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.

Laurie 'Arupa' Richardson

HAC Member Since: 2002

 I consider myself primarily a watercolorist that finds inspiration in the beauty of my natural surroundings and the ordinary in life. For me, creativity is  an ongoing process, an "active" meditation and practice.

Since 1994 I have worked as a Teaching Artist (and now credentialed art teacher) in many public schools and art organizations (like the Humboldt Arts Council and the Ink People). I taught museum art classes and summer art camps for children at the Morris Graves Museum of Art for 7 years. During the summer, I facilitate painting retreats and offer adults watercolor workshops at the Morris Graves Foundation in Loleta.  

A complete resume of my exhibition history and teaching experience is available upon request. My paintings can be viewed at my studio by appointment only. For more information about my artwork and classes, contact me at: arupasart1@gmail.com .

Kim Reid

HAC Member Since: 2018
(707) 682-6575
http://KimARTandDesign.com

Kim Reid's lifetime interest in art began in childhood, then on to university studying fine art, art history and design.  Many years were invested in a large aircraft company as technical illustrator and graphic designer.
 
Her ever-expanding repertoire of watercolor paintings and limited edition prints are displayed in many local galleries and venues in Humboldt, the most popular collection being the redwood forests of the Pacific Northwest and Lost Coast. (KimARTandDesign.com)  She is working on a series of portraits of the most iconic ancient redwoods, for example: Luna, The Corkscrew Tree, Giant Tree, Big Tree and Big Red.  She wants to extend her gallery reach into Mendocino County.  Other works by Kim include euro castle history (CastleColors.com), ancestral villages and California Missions (MissionPaintings.com). Larger viewing of these portfolio images are available on these gallery websites. Capturing nature in landscapes and history has inspired all her painting collections. She is very glad to be showing and selling her work through Humboldt Artists Gallery in the Morris Graves Museum of Art.

Kim has created a series of relief sculptures called ReefLife. They are painted with acrylics and placed in plexi-glass boxes.

Jean Hawkins

After moving to Humboldt County I took classes with local artists from whom I still find inspiration. I exhibit my watercolors with two other artists; we're billed as Artists3. Recently, I was honored with awards at the Humboldt County Fair in Ferndale, CA and received special recognition from Humboldt Arts Council, and Redwood Art Association.

My 35-year career span moved from aerospace as a draftsman/technical illustrator to private industry as a computer graphics illustrator. Many projects included producing illustrated parts breakdowns (IPBs) of portions of the Northrop F-5 and Douglas DC-9 for publication, layout and design of schematic/logic drawings for printed-circuit boards, and cartography for the Oceanics Division. As a computer graphics illustrator in commercial business I enjoyed working on a wide variety of artwork including sales and marketing presentations, marketing brochures for the company products, and in-house publications.

Current membership: Humboldt Arts Council, Redwood Art Association, and Fortuna Art Council.

Shawn Gould

HAC Member Since: 2003
7074768197
http://www.shawngould.com

BiographyExploring the Iowa countryside in his youth, Shawn established his connection with nature and his curiosity to see more. He now feeds his curiosity exploring the beaches and mountains near his Northern California home. The local landscape and wildlife provide abundant inspiration and reference material for his work.

Shawn began his career in art as an illustrator, creating award winning science and natural history illustrations for clients like National Geographic, the Smithsonian Institute, and Audubon. He also illustrated two children's books. After about ten years, he was able to turn his attention full time to creating his own paintings.

Often, personal experience is the inspiration for Shawn's artwork. Many ideas for his paintings originate during trips into the wilderness he loves. Combining his experience and observations in nature with personal interpretation and creative expression, the paintings share a glimpse of Shawn's unique vision of the world around us. In the end, however, viewers will have their own experience with the imagery and their own response to it. Hopefully it will resonate with them in some way.

Shawn's work has received national recognition in Western Art Collector, American Artist, and Wildlife Art Magazines. His paintings have been exhibited in the Arts for the Parks Top 100, Birds in Art, Society of Animal Artists' Small Works - Big Impressions and Art of the Animal exhibitions, American Art in Miniature, and the Bennington Center for the Arts' Art of the Animal Kingdom. He was awarded First Place in the Humboldt Arts Council's Celebration of the Arts 2009 Juried Competition and Exhibition, Award of Excellence for the NatureWorks Art Show and Sale 2008, First Place at Small Works - Big Impressions 2007, and Best of Show in the 2007 Redwood Art Association Spring Exhibition.

Ginny Dexter

HAC Member Since: 2009
707-443-9489

or email me at: gindexter@sbcglobal.net

I currently donate my photography to Food for People for their newsletter and also donate the cover image for their gift cards: Christmas, Mother’s Day. I photograph for them special events like the Cowboy Convoy Food Drive. Annually I receive a press pass and follow and photograph the kinetics and For the Glory which can be viewed at KHUM. I make posters for participants of the kinetic race. I participate in alternative galleries to take art to businesses.Artist Statement: I love photography and, through this media, exploring new connections with all aspects of life on this planet. I was born on the island of Adak in Alaska and love Alaska’s wild beauty, which I visit often, to photograph. I am an avid traveler and have combined it with photography all of my adult life. I enjoy hiking and am in a hiking group that hikes weekly, taking me to new areas to explore and photograph. I am a long-time Humboldt County, CA resident and love the diversity of beauty in Humboldt. Where else can you live in a temperate climate, where there are redwoods, dunes, bays, lagoons, wildlife refuges, sloughs, wetlands and miles and miles of unspoiled beaches and rivers? Along with this amazing landscape comes a diversity of animals that are always fun to capture in an image. I am interested in keeping up with the latest technology in photography by reading, and taking workshops and classes. I am a student forever in this changing world. I strive to capture, in my photography, my love of this amazing planet and share it with you.

Julia Bednar

HAC Member Since: 1994
(707)-443-4081

Creating art has been part of Julia's life since she was a small child. Nature is her inspiration; from the beauty of a flower or a landscape, to the power and majesty of a rock formation or the charm and mystery of a cat. She works in watercolor, acrylic or oil... painting in an impressionistic or realistic style, depending on the subject and her emotional response to it. Painting is her way of experiencing the beauty and wonder of nature and sharing that experience.

Julia serves on the Board of Directors of the Redwood Art Association and the Humboldt Arts Council and is active in several art groups, including the Representational Art League and the Fortuna Arts Council.

Julia maintains an art studio at her home where she lives with several cats, strays who came from the gully to live with her and who often become subjects of her paintings. Her studio is open by appointment during the year.

According to ancient Chinese philosophy...to make art good enough to enter people's hearts is called "making stone into gold". That has become Julia's mission and her mantra.

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