Eric Joyner
http://www.ericjoyner.com

“In 2000, after years of painting other people’s pictures, I made the decision to only paint things that I liked. Four series of paintings of different subjects were started; they were: San Francisco urbanscapes, paintings of old newspaper cartoons characters, Mexican masks, and last but not least, Japanese tin (toy) robots. Though all four series of these subjects were enjoyable to do, I chose to focus on the tin robots, as they were the most popular & seemed to have the most
possibilities.

So, armed with a small collection of tin robots & spaceships I began painting them in earnest. In attempt to bring them to life without loosing their charm, I showed them where they belonged: outer space. By 2002 the paintings were looking good, but they still needed something to play off of…perhaps a nemesis. After a month or so of searching for a ‘nemesis’ I had an epiphany while watching the movie ‘Pleasantville.’ In one of the scenes, Jeff Daniels paints a still life of…donuts.. With thoughts of Wayne Thiebaud’s pastries always close at hand, it wasn’t difficult to see the battle scene of robots retreating from 300-foot tall donuts when I went to bed that night. The rest, as they say, is history.‘ Robots & Donuts’ The Art of Eric Joyner’, published by Dark Horse is due for release July 4, 2007.

Michele Hausman
http://www.michelehausman.com/

I am drawn to paint the natural landscape. Since I was a child, I enjoyed being out of doors. I spent many hours on my horse exploring the old logging roads in the New England Berkshires. I caught pollywogs, minnows, and frogs in the seasonal creek that ran behind our home. I experienced twenty-four New England autumns with the leaves of crimson and gold. These early experiences heightened my sensitivity to the landscape and affect my interpretations and painting today.

I was very interested in art as a child and experimented in oil, watercolors and pastel. My first gallery exhibit of my watercolors was in 1992. I worked in watercolor in my studio from slides for many years before I rediscovered the beauty of oil painting. With oils I am able to mix dark colors quickly, without layering, and can capture a mood or the light of the day. I love painting outdoors, experiencing nature and attending to the color range that is not captured in photographs. I use a primary palette to keep my color clean and bright. I often use a painting knife to apply paint, sometimes leaving the hard edges and sometimes blending them smooth. Much of my inspiration comes from the creatures and woodlands along Soquel Creek, from other natural places in Santa Cruz County, and from my travels.
The Society of Six, a group of California landscape painters, wrote in their manifesto "To us, seeing is the greatest joy of existence, and we try to express that joy." Bringing my joy of seeing to others through my painting gives me great satisfaction.

Robert Cantor
http://www.robertcantor.com/

"My work always begins with the human figure and face. I create figures, often stylized, in the hope that through movement, kinetic tension, the exaggeration of form, or the sheer beauty of line, some thoughtful and heartfelt aspect of human existence will be revealed. And I sculpt busts because I believe a skillfully realized expression is probably the most direct way to give life to bronze or stone. For me, the most moving of all sculptural forms are those that capture the psychological ambiguities, conflicts, and hidden meanings of everyday life.

In another series of polymer clay studies that I think of as "the Human Comedy", I've tried to capture a distorted, cartoon-like, humorous, but always faithful depiction of human character and relationship; as in a dream when someone appears strange but recognizable, usually because some essence or private obsession is exposed.

In making all of these sculpted forms, my desire is to arouse something visceral; to comfort, to induce a chuckle, to invite reflection, and on occasion, to startle, to make the hairs stand up on your neck."

Robin Kibby
http://www.robinkibby.com/index.html

My paintings are created in studio on a large wooden easel I inherited from great Uncle Gordon. To prepare for new work, I create sketches and reference photos on location. In the studio, I do preliminary paintings on small canvas, where I work out color palettes, symbols, and composition.

I use professional grade Gamblin oil paint (pure pigment in refined linseed oil) on cotton or linen canvas coated with oil painting ground. These paints are very lightfast. I generally finish each piece with a traditional wax varnish. This provides a removable layer of varnish protection and gives the painting a light sheen. I prefer the wax varnish because it keeps the painting finish matte.

My art study in school, emphasized drawing techniques. I carry a fixation with varied mark making into my painting. I love the texture of oil paint, and like to build up the paint depth in an area of greater focus in each piece.

Traudel Prussin
http://www.traudelprussin.com/

I have been fascinated by sculpture for many years and have sculpted off and on for most of my adult life. In 1991, I began to study in the Bay Area.

As a classical figurative sculptor, I work to understand and express the dynamics, beauty and emotions of the human form. I studied with Anne Fisher in Orinda, Sahava Sherez and Lourdam Kimbrell at Studio One in Oakland, and Carole Tarzier in San Francisco. My studies continued with hands-on classes in “Anatomy for Artists” and “Portrait” and “Relief”, taught by Steven Perkins and Eugene Daub.

I work directly from models with different groups in the East Bay. I sculpt originally in water-based or oil-based clay (plastalina).After I am satisfied with the final form of a sculpture, I finish it in either of two ways. Clay pieces are fired and a patina is added. From a Plastalina sculpture, a rubber mold is cast, from which a Resin or Bronze sculpture is poured. A sculpture usually takes a very long time (months) from start to finish.

A native Californian, Ken Whitaker’s attraction to art led him to pursue an art degree at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia CA. He designed his own curriculum and received a BFA degree in animation and set design in 1990. While still attending art school, Whitaker joined a figurative sculpture group at the Sycamore Studios in Culver City, CA. It was here that he met and was mentored by master sculptor Bob Cunningham.

Whitaker began his professional career working in the entertainment and theme park design industry as a model maker, sculptor, and prop artist for companies that included, Walt Disney Imagineering and Landmark Entertainment. Whitaker eventually relocated to the San Francisco bay area and found work on various television and film projects, including Bump in the Night, Anaconda, Ants and The Haunting.

Whitaker got his first taste of bronze casting while working as a mold maker for the Mussi Art Works bronze Foundry in Berkeley, CA. It also placed him in the company of many well-known and respected artists from around the country. It was at Art Works that Whitaker took part in his first group art show, the annual Moonlight Pour exhibition.
The Chiodo Studios in Oakland, CA offered Whitaker the opportunity to stretch his abilities to work on large scale figurative sculptures and fantastic creatures for projects that included: Children’s Fairy Land in Oakland, CA, The Lost River Grill Restaurant and Comedy Club in Houston Texas, and the Shokawah Indian Casino in Hopland, California

Currently, Whitaker makes his home in Richmond, CA and works on sculpture
projects in his Berkeley studio.

Zahava Sherez
http://zahavasherez.com/

Flower Arrangement – Artist Statement

As our planet keeps shrinking and technology keeps evolving social, scientific and political occurrences across the globe become personal. We find ourselves emotionally involved in events happening to some stranger in Mozambique, Bilbao, or Brooklyn. Immigration and human mobility made multiculturalism part of our daily life. My neighbor may look like the person my parents or my culture urged me to fear, put down or discard. Bias, racism, and multiple oppressions live next door to us, it’s in our face and inside of us. How do we deal with our own identity and that of others in this changing world were labels divide us but reality brings us together?
I am Latina, Israeli/Middle Eastern, American, Jewish, white but not really. By the time I turned 10 I knew Spanish, some Yiddish, a bit of Russian, Quechua, Hebrew, and some Arabic. I had already experienced violent anti-Semitism and a full-blown war. Throughout my life I lived in three continents and been exposed to multiple cultures, traditions, customs, and behaviors.
The more I bought into “identity definition” the more I lost myself. In searching and defining my own identity I have embraced the understanding that our differences are essential to celebrating the human race.
In my life and in my work I explore personal and collective narratives, I question the limitations and divisions imposed by pre-defined criteria, I seek and find underlying messages that connect us all, I dive into myself and through that into others seeking essence and listening to personal stories.

“Step into yourself and you’ll find the Universe”, said Hakuin Zenji, the 18th century Zen master.

Michael Marx
http://www.unsaneart.com/

Michael J. Marx was born and raised in Newton, Mass., where he spent the first 18 years of his life. In 1987 he became a born-again Californian and has kept the faith for the last 16 years. He creates his art primarily in his Alameda residence and also in the workshops and studios of his East Bay friends.

Michael has a background in both fine arts and trade skills, which he combines to create his sculptures. As a young adult he took classes in printmaking, drawing, painting, jewelry, casting, stained glass, ceramics, metals and mixed media.

Upon his relocation he supplemented his prior education with instruction in welding, wood-working, mold making, and, most recently, precious metal clay or PMC, which he has worked with exclusively for the past 2 years.

PMC is a relatively new material unlike anything Michael had worked with in the past. He enjoys the reductive quality of the medium, which gives the pieces a higher level of detail than can be found with traditional methods and materials.

Michael continues to push the boundaries of the media he works with. The ideas and images he chooses to create stand out amongst the varied styles and designs of other PMC artists