Meet Artist Phyllis Berger

Artist Statement

Phyllis Berger

O-021 Poppy by Phyllis Berger  wc 11x14 $400

             I spent my early childhood in Stockton, later young years on a ranch outside of Clements, and then back to Stockton for about 50 years.  I have always loved Calaveras County, and feel lucky to have a home here now.  I am married, with an extended blended family.  My son Jon and his family live in Arnold, which greatly enhances my affection for this area.

O-024 Clements Longhorn by Phyllis Berger wc 11x14 $150

            I am an attorney and law professor, and recently retired from active practice and teaching.  I still do some consulting.  My work and community activities have kept me very busy over the course of my career, but of course retirement reduced the demands on my time.  I decided to take drawing and watercolor classes in the OLLI program at UOP last fall, under the guidance of instructor Deanna Hunt.  She and my wonderful old and new friends in the classes greatly inspired me to embrace the creative process, and now I like to paint almost every day.  Although I am a beginner, I hope it is never too late to learn, and that I can continue to develop my skills and appreciation. 

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”  Picasso

Meet Artist Katherine Plumer

Katherine Plumer

Artist Statement

O-062 Luminous- by Katherine Plumer mm 9x12  $4525

 When you were a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?  For me, the dream of being an artist has been unwavering, blossoming and growing ever since my little hands could use a crayon.  I create art because I feel like it’s something I need to do, and because I love it more than anything else, and because of the indescribable joy of the moment when a piece that I created I resonates with someone else, and becomes something that they treasure for the rest of their life.

For most of my life, I have lived in the town of Wilton, California, a rural area south of Sacramento.  I was raised on a farm and have always had a passion for nature and animals.  The creatures that surround and inhabit my life have a strong influence on the artwork that I create.  I aim not only to portray my subject matter as realistically and accurately as possible, but also to capture the expression and soul of an animal.

O-063 OxfordOldEnglishGame- by Katherine Plumer mm 16x20 $5325

The work you see here is all done with colored pencil, which is perhaps my very favorite art medium.  Over the years I have explored many ways of creating art, and currently focus on engraving, drawing, and a mixed media style that combines elements of painting and drawing.

I invite you to follow me on social media, where you will see “behind the scenes” as I create new custom art pieces.

Facebook: KatherinePlumerFineArt
Instagram: katherineplumer

Meet Artist JacQueline Del Curto

ABOUT JACQUELINE

Jacqueline believes art must take one beyond itself to the idea of truth: if sense perception does not give way to reflection, art becomes mere decoration. Jacqueline hopes to delight and edify others with her creative understanding of the world and hopes to add a little color where it is needed.

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O-026 On The Boat by Jacqueline Del Curto acrylic 20x16 $700

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Jacqueline attended the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, New Hampshire, during which time she studied cast drawing at the Ingbretson Studio in Manchester, NH. She went on to study at the Russian Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, and apprenticed under English painter James Gillick in Lincolnshire, England. Jacqueline was graduated summa cum laude from the Catholic Distance University with a bachelor's degree in theology.

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Jacqueline enjoys working in a variety of media and genres and her work is featured in private iicollections in the United States and Europe. She accepts commissions and a portfolio of her completed artistry is available for sale. 

O-025 by Jacqueline Del Curto acrylic 20x16 $600

Meet Artist Kelli Noteman O'Brien

Kelli Noteman O’Brien

O-069 Egret's Grace by kelli Noteman O'Brian wc 32x40 $550

            Kelli Noteman O’Brien is a California native who grew up with the Stanislaus National Forest as her “backyard.”  Today she enjoys riding horses and camping throughout the high country she came to love as a child generally with a camera or paint brush in her hand.

A love of nature is revealed in her art where she often chooses animals, flowers and Sierra Nevada landscapes as her subjects.  Kelli feels a special kinship with birds which are frequently featured in her work. 

Today Kelli shares her love of art working with kids of all ages as an art specialist teaching at Sonora Elementary School.  As a life-long learner, she counts her most influential teachers as Joel Barber, Dianne Stearns, Dale Laitenin and Martha Wallace.  Her rodeo bull painting “Eliminator” was featured on the 2009 Mother Lode Round-Up poster.  In 2012, she was awarded the blue ribbon for her watercolor “Mendocino Poppies” at the Mother Lode Art Association’s Fall Art Show in Sonora, California.

 Though she also enjoys block printing, acrylic painting and ceramics, watercolor is her first love.  “Watercolors have a life of their own; they are spontaneous and lively.    I enjoy watching the colors move and interact.  They are versatile, exciting, and, yes, challenging,” she expressed. 

Today, Kelli and her husband, Al O’Brien, live on a small ranch they’ve named Banjo Ranch with their two horses, seven chickens, and many bird and wildlife feeders.