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5/31/2017 0 Comments

Hot Wax live demo by Rachel Laufer....and all that jazz!

Curious about encaustic art? Live demo 1-3 pm Saturday June 3 2017

Hot wax demonstration by Rachel Laufer

Hot Jazz!!

Melted beeswax has been used in art making for many centuries. Watch Rachel Laufer, our resident encaustic artist, get into her creatitive groove with a soundtrack of great jazz playing gently in the background. Wanna try your hand? Have questions? Great. All welcome!
Daniele Todaro's art isn't miss a beat either. Her energetic colorful jazz inspired artwork is livening up the walls in the gallery right now, too. See some of her instrument inspired art here

If you are a jazz fan, check out the 2017 Healdsburg Jazz Festival program of events ....It's happenin now! June 2-11 . www.healdsburgjazzfestival.org/festivals-2/2017-festival/

5/31/2017 0 Comments

Waxing nostalgic....new small works by Dan Scannell

Reception: Sunday June 4, 2-5pm

Dan is having fun exploring a new medium - encaustic hot wax paintings. His botanical images are painted in oils and appear to float above sketches and found papers which are sealed under a layer of clear wax.
This is a series of a dozen small botanical themed paintings, 11" x 14". Hang them solo, or they would look great clustered in a group , as they are in matching frames .

5/31/2017 0 Comments

Colorful, Light-filled pastels by Jan Thomas

Reception: June 4 2017 2-5pm

Influenced by strong shapes and contrast, Jan's recent paintings reflect a particular awareness of abstraction in the landscape. "I am increasingly interested in design and placement of shapes and quality of color to communicate a visual story of time and space", she says. "Working on artist grade sanded papers allows me to build up many layers of pastel to create luminous color and rich texture."
This current show includes small paintings, 8"x 10" or smaller, as well as larger works. The small paintings are wonderful additions to brighten a narrow wall or accent a table top when placed in a small easel. They travel well in a suitcase and are affordable for beginner collectors, and as gifts.

2/17/2017 0 Comments

Sunrise in Sonoma County

Laura Roney ...oils capturing early morning light

There is a brief period of time at first light where the sun's impact is most intense as light streaks across the land. Laura Roney's new series Sunrise in Sonoma County Oil Paintings reflect the part of dawn when the rhythm of life changes. She captures the impact of morning sun, first on the sky, then on the clouds and the earth. These representational landscapes depicting mornings based on what she says she sees rather than an idealized version of nature. "There's enough grandeur present in Sonoma County, I do not have to embellish it."
Laura's paintings will be on display until January 29. Come to her Artist Reception January 14, 2017; 2-5pm

2/17/2017 0 Comments

February 17th, 2017

April Featured Artist: Dee Andreini

Show title:   "Dreamscapes”
Show dates:   May 1- 28
Reception Date: Saturday, May 6th   5-8 pm

Artist Statement:

For me as an artist I have always been inspired by the beauty that surrounds me, especially here in our beautiful Sonoma County. It is an ever present love to express myself on canvas. I call this present show "Dreamscapes" as the sensitive nature of my work and the 'dreamy’ quality is a way of bringing the natural beauty that is all around us closer to the heart. I paint in oil and acrylics, most recently in oils, and use a painterly style that of late has been loser, using a lot of soft edges. My paintings are quite colorful and I often use intense colors. Over the years I have found that I am truly a mood painter, losing myself in the piece when I start to paint, then finding it hard to stop.
I began painting in high school when I was 15 years old, and hold a BA degree in Fine Arts. For me, a painting is not finished unless it has the capacity to stir feelings in the viewer. I hope for a personal connection between the painting and the individual, that they will relate as strongly as I to the subject and the feelings that took place when it was created.

March 2017
Eclectic
February 26 to April 2

by Tony Minnino
Reception March 4, 2017 2-6pm.

My eyes are the lenses on the camera of my mind.   Thousands of shots are captured each day as my eyes encounter the ever changing set around me in the movie of my life.   Shot, after shot, after shot, the camera rolls until that one special shot catches my attention.   Eclectic represents the eclectic mix of shots that comprise this body of new work.

Open House Sunday Feb 19th 2017 11-6

February 2017
Art from the Heart .
Open House.
Sunday February 19th 11-6.
Join us for homemade sweet treats and fancy drinks.
Meet 7 of our artists during the day : Debbie Harding, Jan Thomas, Dan Scannell, Cynthia Jackson-Hein. Rachel Laufer and Dee Andreini,Carolyn Wilson

11/4/2016 0 Comments

Love of Life and Land -Cynthia Jackson-Hein

December 2016

Holiday Gift show

Featuring jewelry by Jo Tobin-Charleston, JoAnna Noble, Brittany Ketcham Roney, Susan Harter-Oshiro, Luann Udell, Robert Yelland and artisanal creations by John Bennett, Melissa McCann, Peggy Parr, Joann Cassady, Nancy and Brian Roberts, Nancy Winn, Jonqui Albin, Randy Snyder, Michael Ecton
Reception: Saturday December 17th- Open House all day, noon-6pm

Cynthia's expressive brushwork and harmonious palette invite the viewer to see her latest impressionist oil painting series: Love of Life and Land. Her paintings speak of times gone by with personal connections to the things she most loves in life - people, animals and landscapes. She captures the emotion of actually being in a place, to feel the presence of an animal or person looking back at her, and the thrill she gets from seeing her subject come alive on the canvas as she paints.

10/1/2016 0 Comments

Welcome Rachel Laufer

Rachel Laufer, the newest Upstairs Art Gallery artist, utilizes an ancient way of painting to take her photographic images to a completely different level. Some of her art pieces have a combination of
ephermera layered into the encaustic medium, others have hand-dyed silk layers, while some are completely encaustic. Rachel says the flexibility of working with natural beeswax/resin of encaustic wax allows her to use pastels, oils, image transfers and mark making to further enhance her painterly images.

www.rachellaufer.weebly.com

9/28/2016 0 Comments

Autumn in Wine Country

t's that time of year again when Sonoma County comes alive with Fall colors. Dan Scannell can't resist filling his oil palette with oranges, yellows, ochres and browns and getting to work.

Dan's latest collection of paintings was inspired by numerous locations in Sonoma (and Napa too). He captures the magic of Wine Country in Autumn.

Dan is our featured artist from Sept. 26th through Oct. 30th 2016.
Join us for his opening reception Saturday, October 1st from 2 until 5pm.

9/27/2016 0 Comments

Sonoma County Art Trails 2016

For further information
www.sonomacountyarttrails.org

9/27/2016 1 Comment

Carved wooden birds by John Bennett

Beginning with a single piece of wood, John Bennett starts with a handsaw and a flexible shaft carving tool, then machine and hand sands to create a finished sculpture. Redwood burl, myrtle, maple, and walnut, some colored with dyes, are used in his work. After sealing and hand polishing, the carving is mounted on driftwood or a manzanita burl. Each piece is signed and the bird and wood species are identified on the bottom. Come see his work at the Upstairs Art Gallery.

9/27/2016 1 Comment

Welcome Debbie Harding - pastels

Welcome to our newest resident artist Debbie Harding. Debbie is a member of the Pastel Society of the West Coast and is a participant in Sonoma County Art Trails. Her pastel paintings are vibrant and colorful, with an artful mixture of detail and Impressionism. Much of her work is of landscapes or contemporary floral, she said she takes much of her inspiration from the beauty of local scenes and images, and finds joy in sharing through her art.

9/27/2016 0 Comments

Travelogue of Watercolors - artist John Warner

With more than a dozen of his original watercolor paintings on display in September, come see John Warner's "Travelogue of Watercolors". On location John Warner has painted scenes of the world with great expression, John says his ability to quickly create a painting helps a lot when sitting in the sharp-stoned lava fields of Hawaii or speeding by a windmill on a Dutch train. While not all his paintings are plein air, in his studio John paints only from his sketches and own photography. It makes his work personal to him.
John's Bachelor of Professional Arts degree is from the Art Center College in Los Angeles, his graduate work at California College of Art and Crafts in Oakland, CA, led to a California teaching credential. John taught drawing and painting for almost 30 years in San Mateo, CA, and currently teaches Adult Education painting classes.

Reception: Saturday, September 10th from 2-5 PM.

8/3/2016 1 Comment

Ron Sumner - Birds of a Feather

"Birds of a Feather", watercolor paintings by Ron Sumner will be featured August 1 through 28th. Ron is well known for his paintings of California birds and his ability to portray them realistically in their natural environment. His work has won many awards including inclusion in two editions of "Splash," an annual publication featuring 100 of today's most accomplished watercolor artists.

Artist Reception: Saturday August 6th 2016, 2-5pm

Canada Goose by Ron Sumner, Watercolor

7/8/2016 0 Comments

Bill Gittins - Land, Water and Sky

Bill Gittins' continuing body of work emphasizes the beauty of the Land, Water and Sky of Sonoma County as it relates to our surrounding geography, its coast, rivers and lakes, and our sunsets, sunrises and clouds in our broad sky. This body of work will be on display at the gallery until July 31st.

Reception: Saturday, July 9 2016 from 4pm - 7pm
Bill Gittins will be celebrated as featured artist at Upstairs Art Gallery in Healdsburg for the month of July.

7/7/2016 0 Comments

We need your vote!

For the second year running, Upstairs Art Gallery are in the final 3 "Best of Sonoma County 2016" - Art Gallery. Your vote means a great deal.

We work hard to offer visitors high quality art by local artists, and great value for money.

Online voting is quick and easy, just click on the link below.
http://bit.ly/29mxiSM

Thank You!

6/3/2016 2 Comments

Art at the Source Open Studio Tour 2016

Chance to visit the studios of 4 of our artists ......2 weekends in June 2016

6/3/2016 0 Comments

Sonoma County Landscapes by Daniele Todaro

Daniele Todaro is excited to share her new series of landscape pastels and monotypes. Although she has lived in Sonoma County for 16 years, she is still filled with wonder at the local landscape. She said this series came about while driving one of the many gorgeous back roads. She rounded a corner and there were several out buildings on a hill. The way the sun shone on the hills and illuminated those buildings made her smile. Later, when she began to paint, she found herself smiling and laughing, yes actually laughing with joy at the fun she was having painting them. She'd like you feel the happiness she feels when she looks at our local landscape.

4/30/2016 1 Comment

The Magic Series by Cathy Locke

Influenced by paintings of Russian fairy tales, artist Cathy Locke created The Magic Series, paintings that explore the inner workings of a child's mind.

Locke's magical paintings were originally commissioned to illustrate a new children's book, The Time Out Bears. Written with children in mind, the book is about choosing between having a good attitude or a bad one. The Time Out Bears is expected to be published by the end of the year.
The artist will be talking about the paintings at a reception on Saturday, May 7 2016, 2 - 5 pm, and Cathy will be our featured until May 29.

Cathy Locke holds a B.F.A from Art Center College of Design and a M.F.A. from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where she currently teaches for the graduate department. She has received accolades for her work from the Pastel Society of America, Art Directors Club of New York, Society of Illustrators, Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists, the Pastel Journal and Campaign Papers.

3/29/2016 0 Comments

Botanical Art.....Nature's Infinite Beauty

by Victoria A. Kochergin

In April, as flowers are blooming and spring fills the air, Upstairs Art Gallery will be featuring a collection of botanical artwork titled "Nature's Infinite Beauty" by Victoria A. Kochergin.

Extreme detail, subtle variances in hue and translucent color layers are trademarks of Victoria's artwork. Working from live objects, Victoria works weeks to months on a single piece. "I am passionate about capturing the various details and individual qualities of what I am drawing. Each flower, fruit and leaf has its unique character, beauty and spirit. Drawing from life allows me to feel and discover this. By the time I complete a piece, I am filled with more awe for Nature's miracles." It is this visceral experience Victoria strives to share with others through her artwork.

Kochergin's artwork has been exhibited in many galleries, botanical gardens and international shows. She holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from U.C. Berkeley and is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists and the Northern California Society of Botanical Artists.

Artist's Reception
Saturday, April 9th from 3-7:00PM

3/1/2016 0 Comments

Responding to the landscape

New Sonoma County landscape and still life oil paintings, by Lenona Winter.

Lenona Winter continues to pursue her passion of painting the Sonoma landscape in the California Impressionist tradition.

"It is my response to a landscape that I am trying to capture in paint - not necessarily an exact likeness," she says. "I look for emotionally-involving subjects at locations with a potential for multiple compositions, and return there to paint many times. When I become familiar with a site and have a strong connection with it, I create a larger studio piece based on the plein air work."

Artist Reception Saturday March 5th 2-5pm