As a San Francisco native, I have been surrounded by incredible natural beauty.  I begin my artwork in abstraction, very spontaneously, letting layers of color and line build up; catching a moment in time, I reference the figure and landscape.  I love brilliant color and use layers of gels, washes, oil sticks and pastels to create texture, line and motion. As a Bay Area Figurative Abstract artist I’m  represented in numerous collections in the US, Mexico and Canada.

STUDIO 260

PAINTING

mariaaronsouth.com

My inspirations are endless and fleeting.  They change with the sun, the tide and the passing clouds.  Perched on a bluff overlooking the ocean, smelling salt air and hearing waves crash on the rugged rocks, taking in the distant shore with that warming sun through the mist … and sharing that with you.  That is why I paint.

This love of place remains with me at the studio easel too.  I am pleased to give back, through sales of my work, to groups who protect our landscape for future generations to enjoy.  

STUDIO 278A

PAINTER

ChrisAdessa.com
 

A Sausalito, California artist and architect, I work in a variety of media and formats.  Inspired by reverence for the natural world, my painting work evokes the sensory experience of being immersed in a particular ecology and place.  I like to highlight the beauty of both nature and human interventions in the landscape.  My sculptural work, architecture, interior design, and landscape design reflect an affinity for natural materials and textures, and combining them beautifully and pragmatically.  I welcome both artwork and design commissions, and those seeking to learn painting, printmaking, and craft media, or support for doing their own projects. 

STUDIO 325

PAINTING/SCULPTURE

leslieallenart.com
 

     Over decades, Leslie Allen’s paintings have evolved from tightly rendered still life and landscapes in watercolor, to fiercely expressive abstract and figurative paintings in oil and mixed media.  Leslie also teaches drawing, collage and printmaking techniques in her studio, and credits Richard Diebenkorn, Henri Matisse, Joan Mitchell, Pablo Picasso, and especially Chester Arnold for her painting styles and tenacity.  She believes she will forever be an art and music student, and loves playing cello with the College of Marin Symphony Orchestra.  Leslie manages dual careers as an exhibiting artist and paralegal, and finds the challenging mental shifts to be invigorating.  

Leslie Allen is represented by Seager Gray Gallery, Mill Valley CA, and print publisher Art Brokers, Inc., San Rafael CA.  

Studio 300A

PAINT / COLLAGE / PRINTS

leslie@studio300A.com

www.studio300acom

I prefer to use several different mediums for my work: pastel, oil on canvas, collage.  The result is almost always what I call Contemporary Realism.  Nature, still life and figures are all absorbing subjects and I relish studying each one in my work.

STUDIO 301

PAINTER

katesolaribaker.com

I have been an oil painter for 18 years.  I enjoy painting landscapes (often plein air), farm animals, and abstracts. Also, dogs and horses by commission.  I believe I have a unique gift for color and the ability to see and capture the essence of my subjects.  I am passionate about my work.

STUDIO 282A

PAINTER

dbertola.com

Meditative, complex minute in detail, my paintings are an ongoing narrative exploring the marking of time, and the space in-between, as individuals how do we define this element of being.

To experience the work is an investment, a quiet time. A conversation that will continue to evolve because of time.

STUDIO 259D

PAINTER

STUDIO 300A

PAINTER

As a painter, I work intuitively and spontaneously.  I enjoy going beyond the visual as I explore the poetry available in luscious oil paints. I draw inspiration from nature, organic feminine lines & curves, light, matter and energy, while also working from a deep instinctive place.  Each composition suggests the ephemeral nature of life while conveying a reverence for all things seemingly delicate yet stable and constant. 

I create art to express emotion and feeling where ethereal glistening light, brushstrokes and composition are fluid, spontaneous and from the heart.  There is a metaphorical engagement that weaves through my work and invites the viewer in.  Art connects people and opens up a dialog with self and others, and has the capacity to touch the people’s hearts and psyches in ways often more profound than words or understanding.  I am delighted when my work helps the viewer feel that they are alive and in the moment, or simply a sense of peace, harmony or enthusiasm.  

aiabower.com

Studio 268

Abstract Painting

Multimedia Installations

My approach to the canvas is an unplanned combination of deliberate effort and chance. Trusting the spontaneous mark making, the bold gestures and quiet touches, an environment emerges from the buildup of deep layers, where the tactile saturated colors & richly textured surfaces become laden with meaning—the hint of something remembered, poignant or joyful, that is very real. Partly hidden, partly exposed these fragments of memories slow the viewer down to reveal something that is suddenly familiar.

 suziebuchholz.com

Ingrid of Moth Marbler's is a decorative paper and book designer, a collage artist, painter and creator of art objects.

STUDIO 302

MIXED MEDIA

ingridbutler.com

Judy Calder is a weaver who grew up in Oregon but has been a California resident for over 40 years. She was introduced to fiber arts when her grandmother taught her to knit, crochet, and embroider. When finishing her degree at San Francisco State she became totally involved in weaving because it felt so familiar and comfortable. After graduation in 1989 she set up a studio in her home and has been weaving ever since. Her award winning work has been shown locally and around the country. While her weavings include scarves, shawls and blankets as well as tallit (Jewish prayer shawls) they also include fine-woven art pieces that range from "transparencies" to sculptural forms.

STUDIO 205

WEAVER

 

A plein air painter specializing in Northern California scenes, Kay Carlson's colorful brushstrokes instantly usher her viewers into an emotional connection with the vineyards, waterfront, and panoramic coastlines she calls home. Her artworks in the Colorist/ Impressionist Tradition express how light transforms color.  Carlson offers commissions to collectors and is the executive director/founder of Marin Open Studios.

STUDIO 331

PAINTER

kaycarlson.com

I source imagery from my impressions of daily life and random graphics, details and images momentarily noticed in passing. My paintings evolve spontaneously as I gradually construct complete compositions by layering, sanding, and glazing the elements in ways that reflect the variety and richness of life.

STUDIO 330B

PAINTER

chaffinart.com

Growing up on the South Plains of Texas where a tree is a rare sight, I developed great respect and awe upon encountering a tree.  Much of my body of work has been devoted to images of trees, utilizing paint, mixed media, sculpture and computer technology to create my artworks.

STUDIO 275

MIXED MEDIA 

lscolnett.net

Studio 120

Painting

Embracing freedom in my art, I have explored a variety of subjects and styles: prison drawings, figurative pieces, which I have called them Ladies and works that derive from Persian miniatures in small and large sizes.

While I have attempted to express the simplicity, the harmony, and the beauty, I include in these paintings conflicts, ironies, or concerns from my own life.  There is a conjunction between two worlds:  the stillness, balance, and detail of Eastern art with a freedom of subject matter and a sensibility characteristic of the West.

I do build images, symbols, and even words into my paintings that have meanings, but I believe art speaks to us in universals, in emotions that go beyond borders and beyond political positions or polemics.  It transcends these things and goes to our basic humanity…our hearts, our minds, and our souls.

www.haas-publishing-house.com

My art practice is rooted in the unrelenting desire to unveil forms through an often repetitious and labor intensive process that allows me to dip into the currents of a secret inner life.

STUDIO 345A

MIXED MEDIA

dianetatedallaskidd.com

My portraits focus on the intrinsic expression particular to my subjects and their interrelationship as well as the richness of their surroundings.  My colorful surrealistic paintings create an intimate landscape each individual viewer can emotionally travel through for their own interpretation and pleasure.  I paint in oils and mixed media.

STUDIO 301

PAINTING

amderivera.com

Known for my innovative, "transordinary" vessels made with every-day, common materials, using traditional basketry techniques in a non-traditional way, I tell a story by sculpting, weaving, sewing, assembling and coiling. I interact with material, pattern, color, design and texture. My use of re-purposed, re-contextualized materials is commentary on our relationship with our urban environment, overconsumption of commercial goods, societal excess and throwaway consumerism.

STUDIO 205

SCULPTURAL BASKETRY

emilydvorin.com

When working as an interior designer for 25 years, interiors became my canvases.  So when I went back to painting with "real" canvases, not surprisingly, my first attempts were images of studio interiors and objects.  As a studio artist, I like to work in thematic series so these first paintings became the start of my "Studio Series."  Typically, I begin with more traditional representation and as the series progresses, the subject matter morphs into more imaginative and playful depictions, for instance, walking benches, levitating stools, etc. in the studios.  The first of the "Pillar Series" were conventional impressions of Greek columns, manufactured ceiling supports, then, evolved into totems, circus and calligraphic pillars, ionic-eyed ET, etc.  The "Nude Series" develops into a "Games and Puzzles Series", Maze Man, Puzzled Woman, Don't Cross Me Man (Crosswords), etc.  Presently, I’m working on Studio Series II inspired by objects and happenings in my studio. This series has more abstract images than previous canvases. My work is loose, free-flowing & non-conforming yet with recognizable imagery. My favorite mediums are acrylics, oil stick, and collage on paper and canvas.

STUDIO 278B

PAINTER

gigiinsf@gmail.com

www.gretchenevansart.com

With a focus on abstract landscapes and architectural interiors, my art is influenced by my Northern California surroundings.

Born into a family of artists, designers, and architects, my paintings fuse the structural sensibilities of my architect father and color sense of my interior designer mother. I studied painting at Trinity College with colorist George Chapman who was a student of Joseph Albers. I am also the founder and creative director of Afstudio Design, a graphic design firm based in San Rafael, CA.

STUDIO 259C

PAINTER

andrew-faulkner.com

Jennifer Fearon is a contemporary artist working in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Her oil paintings depict urban land and waterscapes and figurative works, often focusing on neurological or physical differences.  Jennifer’s formal art instruction includes foundation courses at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, and continued study with various California artists, including Randall Sexton and Chester Arnold and Elizabeth Zanzinger.  Originally from Texas, Jennifer also has a Master’s Degree in business and worked in the financial services industry before moving to California.

STUDIO 338

PAINTER

jenniferfearon.com
 

Making a tapestry is my passion.  Given only working two elements; the warp and the weft, I am fascinated by all the possibilities that one can explore.  Within this simple grid format, I can add color, shape, line, thick or thin; texture, a variety of weft materials and then find patterns that can be repeated, distorted, or diminished, ignored, or embellished.  The possibilities seem infinite and I continue to be mesmerized. 

STUDIO 205

TAPESTRY WEAVING

alexfriedmantapestry.com

My work is molded by an awareness of my surroundings.  I enjoy discovering and then replicating rustic details.  My challenge is to reconcile diverse and sometimes conflicting experiences into a balanced piece of art that exposes strong personal meaning.

STUDIO 210

PAINTING

terrifroelich.com

I have gravitated to imagery that has connections to our changing environment. I am in awe of Earth’s flora and fauna. Ultimately, it is this referencing to the natural world that moves me, thus becoming my reason to create. I begin my work with a loose vision, a direction from which to progress. Through the process of layering paint in my oils, to layering in the mixed media pieces, I develop a dialog within the work.

STUDIO 237D

MIXED MEDIA

annegardenstudio.com
 

STUDIO 259D

PAINTER

I am intrigued by the intricate patterns on the water surface and how they can convey both movement and stillness.  However, beneath the surface, there is a psychological element to why I am drawn to paint water.  For me, water represents life, as we cannot survive without it, and it literally flows through all of us.   It is a constant that connects us to each other.  Ultimately, I hope the viewer is able to interact with my work on different levels -- to appreciate the beauty of the abstract composition nature provides while experiencing the almost musical rythymn of the water and its restorative properties.

elizgeisler.com

I create art as a way to connect with my true essence.  It cuts through all the societal programming and expresses itself through me in a joyful way.  It is a means for me to let go of control and surrender to the painting.  I am recovering perfectionist and I have chosen to work in mixed media using collage and acrylic because it is very forgiving.  I love bold colors, geometric shapes, animal symbols which I bring alive with whimsy on wood panels and paper.  My playful style is messy and fun. I am happiest when I am drawing outside the lines on the canvas and in life. 

STUDIO 278D

MIXED MEDIA

bibbyart.com

My paintings are inspired by fairy tales, myths, dreams, memories, experience, longing, religion, and nature. They are intensely colored, multi-layered, multi textured, and multi-themed, creating a complexity that emerges the longer they are viewed. They touch upon memories and dreams unique to each observer, evoking stories that change over time.

STUDIO 305

PAINTER

abigailleegoldberger.com

Christa creates her paintings overlooking the bay in Sausalito and the ocean on the North Shore of Kauai. Californian and Canadian, she is inspired by the natural beauty of the West coast. She went to high school in London and returned to receive a degree in English from UC Berkley. She pursued a publishing career in Toronto, New York and later back in the Bay Area. In between publishing jobs, Christa's curiosity kept her exploring and volunteering around the world. With over a decade of promoting publishers such as Phaidon Press and Laurence King, she gained a broad familiarity with contemporary art while developing her own painting and printmaking. In 2014 she started a gallery and studio at the Industrial Center Building in Sausalito to devote time solely to her art.

STUDIO 266

PAINTER

 christagrenawalt.com

Statement: Being a commercial photographer means spending countless hours on the computer retouching images. I started to produce art, using paint, paper and transfers, as a way to step away from the computer. As soon as I started to incorporating my own photography into my mixed media pieces the work seemed to fall together easily. 

Margot Hartford

Studio 260-C

Mixed Media Artist

http://mhartford.com

Making art is a way for me to return to the freedom of my childhood. It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to reach a point where career pressures would yield to allow space and time for me to delve into art once again. I play with texture and color and I explore multiple mediums, like collage and painting. I work with themes that allow me to connect deeply to a certain person or place, and use my subject as a way to explore different external worlds while also uncovering the inner reaches of my psyche. I enjoy the challenge, the opportunity for expression, and being able to follow my intuition. Art brings me immense joy

BONIKA – BONNIE HIMBERG-MUMFORD

STUDIO 305

Fiber Artist

Fun, fabric, fiber and function have been the core of my artistic journey since I was a child. Raised in Mexico, my first large installation as a teenager was a set of yarn headboards inspired by the Cora Indian technique of yarn appliqué. I spent my summers as a apprentice to a batik artist in Mexico City.

Travels and an M.A. in textiles led me to an exciting teaching career at Fort Mason Art Center in San Francisco; art exhibitions, awards and many trade shows such as the American Craft Council and Rosen throughout the country established my Bonika butlers and benches as a well-known whimsical and functional art form.

Over the last 20 years, I have had amazing opportunities to travel with my husband to South America, Asia, Africa, Nepal, Bhutan, Papua New Guinea, Bali, Australia and New Zealand. This has added richness and appreciation for the many creative processes involved in the fiber arts, with most of them having functional importance in the local economies

New Zealand is now a second home for us, as well as the beginning of a new passion - the art of felt making - ranging from nuno wearables to felted vessels. I am also teaching workshops at the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts in Mill Valley - sharing and teaching all of the new felting techniques I learn from the incredible artists down under.

My business is still known as Bonika “Art with a Function.”  For many years I focused on creating animal butlers – an array of fanciful and wonderful creatures on roller skates and dressed in tuxedos or appropriate plumage. I also made animal ottomans for indoor or outdoor use, and all of these are still available by commission. 

I express a moment that endures, figures landscape still life or animals, in terms of having a responsibility to the viewer of the painting. Usually that means technical discipline, as in form and variation in composition and coloration. My skills are in drawing, oils, and sumi-e painting, which I also teach. 

STUDIO 342A

PAINTER

mardihorowitzart.com

JP Stationery is a boutique paper shop by husband & wife.

STUDIO  238

STATIONERY

jpstationery.com

Brian’s work is based on the abstraction of landscapes, architectural elements and the impact of man on the natural world. The constant change of light and shadow alters the color and pattern of his creations, breathing life into them. Previous series include Follow the Line, Circle Back, and Braided, where Brian explored what lives on either side of the imagined lines we concoct for ourselves to cope with life, as well as the glacial moraines of the Denali Alaska landscape.

STUDIO 275

PAINTER

brianhuberart.com

Conventional wisdom holds that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Yet modern neurosciences demonstrate that the perception of beauty is actually a physiological phenomenon that can be mapped through real time electrical imaging of brain activity. The result is a remarkable correlation that strongly suggests a universal response across cultures in what defines an aesthetic experience. As such, viewers of “beautiful” art seem to activate identical neuron pathways as found when seeing the face of a loved one. These stimuli release similar physical reactions and evoke common physiological states.

My work seeks to explore this connection of perception and reaction through the underlying principals found in organic form, color, light and texture. Using symmetry and balance, contrast and rhythm, I create sculpture in the abstract tradition of Arp, Brancusi, Hepworth, and Kapor.  In this way, my artistic intent is designed to visually catapult the audience towards an exalted space already present within the nature of their character.

STUDIO 201G

SCULPTOR

ilgsculpture.com

STUDIO 305

ARTISAN JEWELER/GOLDSMITH/CERTIFIED GEMOLOGIST

My jewelry reflects both the formalist and the thematic in abstractions of pure design and the meaningful and symbolic throughout the world’s cultures and the ever-inspiring natural world. Handmade in my studio in Sausalito, California, personal and unique, my jewelry speaks of these influences through vintage, antique and ancient beads and findings and fabrications in gold, silver, bronze, and copper.

I also participate in the annual events of Winter Open Studios in the ICB in December and Marin Open Studios in May, engaging with those who value wearing a piece of art jewelry that expresses their individuality.

Studies include metalsmithing and enameling at Southwestern and San Diego Mesa Colleges in San Diego, California and completion of the Graduate Jeweler Certification and Gemologist Certification from Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, San Francisco in 2003. Seeking to expand my studies I've recently workshopped with world-renowned jewelry artists Marne Ryan and Harold O'Connor.

debrajinman.com

I have been a stain glass artist for 25+ years. Prior to that studied oil and acrylic painting.  My stain glass windows are in homes in Utah, Nevada, Illinois and California.

STUDIO 340

STAIN GLASS

 create2040@comcast.net

An important part of how I create involves leaving traces of evolution at every step along the way.  As a result, each work of art can be appreciated not only as a completed piece, but also as evidence of the various stages involved in its completion.  

STUDIO 252

PAINTER

kathrynkellerartist.com

My inspiration is the world around me and how I see it each day.  Hiking in the hills of Marin County keeps me close to nature and my urban hikes open my eyes to great architecture and the energy of city life.  My process is intuitive, working with layers, textures, and movement, creating and destroying as I build the painting.  

STUDIO 340B

christinekellyart.com

It is paint, after all... and the fact that its application onto a single surface can reach the deepest part of our psyches is nothing short of a miracle... My work is focused on creating gestural images of nature and humanity, finding the essence of the thing and not the thing itself... My paintings are organic and dynamic, yet honed... spontaneity and energy are just as important as deliberation, composition and application of materials.

STUDIO  306C

PAINTER

katykuhn.com

John’s work is based on the digital photographic image, but from capture through the development process, he freely manipulates the image to create a very impressionistic result.   Other media or artistic elements to further complicate matters or add a twist of gestalt may be added to the final result.  "My goal is to ask the viewer to assemble the pieces and fill-in the blanks and be surprised!"

STUDIO 259D

PHOTOGRAPHY

johnkunzweilerstudio.com

Drawing and Painting have always been a part of my life. Formal art education came after my three children left for college. I then attended UC Berkeley and earned a BA Art Practice. At Cal I was honored and fortunate to have Joan Brown as my mentor. I paint places and people with an occasional foray into the Abstract.

STUDIO 237E

PAINTER

marylavezzo.com

STUDIO 259D

PAINTING

instagram.com/elleluna
 

Whether it is my need to understand the workings of the subjects in my paintings or the way I repurpose medical imaging in my mixed media work my art reflects my background as a Medical Illustrator. Like the scientists I have worked with I begin with a thesis or goal and run with the surprises that come as I pursue that goal.

STUDIO 237D

MIXED MEDIA/PAINTER

stelamandelart.com

Stephen Mangum is a representational painter born in 1954 in Greenwood, Mississippi.  A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute,  he works out of studios in Sausalito and Geyserville, California making paintings that vary among figurative, portrait and still life formats to document contemporary life in an expressive realism style.

Beverly Mayeri is a figurative clay sculptor based in Mill valley, CA.  Her work explores the personal life, our yearnings, strengths and fears, our connections to ourselves, to each other and to the environment.  “I like to use the surface of the clay as a canvas where figures and events are painted, carved or drawn into the clay”.

STUDIO 315

SCULPTURE

beverymayeri.com

I paint because I am chasing the mystery…that magical moment when I disappear and energy is moving freely through me onto the canvas—not attached to outcome, joyful and free.

STUDIO 225a

PAINTER

heathermcfarlin95@gmail.com

With an eye to aesthetics and nature, a nod to the ancients, and Fibonacci in my back pocket, I outstretch my hand.

My paintings are pictures of the way I experience the world.  I see colors all around me, hues of every sort.  They are swirled in my emotions and then splayed across my canvas.  Many of the canvases are done with only my hands, no brushes.  I love the feel of moving the pigment with my fingers, smudging a bold mark in with the palm of my hand, dabbling with the edge of my pinky those smallest of details, listening to the color and the balance, following the dance.  I know it is time to stop for the day when I start to realize where I am and what I am doing.

“Painting seems like some kind of peculiar miracle that I need to have again and again.”     ~Phillip Guston

STUDIO 300

PAINTER

nancemiller.com

Tel. 415-444-6856

Painting for me is like solving a problem or a riddle. I look at a California landscape and wonder how to paint it. It is already so perfect, so beautiful. How do you paint what you see and feel? How do you paint atmosphere? The discipline of painting is for me full of technical challenges and emotional mysteries. I don’t want to paint a postcard.

I like to paint fruits and vegetables, especially pears because of their beautiful color and human shape. I love to discover beauty in everything, even the mundane.

Sometimes a subject just calls to you, reaches out and asks to be painted. Once I walked through the Mill Valley Market and was almost assaulted by a Mother’s Day Cake. It stopped me in my tracks.

The idea for “Food in Plastic” came to me in a similar way. I heard the idea before I saw it. I realized that plastic would be fun to paint, as it would make the fruits and vegetables more interesting. To me plastic has a kind of ghostly aesthetic. It imprisons the food, makes it claustrophobic, even a little sad, yet when light reflects on the surface it creates a sparkly beauty.

I am beginning to explore a new series, where I show how we behave when our inhibitions are down, how cocktails are at the beginning of new and interesting human behavior. The imagery of these paintings suggests the details: where you are, and what you’re drinking, tells the story.

I also like to explore reflection, both man-made and in nature. Reflection mocks and mirrors us, turning everything into its opposite.

Many artists have inspired me. I admire Sorrolla and Sargent for their mastery, their amazing color and brushwork, how they simplify so beautifully. I am also inspired by contemporary artists. Randall Sexton makes the paint dance, and uses wonderful calligraphy; I like Brian Blood’s loose style and juicy colors.

I want to carve out images in my work, like a sculptor. I love color and like to move it around. I’m always trying to create a glow. I want the work to resonate. If I do it right, there is almost a sound, a hum.

STUDIO 335A

PAINTER

victoriamimiaga.com

My work is loosely representational. Recently I have been working on a series of Monoprints and Monotypes using "Solar" plates and "Image On" Plates made with images of interiors and ancient architectural elements, I incorporate these photographic images with a second and sometimes third plate, and using chine colle elements, each monotype becomes unique, even though there is a repeatable matrix.

STUDIO 335A

PAINTER

cindymiracle.com

In my current work I use the photographic image as a point of departure. With a process of deconstruction and re-construction, the abstracted image challenges perception and visual understanding.  This technique is something I have worked on in many mediums over the years. The exploration of this process continues to challenge me in pursuit of producing beautiful, thought provoking artwork.

STUDIO 209

MIXED MEDIA

margaretmoench.com

Born in Oregon and raised on a farm in California my eyes were always trained toward the expansive sky or enveloped in a star filled night. The kids on the school bus used to call me the cloud girl as I ran up and down the isle to capture the best view of the billowy white wonders forming against the blue. I used to watch the peregrines perched high on the tree and one day I felt I was up there with them.  In that moment, though I couldn’t articulate the feeling, I understood true vision and freedom.

My work, whether sculptural or 2 dimensional has always addressed a state of mind.  I began doing figurative representational work and then transitioned toward a more abstract or modern style.  I continue to explore ways in which to express the concept of balanced vision, and a language of the soul.  It has always been reflected in my sculptural works and now informs my explorations in mixed media painting.   

STUDIO 232

SCULPTOR & PAINTER

aikomorioka.com

My love of whim and animals, combined with functional art forms, developed when my daughter, Danica, was born in 1976. I wanted to make her a rocking horse, and the business name BONIKA (which means puppet in Indonesian) came into being with this first creation for a little girl.

I received my M.A. in Textile Art from UC California at San Francisco in 1970 and worked as a fiber artist and fiber instructor At Fort Mason Art Center in the City from 1971 through the early 1990’s. My first commercial whimsical pieces – BONIKA’s “Lovable Rockables” – were essentially carousel animals that rocked on steel hoops and were designed to hold adults as well as children. Unfortunately, their size and weight made shipping prohibitively expensive, and this led me to design a lighter, easier-to-ship animal. Thus evolved BONIKA’s “Butlers and Benches”.

The menagerie of butlers has kept expanding, even though the Zebra continues to be my best seller. Later characters were inspired by prehistoric lizards, reptiles, exotic birds and tropical fish. These pieces are much more colorful and have given me an opportunity to explore various fabric enhancement techniques such as painting, air brushing and silk screening.

My benches – a line of whimsical furniture that usually takes the form of an ottoman – have appeared as turtles, armadillos, alligators, flying lizards, and other improbable creatures. I generally use canvas because of its durability and sunbrella (an acrylic canvas) for outdoor furniture.

I have exhibited in galleries across the country and have participated in ACC craft shows for over 20 years. I am a supporter of many local art organizations an have done commission work for various charities and families. One of my most enjoyable projects was a series of life-size caricatures of a well-known San Francisco family.

In addition to whimsical animals, I also do commission work on interior pieces, accessories, and furniture. One such installation involved the interior of a night club in the East Bay. I am always on the lookout for the latest in textile and fabric products, as these often lead to exciting new design possibilities.

STUDIO 235 

TEXTILE 

bonikasanimals@aol.com

I have chosen to create in beautiful Marin as nature is so accessible for inspiration. I am a costume designer for film and television celebrities I have dressed which includeBeyonce, Brittany Spears, Usher, jane Seymour, Priscilla Presley, Burt Lancaster and many more.  Now i am creating garments for you that move beyond fashion into timeless realms of magic & mystery; clothing to celebrate your true essence andyour uniqueness. Experience true style with fit, flow & fabulous fabrics. Dare to soar while wearing a M-Muse original.

STUDIO 305

CREATRIX OF CELEBRATORY CLOTHING & COSTUMES
 

At heart I’m storyteller creating a world of unique characters to speak about the more global issues of interpersonal relationships.

Most of my imagery is generated using the process of Automaticism, a visual equivalent of free association, one of two main techniques that inspired much of Surrealist art work. Drawings are begun by creating an abstract ground with free-flowing lines combining Japanese brush markers, with standard ink pens.  For painting compositions, similar ground structures are created with brushes, sometimes using the drawings as starting points.

With both mediums, once the field of random marks and colors are established, Characters and their stories then reveal themselves to me out of the shapes and lines. This process is akin to watching clouds travel across the sky, then seeing forms and scenes within the puffs, and swirls. I have demonstrated this process in my animated drawings.

For the past 13 years I have studied, and produced abstract work with the goal, to understand the effects of shape, color, and pattern on the picture plane. This current work of figuration represents a return to a more organic style of image making. The experience of being very open, and forth coming has engendered a response of universal recognition from viewers affirming my faith, that we are more alike, than different. 

STUDIO 350

PAINTER

gette.com

I started painting about 12 years ago when my daughter gave me a set of oil paints ,an easel some canvases and said "go for it ".We had been traveling inTuscany and every time I took a picture I said I wish I could paint this and that following Christmas my daughters gave me that fabulous present!  I have been painting ever since. I moved to Sonoma eight years ago and  I am especially inspired by the natural beauty of the West Coast! Its mystical colorful scenery and rugged landscapes colliding into the sea. I am inspired every moment of everyday.

STUDIO 342C

PAINTER

mgowens.com

I’m a contemporary abstract painter interested in conveying a “state of possibility” in my work. Everything in the atmosphere pulsates with life, on the verge of movement and change. I’m attracted to the forces of energy that surround us, keep us in a state of constant flux, and put us right on the brink of chaos.

STUDIO  306C

PAINTER

sharonpaster.com

My desire as an artist is to capture the magic I feel when I witness an extraordinary moment in nature...or in people. I typically use bold color and texture to translate the play of light and movement in this quest. 

Studio 345A

painter

www.cathyrichardi.com

PAINTER

STUDIO  273

daniroach.com

     My work relies heavily on color, nuance and movement which reflects not only the perceived intractable chaos of the world and everyday life, but more specifically the themes of turmoil, divisiveness  and most importantly reunification. I have always been drawn to intellectual and physical challenges such as entering (and completing) a triathlon, although I had not yet learned to swim, or going to law school with two young children at home and in the middle of a divorce.  Creating beauty, thoughtfulness and provocations through art holds the same challenge for me. I have enjoyed this topsy-turvy journey and I hope you will join me in.

Painter

Studio 346

ellenrothman.com

My work is driven by my need to mold life out of clay.  Clay has no boundaries or limits. Wings can sprout on anyone.  Clay enables me to transform the ordinary into magical.  My work ranges from realistic to whimsical, classical to abstract. The purpose of my art is to bring joy and beauty into peoples lives.

STUDIO 280

SCULPTOR

djsears.com

By integrating the material aspects of painting with the conceptual, my work attempts to become a metaphor for the spiritual. Energetic line, wonky shape, pristine values, space, texture and subtly controlled color are combined to evoke contemplation.

STUDIO 315

PAINTER/MIXED MEDIA

marian2539@mac.com
 

STUDIO 304

MIXED MEDIA

I'm a graphic designer-turned-painter. I find inspiration in random, everyday occurrences – numbers on the side of a rusty truck, peeling paint on a crumbling building or torn layers of old murals on a billboard. I have a passion for typography, composition, found objects and mid-century design. But, mostly... I find beauty and inspiration in the rubble.

www.tonysecolo.com

After earning a Ph D in Economics from UC Berkeley in 1988, I had a conversion experience during an adult education drawing class. From then on I immersed myself in art and never looked back. I started with drawing and painting in oil and have since added printmaking and animation.

STUDIO 238

PAINTER

hilarysheehan.com

Color film photographer of nature, landscape, and abstract.  I work in medium and 35 mm formats.  Corporate as well as personal projects welcomed.  I have a studio/gallery in the ICB since 1986.  Please see my website and call for a visit to view framed work and portfolios.

STUDIO 302 

PHOTOGRAPHY

elorensoderberg.com

Dana Spaeth is an award-winning photographer with a career that spans more than 25 years.  Her work is represented by renowned picture agency, Getty Images, and her photographs are published internationally.

Dana received a BFA in painting and photography from Cornell University and continued with graduate studies in photography at Brooks Institute of Photography. The bulk of her early professional career was focused on advertising and editorial photographic illustration with clients such as US News and World Report, Forbes, Parenting magazine, Hallmark, and Simon and Schuster.

With the birth of her first child in 2002, Dana moved to Mill Valley and turned her photographic eye toward children. Now a mother of three, she continues to photograph kids and families all over the bay area. Dana’s studio is located at the historic ICB buiilding in Sausalito.  She is available for private and commercial commissions in photography. 

In the past few years, Dana has been returning to her roots in painting. Working primarily in oils, Dana enjoys both abstract and representational subject matter. She regularly participates in Marin open studios as well as the ICB Winter Open Studios.

www.danaspaethphotography.com

http://Instagram.com/danaspaethphotography

http://Instagram.com/dspaethpolaroids

Creativity is a fluid intelligence that flows in my body, brain and heart: It is the linking ingredient, the communicator that travels through and connects the different entities of my being.

Painting and drawing express the language of my soul.  When I look at the world around me I see a reflection and a connection. My inner thoughts and emotions express in the language of colors, shapes, lines and the energy of the elements. A certain light, a cloud, a movement of the sea can trigger a dialogue between the light and the darkness of moonlight echoing my inner thoughts.

Landscape is an analogy to my state of mind-a synchronicity of image and body-mind experience. A stormy sky can reflect a conflict I am going through. The sea, a feeling of openness and freedom.

My work is a dialogue between my perception of the world and how it relates to memories at a certain time. They can be a mix of my childhood seaside atmosphere in Brittany France and the light of California sky.

I search for ways to grasp the relationships between our inner and outer worlds. Are they the same? Is the outer world a mirror of our soul? Is what I see just a reflection of my own intimate world, is it distorted by my fears, my desires, my expectations, my identity? Do I create this reality? How can Art shape my perception and relation to the world?

Diving into paint is like diving into my soul. I lose myself in the unknown. Each gesture explores the physicality of the medium. Each piece plays with transparencies, layers, textures and the connections between colors and movement.

Each encounter carries me through the doubt of the making something and into the wonder of creation. I touch the quality of being human as I play in the space between control and non-control.

Painting is my vocabulary. It is the grammar of my inner life shaping and being shaped by the outer world. It is my body in communication with the earth’s body.

STUDIO 347

PAINTER

marinestrage.com

I have always had a strong sense of place.  The environment around me greatly influences how I experience my life.  My paintings are generally about creating a visual experience which provides a place of peace, refuge and thoughtfulness.  This involves balancing color, form, and subjects in every changing ways.

STUDIO  342B

PAINTER

kimastrumwasser.com

My paintings spring from my innate desire to churn stillness into motion, forge action upon the static. When colors and contours engage dynamically and emphatically, they illuminate life’s transitory moments and invite empathy and harmony. This is liberating and restorative work.

STUDIO 345B

PAINTER

mimichenting.com

Studio #346

oil painting, works on paper

I take objective forms - a still life, a figure, a landscape - and draw and paint from them over and over until  I have an understanding of how the forms create space and interact with one another.

As i work on these, they lose representational associations. Eventually they become condensed into the basic elements of form, color and lines in space.

Most recently I have been working on further reducing the formal elements I am moving even deeper into an exploration of the possibilities that line present.

These paintings explore the possibilities of line in conveying movement and energy.

www.louisevictor.com

Eric Von Berg is a portrait and genre painter in Sausalito.  He tries to capture the essence of the people, the places and the time in which he paints.  

 www.ericartist.com

Christine Wichman

Studio 360

Painter

Texture, shape, color and light make our world beautiful and interesting. Painting provides me the privilege of both capturing and recreating the relationship these elements bring to our day to day lives. Seeing- really seeing- is an art form. Finding beauty all around us is the work of the artist's mind. It all starts with seeing.  

www.ChristineWichman.com

I am fascinated by nature and the human condition-both real and rendered. In combining representations of both, a narrative is suggested. With the purity of graphite on paper, nothing detracts from the creative process and the new reality that results.  I love working in series so that the images can recall myths and tell stories.  I have always defined myself by my art, and as such, my work is a celebration of life and all of its complexities. 

STUDIO 237B

MIXED MEDIA

maryawintroub.com

Studio 335A

Painter

The world above me, provides an amazing palette from which to paint.  From majestic mountains and billowy clouds, to firecracker sunsets and sparkly galaxies, I plan to paint what my mind's eye sees.  My life-time work in the medical imaging field, especially in this fast-paced technological era, also provides me with inspiration that I hope to weave into meaningful and conceptual visuals of art.

My paintings are visual manifestations of an internal journey made external.  The art-making process is very meditative, and a means of getting out of my own way and losing myself in a journey where the destination is unknown, yet eventually found.  My paintings are colorful, fluid, and mostly nonrepresentational.

STUDIO  278E

PAINTING

katezimmer.com

RAQUEL BALDOCCHI

DAN CASSIDY

SANDRA CHURCH

CLAUDIA COHEN

SUSAN FRANK

DEB INMAN

ANITA ISEN

CRAIG KOLB & JUDITH BANG KOLB

PHILIP MOYER

JOANNE SALZ

LISA SATO

VIVIANA SIDDHI

GAIL STERLING SMELICK

MILLIE ZINMAN