Meet Artist Debra Montgomery, Ironstone Spring Obsession THEME Division accepted artist

Debra Montgomery
Fine Metal Sculpture
www.finemetalscuplture.com
Art Piece: RENAISSANCE
Copper and Wood Daffodil

T-028  Renaissance  repousse  7.25x10.75  $1500

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am a welder by trade, having changed careers in 2000. I anticipated pursuing a very practical blue collar career when I went back to school. In discovering the aesthetic versus functional aspects of metal along the way, it has proven to be an unexpected and fascinating detour in my vocational path.

Working primarily in welded steel and the copper forming techniques of repousse and chasing, I value the potential for expressiveness and texture in my work. An integral part of my style is accuracy and tangibility. When people see my work, I want them to be inclined to reach out and touch it.

I do not always have a set plan when I start creating a piece. Of course there are mathematical formulas to calculate factors such as proportions and scale. Other times, the metal surface can, in essence, take on a life of its own, with the shadows from the lights hinting where the next hammer hit should be. A good part of my passion for and the challenge I get out of my work is driven by my finding the way to the end result.

I take great pleasure in utilizing traditional metalsmithing techniques, bringing into fruition, detail-oriented two and three dimensional art that would be considered non-traditional in nature.

As I continue to hone my skills as an artisan, I hope to develop my portfolio into a diverse and extraordinary collection of work that one would not expect to be constructed out of metal.

Meet Artist Katerina Rutherford, Spring Obsession THEME & OPEN Division accepted artist

Katerina Rutherford

T-019  Festival of Life I  gouache  18x18.5  $450

  

Paintings "Festival of Life 1" and "Festival of Life 2"


This is my 3rd Obsession and 4th Theme Division. for this year's Spring Obsession I wanted to create a joyful painting, one that celebrates the creative events put forth every year by the Ironstone Winery.

For the connection between wine and art, I tried in both paintings to express through a wonen-themed allegory of dancing in tulips, playing inside vineyards of daffodils in a wine glass.

I reducted my color palette to two tones to get more expression out of the painting. Finally, I used cubist abstract forms I found while being inspired by cubist artist Vaclav Spala (1885-1946), who comes from my home country, the Czech Republic.

T-020  Festival of Life II  gouache  18x20.75  $550

Angels Camp and San Francisco motifs accepted into the OPEN Division 2015

I am a plein air painter. Over the past 10 years I have focused more and more on plein air painting. My major topic on canvas over the last five years has become cities.

Angels Camp:

O-125 Gold Rush House  oil  15x18  $800

Angels Camp is an amazing gold rush town in Northern California, situated right on top of the Mother Lode of gold. Angels Camp was founded during the Gold Rush days in 1849/50.

O-126  Main Street Angles Camp 2014  oil  26x19  $1200

Walking along Angel Camp’s famous frog jump sidewalk on Main Street has a feel like time stopped during the Wild West days, except for one difference: you will not see horses and buggies, but big American cars and pickup trucks. This contrast of big cars and trucks and the Wild West architectural styles became a new approach to my plein air artistic visions.

San Francisco:

O-127  Powell Street in San Francisco  26x21  $1500

In May 2014 I spent one week painting in downtown San Francisco. During that one week I worked on only two motifs, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. My experience of painting cityscapes has personally been worth it!

Powell Street is one of San Francisco’s typical, breathtaking streets that winds up and down the city’s hills…cable cars snaking up and down, appearing and disappearing again at the top of another hill. Next to the cable cars are vertical and horizontal lines of cars and swarms of people busily moving about the city… I found this to be a perfect morning motif.

I realize that except for San Francisco’s buildings, everything else is in motion. I simply became an animator trying to capture the blink-of-an-eye on canvas over the course of five mornings. The City by the Bay’s fickle weather blessed us that week with consistent, warm sunshine.

If you would like to see more of my artworks, please go to my websites: www.katerinarutherford.com :or www.skolavideni.com under my name. Both websites are in English, German and Czech.

Meet Artist Connie Romano, Spring Obsession THEME Division accepted artist

Connie Carson-Romano  

T-003  Daffodil Rays  acrylic  16x20  $240

    Art is an expression of the way the Artist views the world in which he lives. Through my paintings, I try to communicate the emotions that made the subject something I wanted to share with others whether it is joy, serenity or the excitement of the beauty of nature. I know I have succeeded at my Art when someone looks at a painting or drawing and says, "That  painting makes me feel ... "
    
    Expressing myself through art has always been a form of meditation and relaxation for me, although until 4 years ago I never shared my passion for painting with anyone. My husband encouraged me to show my paintings and I found that people enjoy what I have to share.

T-002  Dreaming Big on the Lip of a Tulip  acrylic  16x20  $260

    Acrylic paint, with its forceful colors was my favored medium for years. About a year ago I began experimenting with oils. The difference in the mediums is very exciting to me as it allows for a varied representation of subjects.

    The colors that are present in nature are phenomenal and I love trying to create the same shades. Having been raised in the mountains of New Mexico I found myself immersed from an early age in the amazing palate of nature and the challenge of trying to recreate that on canvas. Now as a resident of Northern California, I am awed at the diversity of landscapes we live in and the unlimited array of challenges awaiting my brushes.

    Two Artists looking at the same object or same landscape will create completely different expressions of what they see. I find it is amazing and exciting that so many different interpretations of the world around us are available through the eyes of Artists. I love visiting galleries and museums to view the varied presentations of life as expressed by different individuals. It is my pleasure that I am able to add my own personal expressions to this collection.

CarsonRomanoGallery.com.

Meet Artist Barbara Young, Spring Obsession THEME Division accepted artist

ARTIST STATEMENT FOR BARBARA (BARB) YOUNG

T-027  Wine and Spring  watercolor  11x20  $400

Since coming to Sonora in 1990, Barbs ART has expanded to include many sales and now, participation in local galleries, In 1996 she took a watercolor class from Dianne Starnes, while recovering from heart by-pass surgery. Since that time Barbs choice of medium has bee WATERCOLOR.

She has a prolific way of depicting old and historical buildings and capturing life like realism in her paintings of landscapes. And as well as doing watercolors, she has a special touch with her Sharpie Pen Sketches of rocks and trees, and pinecones, and other things that depict the Sierras.

Now retired, Barb can spend more time on the things she loves: painting and drawing, and Therapy Dog WORK with her doggies Happy BURITTO, & Kristy both Chihuahuas.

Barb has done some commissioned paintings, with unique challenges. She also has sold a lot of her paintings and sketches, as well as cards made from her paintings and sketches. You can find Barb around the Sonora and outlying areas sketching and taking pictures, and observing the many views and buildings. She also spends a lot of time in the Sierras.

Barb has come a long way from her beginnings in ART as a teenager, copying comic book characters and doing paint by - number Paintings. Her hearly works were sad and gloomy (which expressed her early life); and now, her work has taken on a "lightness, and colorfull expression." Barb credits her abilities as a God given talent.

Barb has won many awards at the MLAA shows in Oct. Her work can be seen at the ALOFT Gallery, Sonora. At Twain Heart's All That Matters; Pinecrest Gallery in Pinecrest and Sonora Blue Print. Barb has entered the Ironstone show many times.

bar-bar-a@att.net

Meet Artist Marilyn Wear, Spring Obsession THEME Division accepted artist

Marilyn Wear NWS, WW, CWA

www.marilynwear.com

T-017  Daffodil Explosion  acrylic  18x24  $900

Biography

Marilyn was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design. She has been painting professionally since 2003 and has earned signature membership in three major watercolor societies: National Watercolor Society, Watercolor West, and California Watercolor Association. Although she also paints with oil and acrylics, her favorite medium is transparent watercolor, where she uses a technique of layering many glazes of watercolor to create richness and depth, while retaining a glowing vibrancy. Her favorite subject matter is landscapes and natural wildlife.

She is currently represented by:
First Street Gallery, Turlock, CA * http://www.firststreetgalleries.com
Cedar Street Gallery, Honolulu Hawaii * http://www.cedarstreetgalleries.com
Sparrow Gallery, Sacramento, CA * https://sparrowgallery.squarespace.com

Marilyn can be contacted at 209 277-1922, or by email at marilynwear@aol.com or through her website at http://marilynwear.com

Meet Artist Popi Tyler, Spring Obsession THEME Division accepted artist

Popi Tyler, 

Artist

Santa Rosa,

California

T-007  Garden District  watercolor  22x15  $980

I was born here in this gorgeous land of Northern California, with childhood memories of riding my horse through Gravenstein Apple orchards and cattle ranches. I learned to be alone and observe the beauty of nature and the way things grow.

My formal education includes over 40 years of art classes and workshops. I have studied ceramics and painting in California, Mexico, and Hawaii. My training at Linecona Academy of Art in Honolulu opened my eyes to the endless joys of watercolor.

T-008  Bourbon Street  watercolor ink  22x15  $980

Recently, I have studied with Dale Laitinen, of Mountain Ranch, California, who continually teaches me to see new things in our landscape all around us.

To me, there is nothing better than a day painting with my husband and friends. I have such wonderful painting buddies -- each one is precious to me.

Good friends, beautiful views - what could be better!

Meet Artist Teresa Steinbach-Garcia, Spring Obsession THEME Division accepted artist

Teresa Steinbach-Garcia

T-029  Daffodil Trio  pastel  20x20    $800

     A native Californian and a graduate of U.C.Davis, Teresa Steinbach-Garcia brings a radiant sensitive touch to her realistic works of art. After college, Teresa worked in both Graphic Design and Galleries in Northern California before devoting much of her energy to raising a family and honing her craft while living in the rural countryside of Wilton California.

Inspired by artists as varied as Michael Reardon, Toulouse Latrec, Lisbeth Zwerger and Kim Lordier, Teresa works in a painterly style using line, shape and color as a starting point from which to pull energy and capture a moment. She works in both Watercolor and Pastel. At times combining the translucency of one to complement the energy of the other.

Every Tuesday she can be found teaching watercolor classes at the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center. This spring She will add an occasional pastel workshop to her schedule.

She is currently a member of C.W.A., The Sacramento Fine Arts Center, W.A.S.H. and the California Art Club. She is thrilled and humbled with her third acceptance into the California Watercolor Association National Show, where she achieved Signature status in 2015.

More information can be found on her website;
www.TSteinbachGarciaArt.com

Meet Artist Ruth Morrow, Spring Obsession THEME Division accepted artist

Ruth Morrow

This stunning painting is shown sideways. Current application will not correct. Our apologies to Ruth. Do come out on March 7th to see this original painting in its correct form as it is meant to be seen. T-014  The Happy Garden watercolor and ink  26x20  $500

Embracing art since childhood, Ruth has spent her last twenty eight years painting and photographing the beauty of the Mother Lode. Ruth's loose and fanciful style becomes visible in her watercolors, acrylics, oils and mixed medium pieces, some of which contain recycled objects.

In the past two years, her artistic endeavors have been recognized with an award of excellence from Sacramento Fine Arts Gallery for her piece, "A Close Knit Village." SFAC also awarded her the Olive Schmid Memorial Award for "Spring at the Old Homestead." Other prizes included multiple awards at the 2013 and 2014 Frog Jump Professional art show and others at the juried Mother Lode Art Show. A bronze plaque from Windsor-Newton Company in New York for her excellence in watercolor as well as the Florence Ferraro Award for "The Tea Party."

Ruth was the first artist to wine the Ironstone Obsession poster contest twice with "A Romp in the Dills" and "Truckin' Dills." Her exceptional talent also extended to nine pieces juried into the KVIE live auction. generously donated.

Memberships include Art On Main in Murphys, Calaveras Arts Council. The Golden Palette, Arts of Bear Valley, Sacramento Fine Arts Gallery, Watercolor Artists of Sacramento Horizons, and Northern CA Artists. Her work may be seen at Townhall Arts in Copperoplis, Murphy's Grill. The Window Gallery in Arnold and her Arnold Studio.