Melissa Zielinski

(707) 496-8227
http://www.millcreekglass.com

I love color and sunlight so it is natural that I love colored glass. I have been designing and creating traditional stained glass windows, light fixtures and window pieces since 1985, but I began working in fused glass in 2005. Patterns, shapes and subjects found in nature inspire me so most of my pieces involve leaves, jellyfish, dragonflies and other beautiful plants and animals.  I have been educating people about nature through most of my career as a natural history museum professional and I see my glass art as another form of teaching.I work with iridized translucent glass - glass that you can see through but with a special chemical coating that gives a subtle sparkly rainbow effect. I draw patterns for  my designs, cut and grind the glass pieces and assemble each piece using ground glass (frit), stringers (long, thin noodles), or glass confetti depending on the design. The glass is fused in one firing up to 1450 degrees in my kiln and then is slumped or softened to take the shape of a mod in a second firing.  There is some unpredictability with each firing, so it is a surprise each time I open the kiln.  This appeals to me and is a marked difference between traditional stained glass and fused glass.Glass work has brought me hours of creative enjoyment. I hope that, through my artwork, others can share my appreciation of the beauty in nature.

Linda Wise

HAC Member Since: 2005
7074453135
http://artbylindawise.com

I am a manager for a garbage company in Eureka, California. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of waste humans generate. Objects seem to lose their usefulness so quickly in our society. But many things are still useful. The reality of waste is that there really is no such thing as waste. Most items that are discarded still have usefulness. Today waste is used as a raw resource that can be transformed into building materials, playground mats, new containers, compost, energy and in my case, ART! When I go to the dump, I don’t see waste. I see the potential for sculptured deer, cows, goats, warrior women, benches and gates. I let the objects that I find give me direction to what forms my sculptures will take, some abstract, some functional, some serious and some are whimsical. I am an artist who is moving from an emerging to a mid-career level. I have been shown in both solo and group exhibitions in museums and galleries located in northern California including the Morris Graves Museum, Kronos Fine Art Gallery and the C Street Hall Gallery. My work has been recognized by art critics and received many awards in professionally juried shows.

Joseph Wilhelm

HAC Member Since: 2001
(707) 826-7184
http://www.meridianphoto.com

I photograph the twenty-first century cultural landscape and am most influenced by the photographers associated with the New Topographics of the 1970's. In addition to my own landscape photography, I am self-employed as Meridian Fine Art (est. in 1996) where I provide photography and digital print services for the art and craft community.

For more info about services click here: Meridian Fine Art.___________________

The conceptual nature of my landscape work is focused on how people influence the natural landscape and how this reflects cultural values and expression. In this regard, I not only document the scene as it appears at the time of being there but I aim to capture the feeling of its place. 
Subject matter runs a range from ancient and disappearing alterations associated with cultures prior to Euro-American settlement to contemporary North American development and decay. This can included prehistoric ruins and petroglyphs, modern subdivisions, water and electrical delivery systems, mining, industrial and military environments, popular roadside attractions and outsider expressions associated with graffiti and vandalism. 

For more about my work click here: Joseph Wilhem.

Don R. Walker

HAC Member Since: 1993
(707) 825-8010

My abstract watercolor and acrylic paintings express and celebrate the dynamics of life forces.  Creation, growth, expansion, decay and transition occur at various levels and scales.  Interaction of these forces create clashes, mixes and entanglements everchanging in the flow of time.  Finding strokes, marks and colors, that in particular combinations, express life's wonderful variety and fluidity in unique and engaging images is my goal.

George Ventura

HAC Member Since: 2014
(707) 637-0371

I have always been intrigued by various types of light and how we use them. I was curious how visible light was transformed when projected through a prism or crystal. When I started taking photos I wanted to manipulate what the eye could see so the effect in my pictures is prismatic, and by trial and error, I succeeded. The process I use is diffraction. The whole technique produces photos I and hopefully you, see as paintings (trompe-l'oeil).

Diffraction is the manipulation of parallel lines on a grating tool, an optical component which fools the camera's eye, creating a unique image. This occurs in the field (en plein air) as I'm taking my photographs. Each signed piece of art is a monoprint.

My art gives me "the armor to survive the reality of everyday life". It involves me almost daily in the intricacy of nature while allowing me to spend time hiking and taking photographs.

My art is how I found my current joy.
There are no time limits to your dreams.

Current and Upcoming Exhibitions:

Redwood Arts Association, Gallery One in Eureka: April 1st - October 8th
Umpqua Bank, Upstairs Galley in Arcata: April 12 - May 11th
Rio Dell City Hall, April 1st - May 30th
Umpqua Bank - 1360 Main Street in Fortuna: June 1st - July 31st
Redwood Arts Association w/ Fortuna Arts Council, Gallery One in Eureka: October 9th - December 8th

Thank You for taking my Visual Tour.

Ron Thompson

HAC Member Since: 2005
(707) 599-4752

Ron's watercolors and oil paintings can be seen at Gallagher's Irish Pub, 139 2nd Street, Eureka

Gwen Thoele

HAC Member Since: 2003
(707) 826-1556
https://humboldtarts.org/coming

Gwen Thoele is a prolific surrealist oil painter.  She lived for many years in San Francisco where she flourished and honed her craft.  She has had  shows in downtown San Francisco as well as in Big Sur and Marin.  Her art has also traveled around the world with the ArtRage Us exhibition.  Gwen Thoele is very happy to have settled in the Eureka Arcata area.  She currently lives in the woods near Arcata and is quoted as saying: "The life of a surrealist in a beautiful place is a pleasure."  Her local solo shows include Piante as well as 2 shows at the First Street Gallery.  She has also shown at Morris Graves in numerous group shows.  Each of her shows are based on a specific theme.     Her paintings sell for $500 to $3000 and her works are in collections all over the world.

Laurel Skye

(707) 822-6677
http://web.me.com/laurelskye

I am a mosaic artist, teacher and owner of Laurel Skye Designs Studio in Arcata, California.  My daughter, Marley Goldman  and I, work together to create unique mosaics as well as teach eleven different workshops in methods and techniques that vary from basic to advanced.  We teach at my studio, Skyelab, in Arcata, as well as throughout the United States, Europe and Mexico.  Our store carries mosaic tiles and supplies and is open to anyone interested in exploring this very tactile medium.    

I have been tiling for over thirty years, and doing mosaics for the last fourteen.  Marley has worked in mosaics since she was 11 (she is now 24), and studied with me at Luciana Notturni's Scuola Arte del Mosaico in Ravenna, Italy when she was just 16.  FW Publishers (North Light Books) recently published my book : Mosaic Renaissance/Reviving Classic Tile Art with Millefiori.  This is the first mosaic book to explore the use of Italian millefiori in mosaic art. I work and teach in a variety of materials, including glass, ceramic, broken dishes, beads, jewelry, findings, rocks, stones and 24K gold.  Our home is a mosaic showcase, housing over 200 mosaics, Skyelab and three rooms dedicated to  offering the largest selection of mosaic supplies on the West Coast.  We are open to the public for shopping, workshops or simply visiting and exploring our mosaic environment.