​Susan Greer presents Conversations with Nature, a collection of minimalist landscape paintings that capture the rhythmic quality of the natural world.  Simplified elegant forms embody a serene sensitivity that is soulful and honest.  "I paint what I feel and let the viewer fill in the details.  As Edward Hopper said, 'If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.' ," noted Greer.  Viewing this collection, one is transported to a calm, peaceful corner of the world.

Growing up in the North Bay, Greer developed sensitivity for native rolling hills and wetlands as she roamed open spaces in Sonoma and Marin.  She has degrees from UC Santa Cruz and San Francisco S U and worked with George Lucas and Apple Computer.  She rounded out her studies with mentors, including Wolf Kahn, Daniel Keys and Ken Auster.

Artist Reception at Upstairs Art Gallery, Healdsburg.: 
Saturday, October 12, 2019 - 2 pm to 5 pm
Please join artists, Susan Greer and Karen Miller to celebrate their art and  - enjoy bites and samples from Revive Kombucha, a local craft brewery in Petaluma..

Show runs thru October 27 2019

Featured Artist September 2019

Beverly Bird presents Oceans 21, a collection of paintings exploring multiple aspects of our ocean-related experience. 

Works include seascapes, sculpted shorelines, and boats, even a glacier.  Highlighting both our own breathtaking Sonoma Coast and the magnificent Oregon coast, many of the paintings were painted in plein air.  Using acrylics, these paintings often feature textural passages emphasizing details and planes.  From forceful wave action to a peaceful shoreline sunset, Bird’s paintings capture the range of the ocean’s moods.  Viewing this collection, one can almost smell the salty air. “The ocean has always been a creative inspiration for me.  I love how its constancy is colored by ever-changing shifts in mood.  I work to capture this feeling in my ocean scenes, “noted the artist.

A Sonoma County artist, Bird was raised in Southern California and has always lived near the ocean.  As a child, ocean scenes became a favorite subject for the young art student.  A graduate in Art from CSU Long Beach, Bird subsequently studied landscape painting with master artists.  An annual participant in the Art at the Source Open Studio program, her work has been selected for a number of exhibits in the region.

RECEPTION: Sunday, September 15, 2019, 3 pm - 6 pm
EXHIBIT DATES: September 1st - September 29th, 2019

​The Small Works Showcase on the Upstairs Art Gallery stairway September 2019 features “A Summer Diary” by Linda Barretta. 

Celebrating the colors of summer, Barretta presents paintings of flower gardens and farms, filled with sun drenched light and color.  Painted in plein air using oil and acrylic, flowers inspire these works.  A seasoned painter, known for her striking use of color, Barretta’s current body of work is mainly in oils, while her first medium was acrylic.  She tapped into both mediums to create this delightful small works collection.

RECEPTION: Sunday, September 15, 2019, 3 pm - 6 pm
EXHIBIT DATES: September 1st - September 29th 2019

The Small Works Showcase on the stairway features “Coastal Plein Air” by Donna Schaffer.  These landscapes & seascapes explore the environment where the oceans meet the land. Schaffer strives to take you there with her color palette and brushstrokes in oil. “Painting en plein air allows me to capture in-depth the views I love," noted Schaffer.
RECEPTION : Saturday, August 3, 2019 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm
EXHIBIT DATES:  July 29 – August 31, 2019

The August 2019 featured artist, Phyllis Rapp is presenting whimsical acrylic paintings of animals, people, landscapes and flowers in dream like settings, “Day Dreams”. Rapp says her paintings start with a base of colors, stamps, stencils in abstract application. As she studies the results, she discovers various scenes and more realistic representations of familiar objects emerge. She adds detail to the "found" images and then paints out the distractions - or the negative space. Phyllis' love of design, color, and texture are evident in her colorful and imaginative resulting paintings.
 
Phyllis Rapp, is a founder of the 22-year-old Upstairs Art Gallery. She has a BFA from San Francisco Academy of Art and has been active in many art organizations, galleries and has taught watercolor classes.

Reception: Saturday, August 3, 2019 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm

Small Works Showcase July 2019 features "Plein Air Petites" by Susan Greer.
These petite Sonoma County landscapes capture the rhythmic quality of the natural world with expressive brushstrokes in oil, and simplified elegant forms.
"Painting en plein air allows me to explore the land I love, while doing what I love to do" noted Greer.

Meet the artist reception: Saturday July 6 2019 5:30-8:30pm

The July featured artist, Willow LaLand-Yeilding, is presenting her latest piece, "Chilled Summer Whites," showing the cold condensation on a 4-foot square glass of white wine in the warm summer heat. Her 4-foot square duo, "Alexander Valley" and "Dry Creek Valley," shares the grape harvest in action and the liquid gold pouring from the wooden slats of the wine press. LaLand loves to work big,... and tiny. Her collection of miniature 2" x 2" landscapes and still lifes beautifully complements her larger works. "Individually painted grapes, crystal clear reflections in glass, deep velvety shadows, intricate wood grain. . . I love to capture sensations - the taste of the wine, the stories being told, the breeze through the vineyard," enthused LaLand.

Wine is a natural subject for LaLand as she and her husband have been making wine for over a decade. A daughter of artists, her life as an artist began very young - her first exhibit was at eleven. Now an internationally collected artist, her work has appeared in exhibits throughout the region.

Artist Reception :Saturday July 6 2019, 5:30-8:30pm

​The Small Works Showcase on the stairway features “Sonoma Gems: a Small Works Installation” by Beverly Bird.  Scenes from throughout Sonoma County featuring vineyards, ocean vistas, local sites, forests, iconic landscape views are depicted in colorful acrylic paints and textures. 

“Everyday the beauty of Sonoma brings such a thrill, I can’t help but pull out my paints,” says the artist.

Exhibit Runs: May 26 – June 30, 2019
Artist Reception: Saturday, June 15, 2019 from 4 – 8 pm
Stop by to engage in gallery conversation with artists, Cynthia Sumner and Beverly Bird and enjoy a special beverage sampling by YMateina, from Sebastopol, serving the finest Yerba Mate from Paraguay.  

The June Featured Artist, Cynthia Sumner, an emerging local artist brings together her love of ceramics and painting in a new collection of work: “Seeking Common Language.”  The exhibit features two mediums: a series of stacked sculptural forms in clay (“totems”) and oil paintings in cold wax medium.

Her paintings reference internal and external landscapes.  “I am inspired by nature and mid-century modern ceramics,” said Sumner.  In her painting process, textures play a big role as they go through layering, scraping, applying more paint.   Cold wax medium blends beeswax, resin, pigments and solvents, which then evaporate to create a firm surface.  Wax artworks date back to the ancient Egyptians.  Once cured, these paintings can be handled like any other fine artwork.

“Whereas painting is a more recent endeavor, working in clay is like home to me.  I’ve been shaping things out of earth since I could make mud pies,” noted Sumner.  “Knives, squeegees, scrapers and my own fingers give me visceral feedback like working in clay,” she added.  The stacked sculptural forms express her vision in three-dimensions: abstract shapes play off each other in these unique works.
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A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute in the late 80’s, Sumner was an art educator in New Orleans and San Francisco; she previously exhibited as a conceptual/installation artist.  

The Small Works Showcase on the stairway features “Stoplight: a Small Works Installation” by Laura Roney.  Fruits - apples, tomatoes, pears - star in her 12” x 12” still-lifes in oil.  Painterly renderings are intensified by complimentary color or stained wood backgrounds.  So eye-catching, these paintings are delicious enough to eat.

The May Featured Artist, Ron Sumner, presents “Brush with Nature,” an exhibit of watercolors featuring wildlife.  In a realistic manner, these paintings show the artist’s deep love for birds and animals.  Whether painting the feathers of a California quail or the horns of a Hartebeest in the fields of Kenya, his renderings bring these creatures to life.  “To do these subjects justice,” says Sumner, “I must not only capture the right colors and textures, but be anatomically correct.”  Detailed studies of each subject and its relationship to its environment are important steps in the painting process.
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Sumner generally uses Arches 140 lb. rough watercolor paper, which allows for wonderful transparent washes and has a forgiving surface.  He does not use preliminary sketches but has in mind certain images of size, colors and technique, which can change as the painting progresses.  For example, some paintings use a very detailed technique, such as controlled overlapping washes, while others are more painterly.  “God, I just love painting,” Sumner enthused.   Also included are California landscapes and a large oil painting of Yosemite.

​Ron Sumner received his BFA at the California College of Arts and Crafts, after which he was a technical illustrator for some years.  Today he is a full time painter.  His work has received several prestigious awards, including Best of Show at the Society for Western Artists.  His portrait of John F. Kennedy is in the permanent collection of the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.

In June 2018, Upstairs Art Gallery celebrated their 21st Anniversary with the theme  "Abundance". This major milestone gives the gallery the honor of  being the longest-running art gallery in Healdsburg history, a town that is currently the vibrant home to over 20 art galleries. This small gallery was  ahead of its time  when founded in 1997, as it was the first artist-owned gallery to open in Sonoma County, a business model that has since been followed successfully by many more!

June is the time of year to show off Sonoma County's bounty of crops, backyard gardens and agricultural heritage. "Abundance" was the theme featured in the gallery front window. Art works by Carolyn Wilson, Lenona Winter, Cynthia Jackson-Hein, Willow LaLand, Dan Scannell, Ron Sumner and Jill Keller Peters showcase the varied farmland offerings that are rooted in Sonoma County. Food and wine served focused on local and seasonal produce.

A special celebration occurred at the gallery on Saturday, June 23 2018. A large gathering of artists past and present celebrated and there was a historical showcase of artwork by many alumni artists who have been part of the gallery's 21 year past.
"We have enjoyed playing detective. We tracked down as many former artists as we could, who have been involved over the gallery's past 21 years, and invited them  to participate in the anniversary festivities," said Phyllis Rapp, a Healdsburg local, "It's going to be a great reunion." Phyllis is in a unique position as she was one of the founding artists in 1997, and has recently returned to the gallery, so in a sense has come full circle. The gallery began life as a non-profit organization and has since evolved into an independent enterprise, owned and operated by a partnership of 16 local artists.
Guest artists in June include: T Barny, James Reynolds, Ned Luzmoor, Lindy Date, Gary Sauder, Katrina Small, Diana Majumdar, Karina Nishi Marcus, Taylor Jane Page, Judy Markoff, Tamara Sanchez, Dave Walker, Dee Andreini, Jan Thomas, Joyce Hasselbeck, Don Drummond, and Tony Mininno.


HISTORY
The Upstairs Art Gallery in Healdsburg was originally conceived in 1997 by the members of the Santa Rosa Art Guild (SRAG). The members of SRAG wanted a venue to display and sell their artwork. At that time Levin & Company Book store in Healdsburg decided to sublet the mezzanine level of their retail space on Center Street. They were hoping to find a business that would not only blend but compliment the book store, two businesses sharing the same space, and an art gallery was the perfect pairing. The combined establishments of Levin & Company and the Upstairs Art Gallery became a reality the April of 1997, and the gallery's opening reception took place on June 28, 1997.
There were 17 founding artists: Joy Amen, Susan Lee, Yero Rudzinskas, Joan January, Phyllis Rapp, Ned Luzmoor, Judy Markoff, Nancy Burres, T. Barny, Karina Nishi Marcus, Lindy Date, Louise Johnson, Joyce Hasselbeck, Rod Lee, Lida Nicholson-Gauvin, Ana Zavala,and Lorrian Levias. Some of these 17 original artists are still residing in the area today
A newspaper clipping from Cloverdale 1997 reports: A new gallery has opened in Healdsburg. Seven members of the Santa Rosa Art Guild have formed a new collective of fine art and craft gallery called the S. R. A. G.  Upstairs Art Gallery. These artists decided that they would open their own place and sell their own art.
"The first steps were "exhausting, but very exciting going to all the meetings and helping plan and complete all the necessary steps to open a  business. We rented the mezzanine above the Levin & Co. bookstore right on the plaza. Then we had to clean, paint the walls, put up track lighting, find desks, display tables, etc. " said Nancy Burres of Cloverdale, (July, 1997, "Sonoma County Aglow").
It wasn't easy working with other creative, strong minded artists. After a month of meetings and workdays the gallery opened April 10, 1997.
Nishi Marcus describes her memory of the early days,  "I remember taking a long time with lots of discussion about what name -- Upstairs Art Gallery won as it was descriptive. I was against it, for I thought if we were to ever move to another location that the name would not be adaptable. Who was to know that the Upstairs Art Gallery would still be functioning after all these years at the same spot up the stairs.....truly an accomplishment."
CURRENT
Two members of the UAG lost their homes and numerous pieces of art in the fires from October 2017. One member was poised to share his art and open studio with the public for Art Trails. The fellow gallery members of UAG were very supportive of their artists who suffered these unfortunate losses, following up with food, good company and a collection for new art supplies.
"I moved to Healdsburg in 2006", says Willow LaLand, "and have been in the greater area since 1989.  I visited all the galleries in town frequently. What impressed me the most, is that with the high turnover in retail business on the square, the community of artists that make up the Upstairs Art Gallery stayed opened during the economy's highs and lows. I am honored to be a part of one of the long standing successes of Healdsburg."  
Current Members of Upstairs Art Gallery:
Carolyn Wilson, manager, Donna Schaffer, Laura Roney, Lenona Winter, Bill Gittins, Cynthia Jackson-Hein, Dan Scannell, Jo Tobin-Charleston, Ronald Sumner, John Warner, Susan Greer, Willow LaLand, Marsha Connell, Phyllis Rapp, Cynthia Sumner, Jill Keller Peters
 

Farm to Pantry
June 2018: The gallery partnered with the Healdsburg non-profit, Farm to Pantry, whose mission is to nourish those who are hungry or have a limited access to nutritious produce. Volunteer gleaners harvest, collect and deliver excess produce that would otherwise go to waste. 10% of gallery sales from the month of June were  contributed to the Farm to Pantry program, with the desire of nourishing the community from artists and community in the spirit of sharing.
https://www.farmtopantry.org/our-mission/

In collaboration with the Healdsburg non-profit organization Farm to Pantry, who close the hunger gap in our local community by gleaning excess fruit and produce that would otherwise go to waste.  https://www.farmtopantry.org/