Featured Artists for November

Gold Country Artists Gallery is proud to present Joyce Burr and Judith Perry as our Featured Artists for November. Their special reception will be on Third Saturday, November 21, from 6pm-9pm at the Gallery.

In addition, the Gallery is beginning a new quest on the entire day of this coming Third Saturday to help our community by partnering with the Center for Violence-Free Relationships. More details are described below.

Joyce Burr

Colorful glass pieces are what Joyce loves to create! Her works are always very colorful and useful at the same time. Joyce takes various pieces of glass and fuses them together to make her wonderful creations.

Joyce has many smaller pieces (such as this Cross Pendant I) that are very nicely priced—just right for a holiday gift. Her work spans from jewelry to home decorations.

If you are interested in finding out more about the glass-fusing process and seeing more of Joyce's work, check out Joyce's Gold Country Artists Gallery web page.

Judith Perry

Judy is an award-winning pastel artist whose paintings use color in wonderful ways. She has many paintings that she has done of California scenes (such as this one, Canyon Sunrise) that capture the light and spirit of the place.

She comes from a very artistic family and her paintings do indeed bring California's beauty to life on the canvas.

Judy is always entering various local shows and more often than not, she walks away with an award.

Give yourself a treat and come see Judy's work at the Gallery. You can also see more of her work on her Gold Country Artists Gallery web page.

Help Support Our Community

We are partnering with the Center for Violence-Free Relationships on this coming Third Saturday to help with their effort to build healthy relationships, families and communities. Gold Country Artists Gallery will be donating 10% of all sales for the entire day to the Center.

Please come by the Gallery and purchase a piece of our wonderful art and help support our community.

Third Saturday

Come by the Gallery on Third Saturday (November 21) and meet our two featured artists, sample some lite fare, taste some wine from Gold Hill Vineyards, listen to live music (Caroll Tuttle & friends) and help support our community.

www.goldcountryartistsgallery.com

Member Happenings

Several artists have events coming up and have been involved in various things:

• One of our photographers, Soroush, is a featured artist at the Artistic Edge in Sacramento; also, he is one of a group of people opening a new gallery, The Artists Collaborative in Old Sacramento
• Karen Caswell is teaching a free fly-tying class on October 31 at the Off The Hook Fly Shop on Broadway in Placerville.
• Crista Dixon and Chris Navratil will be in the Crocker Museum's Holiday Arts & Crafts Festival on Thanksgiving weekend, November 27, 28 & 29
• Judy Perry received 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention awards at the Sierra Pastel Society's membership show in October
• Tress Pearce will be at the Monterey Cowboy Poetry Festival Arts & Crafts show on December 11, 12 & 13 in Monterey, California

SPOOKY!!!

Trick or Treat on Main Street is coming this Saturday, October 31 from 4-6 pm on Main Street. If you have never experienced this event, you will be amazed at the thousands of people dressed up in great costumes! See more info on the PDA web site.

Stay safe this Halloween!

www.goldcountryartistsgallery.com

Colors of October

Fall is here and the wondrous month of October is beginning to display its color in the foothills around Placerville. At Gold Country Artists Gallery, we have wonderful artwork to complement the beautiful fall colors.

Featured Artists for October

Heidi Wilson

When you speak of color, Heidi's work shows it off wonderfully. She has been painting for over 40 years and is one of the founding members of Gold Country Artists Gallery. Her work runs the gamut from scenes of her travels to local scenes, animals, people, and floral.

Heidi's growing up in Europe and many travels made her someone who appreciates the beauty of place and can express it in her paintings. Her painting, Moorea Mood, is shown here.

Her watercolor and acrylic paintings are beautiful and would look good in any home or business.

See more of Heidi's work on her Gold Country Artists Gallery web page.

Ginny Wolff

Ginny is a long-time member of Gold Country Artists Gallery whose pottery has a great local following. The picture shows her Pit-Fired Pair.

Her hand-thrown Raku pottery has freehand designs including birds, four-legged creatures, fish and flowers.

Many of Ginny's pieces will be on display and for sale at Gold Country during the month of October and into the holiday season.

You can see more of Ginny's work on her Gold Country Artists Gallery web page.

Art & Wine Festival

This Saturday evening, October 17 from 6pm – 9pm, Historic Main Street will be host to the annual Art & Wine Festival. There will be 39 wineries in many of the businesses for tasting wines (tickets are available at the Placerville Downtown Association website).

Many downtown businesses will be open that evening and there will be art demonstrations (including at Gold Country Artists Gallery) and great music downtown.

In addition, it is the evening that the banners from this year's Art on Parade (2009 Banners on Parade) will be auctioned off during the "Silent Auction" on Main Street. You will have a chance to actually buy one of the beautiful banners that has hung on Main Street over this past summer. All the proceeds from the auction go to help fund Art on Parade in the future.

The banner shown here is Gold Country Artists Gallery member Dianna Schwierzke's banner, Harvest Moon.

Colors

Last, but not least, Fall around Placerville is beginning to show its true colors! With Apple Hill going on, the wineries' vines in full color, and the beautiful trees in the area also in full color, October is coming to its full glory quickly.

Come to Placerville and enjoy the day on Saturday: ride an authentic stagecoach, visit Apple Hill and shop in some of the most unique shops anywhere in the Motherlode. Come meet the artists at Gold Country Artists Gallery and stick around for the Art & Wine Festival on Saturday night.

Come and have some fun!

www.goldcountryartistsgallery.com

Busy September

September is a busy month in these parts! Not only does Gold Country Artists Gallery have two featured artists, but also September's Placerville ArtWalk is coming this weekend and the Studio Tour is coming this weekend too!

Featured Artists for September

Joyce Bahnsen

Joyce is truly a multifaceted artist, working her magic with paintings in watercolor, painted wearable art, painted furniture, and teaching. One of her painted scarves was worn during a fashion show for Girl's Night Out on Historic Main Street in downtown Placerville recently. Joyce's recent watercolors of the mountains give you the feeling of being there.

Soroush

Soroush creates wonderful photographs that are very sharp and colorful. The item that first draws your eye is the colors. Then as you look deeper into one of his photographs, you see some amazing detail. Many of his works are photographs done on canvas and are magnificent.

Placerville ArtWalk

During Placerville ArtWalk this Saturday night (September 19, 5pm-9pm) Gold Country Artists Gallery will be showcasing the work of Joyce Bahnsen and Soroush. We will have some goodies and some wine for you when you stop by and we will be participating in the food drive downtown for The Upper Room—see the article in the Sacramento Bee.

There will be music downtown at the Bell Tower provided by "Ant Bee" and lots of the businesses on Historic Main Street in downtown will be open for you to come by and peruse their wares and have some great food in one of the several great restaurants on Main Street.

The photo at the top of this post shows a view of inside Gold Country Artists Gallery during one of this summer's Placerville ArtWalks. There's a new video showing some of the happenings during the Placerville ArtWalks this summer and you can see it here. Also, if you are out and about earlier in the day, catch a free ride on Davey Wiser's stagecoach on Main Street near the Bell Tower from 12pm-4pm.

PAA Studio Tour

Also this weekend, the 2009 Studio Tour will be happening in western El Dorado County. The 2009 Studio Tour, sponsored by the Placerville Art Association, is an opportunity for you to visit artists in their studios and talk with them about their art and inspiration. 19 artists from Gold Country Artists Gallery (including Pam Snyder, whose work Salmon Falls Bridge is shown here) will be participating in the Studio Tour, so after you go on the Studio Tour, drop by Gold Country Artists Gallery to see not only more of their work but also the work of many other fine artists in our gallery.

Also, drop by Gold Country Artists Gallery to pick up one of the Studio Tour map-books. The cost for the book is $6 and it will be your ticket to a wonderful free event that will enable you to see some of El Dorado County's best art.

For more information about what is going on around the area see these websites too:

• Placerville Downtown Association
• El Dorado County Visitor's Authority
• El Dorado Arts Council

Also, don't forget that Apple Hill has started for the fall season! See more information at their website, applehill.com.

Whatever you decide to do, you can have a wonderful time in El Dorado County!

www.goldcountryartistsgallery.com

GCA Member Happenings

There's a lot of activities that Gold Country Artists Gallery members are always involved in and here are some of the most recent great things that some of our members are doing.

PAA Mother Lode Show

We had four members who had entries accepted in the Placerville Art Association's recent Mother Lode Art Exhibition that concluded on August 30: Jimmie Grann, Bruce Gruenzel, Judith Perry and Rod Williams. Rod's gouache-media piece, Three in the River (shown above), won Best in Show. Congrats to the Rod and all the members whose entries were accepted into the show. If you didn't see the show, it was great!

KVIE Art Auction

As we do every year, Gold Country Artists Gallery had five entries in our local Public Television's (KVIE) fundraising Art Auction that were donated by members. Members who donated work to the auction this year were Lorrene Davis, Jack Nissen, Judith Perry, Annette Schachner and Dianna Schwierzke.

Judith Perry's View of the Valley-Yosemite won a second place in the Drawing and Pastels category. Above is a photo of Judy and her piece at the KVIE Art Auction Preview Gala. Congrats to Judy and thanks to all members who donated work on behalf of the Gallery!

California State Fair

Cecelia Clark had one of her wonderful photographs accepted for display at the California State Fair. The photograph, Qaisareyeh Bazaar, Isfahan, is one of the many photographs taken by Cecelia during her many travels. Congratulations to Cecelia!

And a Few More

Lorrene Davis won Honorable Mention in the "You Rock" contest in the category of Rings & Things. Also, Lorrene was a presenter and teacher at the Metal Clay World Conference in Chicago recently.

Judy Hamner won a first place at the Amador County Fair for her watercolor, Still Life, and a second place for one of her pastels. Judy is also teaching children's art at Gold Oak School this year and at her home (in addition, she is teaching Adult Art classes at her home).

Girl's Night Out

Girl's Night Out is coming to Historic Main Street again on Saturday night, September 12, 6-9 pm. Come by the Gallery for snacks and beverages and to see some of our wonderful artists demonstrating their talents.

Also, just come downtown to enjoy the festive atmosphere and partake of the many activities in the businesses downtown. To see more information about Girl's Night Out and all the events downtown, see the Placerville Downtown Association website.

Hope to see you soon!

www.goldcountryartistsgallery.com

Summer at Gold Country

There are many events on Main Street in Historic Placerville in the summertime. Not only is Placerville's Art on Parade showing throughout the summer downtown (the 2009 Banners on Parade), but also there have been various great events every month, including Placerville ArtWalk.

The above photo shows the first floor of Gold Country Artists Gallery during one of this summer's Placerville ArtWalk Third Saturday events: people having a good time looking at art and meeting on a warm summer night.

Placerville ArtWalk at Gold Country

Placerville ArtWalk will be happening on Main Street in Placerville on Saturday, August 15, from 5 pm to 9 pm. Our two featured artists during the month of August are two of our photographer members, Bob Sherwood and Bud Bradley.

Bob Sherwood

Bob Sherwood's concept of photography is to try and capture a moment in time in the most beautiful way possible. The beauty is there everywhere we look. The trick is to get it captured just as it looks in real life. Bob has traveled to 3 continents and more than 19 countries for photographic opportunities.

He has a wonderful collection of work and shows several of his many pieces at Gold Country Artists Gallery. Come by the Gallery and chat with Bob about photography.

This work is his photograph entitled Yosemite Falls Reflection. See more of Bob's photography on his Gold Country Artists Gallery web page.

Bud Bradley

Bud is a returning member to the Gallery and is anxious to show his latest work to the public. He's been a photographer most of his life and continues to grow as a photographer.

After moving to the Sierra Foothills and getting involved with the art community, Bud expanded his vistas and started telling stories with portraiture and physical surroundings. Travels throughout Europe, especially Italy, provided him with an unlimited canvas on which to ply his trade.

Come by the Gallery to meet Bud and see his great photographs, including the one shown here: Sunlight Dining, Cinque Terra. You can enjoy more of Bud's great photo artistry on his Gold Country Artists Gallery web page.

Come by Gold Country Artists Gallery to meet our two Featured Artists and meet many of our other artists during the August Placerville ArtWalk.

We want you to come downtown, stop by Gold Country Artists Gallery, and experience Placerville ArtWalk!

www.goldcountryartistsgallery.com

Seventeen and Counting!

Gold Country Artists Gallery is 17 years old—just a teenager! We would love to have you help us celebrate our anniversary on Saturday evening, July 18, 2009 from 5 pm to 9 pm at the Gallery during Placerville ArtWalk!

Way back in 1992, several artists in Placerville got together to form a new cooperative art gallery in Placerville. The original location was where the PLA store is now. After 4 years there, the Gallery moved to our current location at 379 Main Street. There were about 20 artists originally and now we have close to 50!

Placerville ArtWalk

The Placerville ArtWalk (formerly known as Third Saturday) is on the 3rd Saturday of each month. Many businesses on Main Street are open during that evening and there are special happenings downtown, including wonderful music at the Bell Tower. This month, a blues band from Texas by the name of Diddley Squat Blues Band will be performing—and they are great!

Gold Country Artists Gallery will be celebrating our 17th anniversary with cake, live music (Carroll Tuttle & Friends), live demonstrations by Karen Caswell (Fly Tying), Chris Navratil (Pottery making), and Diane Mobley (making pine needle baskets). Gold Country Artists Gallery is one of the major sponsors of the Placerville ArtWalk. See more information at the Placerville Downtown Association website. We hope you can join us!

July Featured Artists

Our Featured Artists for July are Lisa Bone and Elaine Wallin.

Lisa Bone

Lisa Bone has been involved with ceramics and pottery for many years, but it became serious for her about 3 years ago when an art studio was built for her. She learned the Raku firing process while taking classes and loved it so much that it is her preferred firing technique. She enjoys Raku so much because of its unpredictable and beautiful results. Her style is varied. Some pieces are very elaborate and ornate, while others are very simple and earthy.

Her techniques include Traditional Raku, horse hair, saggars and naked Raku. She also gives lessons from her studio to share her knowledge and love of the art.

She lives locally in Shingle Springs with her husband and two sons. Her recent passion for horses has had quite an influence on her art.

Elaine Wallin

Elaine Wallin's oil paintings can be seen throughout the U.S. and abroad in private and commercial collections. She was featured artist on the cover of the MinuteMan Press™ calendar for the Millennium year 2000. The California State Capital exhibited 36 of her oils in a recent exhibition.

The broad appeal of her art stems from the warmth flowing from her work. Her colors are rich, warm and vibrant. Her impressionistic brush strokes weave abstract patterns throughout her work.

In her landscapes and seascapes, the viewer rarely feels lonely. Whether the painting shows figures enjoying themselves in flowering gardens or at the water's shores, the human presence is always felt.

As Elaine says, "I want my paintings to reflect my outlook on life—to share with the viewer a feeling of happiness and pleasure."

Come Help Us Celebrate!

Come help us celebrate our 17th anniversary and see the work of (and meet!) our two wonderful featured artists during the July Placerville ArtWalk on July 18.

www.goldcountryartistsgallery.com