Independence Day Weekend Art Opening at CHAC art gallery

On Sunday, July 7, Point Arena will be celebrating Independence Day with our annual parade and festivities.  The Coast Highway Artists Collective, CHAC, will join in the celebration with a parade entry, and an opening reception for a new exhibit in our art gallery at 284 Main St.  Barbara Fast, basketry, and Mirka Knaster, Mixed Media, will be our featured artists, and the reception will be from 1 to 4 P.M.  Drop in anytime during these hours which generally coincide with the parade activities down Main St.

Barbara’s work is highly eclectic in the use of ornamented basketry and hard gourds, creatively embellished with deer antlers, rawhide, sewn fabrics, and beadwork.  She also works in fabrics and felts, including a decorative use of natural organic dye techniques and designs in her handcrafted materials.

Mirka says her work is directly influenced by her daily life living on the Mendonoma coast, where the ever-changing light transforms the hues and textures of land, sea, and sky from dawn till nightfall.  She finds it exhilarating to intuitively translate her impressions and feelings into her art by engaging with color, texture, line, shape, space, and pattern.  She incorporates her visions in 2D and 3D fiber art, incorporating repurposed textiles, handmade papers from Asia, and embellished with ink, paint, wood and other materials.

The exhibit of our featured artists may be seen during the entire month of July.  Regular gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

GALA RECEPTION HELD FOR NEW JUNE 2019 EXHIBT AT CHAC ART GALLERY

 The reception for Ron Bolander, photographer, and Walt Rush, jeweler, and their new exhibit for June, 2019, at the Coast Highway Artists Collective (CHAC) art gallery in Point Arena, CA was a great success.  View the event in the posted video, above.  Ron discusses his environmental and social consciousness photographs.  Walt discusses his silver and gold, marine motif pieces crafted with the lost wax, straw mold, and water cast method, all on display.

 

JUNE EXHIBIT AT CHAC GALLERY IN POINT ARENA, CA

Ron Bolander, Art Photography,

Walt Rush, Jewelry

The exhibit runs all of June, 11 AM to 5 PM, Thursdays thru Sundays.  Opening Reception is on June 1, Saturday, 5 to 7 PM.  Meet the artists, see your friends, and enjoy live music at the reception.  Food and drinks provided by the artists and the gallery. 

In the years of formal education Ron developed his initial skills in processing a variety of black and white films, color transparency and negative films as well as in the major types of black and white and color printing.  It was also when he was first introduced to and developed an interest in studio work.  

After school, Ron Bolander went into commercial photography.  His specialties were people, large and small products, food, art and architecture.  He then focused his attention on fashion photography.  Ron photographed fashion for a number of the larger companies including: Guess sportswear, and he did both still and video photography for architecture design and sales.  His work appeared on the covers of numerous specialty magazines, including:  Culinary Trends, Surface Design, Western Treasures and Ceramics Monthly.   

Before moving to Northern California, Ron taught fashion photography at Orange Coast College, as well as conducting a monthly workshop for studio lighting and fashion photography at the Irvine Fine Arts Center. In the words of Ron: After 35 years as a professional photographer in L.A. and Northern California, I hope that  my experience, including a creative and technical  proficiency, gives the viewer a chance to see something different, original and maybe, thought provoking.

Walt Rush is a well known, local jeweler with over 40 years experience, and enjoys a worldwide clientele.  He has won numerous awards for his exquisite, one of a kind pieces, including many prizes at our local Art in the Redwoods, annual exhibit and art competition. 

Pagoda, by Ron Bolander

Pogonip Fog - Mono Lake, CA, by Ron Bolander

Unsheepish, by Ron Bolander

Ring, by Walt Rush

Necklace, by Walt Rush

 Ring, by Walt Rush

Paula Haymond - Sculptures in wood, metal, resin, stone

Paula Haymond's May, 2019 Sculptures Art Exhibit at the Coast HighwThe exhibit runs all of June, 11 AM to 5 PM, Thursdays thru Sundays.  Opening Reception is on June 1, Saturday, 5 to 7 PM.  Meet the artists, see your friends, and enjoy live music at the reception.  Food and drinks provided by the artists and the gallery.

Almost Fringe Festival, 2019

Hope you were able to join us at the lively annual celebration of the Almost Fringe Festival held throughout Point Arena on Saturday, April 13.  Our CHAC artists gallery had new art, food and drinks, and live music.  Downtown, there was a swinging, hot rock band performing next to the theater.  Check out the video above and you'll be tapping your feet and nodding your head to this super hot band.  Plus there were many good sales and offerings by all the merchants in our town.

 Please mark your calendar for a great new exhibit by Paula Haymond, opening on May 4, 5 - 7 P.M., catered appetizers, and drinks provided by artist and gallery. This will be one of the more thrilling contemporary sculpture exhibits you will see this year. Exhibit runs at the Point Arena CHAC gallery through May.

LAURA LEIGH, QUILTS,

& KRISTEN HOARD, METAL SCULPTURES

 A new exhibit, Feb. 1 - 24, with an opening reception for the artists on Sat., Feb. 2, 5 - 7 p.m.  Guest artist Laura Leigh has some gorgeous quiltwork to exhibit, and Kristen is a new member of the collective whose earlier exhibit of her work in metal sculptures and steampunk specialty was an outstanding success.  See the above video for a short clip of Kristen and her work at that exhibit.  She will have some new work to show us at our February exhibit.  Come out and meet these two wonderful artists and have them walk you through the display and discuss the work if you'd like.  Food and drink will be made available by the collective and the featured artists.

Post Reception note:  Click on the Videos tab at the top of this page to go to our videos page and see a video of Laura and Kristen's works for a more complete display at the February Exhibit

Mermaid in blue sea

Octopus 

Paris, in steampunk 

HATZ GALLORE - A POP-UP VENDOR IN GALLERY

Be sure to check our gallery's current pop-up event, HATZ GALLORE, featuring Mary Thomas' hats for women, with original, one-of-a-kind designs, handmade, high fashion creations. The pop-up inventory will remain on sale through business hours for December, so there's still time for your holiday shopping. Check out our video showing Ling-Yen modelling a variety of hats as Mary comments on the design features. Shopping hours at the gallery are Thursday through Mondays, 11 AM till 5 PM (closed on Christmas)

GERALDINE LIABRAATEN 

Visual Poetry in Photographs

We are pleased to announce a new member of our Collective, Geraldine Liabraaten.  Geraldine has a unique approach to selecting and framing her subject to give a uniquely poetic composition that will resonate with the viewer.  Here are a few words from her to describe her art:

There are many inspirations for the images I capture: poetry, architecture, automobiles, parking garages...pretty much anything can make me grab my camera and start shooting.

I love color, diagonal lines, and rich patterns. The final work may look quite different from the original object, as I like to move in close, grab a corner or change the angle of view, though I do not alter the photographs once taken.

I want to make you wonder, to ponder, and then to have that “aha!” moment when recognition strikes. 

We invite you to stop by our gallery and view some of Geraldine's work, and perhaps visualize the dramatic effect they may lend to an area in your own home.

ANDREA POLK - EXPRESSIONIST PHOTOGRAPHER

Coast Highway Artists Collective welcomes a new member, Andrea Polk, a superb expressionistic portrayer of urban, architectural, industrial, rural, and environmental themes, that are both exciting and meditative, at once.

 Andrea’s introduction to photography began at Georgetown University, where she acquired extensive training in color darkrooms along with photography classes. That experience inspired her particular interest in vivid, manipulated color, and “painterly”, abstract photography images. Drawing from a minimum of five photo editing applications, she produces each image as a time-consuming labor of love.  Attracted to such disparate subjects as old cars and motorcycles, atmospheric city streets, and scenes from nature, her travels, through the United States, Canada, Central America, Northern Africa, England, Ireland, Japan, Western and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, and her desire to craft representative images has been guided by the essential principle that “in photography, light is the magician”.

The advent of digital technology has vastly expanded the art, bringing new creativity to the medium and making it accessible to an astonishing number of people around the world. One of Andrea’s favorite images, taken in Sharm El Sheikh, depicts a fully veiled Saudi Arabian woman, with holding an iPhone in one hand and a “state of the art” Nikon in the other.

We invite you to observe and enjoy some of Andrea's work now on exhibit in our gallery.

Art Gallery Grandeur

Feathered Collaborators

Kiosk Sentries

PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW SPRING HOURS

FOR OUR POINT ARENA, CA GALLERY

GALLERY SCHEDULE FOR 2019

Jan. Guest Artists: Robin Senour, painter, 2 weeks engagement.  Other invitees engagements are pending

Jan. 12 - 13, Gallery Clean-up Days, Garden, area and gallery

Feb. 1 - 24, Kristen Hoard, metal sculptures, and Laura Leigh Jones, guest artist, quilts.  Opening Reception, Sat., Feb. 2

Mar. 1 - 31, Celebrating Seven Years as a Collective showing in the Point Arena gallery. Reception, Fri., Mar. 1

Apr. 1 - 28, Almost Fringe Festival, Opening Reception: Sat., Apr. 13, Noon to 6 PM.  Collective Members’ and Guest Artists' creative works presented in group show

May 3 - 26, Paula Haymond, metal sculpture and embossed/etched metal artwork.  Opening Reception, Sat., May 4

Jun. 1 - 30, Walt Rush, jewelry, Ron Bolander, photography.  Opening Reception, Sat., Sep. 1

July 5 - 28, Independence Day Parade, Sat., Jul. 6 (date pending).  Collective may enter float competition.  Featured artists in the gallery are Barbara Fast, gourds and textiles, and Mirka Knaster, wall art

Aug. 2 - 29, Scott Sewell, photography, and Emma Hurley, ceramics, and clothing

Sep. 1 - 29, Barbara Johannes, photography, digital images on metallic archival papers, and Bea Acosta, ceramics, baskets

Oct. 4 - 27, Joan Rhine, jewelry, paper, and Jim Meilander, paper arts.  Opening Reception, Fri., Oct. 4

Nov. 2 - 30, Andrea Allen, Chinese Brush Painting and ceramics.  Opening Reception, Sat., Nov. 2

Dec. 1 - 29, Holiday Gift Show by Collective.  Special exhibits and art sales on Dec. 14, 3 - 7 P.M.  

ALMOST FRINGE KITE DISPLAY

Part of the annual ALMOST FRINGE events includes the kite flying at the Point Arena Lighthouse grounds.  Here are a couple of photos by Chris Grassano.  The kites are truly works of art!

ALMOST FRINGE FESTIVAL

The Coast Highway Art Collective is exhibiting the Almost Fringe artwork of our collective members, plus we will feature local guest artists, Doric Jemison Ball, Sue Friedland, Margaret Lindgren, Paula Haymond, and Michael Grab of Gravety Glue.  Michael will be, showing his new, avant garde works: balancing rocks.  Have a look at his Facebook page to preview these remarkable rock sculptures. . The exhibition is up April 1-27,2018 with the grand opening on April 13, 2019 from 12 noon to 6 pm.  We will have music at 1 pm with Brut and Blush, Leslie and Eric Dahlhoff.

The Almost Fringe Festival is always interesting!

by Rozann Grunig

 The unusual, the bizarre, just a bit whacky, maybe even shocking – that’s what the Almost Fringe Festival is all about. Join the members of the Coast Highway Art Collective for a celebratory weekend of this fun and free-form event on Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 in Point Arena. The Collective is hosting two nights of music, food, special guest artists and new works by its members.

Loosely based on the International fringe art movement, Mendocino County celebrates this as a month-long festival at several venues to celebrate all of the creative happenings countywide, from traditional to cutting edge and artsy to agrarian.

The original Fringe Festival is held annually in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the largest art festival in the world.   This festival spans 25 days and includes events in 294 venues in the following categories theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, circus, cabaret, children's shows, musicals, opera, music, spoken word, exhibitions and events.

Locally, this idea was created by the Mendocino Council for the Arts and is being promoted county wide by Visit Mendocino. The goal of the festival’s planning group is to have a culturally diverse festival that reflects the complexity of our amazing community. In addition to encouraging all local merchants and restaurants to participate, plans include creating a fun and engaging festival street scene, with street performers, musicians, food vendors, vendors, dancers and performance art.

The Coast Highway Art Collective is joining into the festivities with guest artists Karen Shapiro, ceramics, Laurie MacAdams, jewelry, Jane Reichhold, ceramics; Carol Frechette, leather and Doric Jemison Ball, ceramics. Collective members will also have new and interesting pieces on exhibit in the spirit of the festival theme.

On Friday, April 27, entertainment by the Highwaymen with guest flute, Leslie Dahlhoff will be at the gallery from 5 to 7 p.m. The following evening, Saturday, April 28, Barbara Johannes will be playing the accordion in the afternoon and Amy MacFarland from Renegade Botanicals will be available tao demonstrate her natural beauty products. That evening, from 5 to 7 pm, Black Sugar Rose, featuring Todd Orenick and Charlene Rowland, will entertain guests. Wine, drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be available on both evenings…

You don’t have to wait until the closing weekend to see the artwork on exhibit. The show actually opens on April 6 and runs through April 29 during regular gallery hours, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 5 p.m. The gallery is located at 284 Main St., Point Arena, the little red building next door to the Redwood Credit Union. 

7th Anniversary Celebration

BEA ACOSTA - MASKS, CERAMICS, BASKETS

BRENDA PHILLIPS - CERAMICS

The Coast Highway Art Collective celebrates its 7^th anniversary on Friday, March 1, from 5 to 7 pm. with a new exhibit, food and drinks. The exhibit will focus on the range and diversity of the collective member’s work and a celebration of community involvement, a founding ideal of the group. The members invite the entire Mendomona community to celebrate with them.

Located in a small, historical building built in the early 1900’s, the gallery is in the heart of Point Arena.  The collective was founded in 2012 by a group of local artists who wanted the help reinvigorate Point Arena, which was undergoing a kind of renewal after years of boom and bust. 

The building has a very interesting history. Local book publisher, the late Warren Jones, purchased the building in a state of disrepair, having no idea how to use it other than improving his beloved City of Point Arena.  A group of artists suggested an art gallery and he embraced the idea. Volunteers rebuilt the building and called the gallery CityArt. The interior was completed in 1997, and was active as the creative and vibrant CityArt Gallery for ten years. The gallery closed in 2007 and the building sat empty, waiting patiently for a new life. 

Then, in 2012, the idea of the gallery was resurrected and Barbara Fast, a renaissance woman in her own right (former pediatric surgeon, artist and musician) became the founder and first manager of the newly minted Coast Highway Art Collective. The artists who work to make this collective succeed are just as eclectic and quirky as the building they inhabit. 

Currently there are15 artists whose work ranges from oils and watercolors, photography, jewelry, textiles, woodworking including birdhouses and ceramics.  With so many creative outlooks among this diverse group, one thing all agree on is the importance of the gallery as a place to display and sell their work, and the amazing sense of community and nurturing each member experiences. 

Founding member Ling-Yen Jones says “It means bringing together artists, new and old, and creating a place to exhibit and promote the creativity of these local artisans. The gallery is a place to learn and get a feel for what it’s like to exhibit and sell work. I enjoy this gallery’s idea and feel of community.” 

Recent member John Stickney explains it this way “The collective is a place where the pressures are low and the friendliness is high.    The CHAC is a place where they can show their art and where you can find interesting art in an engaging environment. Everyone pitches in, so the overhead is low, and the prices are very reasonable.” 

Original member Bea Acosta says “The gallery has provided me with a venue to show my work and a camaraderie of local artists who support each other.” Another original member, Brenda Phillips, noted “I love having the gallery as a place I can show my latest inspirations. For years now, the gallery has been a wonderful showroom for my art. 

The gallery often has guest artists in addition to the collective members. Monthly opening receptions for featured artists often include tasty food, drinks and live music in the garden when the weather cooperates. 

The gallery participates in American Craft Week and the annual Almost Fringe Festival, a fun event where artists are encouraged to let their imagination run wild and create from the heart, not from the wallet. The gallery opens its doors for the Point Arena’s annual Hometown Holidays, a special night when Main Streets fills up with holiday shoppers and revelers. The gallery lights up with a holiday tree decorated with handmade ornaments made by collective members. 

The Coast Highway Art Collective is located at 284 Main Street in Point Arena. The winter hours are from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, or by appointment.  Summer hours are typically from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

ANDREA ALLEN

CHINESE BRUSH PAINTING AND CERAMICS

Look no further for those unique, special gifts you'd like to give to close friends this holiday season.  Andrea Allen's gorgeous ceramic ware will please the most discerning hostess of a holiday party or a special, intimate dinner, as well as being a very affordable gift.  Andrea's talent and reputation for her artistic skills in Chinese Brush Painting techniques in decorating her ceramic dinnerware is unique in the artistic world:

My move to beautiful California challenged me artistically even more as I began studying Chinese Brush Painting.  After six years of study in this ancient art form, I knew I had found my soul’s true artistic home!  I continue my love for the Dynasty-old Brush Strokes, and have been painting, teaching, and exhibiting in this style for over three decades..

Drop into our gallery to inspect some of Andrea's work.  You will be pleased with the gorgeous designs and quality of her pieces. Following are a few of her sushi appetizer dishware. 

POTTERY, CERAMICS, AND BASKET WEAVING

by Beatrice Acosta



Bea is one of our foremost artists featuring southwestern contemporary and traditional motifs in her work.  We are presenting some of her art in this column to give our viewers a few ideas for their holiday shopping.  Visit our gallery to see these and more!

"My Native American/ Mexican roots have emerged in my pottery and ceramics. The joy I feel as my hands create with the clay must have connections to my ancestors. I am enamored with the piece as it unfolds and I rarely know beforehand what I want it to look like. It evolves as the clay and I create together."









The Coast Highway Art Collective is exhibiting Almost Fringe pieces of artwork from our collective members plus, we will have guests Doric Jemison Ball, Sue Friedland, Margaret Lindgren, and Paula Haymond. The exhibition is up April 1-27,2018 with the opening on April 13,2019 from 12 noon to 6 pm.  We will have music at 1 pm with Brut and Blush, Leslie and Eric Dahlhoff.

NEW FINE ART WOOD CARVER

John Stickney

John Stickney has recently joined the Coast Highway Artists Collective, making avaliable to our Point Arena art gallery visitors a unique line of art work.

His art is focused on carving and furniture design.   All pieces are handmade and one of a kind.  He has a love for wood:  the grain, texture, and appearance, and is attracted to color, and has worked with toy dyes, and paint on wood.  He has worked on relief carvings of paintings by artists he admires, including Michelangelo, as his paintings read as sculpture. Recently, he has worked on album covers of bands from his youth.  In other woodworking, he has designed tables, beds, desks, lamps, a rocking horse, and many other architectural and interior furnishings.

Stickney works extensively in some of the more exotic hardwoods, for their color, grain, hardness, ability to take a high finish and their capacity to be carved with fine detail.   For larger pieces, he has used Basswood, Jelutong, Maple, Mahogany, and Redwood, as they are excellent for carving. Basswood, Maple and Jelutong show little grain are nearly white, allowing his exploration of color on their surfaces.  He enjoys working with Mahogany and Redwood, for their ease of carving and their inherent beauty.  

Stop in at our art gallery soon to view some of Stickney's latest pieces.

Carolyn's Table

Lady With a Blue Ribbon

Maskies

Picasso the Reader