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Svetlana Artemoff

Visual Arts: Painting

I was born and raised in San Francisco and took for granted the great art programs in my public school and the ability to access local museums free. As a child, I took classes at the SF De Young Museum and could wander the galleries with sketchbook in hand. Art had to take a back seat while I worked and raised a family. Now that I’ve retired, I am able to take inspiration from the beautiful scenery of Sonoma and Mendocino County and enjoy their supportive artist communities. Although I started painting in oil, and still offer pet portraits in that medium, I also work in watercolor, colored pencil, pen/ink and collage. Most recently, I’ve tried pastels and came to love their texture and softness, especially when used for painting outdoors. Whatever medium I use, I try to capture the emotional essence of what I’m painting.

Susan Barnes

Visual Arts: Mixed Media, Painting

I began in the mid-1970s doing watercolor paintings of landscapes. I love people, so it was not long before I began doing portraits in watercolor also. In the mid-1980s, I moved to Hawaii with my husband Jim, and there started painting in the bright colors I saw in my subjects every day. This continued when I focused more on oil impressionist painting as I moved to the Mendocino Coast in 1992. I moved around Northern California as my husband relocated for his work, but he retired in 2016 and we returned to the Mendocino Coast, which we love. I presently show in the Highlight Gallery in Mendocino.

Susan Blackwelder

Visual Arts: Ceramics, Painting

I am primarily a painter but enjoy dabbling in ceramics, especially clay sculpture. I specialize in portraits of people and pets in oil or pastel though I also enjoy doing landscapes and still life painting. My training in drawing has given me skills that I use in every medium. See more on Susan Blackwelder’s Corner Gallery web page.

Garry Colson

My creative work includes landscape paintings of what I see around me every day. To capture the experience and mood of the subject, I may choose either watercolor, pastels, acrylic, or ink to express what I see and feel.

Laura Corben

Visual Arts: Mixed Media, Painting, Visual Arts Instructor, Works on paper

Now living in Mendocino County, Laura’s interest in the natural world is major focus of her work, both plein air and in the studio. She paints in watercolor, acrylic, and mixed media as well as making numerous journals with ink and watercolor. She earned a BFA from San Jose State University, a masters from the University of Victoria, and taught high school art and art history for many years. Her home studio is in the hills outside of Willits and she is a member of the Artists’ Co-op of Mendocino. Her inspiration comes from a love of Nature, a delight in light and color, changing seasons and living things.

Laura Diamondstone

Visual Arts: Mixed Media, Painting, Works on paper

SF Bay area native with many hairpin turns and destinations, currently rooting as a small homesteader in Anderson Valley. Inspired from a lifelong absorption of a spectrum of visual, writing and performing arts by extraordinary and ordinary creatives. My art making is expression, giving tangible form to what sustains inner to environment exchange and dialogue as well as how materials/color/creative process/experience informs and shapes the process. It is an act of indulgence, necessity, and evolution. Abstraction is challenging, experimenting with materials is research, representational and figurative work exercises neurotransmission. I believe in all of it and nature and giving back.

Mary Rose (Redwood Mary) Kaczorowski

Literary Arts; Performing Arts: Spoken Word; Visual Arts: Ceramics, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography

Mary Rose “Redwood Mary” Kaczorowski resides on the Mendocino Coast. She studied photography at Maine Photographic Workshops in Rockport, Maine; fine arts at Mason Gross School for the Arts/Rutgers University; at U.C. Berkeley Extension and at College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg. At San Francisco Art Institute she studied photography with Larry Sultan and Linda Connors. In the 1980s Kaczorowski co-curated/produced “Artists at the Rock Project and Exhibition” in cooperation with the National Park Service Golden Gate National Recreation Area. This interpretive exhibition was the first of its kind in the Western U.S. Kaczorowski was a member of several artists’ groups including ArtLab (San Francisco), Secession Gallery (San Francisco), Ft. Bragg Center for the Arts (Gallery Artist) and the Women’s Caucus for Art. She took part in the San Francisco feminist protest group known as the Guerrilla Girls–originally formed in NYC to protest discrimination against women artists and artists of color in the art world. Kaczorowski’s works range from large scale to smaller paintings, photographs, oil pastels, drawings and watercolor. She states, ” My art delves into another way of seeing. I push beyond the boundaries between what is considered “fine art” and abstract expressionist-style.” She is a published poet & is a member of The Fort Bragg (CA) Poets. Her framed photos/art cards are available at Indigo in Mendocino Village.

Sanna Koski

Visual Arts: Painting

Painting and drawing have been a lifelong pursuit for me. I focused on realistic portrait drawing in black and white for many years, before deciding to dedicate myself to learning to paint landscapes and the figure from life in watercolor and oil. I also paint portraits of people as well as animals in both mediums. You can see more at my website: SannaKoski.com I show my artwork at the Prentice Gallery in Mendocino, and I welcome commissions.

Suzi Marquess Long

Visual Arts: Murals, Painting

Suzi Marquess Long, Artist, pastels, murals, commissions Suzi@mcn.org SuziLong.com

James Maxwell

Visual Arts: Ceramics, Functional and/or Decorative, Graphic Arts, Illustration, Mixed Media, New Media/Technology, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Visual Arts Instructor, Works on paper

Multi-media Artist, Author, Arts Educator, James Maxwell moved to the Mendocino Coast in 1973. A few examples of his prolific creative work can be seen below. Top of The Fen (From Visual Essay on Our Local Wilderness) 2’ X 4’ acrylic paint Some details: James E. Maxwell Born: June 15, 1941 Riverside, California Drew and Painted at an early age Riverside School District 1946 thru 1959 Childhood summer vacations with immediate family: 1949 thru 1958 Pacific Northwest and Western Canada Joined US Air Force 1959 After military testing for skills Studied Pattern Recognition and types of Military Codes Assigned Bremerhaven, Germany US Security Service Three years duty. My own one room painting studio in Germany 1960-1963 Traveled extensively throughout Western Europe Museums, and artists’ open studios College: BFA, MFA Art Center College of Design 1963 -1969 William Zacha’s Geranium (Brought Home) 3’ X 4’ oil paint w/copper and faux gold leaf Work: The Hollywood Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Los Angeles Area Television Academy Awards 1970 Honors JAMES MAXWELL Graphics For Contributions to the winning of an Area Television Academy Award OUT OF THE SHADOWS KNBC-TV june 26, 1970 PBS-TV Staff Artist Los Angeles 1974-1976 One Man Showings: La Cieniga Blvd – Hollywood, CA each year 1973-1976 1976 Moved to Mendocino, Northern California Fine Arts-illustration Painting/Sculpture instructor Mendocino Art Center & College of the Redwoods Retired at 68 years of age Returned to Europe when 70 for six weeks visiting friends in England, France, Switzerland, Northern Italy. At 72 returned to England and Northern Scotland, Isle of Sky Traveled with painting supplies South Pacific, Hawaii, American Samoa, Western Samoa, Kingdom of Tonga, and New Zealand, Ireland East West and South for six weeks spring Summer 2016 Returned home overlooking Fort Bragg, CA’s Pudding Creek “I focus on what I can learn from images that question me as much as I question them.” JM

Performing Arts: Spoken Word, Storytelling, Vocal; Visual Arts: Film, Illustration, Murals, Painting, Performance Art, Visual Arts Instructor, Works on paper

JAYE ALISON MOSCARIELLO, MFA, Transart Institute/Plymouth University Cell/Studio: 310.970.4517 artisall@earthlink.net www.chasethemonkey.org BORN New Haven, CT RESIDE Redwood Valley, CA SELECTED MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS 2007 “The Last Show,” Asto International Art Festival, Asto Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA “Simultaneous Multiplicity,” Asto Museum, Los Angeles, CA Gwangwhamoon Int’l Art Festival, Korea National Assembly Library of Korea GIAF, Korean Cultural Center, Bejing, China 2006 “15th Lantern of the East LA International,” Asto Museum, Los Angeles, CA 2002 “Mane Manebu,” Kid’s Plaza Museum, Osaka, Japan. 2000 “Bridging Two Milleniums,” Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, India 1999 “Group Show,” Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, India. Rutman, Howard, “What’s Up & Coming,” LA City Search.com, January 2002. Emenegger, Ashley, “How to Get Unstuck,” Artline Newsletter, Los Angeles, CA, Fall 2001. Etkin, Jay S., “Body & Self – A Hit in Memphis,” I.A.S.G. Newsletter, vol.7, num.2, Mar 2000. Lalit Kala Akademi, Catalog, I.A.S.G. Invitational, March 1999. Shaw, David, “1nE Review,” Memphis Flyer, Memphis, TN, December 1999. Shay, Daniel, “7th Street Int’l: Round Up the Usual Suspects,” I.A.S.G. Newsletter, vol.4, num.10, Washington, DC, December 1997. ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCIES 2006 – 2008 SEA, Montebello, CA Berendo Middle School, Los Angeles, CA La Vida West Pregnant Minor Program, Lawndale, CA Sponsored by Theatre of Hearts/Youth First, Los Angeles, CA PUBLIC ART 2008 Walgrove Elementary School – Courtyard Mural , Mar Vista, CA Hillcrest Elementary School – Outdoor Mural, Los Angelels,CA 2007 99th Street Elementary School, Library Mural, Los Angeles, CA 42nd Street Elementary School, Outdoor Mural, Los Angeles, CA ART WORKSHOPS 2000-2005 “Breaking Out”, Art Bootcamp for Blocked Creatives, Santa Monica, CA “One Minute Storytelling” Sister Corita Art Center, Los Angeles, CA “Sending a Message,” Sister Corita Art Center, LA, CA EDUCATION MFA, Transart Institute/Plymouth University, Berlin, Germany and Plymouth,UK

Jaye Alison Moscariello

Performing Arts: Storytelling, Vocal; Visual Arts: Film, Murals, Painting, Performance Art, Visual Arts Instructor, Works on paper

JAYE ALISON MOSCARIELLO 12400 Bakers Creek Rd. Redwood Valley, CA 95470 310.970.4517 artisall@earthlink.net www.chasethemonkey.org www.jayesite.com @jayepo BORN New Haven, CT RESIDE Redwood Valley, CA EDUCATION 2013 – 2015 Transart Institute, Berlin, Germany and New York, New York Masters of Fine Art 2012-2013 Mendocino College, Ukiah, CA 2004 Santa Monica Community College, Santa Monica, CA 2000 University of California Los Angeles, CA 1993 Art Students League of New York, New York, NY 1977-1978 Creative Arts Workshop Studio, New Haven, CT 1972-1976 Paier College of Art, Hamden, CT SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2016 “The Anthropocene Show”, Redwood Valley Grange, Redwood Valley, CA* 2015 “Transient Transgressions”, Somos Gallery, Berlin, Germany* 2015 “Loose Ends”, Somos Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2014 “Pop-Up” Show, Transart Institute at Somos Gallery, Berlin, Germany (July) 2014 “Fifth Annual Altered Books Exhibition”, MarinMOCA, Novato, CA (Apr.) 2013 “Pop-Up” Show, Transart Institute at SuperMarket, Berlin, Germany 2012 “Food for Thought” Mendocino College Art Gallery, Ukiah, CA 2012 “Anderson Valley Artists” Oddfellows Hall, Mendocino, CA 2010 “Anderson Valley Artists” Oddfellows Hall, Mendocino, CA “Artist Collective at Elk at Gualala” Gualala Arts Center, Gualala, CA 2009 “Artists Collective at Elk” Gualala Arts Center, Gualala, CA* “113th Annual Open Juried Exhibition” Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, National Arts Club, NY “Art in the Redwoods,” Gualala Arts Center, Gualala, CA 2007 “The Last Show”, Asto International Art Festival, Asto Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA “Simultaneous Multiplicity,” Asto Museum, Los Angeles, CA Gwangwhamoon Int’l Art Festival, Korea National Assembly Library of Korea GIAF, Korean Cultural Center, Bejing, China 2007 “Paris Open 2007” Atelier Grognard, Rueill-MalMaison, France/Espace, Villpinte, France 2007 “THE Swimming Pool Show” ROARK, Los Angeles, CA 2006 “15th Lantern of the East LA International,” Asto Museum, Los Angeles, CA 2006 “15th Lantern of the East LA International,” Doizaki Gallery, Japanese American Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA 2006 “10 Points of View,” ROARK Gallery, Los Angeles, CA * 2004 “Hollywood Bowl Sphere Art Project,” Cause & Effect Gallery, Torrance, CA. 2003 “From Korea to Iraq…” Anti War Posters Show, Track 16 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA. 2002 “Reactions,” The Williamson Gallery, Pasadena, CA. “Naughty Bits & Pieces,” Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA. curated by Christopher Miles “Reactions,” Exit Art, New York, NY 2002 “Mane Manebu,” Kid’s Plaza Museum, Osaka, Japan. 2001 “California Open,” curator, Christopher Miles, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA. “Watermedia,” Bigfork Art & Cultural Center, Bigfork, MT. 2001 “It Figures,” Key Club Video Billboard Show, Los Angeles, CA.4- Person Show, 1st LA Billboard art show. page 2/Moscariello 2001 “Lust & Revenge in the Year of the Snake,” Josephine Butler Center, Washington, DC. 2001 “I.A.S.G. at MOCA,” Museum of Contemporary Art DC, Washington, DC. 2000 “Bridging Two Milleniums,” Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, India 2000 “Invitational,” MOCA-DC, Washington, DC. 2000 “California Open,” curated by Carol Ann Kloneides, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA “Reflections of Humanity,” Marlboro Gallery, Largo, MD. “Body & Self,” Cooper Street Contemporary Gallery, Memphis, TN.* 1999 “1nE,” Vertigo Gallery, Memphis, TN. 1999 “I.A.S.G. Group Show,” Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, India. 1998 “Downtown Lives_,” Downtown Artists Development Association, Los Angeles, CA “Erotica,” Olympia Hall, London, England. “Speak Out_,” Matrix Arts Gallery, Sacramento, CA. 1997 “Generations,” A.I.R. Gallery -25th Anniversary Invitational, New York, NY. 1994 “Art of Northeast America,” curated by Holly Solomon, Silvermine Artists Guild, New Canaan, CT “Group 1V,” Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Brooklyn, NY. 1993 “Art of Northeast America,” curated by Eliza Rathbone, Silvermine Artists Guild, New Canaan, CT “Group Annual,” Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Armory, Brooklyn, NY. 1992 “Salon of the Mating Spider,” Testsite, Williamsburg, NY. “Annual Show,” Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, New York, NY. SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2017 “Politic-OH!”, Willits Center for the Arts, Willits, CA, Oct. 2011 “Chase the Monkey,” Scharffenberger Cellars Art Gallery, Philo, CA 2010 “Mendocino Coast” Lauren’s, Boonville, CA “Land and Sea,” Artists Collective at Elk, Elk,CA “Ocean Series,” Canele, Los Angeles, CA 2003 “Narrative Works,” Flynn Gallery, Raleigh, NC 2002 “Inside/Out,” Modern Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA SELECTED ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS Reith, Sarah, “The Anthropocene Show”, Ukiah Daily Journal, April 2016 Museum of Contemporary Art – KIASMA Studio,“In the Middle of a Movie,” Catalog, Helsinki, Finland, November 2004. Dickson, Laurie, “Artists Interiors…,” Rockport Publishing, November 2003. Mastbaum, Blair, “Art Pick,” DigitalCity.LA, Los Angeles, CA, November 2002. Emenegger, Ashley, “Drive-by Art,” Artline Newsletter, Los Angeles, CA, Spring 2002. Rutman, Howard, “What’s Up & Coming,” LA City Search.com, January 2002. Emenegger, Ashley, “How to Get Unstuck,” Artline Newsletter, Los Angeles, CA, Fall 2001. Etkin, Jay S., “Body & Self – A Hit in Memphis,” I.A.S.G. Newsletter, vol.7, num.2, Mar 2000. Lalit Kala Akademi, Catalog, I.A.S.G. Invitational, March 1999. Shaw, David, “1nE Review,” Memphis Flyer, Memphis, TN, December 1999. Shay, Daniel, “7th Street Int’l: Round Up the Usual Suspects,” I.A.S.G. Newsletter, vol.4, num.10, Washington, DC, December 1997. . SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS Center for the Study of Political Graphics, Los Angeles, CA Library of Congress, Washington, DC National Archives, Washington, DC Paier College of Art, Hamden, CT St. Joseph’s Hospital, Bob Hope Wing, Los Angeles, CA *Co-curator

Kristin Otwell

Visual Arts: Mixed Media, Painting

I have been exploring nature with watercolor for over 40 years. Trained as a scientific illustrator, my subject matter has included succulent plants, rocks, leaves and trees rendered with a combination of detailed realism and a focus on abstract design.

Marie Pera

Visual Arts: Graphic Arts, Illustration, Mixed Media, Painting

I am a visual artist who loves to paint and to draw. I have two teaching credentials-mulitsubject with an art option and secondary education for art and english. Since 2009 I have been retired from full time teaching. I am an active member of MCAA in Ukiah and also the Ukiah Valley Artist Cooperative. In addition I have memberships in the DeYoung Museum and the Olive Hyde Art Center in Fremont. For the past six years I have taught preK-high school art classes for he GASP program.

Lillian Rubie

Visual Arts: Illustration, Mixed Media, Painting, Performers and Writers, Photography

Owner/Artist at Lillian Rubie Photography & Illustration and co-founder of Deep Valley Arts Collective. Lillian is a photographer and illustrator. She has a love of children’s books, costuming, Old Hollywood photography, and all things Halloween.

Micah Sanger

Visual Arts: Painting

Visionary Arts Gallery 45004 Albion St. #8, Mendocino At the Gallery paintings from my Traveling Museum Exhibit (https://www.perception4u.com/museumexhibit) are displayed along with the theoretical physicist quotes that accompany each painting. The exhibit is to encourage viewers to explore in depth the meaning of the words of these great insightful, intuitive physicists and to allow the paintings to lift them into new ways of looking upon their world, revealing its mystery and wonder. An enriching experience awaits the visitors to the Gallery who come with a curiosity and a wish to live life to its fullness and who know that there is much more going on here in this world than first meets the eye. New Video: “The Art of Theoretical Physics” FREE BOOK DOWNLOAD of “TOBE and the RIVER IS” In celebration of our courage and compassion during these times, and because, for many, it is also financially challenging, I would like to offer everyone a free download of my award-winning book https://www.perception4u.com/bookgift ____________________________________________________________ If You Feel Inspired to, please make a donation to the Arts Council of Mendocino County Explore with Tobe the power and wonder of the great River Is. Go on an adventure which is the discovery of yourself. Reviews: “Sanger has succeeded in writing the modern-day Siddhartha: an intricate tale of a deep spiritual journey, within and without. His artistic use of words and illustrations gently opens the door to truth and carries you to the living River; you will be hooked.” Joe Kittel, author of Spiritual Principles in Strategic Alliances and founder of SPiBR.org LLC. “Gorgeous phrasing, fully entrancing and sparkling with freshness. The author has a fine instinct for wowing the reader at the start, and throughout, with beautifully crafted sentences. Even better, the effect hides the effort. Nothing about this book seems forced which is what elevates it. And the wow factor of this book is masterfully-written. Beautiful visuals…engage our senses and place us in the scene. Well done. Stays with the reader.” Writer’s Digest Judge, 24th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards ____________________________________________________________ Biography I have been an active artist producing paintings since 1970 when I changed my major at Clemson University from engineering to art studio. That was when I discovered my true passion for art. I have been diligent and dedicated to my calling as an artist ever since. I continued my development as an artist when I apprenticed under the nationally known artist Richard Goetz in the early seventies for a brief time, followed by attending the University of Santa Barbara and Chico State University, CA, from 1980 to 1985. Plums – Unified Field, 7″ x 15″ mixed media In 1996 I pulled away from the gallery art scene to go deep into a contemplative life—a life of open-eyed meditation, studying the world 8 to 12 hours a day and often more for many days of the week while taking notes, making sketches, and developing paintings about what I was observing. Out of this exploration into perception and awareness, a rich new way of looking at my world and a new approach to painting arose. Besides objects becoming more alive and energetic in my perception, a sense of this world existing in a dimension, and what I call a “unified field” arose. These perceptions, I found, do not subtract from this physical experience but only add to its mystery and wonder. They also parallel, in many ways, the ideas of theoretical physics. Beyond Form to the Light, 56.5″ x 106″ mixed media I started working on an educational website, (www.perception4u.com) to pass on to others through the text and exercises the experiences and insights I was having. I used my paintings to give visual expression to the ideas I was relaying. Through the exercises on the website, I was attempting to open up to others their own revelations of deeper levels of perception. Over time a substantial number of paintings were created. I knew that one day they would be the source of future exhibits. Barn Jackson Hole, 54.5″ x 61″ mixed media As I watched people interfacing with the exercises of the website, I realized that some individuals needed a more emotional approach to exploring perception. So, in 2013 I began writing and illustrating my book, “Tō•bē and the River Is,” with the idea that through the life of the protagonist, people could experience new ways of looking at their world. The Dream of a World in a Holy Mind It is a whimsical fairytale full of living metaphor. The “River Is” is itself a metaphor for the matrix of the unified field that surrounds us. It was published in 2016 and has already won two Global eBook Awards, one for illustrations, The New Apple Book Award, followed by the prestigious Ben Franklin Award and the Nautilus Book Award. (The book website is www.4riveris.com ) Turtle Rock and Back View of Artist-Dimension, 28″ x 34″ In September of 2017, I started to exhibit my work publicly for the first time since 1996. It started with the Sausalito Art Festival, then the HarmonyUs Festival followed eventually in 2018 by the HarmonyUs Festival again and the Edgewater Gallery in Fort Bragg, California. Now my focus is on displaying my art as a cohesive whole in a traveling museum exhibit with the same purpose it shares with my website, my book, as well as my public speaking engagements—to inspire people to explore the life-enhancing nature of deeper levels of perception. It really is an exciting project of combining my paintings with the words of theoretical physicists to create a very powerful effect. I also mention in my museum proposal that I will give a presentation at a couple of the local high schools. Clear perception opens up a new and exciting world, creating a new enthusiasm towards living, something many of the students can use nowadays. FlatRock – Dimension III, 63″ x 82″ mixed media Visionary GALLERY OPEN DOOR HOURS Friday, Saturday, Sunday 1:00 to 5:00 11:00 to 5:00 11:00 to 5:00 And open by appointment. Please call number below. Open throughout the week for events and classes. Phone Numbers: Visionary Arts Spiritual Center Micah Sanger Sally Wells (505) 455-2867 (707) 357-3466

Lauren Sinnott

Visual Arts: Graphic Arts, Murals, Painting, Works on paper

See a detailed description about Lauren’s latest mural From Finland to Fort Bragg complete with photos & videos here. I am an artist, historian and former politician. www.historymural.com will show you how so many things in my life and work have recently come together in the perfect project: my monumental history mural on the north wall of the Ukiah Valley Conference Center. But let’s back up a little. My diverse portfolio is partly the result of making a living through art in the modern world. Before photography was invented, everyone would want me to create their image. Now, it’s really only dogs that people commission portraits of. I even paid a vet bill once with a mural of dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and mice. At Point Arena High School, I painted a face that gets walked on: the sports mascot, a 6 ft. grinning pirate on the floor of the basketball court. A local big wave surfer modeled. Art entwines with life… and also its loss. That surfer was part of my California family and I portrayed him as a life-size 3-dimensional winged angel after his death at sea. The lady who commissioned this work died recently and now the angel has come back to me. It all started in Wisconsin’s dairyland, where I was raised by an artist mother and poet father. My mom supported us on graphic design, and as a toddler I worked at a little table alongside her. Our house was filled with paintings and books. It was the Age of Aquarius and I knew I was supposed to be at Woodstock, but it was impossible. I was ten. I spent my senior year as an AFS exchange student in Belgium, speaking only French and learning to take class notes in perfect outline form. I discovered the art of conversation, four-hundred year old homes and good coffee. It was there that I began to feel the pull of an old culture living still where it had always been. Back from Belgium, I attended Rice University in wonderfully hot and humid Houston, TX. I earned a BA in Art and French, then a BFA in painting, and an MA in Art History. During graduate study, I encountered a work whose untold story began to open before me, becoming the subject of my thesis, The Double Portrait of Two Men in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. And the story blossomed again with stunning new research on the part of several scholars, leading to my recent paper, Beloved Disciple: Vittore Belliniano and a Double Portrait of Two Men, which explores the possibility that the exalted Venetian Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini and his head of studio were lovers. I taught art history for several years at the museum school, painted one of my most exquisite mural in a private bathroom, and became a single mother of two. But I yearned for the ocean! Not the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, which I had never even seen. And Northern California to be specific, because friends had told me “Your kind of people live there.” My boys and I left town in a converted school bus with a wood stove and beds. We found Point Arena located with its lighthouse on a jutting tip of land WEST of the San Andreas fault. This is the other California, where populations are dwarfed by the ridged landscape and pounding ocean. This is exactly what I was looking for, except I forgot that it was going to be impossible to get my PhD. The consolation prize was my life in politics as City Council member and then Mayor of one of only four incorporated cities in Mendocino County. Point Arena is the seventh tiniest city in California, which meant the city staff was small and overworked, and our jobs as elected officials were large and unending. On top of legislative activity, we also had the tasks of employee hiring, evaluating, and firing. It helped to have an eye for detail. It didn’t help to earn only $100 a month. (See more about fights and triumphs in city government and much more of my artwork on my main website www.artgoddess.com which will be sleek and modern by Christmas!) My boys and I lived in our bus in the fragrant manzanita forest for a year and when we moved to town I supported us with art and rent. I took jobs ranging from art cars to tombstone design, from wedding dresses to sewing a life-size brocade torso complete with all female reproductive parts for a doctor. I created the Velvet Vulva line of purses for the lesbian, feminist and enlightened market. I painted curbs and hemmed pants. Business signs and design services were a mainstay. I picked blackberries, ate wild mustard greens, baked my own bread, and gleaned apples from the ground. We took in a parade of roommates to make ends meet. My house was teeming with the boys and their friends, and was full of books and paintings. Recently my son who learned Mandarin and now lives in Taiwan paid me a compliment. He said, “Mom, I never knew we were poor.” And of course, in real terms, we weren’t. All of these experiences have caused me to reflect on the ultimate purpose of the artist and the historian. Art history is a jeweled necklace, a string of masterpieces threaded on inspiration from around the world. Yet art was made by, for, and about real people who led complex lives. A man who loved men and didn’t have wealth or a noble patron in 15th-century Venice could be burned alive in the Piazza San Marco. Ghosts walk in those grand cities and on the quiet streets of my own town, where no more than a century ago, it was permitted to shoot an Indian after dark. Forced servitude, kidnappings and massacres took place across California, including multiple occurrences here in Mendocino County. During the 1850s, the new state government’s official position was denial of rights and extermination was seen as inevitable. Depravity haunts exaltation, and the sacred charge of the historian is to give voice to the fallen, to shine light on the common and hidden, as well as the great. As a Renaissance painting mutely accomplishes merely by surviving, the historian keeps a subject alive with his published words, and the muralist with her imagery. I love the motto of Yale University: Lux et Veritas. Light and Truth – with one we find the other. My latest and largest project, the huge historical narrative mural on the north wall of the Ukiah Valley Conference Center, is the result of these threads interweaving. I could use all those hours of life drawing, all of that house painting, all my knowledge of narrative art through the centuries, and all my experience working with the public in administration. This is a public work for everyone and about everyone. It contains over two-hundred portraits and tells many stories of people who live here now. People can see why this art has meaning. They understand the argument I once presented to a dear friend over dinner: “You will be fascinated,” he was informed, looking doubtful as he questioned art history and the importance of such things. “History is to humanity as memory is to the individual,” I said. We are each of us walking backwards into the future. “Would you want to do that with your eyes shut?” My companion smiled, saw it was true, and ordered champagne, since he was about to hear what had been revealed by a Venetian inventory from 1569.* *That the great collection of Gabriele Vendramin included a little box portrait of Giovanni Bellini with the portrait of Vittore, his disciple, on its cover.

Barbara Ware

Visual Arts: Mixed Media, Painting

I came to Potter Valley in 1973 and live quite remotely near the Eel River. My garden, the natural beauty of Mendocino County, and the plants and animals that surround me give me the majority of my inspiration. I work primarily with watercolor and acrylics and love experimenting with mixed media. I’m in love with my experience with color as I paint, the mingling and mixing of colors on the page. And I love the total engagement that absorbs my full concentration in the process of painting. It’s transforming!

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