June 10, 2004
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Open Studios
by LINDA MITCHELL
LIKE MANY OF THE LOCAL ARTISTS
WHO ARE TAKING part in this weekend's North Coast Open Studios
(NCOS), I've been getting ready for the event for some time now,
finishing up new paintings as well as trying to revive older
pieces that never quite worked, sometimes dragging out work I
abandoned months or even years ago. Although I routinely open
my studio to visitors once or twice each year, it's amazing how
many half-completed paintings, not to mention cobwebs, can accumulate
between serious cleanings.
I work in a converted garage
in my back yard, so even though it's the studio itself people
are presumably coming to see, I also have to make sure the garden
is navigable and the bathroom is clean. Additionally, since I
can't imagine inviting people over without putting out something
to eat, I have to figure out what to feed everyone. It all takes
a fair amount of effort, if you want to know the truth.
Still, being included in this
annual event is pretty irresistible from an artist's standpoint.
Co-sponsored by the Humboldt Arts Council and the Ink People,
NCOS is well promoted and draws an ever-increasing crowd of art
appreciators each year, generating considerable exposure and
sales for the majority of artists who open their doors. This
probably explains why artist participation has nearly tripled
in the six years Open Studios has been happening -- a total of
91 studios are included this time around.
Here's how it works: Each artist
chips in $30 and agrees to open his or her studio doors from
11 to 5 on Saturday and Sunday. For your money, you get a spot
in the NCOS pamphlet (officially the NCOS Artists Directory and
Studio Maps) and a piece of art in the preview exhibit at the
Ink People (through June). You also get the collective marketing
power of 90 other artists, a bonus not to be taken lightly. When
you consider that each artist adds his or her own friends, followers,
and patrons to the mix, participants get a tremendous promotional
punch for a $30 investment.
For me, the only downside to
being one of the participating artists is that I don't get the
opportunity to roam around the studios of the other participants,
and after checking out the names and images included in this
year's pamphlet, I have to admit I was almost sorry I'd signed
up. These artists represent such a diversity of local voices,
I feel like I'm missing out by not being able to take a peek
at some of their working spaces and palettes.
Scan through the NCOS pamphlet
(you can get one from the sources listed below), and you'll see
what I mean. Local artists are working anywhere they can find
the space, all over the county, and they're making just about
everything -- seriously. Included on the tour are the studios
of painters, sculptors, potters, mixed media artists, digital
artists and videographers, quilters, woodworkers, glassblowers,
photographers, printmakers, jewelry makers, and on and on.
Studio doors will be open from
Fortuna to Trinidad, but the bulk of the spaces are concentrated
in Eureka and Arcata. Since it's probably physically impossible
to visit all 91 studios in two days, the best thing to do is
study the directory and maps for yourself and decide what art
you want to see, which artists you'd like to meet, and how much
time you have to spend. I'm tempted to make a list of the ones
I'd visit if I were out and about myself, but space prohibits
my being as inclusive as I'd like to be, so I think I'll skip
it.
Although the artists opening
their doors this weekend represent just a small fraction of the
larger local art community, by attending NCOS you can still get
a pretty good idea of how diverse and original the work being
created on the North Coast really is. If you're around this weekend,
check it out.
Pick up a printed NCOS Directory
at the Ink People, the Morris Graves Museum or the Art Center
in Eureka; at Wildberries, the Northcoast Co-op, Arcata Artisans
or the Art Center in Arcata; and at a variety of other locations
throughout the county. You can also get more information online
via the brand new NCOS Web site at www.northcoastopenstudios.com.
Linda Mitchell can be reached
via
A
visit to StewArt Studios
story & photos by BOB DORAN
AS NORTH COAST OPEN STUDIOS
GEARS UP for its sixth year this weekend, a group of artists
in Arcata is getting ready to celebrate the grand opening of
a collective studio space.
They call it StewArt Studios,
the name a play on the fact that the artists' spaces occupy part
of the bottom floor of the historic Stewart School, built in
1925.
Pull around to the parking lot
behind the building and you'll see the studio windows behind
decorative grates. Finding the entrance is a bit more difficult.
The none-too-inviting double doors near the center of the building
look like they lead to a basement, and until recently they did.
Earlier this year, six artists
took over 4,000 square feet of what had been a cram-packed storage
space. After a number of improvements, including walls to delineate
individual studio spaces, they moved in on April Fool's Day.
The first space you come across
as you walk in the front door is the headquarters for Meer Image,
a combination warehouse, factory, office and art studio for Steven
Vander Meer [photo at
left], who, with his wife Carol,
runs a thriving business designing and making rubber stamps.
Those of you who may be thinking,
"Are rubber stamps art?" have not seer Vander Meer's
work. Sure, there are little hearts and stars, the sort of stamps
a teacher might use to brighten up schoolwork, but most of the
Meer Image stamps are based on original artworks by Vander Meer.
The stamp form allows him to
share his work in a different way
from other artists; his creations become part of another artist's
creations. His sources vary, some stamps are based on old etchings,
some on things from nature: a dragonfly, an oak leaf, drawings
of prairie grasses done by his father in the Midwest. His most
recent stamps are nudes based on drawings done in the life drawing
circle he runs at StewArt in a room set up for the purpose.
Vander Meer notes that stamp
art and mail art have a long history. Beginning with the Dada
Movement in the early 20th century, the form was revived by neo-Dadaists
in the late-`60s and early-'70s.
"It was art for everybody,
not in galleries, not for sale, just art for art's sake,"
he said. "This whole network got going, people mailing art
pieces to each other, and they started using whatever rubber
stamps were available. Companies sprouted up that took images
from the public domain and made them into stamps. That's how
the craze got started."
A graduate of the Minneapolis
College of Art and Design, Vander Meer came to stay at his brother's
place in Arcata in 1986, while working on an animated film that
was ultimately titled, "Arcata Brain Closet." It took
a lot longer than expected. "By the time I was done, I had
a job, and had found a place of my own. After that I never left."
It was animation that got him
looking at rubber stamps. "I thought it would be cool to
use a stamp image because I wouldn't have to draw it over and
over -- I could just stamp it."
Once he figured out how to make
stamps from his own designs, he was hooked. "I did it as
a hobby, but figured if I could sell a few on the side, it would
pay for my habit."
The first Meer Image catalogue
came out in 1992, and his operation soon outgrew the front room
of his house. He established a "real business" 10 years
ago, buying a recycled paper distribution company and taking
over its small office in Arcata, upstairs from Hirsh Hubcaps.
The space came with a number of sublets, including artists' studios.
As Vander Meer put it, "The building got a reputation as
an art space and, over time, it filled up with artists."
The group would join forces
for things like an annual holiday open house. Camaraderie developed.
"There's an energy that comes from having a bunch of artists
around, all working weird hours. You know that you're part of
a group, even if everyone's doors are closed."
Eventually, the building changed
hands and it was time to move on. Vander Meer signed a lease
for the new location and arranged to sublet to five other artists
who came over from "the hubcap building," among them
Joyce Jonte [ photo below], who has a small, well-lit studio just off Vander
Meer's space.
A worktable and shelves are
covered with works in various media, among them, several floral
watercolors, a couple of pen and ink drawings in progress. Piled
everywhere and laid out on a mat on the floor are dozens of uniform-sized
pieces of watercolor paper, each with a figure study, some finished,
some works in
progress.
"I think the ones that
work best are those I've been doing in the life drawing sessions,"
said Jonte. "We do really quick poses -- I sketch, paint
and do it all there -- then some that need more work, I'll finish
later."
Like many local artists, Jonte
came to Arcata to study at Humboldt State University. "I
graduated in 1979 with a degree in art, got a job in a restaurant,
ended up working in the Co-op bakery. I kept painting, took classes
from Bob Benson and Alan Sanborn, and eventually dove back into
art fulltime."
Of course, that's fulltime,
not counting raising three kids on the side. "My career
is art," she says, "although I can't say that I earn
a living doing it. I have a very supportive partner who supports
my art habit."
Four years ago, she started
sharing one of the spaces at the hubcap building with painter/mixed
media artist Suzanne Simpson, who is now one of her neighbors
at StewArt Studios.
"I love the evolution,
the fact that we ended up here," Jonte said. "This
is a wonderful space. Steven's life drawing group changed my
life, so of course that's a big attraction."
While it may be the first time
StewArt is part of North Coast Open Studios, Jonte has been participating
for years. "It's great. Every year it's been a little better.
I've been doing art for years, but now that I've created a body
of work and I'm getting better known locally, I've had quite
a few people come out to find me. That's a great feeling."
North
Coast Open Studios
June 12 & 13, 11a.m.-5 p.m.
A free map showing locations for all the artists is available
in Eureka at the Morris Graves Museum of Art. For further information,
call the Humboldt Arts Council at 442-0278.
Mandy Allen, 904 S St., Eureka,
444-2023, jewelry, [email protected].
Carol Anderson, StewArt Studios, 1125 16th St., Arcata,
works on paper, mixed media.
Gretchen Anderson, 2844 Pine St., Eureka, 443-3031, painting:
acrylic, gouache, mixed media.
Phyllis Barba, 3015 M St., Eureka, mosaics and figure
studies; drawings.
June Beal, 3223 W St., Eureka, 442-8852, painting: acrylic
with mixed media.
Julia Bednar, 4938 Herron Road, Eureka, painting: watercolor
and acrylic; cards, prints.
Elaine S. Benjamin, Blue Chair Press, 239 Railroad Ave.,
Blue Lake, 668-0112, block prints/T-shirts, faux stamps, books,
cards, [email protected].
Karen Lucchesi Berman, StewArt Studios, 1125 16th St.,
Arcata, 825-6532, watercolor, [email protected].
Jay Brown, 147A Melvin Way, Manila, watercolor, pastels,
mixed media on paper.
Kathrin Burleson, 1828 Patricks Point Drive, Trinidad,
677-0490, painting: acrylics and watercolors, [email protected].
Ruth B. Canaway, 911 3rd St., Eureka, (530) 949-9154,
true Buon Fresco; watercolor, oil, [email protected].
Regina Case, 4127 Soule St., Eureka, painting: acrylics,
[email protected].
Scott Chadek, StewArt Studios, 1125 16th St. #105, Arcata,
845-0113, painting: mixed media; small mixed media sculpture,
[email protected].
Ellen Clague, 537 G St., Ste. 200, Eureka, 268-8471, mixed
media, collage/assemblage/altered books, [email protected].
Augustus Clark, 208 C St., Eureka, 445-9492, painting,
drawing, sculpture, [email protected].
Natalie Craig, 208 C St., Eureka, pastels and mixed media,
[email protected].
Paula Cunningham, 1215 H St., Eureka, 443-9685, dry pastel
on paper, [email protected].
John Davidson, Hog Productions, 3257 Old Arcata Road,
Bayside, digital video, [email protected].
Joy Dellas, 1915 Locke St., Manila, 443-2339, painting,
ceramics, mixed media, [email protected].
Matt Durham, 207 G St., #106, Eureka, painting: oils,
[email protected].
Judy Evenson, 1184 Bayview, Arcata, painting: oils, [email protected].
Jill Juree Faulkner, 1220 Creek Court, McKinleyville,
839-3619, painting: oils.
Jennifer Fierro, 2844 Pine St., Eureka, acrylic; mixed
media, [email protected].
Fire Arts Center, 520 So. G St., Arcata, 826-1445, all
types of ceramics by several artists.
Duane Flatmo, 4153 E St., Eureka, paintings: acrylics;
sculpture, [email protected].
Micki Flatmo, 4153 E St., Eureka, paintings: oils and
pastels, [email protected].
Susan Fox, 1550 Dena Drive, McKinleyville, painting: oils;
drawings: graphite, charcoal, [email protected].
Libby George, StewArt Studios, 1125 16th St., Arcata,
826-0170, pastels and prints, [email protected].
Shawn Gould, 2610 Fairfield St. #3, Eureka, 476-8197,
painting: acrylics, [email protected].
Samuel M. Gregerson, 12 Trillium Lane, Bayside, 822-8001,
traditional fine woodworking w/emphasis on veneer decoration,
[email protected].
Kay Heitcamp, 1613 R St., Eureka, 476-9231, original beadwork;
notecards; mixed media painting, [email protected].
Geta Hershberger, 95 Anker Road, Fieldbrook, 839-0970,
painting: watercolors, [email protected].
Jane K. Higley, 207 G St. #112, Eureka, painting, mixed
media, sculpture, [email protected].
Bernice Huston, 29 Glendale Road, Blue Lake, painting:
acrylics; weaving; floor paintings, [email protected].
Ruth Johanna Jameson, painting: oil and mixed media; bronze
sculpture; giclee prints, [email protected].
Joyce Jonte, StewArt Studios, 1125 16th St., Arcata, watercolors;
florals and nudes, [email protected].
Deborah Kallish, 363 Trinity St. #3, Trinidad, 677-0821,
drawings: newspaper nudes; paintings: oils and watercolors.
John King, 4127 Soule St., Eureka, concrete, [email protected].
Mary Ann Kirtley, 2320 Albee St., Eureka, 445-8584, burl
bowls; wooden utensils; stone carvings and masks.
Mimi LaPlant, 208 C St., Eureka, 826-1680, painting: mixed
media, [email protected].
Juanita Larson, 207 G St., Eureka, 445-8948, watercolors,
mixed media, [email protected].
Chi-Wei Lin, 514 Ewing St., Trinidad, 677-9010, painting:
oils, [email protected].
Donna Lin, 514 Ewing St., Trinidad, 677-9010, painting:
oils, [email protected].
Beverly Soja Longaker, Studio Soja, 3458 Old Arcata Road,
Bayside, blown and fused glass; art glass, giftware; hot glass
blowing demos, [email protected].
Lost Coast Art Glass, 1131 S. Westhaven Drive, Trinidad,
677-0717, hot glass, [email protected].
Peggy Loudon, 148 Myrtle Court, Arcata, ceramics, [email protected].
Carol Lucas, 2320 Albee St., Eureka, painting: oils and
watercolors.
Oceana Madrone, 1521 Fox Farm Road, Trinidad, 677-0431,
quilting, beadwork, and dolls, oceana @humboldt1.com.
Glenn S. Matthews, 207 G St., Eureka, photography; mixed
media; installation art.
Whit McLeod, 5720 West End Road, Arcata, 822-7307, furniture:
recycled wood and metal, [email protected].
Elsie Mendes, 4938 Herron Road, Eureka, painting: watercolors,
acrylics, mixed media, [email protected].
Linda Mitchell, 909 E St., Eureka, 444-3016, painting:
oils, [email protected].
Irving Moskowitz, 2135 F St., Eureka, 476-0421, painting:
oils on canvas, [email protected].
Michelle Murphy-Ferguson, 207 G St., Eureka, paintings:
oils, [email protected].
Kathy O'Leary, 208 C St., Eureka, 442-3213, painting:
oils, [email protected].
Ananda Oliveri, 3015 1 / 2 M St., 476-0761, painting and
mixed media, [email protected].
Linda Parkinson, 1550 Dena Drive, McKinleyville, 822-7705,
painting: watercolors, acrylics, [email protected].
Sasha Pepper, 207 G St. #105, Eureka, 825-7579, painting:
oils; monotypes, [email protected].
Cathy Ray Pierson, 132 Azalea Way, Eureka, 443-1665, ceramics,
[email protected].
Kate Purcell, 2572 Myrtle Ave., Eureka, ceramics, [email protected].
Michael Quinlan, 207 G St. #106, Eureka, 826-1924, painting:
mixed media and collage, [email protected].
Rachel Ritter, 208 C St., Eureka, painting: oils, [email protected].
Victoria Ryan, 2286 Ralphs Court, Eureka, 442-9160, pastels,
[email protected].
Shirley Salzman, 1184 Bayview St., Arcata, mixed media,
[email protected].
Alan Sanborn, 1491 H St., Arcata, 822-7958, watercolors;
fine art prints, [email protected].
Claire Iris Schencke, 1641 Hyland St., Bayside, watercolors;
mixed media, [email protected].
Stock Schlueter, 208 C St., Eureka, painting: oil, [email protected].
Bob & Donna Sellers, 920 K St., Eureka, 442-2123,
photo painting, mixed media, photography, [email protected].
Patricia Sennott, 16th St., between H & I sts., Arcata,
822-7497, monotype prints and watercolor paintings.
Alice Shaw, 1402 G St., Eureka, 268-0463, watercolors,
prints, painted furniture.
Zachary Shea, 3257 Old Arcata Road, Bayside, 839-7368,
wood; black-and-white photography, [email protected].
Suzanne Simpson, StewArt Studios, 1125 16th St., Arcata,
825-8542, whimsical art, mixed media, watercolors, [email protected].
Laurel Skye, 948 11th St., Arcata, 822-6677, Italian glass
mosaics, www.homepage.mac.com/laurelskye.
James Smith, Third Eye Sculpture Works, 326 So. G St,
Arcata, 496-1515, sculpture: metal, wood, clay, [email protected].
Sarah Smith, Third Eye Sculpture Works, 326 South G St.,
Arcata, 496-1515, sculpture: metal, wood, clay, [email protected].
Hans Spek, 2510 Virginia Drive, Fortuna, 725-6722, painting:
oil and watercolor.
Bea Stanley, 1765 Patricks Point Drive, Trinidad, 677-9150,
painting: oil; drawings; greeting cards.
Kathryn Stotler, Alder Creek Handwovens, 1228 La Pointe
Road, Eureka, fiber.
The Studio, 242 C St., Eureka, 443-1428, painting: acrylics,
watercolors; sculpture; mosaics, [email protected].
Dolores Terry, 4938 Herron Road, Eureka, 443-4081, painting:
oil and acrylics.
Mary Ann Testagrossa, 2521 E St., Eureka, 445-8546, watercolors,
polymer clay jewelry, [email protected].
Nic Timmerman, 1090 Hill Top Drive, Fortuna, 725-5256,
ceramics: raku pottery, [email protected].
Steven Vander Meer, StewArt Studios, 1125 16th St., Arcata,
822-4338, drawing; rubber stamps, [email protected].
Mike Vitiello, 207 W. Wabash #1, Eureka, 268-8568, painting:
acrylic; wood burnings; recycled art.
Stasia Walters, 201 Redwood Ave., Blue Lake, 668-1962,
ceramics, [email protected].
Catherine Warnock, StewArt Studios, 1125 16th St., Arcata,
watercolors; fabric collage, [email protected].
Lisa Marie Waters, 1433 11th St., Arcata, 822-1600, pastels
and giclee fine art prints, [email protected].
John Wesa, 1255 Creek Court, McKinleyville, 839-1754,
serigraphy: screen printing, [email protected].
Michael Woods, 208 C St., Eureka, painting.
Faye Zierer, 5015 Dows Prairie Road, McKinleyville, soft
pastels, [email protected].
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