Meet 2023 Spring Obsession Artist Susan Farley

 SUSAN FARLEY        GLASS ARTIST

O-057 The Rose by Susan Farley fused glass 20x20 $300

Susan Farley spent her first years in Walnut Creek and then moved with her fami8ly to Sacramento, where she completed her B.A. and obtained her teaching credential. She began her teaching career of 37 years in Manteca, residing in Stockton with her husband and two sons. She then returned to University California State Sacramento to complete a Masters in Gifted Education and Technology.

She is an avid environmental enthusiast, having donated countless hours of volunteer work in leadership and training for the Sierra Club. She loves the Sierra Nevada Mountains, having gained an  appreciation and reverence of the outdoors from her early experiences with her family, and continues to ski, fish, camp, and hike.

In 2007 she took a glass bead making class and enjoyed the process. However - it would take her 6 attempts to make a symmetrical pair of beads for earrings! Shortly before retiring, she purchased a "well-loved" kiln, and began making fused glass jewelry, It was not too long before she made the leap into other glass forms, from functional pieces such as votives, bowls and platters, to sculptural art pieces. She enjoys this glass art form and all that it allows: the textures, the colors, the shaping, blending, and melting - all allowing for limitless creative expressions.

"It's like Christmas morning when I go out to my cooled kiln to open it and see how my glass came out!"

Susan also enjoys taking photographs, and is often finding ideas for her glass creations from her travels throughout the world, while hiking in the mountains, and in her own backyard. She admits she has not "found her voice", as she is still in awe of what she can attempt to create from what she sees in the world.

Susan has taken a few classes to increase her glass knowledge and skills, and has a mentor friend who is a great resource for her. She has recently wone awards at juried art shows. But as she says: "I have a long way to go - I've just begun my discovery of what is possible in the glass world."

Meet 2023 Spring Obsession Artist Steve Ellenburg

 

Steve Ellenburg Art

Wine is the answer, what was the question?  

WWW.SteveEllenburg.com

WWW.Winepainter.com

 

My art is of simplistic forms from the heart focusing on wine, people, and situations.  While I try to present a realistic image, the goal isn’t to draw a photo realistic picture. My goal is to represent the images as I see them.  Maybe even develop a desire to be there.  Most of my work is stand alone but I have several pieces that present a story in several panels.  I try to create a sense of familiarity or desired state of mind or place.

O-005 Keith by Steve Ellenburg acr 16x20 $650

 My journey is a simple one. I doodled a bunch in a younger day then moved to pencil sketching.  I was challenged to chase my enthusiasm.  So, the adventure began…  I started taking workshops and reading books, and the occasional JC course.

O-006 Marilyn by Steve Ellenburg acr 18x36 $1300

 

I started collecting and following what turned out to be my lifetime influences.   MC Escher, Fabian Perez, Maxfield Parrish, JD Hillberry, Aldo Luongo, and Henry Asencio have all contributed to my journey. They say you should paint what you love.  People might not appreciate paintings of my wife and dog but wine, celebrities, personal portraits, and the female form all have their passionate creative expressions that compel me to paint as well.  You can also drive downtown, Placerville CA, and see outdoor mural on the historic Placerville Hardware store.

 

My work is acrylic on canvas and board.  I sell prints for the budget minded.

 

Contact Information

Personal Art Site   https://sellenburg.com/  

 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sellenburg/ 

Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/steve.ellenburg.art/

Email: Steve@Sellenburg.com

Phone: 925-818-4282

 Thanks for reading!

 

Meet 2023 Spring Obsession Artist George Dillon

 Studio:  2857 Oak Court, Valley Springs, CA 95252

                      

Email:     george.dillon1@comcast.net

Phone:  (209) 772-2892

Cell:       (209) 608-0859

GEORGE DILLON

 

George has had an interest and a connection to art all his life but only in the last twenty years has been able to dedicate his full time to its pursuit.

 

His teachers include nationally renowned landscape artist Charles White, watercolorists Penny Soto and Joan Dougherty, Judie Cain, a frequent contributor to Artist Magazine and portraitist Gary Bergren.  Ben Kikuyama, an internationally known featured artist at the Lahaina Galleries in Maui has been his mentor in the field of mixed media and three-dimensional art.

 

O-010 Lodi by George Dillon acrylic 30x24 $350

George’s style is most often surreal or modern and has been influenced by Picasso, Matisse and Georges Braque as well as his first encounters with African Art and travel.  His imagination and whimsy have all been inspiration to him and have encouraged his experimentation with color, theme and materials.  His 3-dimensional art, which recently was the subject of his presentation to the Lodi Council of Arts, is typically built from canvas or paper and then layered upon each other to form his interpretations of the subject.  He takes a more conventional approach to more traditional themes.

 

O-011 The-Three-Faces-of-Eve- by George Dillon acrylic 24x30 $350

George’s art is typically both bold and colorful and challenges his viewers’ sensibilities with sometimes humorous and sometimes penetrating looks at culture and its surroundings.  Further adding to his art are his pithy titles that often reflect both innuendo and a healthy splash of irony. 

 

When asked what type of art he creates, Dillon responds, “It is hard to categorize, but I am known for color.  I want each observer to have an emotional response of some type to my paintings.  The vivid use of color causes a reaction as we tend to be internally stirred by the spectrum before us.  I can describe what a painting means to me, but I hope the viewer comes up with a meaning that conjures up his or her own inner feelings.”  

 

Dillon always starts a painting with the idea of where he wants to go but reflects that sometimes the creative process takes over and the finished product is something he never dreamed of.  He gets a great feeling looking at a painting and having no idea how he did it but great satisfaction in the accomplishment.  He offers a tip for viewers.  “Often my titles help to discover what the art piece is trying to convey”.  Many of his titles will challenge the observer to examine their own awareness.

Currently George is a member of the Calaveras County Arts Council, the Amador County Artists Association and the Lodi Council of Arts.  His works have been on display in several venues in the Bay Area, Sacramento and currently in the California foothills as well as the Lodi Community Art Center.

Meet 2023 Spring Obsession Artist Judy Day

 Judy Day Bio:

T-005 Thru the mist by Judy Day we 16x20 $250

I have a graphic design background and taught middle school for over 25 years. I've worked in all media including animation, sculpture and photography, but watercolor is my passion. I like the way the pigments mix on the paper and flow from the tip of the brush, I can play for hours with paper, paint and water. Add some salt and a spray bottle and I'm set for a day or two.

O-016 That Warm Feeling by Judy Day we 16x20 $250

I love learning new techniques and using new colors and combination of colors. I paint every day from only a few minutes to 8 hours or more, I simply love to paint.

O-017 Stop and small the flowers by Judy Day we 19x21 $300

I am inspired by, hum ... almost anything at one time or another. Landscapes or seascapes, anywhere in the world, Norway, Brazil, Italy, Greece, or around the corner on China Graveyard or up on Electra Road. I see a combination of colors, shapes or textures and they reach out and grab me. Sometimes animals do, like the elephants in Shi Lanka, or the Koala in Australia, portraits of my grandchildren are always fun. Flowers in my yard or in a vase on my table, like I said almost anything.

O-018 The Lake by Judy Day we 16x20 $250

Playing with paint or drawing becomes a push or pull between the process of painting and drawing and the product you can produce. Do I just sit and play or do I want to work on a piece of art to hang in the gallery? Sometimes I am having so much fun playing I am surprised a "Painting" is the result.

O-019 Rough Day by Judy Day we 16x16 $174

I like painting on 300 LB Arches cold pressed paper with Daniel Smith watercolors.