April at Sutter Creek Gallery: Watercolorist Mary Ann Solbrig

Watercolorist Mary Ann Solbrig discovered how satisfying painting could be once her children started school. “It always amazed me,” she says, “that an artist can take a little bit of paint and create astounding works of art.” Since that time, many life interruptions interfered with her creative journey but, now with a diminished workload, she is focusing more on her painting. The resulting work will be featured at Sutter Creek Gallery during the month of April.  Join her on Saturday, April 1, from 2 to 5 p.m., at a reception opening her show.

While her inspiration is focused on the present, she enjoys subjects that contain a kind of “shared nostalgia” and convey a feeling of quiet and comfort due to those long-ago associations. She looks at nearly everything as a possible painting. Flowers, weathered wood, rocks and stones, rusted metalwork, windows and old buildings are favorite subjects as well as open doors that lead the viewer to question what lies inside. The vibrant colors in her watercolors are what first attract clients, and she is now very excited to have begun learning oils, a completely different process.  Solbrig loves to learn and try out new techniques while still developing and refining her watercolor skills.

Mary Ann Solbrig currently lives in Jackson, California, where she paints in her home studio. Living in Amador County provides her with many exciting opportunities to paint some of her favorite subjects which are scattered throughout the Gold Country. During the month of April, she and other gallery members will be highlighting local scenes to coincide with the April 22 AAUW Home Tour taking place in Sutter Creek. Located at 40 Main Street, Sutter Creek, the gallery is home to 23 local artists as well as custom matting and framing services. The gallery is open Thursday through Monday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  For additional information, call 209-267-0228, email suttercreekgallery@gmail.com, or visit  www.suttercreekgallery.com.

Sutter Creek Inn

Coleus Brightened

Creekside Methodist Church in Sutter Creek

Owls

April at Gallery 10: Pastel Artist Patricia Prendergast

Patricia Prendergast is Featured Artist for April at Gallery 10.  Her pastel landscapes are a favorite of collectors and we look forward to seeing her new collection.  A reception will be held in her honor on Saturday, April 1, 2-5 P.M.  Everyone is invited to meet Patricia, see her beautiful paintings, and share a bite to eat.

Since retiring from a career as a computer programmer for the State of California, Patricia has been able to indulge her love of nature and art. She chose pastels as the best medium to portray the serenity of the landscape of her native California. She draws inspiration primarily from various locales along the American River, the hills of Marin and North Lake Tahoe. However, her paintings are more an evocation of an emotional response to the transcendence found through nature than a rendering of a specific place.

Although most of her work is done in the studio, she enjoys painting out in nature to hone her ability to see the light and the colors. In fact, she feels the greatest benefit she derives from painting is the way it changes how she sees the world when she’s not painting. Everything is more vivid – the beauty of light and shadow in the trees, the subtlety of the color of clouds, the sparkle and reflections in water. 

She is a self-educated artist and has studied with and been mentored by many internationally known pastel artists.

Patricia has been juried into local, national and international art competitions. She was awarded Signature status in the Sierra Pastel Society in 2017 and was juried into the Pastel Society of America in 2022.

  

Patricia’s show will hang all of April.  You are invited to stop by any time, Thursday-Monday, 11-5, at Gallery 10, 15 Eureka St., Sutter Creek. 

"Mmm, Tasty"

Cloud Dance

March at Sutter Creek Gallery: Laurie Williams and Curtis Stromme.

In March, Sutter Creek Gallery will present a show highlighting two artists who work in acrylic. Another similarity between Laurie Williams and Curtis Stromme is the vibrancy of their art. Beyond that, their artistic approaches diverge. This joint exhibition will run through the month.

Laurie Williams has dedicated herself to painting animals both domestic and wild. She grew up on a ranch which provided the opportunity to learn about the goats, horses, deer and other creatures which are the focus of her art. Each year at the county fair, Williams sits in the animal enclosures making life drawings, which are later turned into bold-colored acrylic paintings. The inspiration for her style comes from Gauguin, Van Gogh, the Fauves and others, which she studied in college. Because of these influences, the animals in her paintings are depicted realistically often against abstract backgrounds that are richly colored and patterned.

Curtis Stromme creates non-objective art filled with color and texture using blocks of wood rather than brushes to apply acrylic to paper. He starts with a background color, then applies additional paints which skid across the surface and sometimes collide with those added earlier. The layers build up a textural surface with metallic swirls, circles and lines adding vitality. Unmatted pieces are surrounded by simple chrome frames so as not to detract from the art. Stromme also produces what he calls art trading cards. These 2.5 x 3.5-inch abstracts are painted on mat board, some of which come mounted on paper and can be framed for display.

Sutter Creek Gallery invites you to meet the two artists at the March 4 reception and to view their lively collection of art. Besides original paintings and photography, the gallery offers many affordable items including prints, cards, jewelry, pottery, fused glass and gourds as well as custom matting and framing, The gallery, located at 40 Main Street, Sutter Creek, is open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information, call 209-267-0228, email suttercreekgallery@gmail.com, or visit
www.suttercreekgallery.com.

Curtis Stromme

Curtis Stromme

Curtis Stromme

"Cats in the Garden" - Laurie Williams

"Coyote and Owl" - Laurie Williams

"Four Goats" - Laurie Williams

March at Gallery 10: “Fur and Feathers

During March, Gallery 10, at 15 Eureka St., Sutter Creek, will feature a members’ and consignors’ show of animals and birds, expressed in all the various media our artists are so proficient with. “Fur and Feathers” will highlight the skill of the Gallery 10 artists. See pastel, used by Marianne Harris to paint her beautifully rendered animal portraits. A wonderful example of the use of pastel by Marianne is the gorilla she painted. The gorilla looks as if it could reach out and touch you. Julie Trail will show examples of her watercolor bird paintings. “Morning Visitor,” an eagle dropping down off a fir tree along the American River, “Geese in Flight,” which reminds us of the wildlife we have right here in Amador County at the Mokelumne River, and “Young Redtail,” all exhibit Julie’s love of painting birds in watercolor.

You will see mixed media and collage, used by Catherine Woodruff to create paintings of crows and other wildlife. Marleen Olive will pull a treasure out of her collection of paintings in varied media, perhaps an acrylic or a watercolor. Mary Highstreet features birds of prey in her pencil drawings. Joanne Dedge has
watercolor birds you might see in your backyard, including a lovely robin, a harbinger of spring.

Stop by Gallery 10 and share a bite to eat and a sip of wine or punch as you look at our collection of wildlife during the reception we hold each month to celebrate our artists. The show will hang all of March, so you are welcome to stop by any time, Thursday-Monday, 11-5, as we swing into
our spring schedule. Let’s celebrate Spring with “Fur and Feathers.”