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.