Sunday, March 1, 2020

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.
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.
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.


Meet Artist Helena Faitelson

Helena Faitelson


O-059 Blooming-flowers by Helena Faitelson acrylic 18x24 $300
Helena Faitelson is a self-taught decorative painting artist, teaching assistant, and mother for five children. She discovered her passion for art and painting at a very young age. With the years, she developed her skills and learned different painting styles. At the age of thirty, Helena discovered decorative painting style and decided to pursue this direction. Over the years Helena exposed herself to different decorative painting techniques and developed her own painting style.
Helena was born in Ukraine and lived many years Israel. She now lives with her family in San Diego, California since 2014 and works as a teaching assistant for children with special needs where she uses her art and painting skills in order to expose students to the wonderful world of art and craft. During the summers Helena works as a teaching assistant of afterschool program where she teaches art and craft and manages painting club for kids. Recently Helena established her own business of mural painting for residential and commercial spaces.

Media Helena likes to work with: Acrylic, Mixed Media, other media.
Surfaces Helena likes to use for her projects: Canvases, rocks, wood, ceramic, glass, metal, walls and fences.
Contact information:
Awards:
·         Special Recognition Award in 2019 9th Annual SeaScape Online exhibition -  LightSpaceTime Online Gallery
·         5th place in 2019 All Planet Earth Theme Online Art CompetitionContemporary Art Gallery Online
·         Special Merit Award in 2019 9th Nature Art Exhibition - LightSpaceTime Online Gallery
O-058 Flowers_composition by Helena Faitelson acrylic 12x28 $300
·         Special Recognition Award in  2019 9th Annual “All Women” Online Art Competition -  LightSpaceTime Online Gallery
Exhibitions, Projects and Shows:
Past:
·         2019 – Carlsbad Art Walk as part of “Art Divas” team, Carlsbad, CA
·         2019 - Public Mural Painting project “Mint House Project”, San Diego, CA
Project dates: 11/03/2019-11/17/2019
·         5th Annual Leaves & Petals Online Juried Art Exhibition, Fusion Art Gallery, Palm Springs, CA, November 2019
·          US Show 2019 exibition, Blue Line Arts Gallery, Roseville, CA, November 16 – December 29, 2019
·          Small Work 2019 exibition, Limner Gallery, Hudson, NY, December 5-28, 2019
·         18th Annual Gift Gallery 2019, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Healdsburg, CA November 23 - December 30, 2019
·         2019 Stunning exhibition, Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA, December 2019
·         Alchemic Body: Fire, Air, Water, Earth 2019 exhibition, The Line Conteporary Art Space, London, England, December 20, 2010-January 31, 2020
Current:
·         Vend Arts exhibition "Material Zones" by 1805 Gallery, San Diego, CA
Upcomming:
·         Accepted to participate in Mission Federal Little Italy Art Walk as part of “Art Divas” team, April 2020, San Diego, CA

·         Accepted to participate in Art San Diego 2020 show, San Diego, CA, October 2020

Meet Artist Connie Romano

       
T-011 Color outside the lines by Connie Romano  oil 14x18 $245

 Spring Obsession 2020
        Expressing myself in the various forms of art has always been a part of my life.  My mother was a crafter.  My father created one painting when he was in Jr High that was just amazing in form, color, and depth.  He never pursued his talent with a brush but focused on science as his expression of creation. While neither of my parents was as obsessed with art as I am, they both had talent in creating and engaged in varied avenues of expression.

T-012  Just a touch  by Connie Romano  oil 8x10 $175
         

          I began drawing at a young age and always enjoyed it. I find it relaxing; a form of meditation, if you will.
        I did not, however, share that expression with anyone outside of my family until my husband, who was my greatest fan, encouraged me to submit several of my works to Ironstone.  Entry into the Spring Obsession is now an annual event for me.   The theme division is always a challenge as I find new ways to express the glory of a blooming daffodil.  And the open division allows me to present the diversity of what I create.
O-079 A Rose by Connie Romano oil 16x20 $575

         The competition is exciting but by no means the reason I submit every year.  I love coming up to this beautiful venue to wander among all the amazing art works that have been submitted by other artists and the glorious plantings maintained by Ironstone. I feel honored to have my works hang on the walls with such an array of expressions of the beauty that surrounds us.
Connie Carson-Romano

O-080 Calaveras Morning by Connie Romano acrylic 18x14 $325
O-081 Grandmas Bouquet by Connie Romano oil 10x13 $345
O-082 North Coast Break by Connie Romano acrylic 18x24 $435





Meet Artist Bradford L. Stone

Bradford L Stone
Self taught Artist
Valley Springs. CA




Art is not a reality but a personal perspective of what you see.
O-100 Nature_by Brad Stone oil 18x24 $430

Delta College Ceramic and painting Classes
Sacramento State College, Minored in Art (Art Education & figured drawing)
School of Light and Color (Susan Sarback, seeing and painting approaches based on light)
Experiences:
Award winner of Bank of America (Pop Art)
Calaveras County Fair (Best of Show and first in fine art category)
California State Fair Cal-Expo Plein-Air painting participate and exhibit.
Ironstone Winery Fine Annual Spring Obsession Arts Competition and Plein-Air Painting with Concourse De’Elegance Car Show.
Ironstone Vineyard 21st. Annual Spring Obsession Art Show Family Merit Award.
Calaveras County Arts Council Member

O-102 Runaways by Brad Stone oil 20x48 $1014

O-101 Harvest_by Brad Stone acrylic 18x24 $430







Meet Artist Cindy Walker

Cindy Walker
Artist’s Statement
O-016  Granpa's Grapes  by Cindy Walker  cp 25x29 $849.


Grandpa’s Grapes…a few suspended moments buying time enough to ask, ‘Had this view been acknowledged for its warmth and grace, for its portrayal of life, before the inevitable fade?’ My only response to that query was to bring this impression to you.  After collaring my internal questions, I squeezed the warm seconds from the scene, apprehending and resting in the consequences of peace and refreshment.  I hope you will take away at least a portion of the rewards.

In this colored pencil presentation, I wished to pay homage to the simple sites often taken for granted. A spot of an all too familiar entanglement in nature. The levels of color employed is intended to show the warmth of the day while owning its balance of shade. Applied in layers, I encouraged the shapes and shadows to reach out as promised, yet now can stay intact.
 
My art background is diverse.  My Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art represents my vast interests and capabilities.  I’ve always felt driven to learn the rules which, in turn, gives me the freedom to break those rules.  Along with extensive experience is drawing and painting (employing watercolor or acrylic paints), I have completed studies in ceramics, sculpture and fiber arts involving handmade paper, fabric manipulations, dying techniques, weaving, and basketry.  I continually enjoy doing mixed medium pieces and eagerly return to those challenges when I am not illustrating. 


My related employment also reflects my artistic composition. From a substantial and rewarding career as an Interior Designer, I transitioned to illustrating children’s books for the Tempe School District.  My move back to California launched a venture into the wonderfully creative environment of the Electronic Game Industry, where I benefited greatly from the use of cutting edge technology in creating two and three dimensional art for the final game production—Each of the opportunities in my career as an artist continues to rekindle my creativity in ways that could not otherwise be gained.