Laurie Williams is Sutter Creek Gallery's Featured Artist for November - Reception on Nov 7

Laurie Williams’ love of animals shines through in her art, consisting of both paintings and sculptures. Sutter Creek Gallery’s featured artist for November grew up on a ranch where she observed both domestic and wild animals. These became the focus of her work.  Williams has exhibited throughout Northern California. Most recent shows include exhibitions at the Art Council Gallery in Sutter Creek, Outside Art in Lockeford, and the September Phantom Gallery in Martell.

Williams was inspired by the great colorists—Gauguin, Van Gogh, the Fauves and the German expressionists—while studying art at Sonoma and Humboldt State Universities and the San Francisco Art Institute. Because of these influences, her bold-colored paintings depict deer, horses, goats and other creatures surrounded by vivid, sometimes abstract, designs. In addition to paintings, the show will feature clay sculptures of animals, some of which are vividly colored and others in neutral hues.

The gallery invites you to meet Laurie Williams at the reception in her honor on Saturday, November 7, from 4 to 7 p.m., as part of the region's First Saturday Art Trek.  She is one of the local artists exhibiting at the cooperative located in the heart of Sutter Creek at 35 Main Street. Besides original paintings and photography, Sutter Creek Gallery offers many affordable items including prints, cards, jewelry, gourds and fiber arts. The gallery is open Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (209) 267-0228, email suttercreekgallery@gmail.com or visit www.suttercreekgallery.com.  

A major event this month is Winefest on November 14. Sutter Creek stores will stay open late and wine tasting will be provided in the stores by area wineries. At Sutter Creek Gallery, co-op member Helen Wilkinson will be on hand to engrave souvenir wine glasses with the date.  Gallery members will also exhibit fall and vineyard scenes to celebrate this event.

Ted Smith is the featured artist at Gallery 10 for November; Reception on November 7

Ted Smith, featured artist for November at Gallery 10, uses vivid colors in acrylic, oil, watercolor, various papers and found objects to create paintings in abstract design.  Ted invites you to see his exhibit and join in the fun at his reception on Saturday, November 7, 2-5 P.M. at Gallery 10, 15 Eureka Street, Sutter Creek.  Appetizers, wine and punch will be served.

Ted paints on large canvases in bold colors and creates paintings that invite the interpretation of the viewer.  Recently Ted began experimenting with abstract images, and he has poured his creative energy into creating beautiful images depicting light on objects, shapes seen in his travels, lines and curves of everyday objects.  For years Ted painted local and distant scenes in an impressionistic style, and several of these representational paintings will also be part of his show.

        Ted has been painting for the better part of his 79 years, beginning with scenes from his Monterey Bay birthplace.  He has lived in Amador County for 23 years and has won numerous awards at the Amador County Fair Art Show.  He shows his paintings with the Art in Public Places program, sponsored by the Amador County Artists Association, and in the Castle Oaks Clubrooms, in addition to being a member of Gallery 10.

        In tangent with his painting, Ted is also an expert framer, working out of his workshop in his home near Sutter Creek.

Call for Artists: Monterey Bay Artisans 12 x 12 Open Invitational - Deadline is Oct 23

The non-profit Regional Artisans Association is calling for entries to the Monterey Bay Artisans 12x12 Open Invitational.

This is an open invitational exhibit and juried art competition, which means all entries (from both professional and amateur/student artists) deemed appropriate for family viewing will be accepted and exhibited in the show and will be eligible to compete for cash prizes in three categories:

- Painting/mixed media

- Photography
- 3D (which includes sculpture and jewelry)
All entries must be 12" x 12" and 3D work must be no deeper than 12".

A month-long exhibit of all entries will take place in the American Tin Cannery in Pacific Grove, from December 5th to December 31st, 2015.

The Grand Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony for the exhibit happens on Saturday, December 5th, from 5:00pm - 7:00pm at the American Tin Cannery (adjacent to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Pacific Grove).

Deadline for Registration: OCTOBER 23;

Deadline for Art Submission: NOVEMBER 23 (work may be mailed)

For more information, go to our website page at: http://www.regionalartisansassociation.org/#!12-x-12-invitational/c1t05

Loretta Armstrong demonstration at October ACAA meeting included attention to detail

Loretta Armstrong demonstrated her unique style for the October 14 meeting of the Amador County Artists Association by painting a fall scene.  Loretta likes to paint big so she had completed the first steps prior to the meeting.  The canvas had been under painted—she doesn’t like working on a white surface—and the scene drawn in vine charcoal. She then fixes the charcoal strokes with an inexpensive hair spray.  When she applies additional layers of paint, some of the lines are allowed to show through.

Loretta works with oil paints and has an unusual way to keep them workable by adding a few drops of clove oil.  Also unusual, is her use of small brushes.  Loretta especially enjoys negative painting and demonstrated by working around the pine trees in the scene, which depicts a barn and outbuildings with a multitude of farm animals.  As she was unable to complete the piece because of the size of the canvas and the time frame for the demonstration, she said she would post it on our Facebook page when finished. www.facebook.com/AmadorArtists

Before she started...

Notice the tiny brush

Blue Barn detail

End of the demo