Amador County Artists Association: Campbell and Woodruff Are Featured Artists for August at AmadorArts Gallery

Two artists will share the spotlight in AmadorArts Gallery in Sutter Creek for the month of August. Sandra Campbell will exhibit her works in pastels; Catherine Woodruff will be showing watercolors and other works in collage. The duo show opens during 1st Saturday Art Trek on August 2, with a reception honoring both artists from3:00 to 6:00 pm. The public is invited. The show and sales continue until August 31st at the gallerylocated in Sutter Creek, one block off Main St., at 11-A Randolph St.

Sandra Campbell always had an interest in art, just not the time, so she incorporated the arts—mainly theatrical and visual—into her middle-school English classes at every opportunity. After retirement, she enrolled in college classes in drawing, watercolor and the use of colored pencils. Then, she for three years she studied with the late Thelma Davis and discovered that she enjoyed wielding sticks of color more than a paint brush or pencil. She took more workshops by pastel artists including Gil Dellinger, Clark Mitchell, and others, as well as additional college classes in pastel painting, design, art history, and most recently, collage and assemblage.

“When people hear the word ‘pastel,’ they may think of soft colors,” Campbell explains. “But what attracts me to this medium is the possibility for vibrant oranges, brilliant yellows, and intense purples and reds.” Her subjects include landscapes, florals, animals, and her travels, generally representational but often with intensified colors. She is a member of the Sierra Pastel Society and the Amador County Artists Association through which she has participated in the annual September Open Studio tours. Her work can also be seen at the Sutter Creek Gallery.

Catherine Woodruff’s first love is creating in watercolor, because as she claims, “the paints are unpredictable and can produce beautiful effects.” But she also work in collage. She moved to Sutter Creek from San Diego and has found retirement especially rewarding due to the classes she took from established local artists like Howard Rees, Sabina Turner and Lynn Slade. She’s been an active member of the Amador County Artists Association for 10 years and has just recently become one of the Featured Artists at Gallery 10 in Sutter Creek.

The AmadorArts Gallery is open weekends 1:00 to 4:00 pm and weekdays 9:00 am – 2:00 pm, except Wednesdays. It’s adjacent to the historic Monteverde Store Museum and well worth the short walk off Main St. to see the monthly shows each featuring unique local artists. Visit www.amadorarts.org or call 209-267-9038 for information.