Fabric Art Quilts of Schatzi Brimer featured at the AmadorArts Gallery during the month of June

Award winning Photographer and Multimedia Fiber Artist Schatzi Brimer will have her works in the AmadorArts Gallery for the month of June. At the First Saturday Art Trek on June 4, meet the artist at the reception starting at 3:00 pm and enjoy appetizers and wine. The gallery, which is operated by the non-profit AmadorArts, is located at 11-A Randolph St., a block off Main Street, in Sutter Creek. The gallery also offers items such as jewelry by Ron and Carol Kamerlink and Karen Crane and assorted artists’ cards and small works of local scenes. Hours are 11 am to 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday, and during weekdays, it’s best to call ahead, 267-9038.

Schatzi Brimer earned a BS in Computer Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and a Masters in Organizational Leadership.  However she starting sewing at the age of 12 and for years she made her own clothing and as an adult sewed her own formal wear. When she retired after a 30+ year career in the technology field, she looked for a way to combine her love of photography and sewing. She found it through Fiber Art. Many of her Art Quilts are based on her own photographs. She continues to explore various surface embellishment and design techniques and uses paints, colored pencils, inks, dyes and fabrics in her work as well as non-traditional materials.

Brimer comments: "One of things I really enjoy about my work is the endless creative opportunities that come from working with fabric, both traditional and non-traditional, thread, paint and other media. I especially love the three-dimensionality and texture that are possible when using fabric and thread. For example, you can not only see the texture of the bark, you can actually feel it too...in fact, I encourage people to touch my work. I am drawn to nature - especially the linear, repetitive, and geometric qualities that can be found there."

Her works have exhibited at:

   ·     "Textiles and Tastings," Shenandoah Winery Gallery, Plymouth, CA - 2014, 2015

·         Pacific International Quilt Festival, Santa Clara, CA - 2014

·         Art Quilt Tahoe - 2014 (Best of Show Winner)

·         Fiber Arts Festival, Silver City, NM - 2015

·         Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza, Philadelphia, PA - 2015

·         Olive Hyde Art Gallery, Fremont, CA - 2015

·         International Quilt Fest, Houston, TX - 2015

·         Hubbard Museum of the American West (a Smithsonian Affiliate) Ruidoso Downs, NM - 2016

·         NIH (National Institute of Health), Bethesda, MD – 2016

For more information, contact AmadorArts: phone 209-267-9038 or visit www.amadorarts.org

It Takes a Village

California Dreaming

Aspen Moon

Verdelho

Save The Date for ACAA’s Open Studios - Sept 17 & 18

Mark your calendars for the third weekend in September, Saturday the 17th and Sunday the 18th for the 10th annual Amador County Open Studios tour sponsored by the Amador County Artist Association (ACAA). This year promises to be just as big as previous years with 40 plus participating artists and 15 or more locations to visit your favorite artists and see their latest work. New this year will be a Preview Open Studios Art Show in addition to the Fine Art and More Raffle.

Hours will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and a brochure with a map and information on the artists will be available at locations throughout the county beginning in August. The brochure will also be available on our website amadorcountyartists.org and the Amador County Artist Association Facebook page. At the Preview Open Studios Art Show a sample of each artist’s work will be on display for the month of September at the AmadorArts Gallery operated by the Amador County Arts Council on Randolph Street in Sutter Creek.

The Fine Art and More Raffle is also part of this event with each participating artist donating a piece of artwork, as well as donations from businesses around the county. The ACAA uses proceeds from the raffle for local art education projects, including a high school student scholarship, a student art show with prizes, and regular art demonstrations from professional artists for the community. This year raffle prizes will be on display at various locations prior to the tour, giving you a chance to purchase raffle tickets for your favorite pieces in advance of the event. The locations will be listed on the website toward the end of August.

Keep an eye on the website for new information and circle those dates!

CALL TO ARTISTS: The Amador County Artist Association is hosting the 2016 Artists Open Studio on Saturday and Sunday, September 17 and 18 from 10am until 4pm. ACAA is offering Amador County artists the opportunity to open their studios to the public to show, demonstrate, and sell their work. There will also be several group locations for artists without a studio space and a preview of each participating artist’s work will be on display at the Amador Arts Gallery in Sutter Creek prior to the event. This event has been well attended in previous years and has featured up to 41 of the county’s finest artists. If you are interested in being part of this exciting community event, call or email Artist Contact Cynthia Dunn-Selph at 623.703.3806 or dunnselphc@yahoo.com for more information or to obtain an application. The deadline for completed applications is June 11, 2016.

Musical Art is the theme for Sutter Creek Gallery in June

Musical art will be highlighted during June at Sutter Creek Gallery. Images of violins, guitars and a kitten tickling the ivories will be displayed alongside musical gourds and animal collages combined with fabricated instruments that can be played. A reception for this show, entitled "Music in the Gallery", will be held June 4, from 3 to 6 p.m. During most of that time, classical guitarist Gordon Rowland will be providing entertainment.

This lyrical show will bring together artwork from many of the cooperative members, including works in watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, collage and more. Several artists who are new to the gallery will have their work on display as well. Recently, Sutter Creek Gallery opened up space for art and craft workshops; those interested in holding classes should contact Judy Day or Wendy Rogers at the gallery.

Sutter Creek Gallery is a cooperative of local artists located in the heart of Sutter Creek at 35 Main Street. Besides original paintings and photographs, the 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., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For additional information, call 209-267- 0228, email suttercreekgallery@gmail.com , or visit www.suttercreekgallery.com

"Guitar Crazy" by Nancy O'Gorman

"Calico & Ivory" by Andrea Morris

"Making Music" by George Lambert

"Celebrate Music" by Ginny Schaw

Gourd by Laura Carpender

Gallery 10 June Exhibition: "A Tangent of Play" by Katherine Venturelli

Gallery 10 Exhibition

"A Tangent of Play"

Mixed Media work by Katherine Venturelli

June 3 to June 30, 2016

Reception: Saturday. June 4th from 2 to 5 p.m.

Music by Herb Boxhorn

  

Katherine Venturelli is nationally and internationally recognized for the unique artist books and fine prints she produces in her printmaking studio in Sutter Creek. Her work is represented in many prestigious collections, including the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, the Getty Research Center in L.A., the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the Crocker Art Museum.

Originally trained as a sculptor, Venturelli has found artist books to be a satisfying medium for expressing her ideas. “I am attracted to artist books both as physical objects and as containers of meaning,” says Venturelli. She finds her inspiration in the power of symbol, universal order and chaos, and archetypes that when combined create a meditative intimacy.

Along with the display of her artist's books and prints is a collection of mixed media work. Venturelli takes a tangent and collages her printed imagery creating dynamic spatial illusions and layers of complex patterns. This exhibition is a symphony of color at play, and work in contemporary form. 

"Universe At Play I"

"Universe At Play II"

"Universe At Play" Print

June’s ACAA meeting features wire jewelry artist Karen Crane

Wire jewelry artist Karen Crane will demonstrate free-form, wire-wrap techniques at the Wednesday, June 8 meeting of the Amador County Artists Association.  Crane starts projects with some basic, simple techniques and will demonstrate several as she creates a hanging project.  She uses techniques that she has developed over the past 15 years. These techniques can be the basis of pendants and earrings, but they are also used to wrap stones, shells and beach glass to make room and porch hangers.  Many examples of different applications of these techniques will be available for study and inspiration. As she works, Crane will talk about how to select appropriate materials, what kinds of wire to use and how to solve creative challenges.

Crane teaches wire-wrap classes locally and sells her work at the AmadorArts Gallery in Sutter Creek and on Facebook. The attached images show the types of pendants and hangers she produces.

The ACAA meets the second Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Jackson Senior Center, 229 New York Ranch Road.  The public is invited and new members encouraged.  For more information about ACAA, visit amadorcountyartists.org.

Winners of the 2016 High School Student Art Show announced by ACAA

On May 10 the Amador County Artists Association presented awards for the 2016 High School Student Art Show.  The artwork below, as well as other entries in this juried show are on display through May 27 at the Amador County School District Office, 217 Rex Avenue, Jackson.

All three district high schools participated and the ACAA appreciates the hard work by students and teachers in producing this fine show. The public is invited to view the exhibition Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. These aspiring artists deserve recognition and acclaim.

Michael Frederick won Best of School for Argonaut HS as well as Best of Show for his stippled drawing of Robert Downey, Jr.

Matt Conrardy was awarded Best of School for Amador HS for his painting entitled “Knowledge & Mentality”

Jaime Covarrubias of Independence High School was awarded Best of School for his 3D wire artwork entitled “Jaime the Man”

The ACAA congratulates all of the artists who entered this annual show for a job well done.

Michael Frederick won Best of School for Argonaut as well as Best of Show for his stippled drawing of Robert Downey, Jr.

Matt Conrardy was awarded Best of School for Amador
for his painting entitled “Knowledge & Mentality”

Jaime Covarrubias of Independence HS was awarded "Best of School"for his 3D wire artwork entitled “Jaime the Man.”

Painter Wendy Rogers and the Kamerlink's Jewelry are Featured in AmadorArts Gallery for month of May

Fiddletown painter Wendy Rogers and Murphys jewelry artists Ron and Carole Kamerlink will have their works in the AmadorArts Gallery for the month of May. At the First Saturday Art Trek on May 7, meet the artists at the reception starting at 3:00 pm and enjoy appetizers and wine. The gallery, which is operated by the non-profit AmadorArts, is located at 11-A Randolph St., a block off Main Street, in Sutter Creek. The gallery also offers items such as jewelry by Karen Crane and assorted artists’ cards and small works of local scenes.  Hours are 11 am to 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday, and during the week, it’s best to call ahead, 267-9038.

Wendy Rogers is an award winning watercolorist and blogger, with work in private collections throughout the country. Working with careful drawings and a limited palette of transparent hues, she often enhances her paintings with layers of prismacolor pencil --deep sky blues and purples, shadows of inky indigo, soft highlights of lightest grays and periwinkle--all serving to communicate her passion for her craft. She learned at an early age to love the land, to respect the hard work and determination of the small farmers. In college she studied Fine Arts and Horticulture, so her early figure drawings often included detailed studies of plant parts, leaves and bark textures. Rogers says, “I am fascinated by complex subject matter. I love crisply defining sepia lines that play against soft washes of glowing light, adding depth and a sense of the mysteries of nature.”

Ron and Carole Kamerlink have been fine-tuning their jewelry techniques of over 20 years. They carefully look first at the raw materials and then visualize the endless possibilities for how to craft their jewelry so that the results are creative and fun. They use quality components, like fine silver, sterling silver, 14k gold full, pure copper, all kinds of gems and semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals, and handmade glass beads.  Most recently the couple started flame-painting copper, excited by all the colors that copper produces when it’s heated and cooled, and then re-heated and cooled again.  You’ll be amazed by the variety of the easy-to-love jewelry pieces they create.

For more information, contact AmadorArts, serving the region since 1982 with arts education in schools and in the community, free concerts, art exhibits that change monthly, and special events. Phone 209-267-9038 or visit www.amadorarts.org

Dale Laitinen demonstrated Watercolor Techniques at April's ACAA meeting

Dale Laitinen demonstrated his watercolor techniques and unique style using Aquabord for the Artists Association on April 13.  Unlike working on paper, the artist can erase parts of all of the painting on Aquaboard using the original Mr. Clean eraser.

Dale begins his work by using a wide flat (3 inches) Robert Simmons brush and completes the major portion with this brush.  Details are added using smaller flat and round brushes toward the end.  He uses Daniel Smith watercolors.

The artist has several upcoming workshops which are listed on his website www.dalelaitinen.com, which also lists books and DVDs available for purchase.

Gallery 10 features May's Artist of the Month, Mary Hyodo-Polk - Sat May 7

Doing art since early childhood, drawing on margins of magazines and discarded books, it was second nature for Mary to draw. After taking many art courses from some of the finest professional artists in different mediums including clay sculptures, composition and color theory, drawing in pencil and charcoal, painting in acrylics, oil, pastels and watercolor, she settled for trying to develop her own style.

She went to uninstructed figure drawing sessions twice a week doing from 1 minute to 20 minute poses and occasionally doing one pose for 2 to 3 hours keeping her drawing skills up. She liked the spontaneity of watercolor and the fluid, transparent glazing...which you can get in any other medium, and it’s easy to transport when doing pleine air

But because every medium has something to offer, she has a mixture of artwork. She has been juried into shows and exhibited in many different places winning ribbons and prizes including international shows and local county fairs (7 for best of show and 11 first place so far) and other art awards. In one show in the bay area, the judge bought her painting before it was hung.

Mary is currently a consignment artist at Gallery 10 in Sutter Creek. She displays abstracts, figurative drawings, still life, landscapes and others. The reception for Mary will be Saturday, May 7, 2-5 P.M., at Gallery 10, 15 Eureka St., Sutter Creek. The paintings will be displayed all of May. Gallery hours are 11-5, Thursday-Monday.