December at Sutter Creek Gallery: Judy Day

Artist Judy Day has worked in a variety of media but watercolor and drawing are her favorites.  “In watercolor,” she says, “I like the way the pigments mix on the paper and flow from the tip of the brush.  I can play for hours with paper, paint and water.  Add some salt and a spray bottle and I’m set.”  Day paints and draws daily, anytime from a few minutes to eight hours.  She will be the featured artist in December at Sutter Creek Gallery, with an opening reception on December 2, from 2 to 5 p.m.

Day is not only a practicing artist whose work is displayed at the Sutter Creek Gallery but also a teacher in her two favorite media.  Each month, on the first Friday, she is at the Amador Senior Center teaching drawing.  Students learn to handle graphite, pen and ink, and charcoal.  As a result, Day has added more drawing to her own repertoire.  She also teaches watercolor classes, with a new series starting in January.  She loves learning new techniques and using new colors and combination of colors and these classes give her the opportunity to pass along both her techniques and passion to students.

The artist and her husband have traveled extensively, allowing her to paint landscapes, seascapes and animals in locations around the globe.  Yet she’s just as inspired by scenes around the corner on China Graveyard or up Electra Road. Flowers in her yard or in a vase on a table are turned into paintings.  Playing with paint or drawing becomes a push-pull between the process and the product.  As she puts it, “Do I just sit and play or do I want to work on a piece of art to hang in the gallery?  Sometimes I’m having so much fun I’m surprised a ‘painting’ is the result.”

Judy Day is one of twenty-two local artists exhibiting at the gallery located in the heart of Sutter Creek at 40 Main Street.  Besides original paintings and photography, the gallery offers affordable prints, cards, jewelry, pottery, scarves and glass art, as well as custom matting and framing services. The gallery is open Thursday through Monday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.  For additional information, call 209-267-0228, email suttercreekgallery@gmail.com, or visit www.suttercreekgallery.com.

"Painter"

"Yellow Bucket"

"Grapes"

"Cypress"

December at Gallery 10: “Small Works, Holiday Style”

Happy Holiday Season!  Gallery 10 is offering a show of Small Works for the month of December.  “Small Works, Holiday Style,” is a collection of art work from all our artists, offered at an affordable price, perfect for gift-giving.   The paintings will be small enough to tuck into a cozy corner of your home or the homes of friends and family.  Everything will be priced under $125, many are offered for considerably less.

Stop by Gallery 10, 15 Eureka St., Sutter Creek any day except Tuesday during December, 11:00 am-5:00 p.m., and be sure to come to the reception we’ll be having on Open House Weekend, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2-5 P.M. 

Please note, there is a new restaurant next door to Gallery 10, Rosa’s, serving authentic Mexican food.  You can make an afternoon of it, with lunch or dinner at either end of your gallery visit.  Feliz Navidad!

November at Gallery 10: Brent Parsons

Gallery 10 is delighted to present Brent Parsons as the Featured Artist for November.  Brent has a rich display of his artistic talent at the gallery, and will be sharing several of his larger paintings during the November show.  His etchings are discrete landscapes of back roads and vineyards, iconic Northern California scenes.  Brent has some new watercolors of his hometown, Sutter Creek, where he has lived many years, and where for a long time he owned an art gallery on Main Street. 

For the November show, Brent will be presenting his large and very beautiful pastel landscapes and skyscapes.  “Desert,” “Canyon” and “Cloud” are three he will show.  He may also include a few plein air sketches he’s done in pencil, pen and watercolor from recent camping trips.

Gallery 10 will host a reception for Brent on Saturday, November 4, 2-5 P.M.  Brent and a friend from Boulder Creek will entertain us all with guitar music.  Refreshments will be available to everyone.  Come by, say hi to Brent, enjoy the artwork, and celebrate the show.  Brent’s show will hang all of November.  Gallery  10 is at 15 Eureka St., Sutter Creek.  Hours are Thursday-Monday, 11-5.

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November at Sutter Creek Gallery: Rick Wise

Rick Wise spent over 50 years as a Bay Area cinematographer before moving to his current home in Amador City.  Since relocating, he has turned to fine art photography as his medium.  Wise, however, has created his own variation, using multiple images to produce a new artwork.

Each piece most frequently begins as a group of related photographs taken by the artist.  With a blank canvas in Photoshop, Wise brings in individual shots to play with.  He moves them around, excludes some elements, distorts others, adjusts scale until the parts combine into a new whole piece.  He then plays with filters and additional masking to bring new life to the image.  “At some point,” he explains, “a kind of shock goes through me, telling me this image is now complete.”  The process for one piece might take from 5 to 50 hours.  

Currently Wise is working on a series based on spheres, such as Sweet Potato Window.  Visitors enjoy trying to parse some of his images, as in the case of Tamale Dreams, which may require a bit of study.  The artist also offers his unique take on self portraits or portraits of a loved one, calling them “Uncommon Portraits,” which can be ordered from the artist.  Rick Wise is one of twenty-two local artists exhibiting at the gallery located in the heart of Sutter Creek at 40 Main Street.  Besides original paintings and photography, the gallery offers affordable prints, cards, jewelry, pottery, scarves and glass art, as well as framing services. The gallery is open Thursday through Monday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.  For additional information, call 209-267-0228, email suttercreekgallery@gmail.com, or visit www.suttercreekgallery.com.

Sweet Potato Window

Hard Wired

Tamale Dreams

October at Gallery 10: Marleen Olive and Harrie Allie

 Gallery 10 is pleased to offer a show in October of two member artists who explore the world of abstract expression.  Marleen Olive is an owner and member of Gallery 10, versatile in her use of watercolor and acrylic, and familiar as a teacher of watercolor to many in this community.  Harrie Allie is a new member of the gallery and new to Amador County, surprising us with her fascinating designs and unusual compositions.

Harrie expresses her purpose in her painting with poetic words:   

“In the rooms and landscapes I create, you will find images from life, from fairy tale, and from dream.  I play with shapes, colors and patterns until they fall into the harmony of a different vision.  Each composition, each image has personal meaning, and I invite each viewer to dream their own meaning in an oddly different world.”

Marleen explains her water media designs as a blend of abstract and representational forms, presented in a bold, distinctive style.  

“My approach in both watercolor and acrylic is spontaneous.  First, I use color and texture to build up the background, layer by layer, and slowly the painting begins to emerge.  It’s fun mixing styles, realism and abstraction, and sometimes the result is entirely abstract. My approach is always playful and fresh.”

Gallery 10 will have a reception for these two interesting artists on Saturday, October 7, 2-5 P.M.  Everyone is invited to see this unusual mixture of  paintings, meet Harrie and Marleen, and enjoy refreshments.  The show will hang all of October.  Gallery 10 is at 15 Eureka St., Sutter Creek.  Gallery hours are Thursday-Monday, 11-5

Art by Marleen Olive

Art by Marleen Olive

Art by Harrie Allie

Art by Harrie Allie

 

September at Gallery 10: "Into the Wilderness"

A new show for September at Gallery 10, 15 Eureka St., Sutter Creek, will feature paintings by Steve Holler and Julie Trail that highlight their love of the wilderness surrounding their homes in the Sierra Foothills.

Steve Holler had a long career in corporate and brand design, and in retirement he has directed his career toward fine art painting, using acrylics on canvas.  He concentrates on subject matter related to the rural landscape.  His painting subjects come from the drama of the Pacific coastline to the tall trees of the Sierra. 

Steve explains his approach to painting.  “My point-of-view when creating a new image is to capture the unique personality of the subject’s place in its environment. It is my intention for the viewer to not only identify the subject, but to also feel an emotional attachment to it.” 

Julie Trail works in watercolor to express her fascination with the natural world surrounding us in Northern California.  Julie leads her viewers to examine the familiar views, shapes and colors in the landscape and find something unexpected, something more intimate within that familiarity.  Like Steve, Julie hopes her viewers will be inspired by her attention to the detail in a familiar landscape.  “Look, then look again, take time to let the natural world come to you, and you will see deep into this astounding wilderness.”

Both Julie and Steve hang their paintings at Gallery 10 and devote time and energy to keeping that space available for the fine artists in this area to display their work.  The combination of media, both acrylic from Steve, and watercolor from Julie, highlight the wilderness areas that surround these beautiful foothills.  Both artists lead you, the viewer, to look closely at the common elements of the natural world and feel a personal emotional impact within that familiarity.

A reception will be held in honor of Steve Holler and Julie Trail at Gallery 10 on Saturday, September 2, 2-5 P.M.  Everyone is encouraged to stop by, say hello, enjoy some refreshments and share Steve’s and Julie’s love of our natural surroundings.  The paintings will hang all of September.  Gallery hours are Thursday-Monday 11-5.  Visit the gallery website at gallery10.org, or call at 209-267-0203.

Art by Steve Holler

Art by Steve Holler

Art by Steve Holler

Art by Julie Trail

Art by Julie Trail

Art by Julie Trail

September at Sutter Creek Gallery: Jadon Kulling

 Jadon Kulling was introduced to the visual arts and music at an early age. His grandmother, Ilona Novaky, was an oil painter and a poet and she encouraged him to excel in art and music alike. As his parents were musicians, both art and music have become entwined and embedded in his life. Kulling will be the featured artist at Sutter Creek Gallery during the month of September, with an opening reception on Saturday, September 2, from 2 to 5 p.m.

Kulling, who is currently studying biology at Folsom Lake College, works in colored pencil.  One of the reasons he chose this medium is its affordability as a college student.  In his artwork he aims for high degree of realism, saturation and detail. As an aspiring biology teacher, one of my favorite subjects is nature, though I dabble in architecture, still life and portraiture.” He was introduced to pencil art in elementary school and began entering his artwork in the Amador County Fair in 2nd grade. Awards such as the Spinetta Wildlife Award and Best of Show encouraged Kulling to press on creating as a child.  One of his goals with his art “is to inspire other young artists to share their work and develop their talents as it is never too early to start marketing yourself and making a difference in the world.”  

Sutter Creek Gallery invites you to meet Jadon Kulling at the September 2 reception to view his work.  He is one of twenty-three local artists exhibiting at the gallery located at 40 Main Street, in the heart of Sutter Creek. Besides original paintings and photography, the gallery offers affordable prints, cards, jewelry, pottery, glass and fiber arts, and gourds, as well as framing services. The gallery is open Thursday through Monday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.  For additional information, call 209-267-0228, email suttercreekgallery@gmail.com, or visit www.suttercreekgallery.com.   

 

August at Sutter Creek Gallery: Sandra Campbell

Color is an important part of Sandra Campbell’s art for both her pastels and collages. Most often she uses vivid hues in her art. At times, to change things up, she will work with soft, quiet colors or simply black and white. Most of her collages are abstract or impressionistic, while her pastel art tends to be realistic. Campbell’s work in both media will be featured at Sutter Creek Gallery during the month of August.  A reception to open her show will be held on August 5, from 2 to 5 pm.  

After retiring from teaching, Campbell took classes in various media. Eventually, she gravitated to soft pastels and studied for three years with master pastelist Thelma Davis.  Many of these artworks, especially landscapes, are based on her own photographs. Working on sanded paper, which accepts multiple layers of color, she produces florals, still life and animals in addition to landscapes.  

The artist later became intrigued with collage art which has become a major portion of her work today. The variety of the medium is what keeps Campbell energized. Paper can be affixed to a number of surfaces:  watercolor paper, matboard, canvas, wood.  And the selection of papers available is immense. Sometimes she paints and textures her own archival tissue.  She also uses mulberry papers that are already colored. Or she takes pages out of discarded books or magazines or atlases.  “These variations make working in collage so much fun.  The chance to try something new is exciting, to see if I can take what’s in my head and translate it into paper,” she says.  Campbell endeavors to instill that sense of fun and exploration in her students at the Amador Senior Center where she is teaching a monthly class in collage for adults.  

Sutter Creek Gallery invites you to meet Sandra Campbell at the reception to view her work.  She is one of twenty-three local artists exhibiting at the gallery located at 40 Main Street, in the heart of Sutter Creek.  Besides original paintings and photography, the gallery offers affordable prints, cards, jewelry, pottery, glass and fiber arts, and gourds, as well as framing services. The gallery is open Thursday through Monday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.  For additional information, call 209-267-0228, email suttercreekgallery@gmail.com, or visit www.suttercreekgallery.com.

Mountain Stream

Undersea Fantasia

Red Rock Country

Tiptoeing Through the Tulips

Bird in Bamboo

 

Art in Amador 2023

CLICK HERE for a printable  (PDF) form. 

July at Gallery 10: Print Maker Susan Hayne

Gallery 10 is proud to welcome Susan Hayne, a fine print-maker, as Featured Artist for July.  Susan was introduced to printmaking as a student at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco where she graduated with a BFA.

Susan is intrigued by the endless possibilities the medium of print-making offers.  It’s an ideal medium for expressing her style:  black and white, strong patterns, bold shapes and textures.  All of her work is created from hand-cut blocks, acid-etched copper plates, or hand sculpted embossings.  Prints are produced in Susan’s studio on a roller type etching press, using a variety of specialty papers.

Susan’s show will hang all of July.  A reception will be held in her honor on Saturday, July 5, 2-5 P.M. at Gallery 10, 15 Eureka St., Sutter Creek.  Everyone is invited to come meet Susan, see her work, and enjoy refreshments.

July at Sutter Creek Gallery: Glass Artist Donna Blesi

Working with glass makes artist Donna Blesi happy.  “I create unique functional items as well as beautiful decorative pieces,” she says.  Among her fused glass designs are bowls, wall hangings, plates and vases.  During a trip to Alaska, Blesi was captivated by forests filled with birch trees.  Once at home, she created a series of birch panels infused with glass evoking the Alaska forests and changing seasons.  These panels will be displayed along with her other artwork throughout the month of July at Sutter Creek Gallery.  An opening reception for her show will be held on Saturday, July 1, from 2 to 5 p.m., when visitors can meet the artist.  

Blesi was drawn to glass fusing by the vividly eye-catching colors and the endless design possibilities.  Glass comes in many different colors and forms, such as sheets, frit (small, crushed pieces), stringers (spaghetti-like shapes) and powders.  Some types of glass are transparent, while others are opaque, iridescent or dichroic, a type of glass which changes color depending on the light or angle of view.  She uses all these variations of glass to create movement and texture.  Once Blesi decides on a project, she then chooses the colors, shapes and types of glass that will comprise the design.  Firing in a kiln heats the glass to create a variety of effects.  Sometimes the individual pieces are melted into a smooth slab.  In other projects, such as the birch panels, individual pieces stick together but maintain their individual shapes.  In other cases a flat slab of fused glass is placed in a mold and heated until it slumps into the mold to create a new design, such as a bowl.

Sutter Creek Gallery invites you to join us for Donna Blesi’s reception to view her work and learn more about this fascinating medium.  She is one of twenty-three local artists exhibiting at the gallery located at 40 Main Street, in the heart of Sutter Creek.  Besides original paintings and photography, the gallery offers affordable prints, cards, jewelry, pottery, glass and fiber arts, and gourds, as well as framing services. The gallery is open Thursday through Monday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.  For additional information, call 209-267-0228, email suttercreekgallery@gmail.com, or visit www.suttercreekgallery.com.

"Outer Limits"

"Stepping Stones"

Fall Alaskan Birch wall hanging

"Dreamcatcher" 

June Demonstrator: Lynn Slade

Lynn’s paintings are a combination of textured papers and watercolor. She makes her own textures in the paper first using both custom-made stencils and purchased ones as well as hand-cut stamps, items found around the house or her husband’s workshop, tin foil, sand paper, old dog toys; anything that will leave an interesting pattern. After the papers have their texture, she hand-colors them with a wide variety of colors and values. She uses these papers to create scenes full of wonderful varied textures that draw the viewer into the painting. Each layer enhances the one beneath it and the accumulation makes for a very dramatic and rich surface. Lynn’s demonstration will focus on her whimsical animals.

ACAA Meeting - Wednesday, June 14 at 2 p.m. GSA Bldg. 12200 AIrport Road

June at Sutter Creek Callery: Laine Holman

Artist Laine Holman doesn’t remember a time when creating wasn’t important.  She knew from the age of five that she was an artist. Since then she has worked in a variety of media including various types of painting and sculpture. For her show in June at the Sutter Creek Gallery she will display ceramics, acrylic paintings, and silk scarves.  An opening reception will be held in her honor on Saturday, June 3, from 2 to 5 p.m.

Holman and her husband have been raising and homeschooling their six children in an “art house,” where no creative opportunity is off limits to them.  “Early on,” she states, “with my Littles around me, I began doing commissioned portraits, illustrations and     murals from our small apartment.”  Later on she undertook a two-year study of wheel thrown pottery under a master potter.  Some of Holman’s ceramics are decorated using sgraffito, which involves scratching a design in an upper layer of paint to reveal the color underneath. Other decorative techniques, such as hand painting, wax resist and stamping, are also used on her pottery items and pendants.

The multi-talented artist goes beyond producing ceramics.  Her acrylic paintings of landscapes and birds are often abstracted and enhanced with stylized designs.  Holman will also be showing hand painted silk scarves which are fashioned using a variety of techniques, such as salt, ice dying, or resist.  For the last two years she has been focusing on improving her craftsmanship, working to build an online presence, and providing mentorship opportunities for women who have set their creative passions aside to raise a family.

Sutter Creek Gallery invites you to spend some time with Laine Holman at her reception on Saturday, June 3.  She is one of twenty-three local artists exhibiting at the gallery located at 40 Main Street, in the heart of Sutter Creek.  Besides original paintings and photography, the gallery offers affordable prints, cards, jewelry, pottery, glass and fiber arts, and gourds, as well as framing services. The gallery is open Thursday through Monday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.  For additional information, call 209-267-0228, email suttercreekgallery@gmail.com, or visit www.suttercreekgallery.com.

Vessel with wood handle

Ceramic Vase

Bird pendant

Landscape

Three Ravens

High School Student Art Show featured artwork from Argonaut and Independence high schools

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT ART SHOW

April 22 and 23 featured artwork from Argonaut and Independence High Schools

Best of Show was Elyssa Chapman, who was also Independence's Best of School winner.

Sierra Wilson won Best of Argonaut and Savannah Smallfield Best of Individuals.
Congratulations to these artists as well as all those who entered.

Best of Show and Independence Best of School, Elyssa Chapman, top left; Best of School for Argonaut, Sierra Wilson, top right; Best of Individuals, Savannah Smallfield, bottom.

Entries from Argonaut High School

\Entries from Independence High School

Madison Shearer, 1st and 3rd in Acrylics, Argonaut High School

Savannah Smallfield, Best of Individuals

Emilee Cunningham, 1st Mixed Media and 3rd Computer Art, Independence High School.