dark black and white photo to watercolor brings out a fresh perspective on such iconic individuals and images. Stephen's other interests are in the painting of animal portraits and wildlife. His initial inspiration for watercolors began in the early 1980s when he was working in the North Cascades. It was there that he met Dr. Peter Misch, an iconic pioneering geologist of the North Cascades and professor at the University of Washington. Dr. Misch was also an accomplished mountain climber and during his many geological excursions would take his watercolor set with him as he explored the North Cascades. It was at his home where Peter first showed Stephen his watercolors and encouraged him to pick up the brush along with a rock hammer. Some of Stephen's earliest paintings were displayed at The Prince and Pauper Gallery in Seattle. During this time, he also became a member of the Northwest Watercolor Society. After a hiatus from painting in the late 1980s until 2017, Stephen resumed his desire to paint in watercolor. Stephen is self-taught, and has developed his style from books on technique, observation of other artists' works, especially that of John Hunt and Robert Bateman, and workshops, albeit his geologic training is an advantage in sketching and 3-D visualization. He prefers watercolor for the spontaneity and many challenges this media presents. His works have been shown at several exhibitions throughout California. Stephen lives in Mokelumne Hill and is a member of the California Watercolor Association and Mother Lode Art Association. Stephen’s works have been recently exhibited at the Aloff Gallery, Sonora, CA, the Linda Dirkx Brown Art Gallery in San Ramon, CA, and Ironstone Vineyard’s Annual Spring Art Exhibition, among others.

O-131 up_the_creek by Stephen Testa wc 14x18 $300

O-129 spring_thaw_at_hidden_lake by Stephen Testa wc 16x20 $350