Times-Standard
Eureka, California
June 2, 2017
Seven Humboldt artists will join forces for the first weekend of North Coast Open Studios at the Samoa Women’s Club in Samoa. Working in silk, clay, watercolors, sumi ink and photography, this diverse group of artists will show their work on Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 5. There is also a special preview tonight from 6 to 9 p.m.
The “Seven in Samoa” includes silk painter Tina Gleave, Japanese watercolor artist Annette Makino, pet portrait artist Leslie Allen, ceramicist Jennifer Rand, photographer and mixed media artist Nancy Baar, and watercolor painter Araya Shon. Manga-inspired drawings by Kaylee Paredes will also be shown. Kaylee, who participated in Open Studios at the same venue last year, died of an asthma attack just before her 15th birthday in February. This year’s event is dedicated to her, and proceeds from her art sales will benefit a fund for high school artists.
At the Samoa Women’s Club, the artists will show their work, discuss their inspirations and demonstrate their tools and techniques. They will offer original work for sale as well as art prints, silk clothing, greeting cards, jewelry, ceramics and more.
Allen paints watercolor portraits of people and their pets. She said, “My experiences with many rescued pets have finally intersected with my painting. Creating an image of a beloved pet is very rewarding for me.”
Baar has explored many mediums throughout her artistic career—while her love of flowers has been a constant. But the day her first digital camera arrived in the mail, she knew she had found her true passion.
Inspired by nature and all things art, Gleave finds her original designs in everyday life and adds a ethereal quality to her silk paintings. She transforms her hand-painted designs into wearable fashions, including scarves, wraps, shirts, kimonos and jewelry. She said, “Open Studios is a wonderful opportunity to connect directly with the public and share my work in a relaxed, friendly environment.”
Using Japanese watercolors and sumi ink, Makino combines her joyful paintings with original haiku and other words. She said, “My goal as an artist and writer is to help people find joy and meaning in their daily lives and deepen their connections with the people they love.”
Rand says she is drawn to ceramics primarily for the sense of connection it gives her to something larger than herself. “Through my work, I feel as if I am able to participate in the long geologic history of the earth itself and its natural processes,” she said. “I hope, through my art, to evoke some sense of the wonder of these processes and the world to which they have given birth.”
Shon has been painting with watercolors since she was 5 years old, and especially loves to paint flowers. Now in seventh grade at Fieldbrook School, she said, “Painting makes me very happy. Art has the ability to touch people; I want to change the world with my art.”
The historic Samoa Women’s Club, which looks out onto the dunes, is rarely open to the public. The house is located between Arcata and Eureka at 115 Rideout Avenue in Samoa
Refreshments will be served at this family-friendly event. The building is wheelchair accessible. The event is free and open to the public.