Coast Highway Artists Collective

2022 (Updated Apr. 4)

January, Gallery maintenance

February 3-27, (TBA) Group Show: Insight Into Love, A Valentine's Day Exhibit, Reception: Fri. Feb. 11, Noon to 5 PM

March 4-28, Reception: Sat. March 5, Noon - 5 PM, Exhibit features Deborah Threlkel, Abalone Queen Jewelry Chris Hagie, painting Carol Frechette, leather

April 1 - 25: Featuring collections of CHAC member artists' work. Special activities and entertainment in gallery for Almost Fringe Festival on Saturday, Apr. 23, 11AM - 6PM

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May 1-30: Reception Friday, May 6, Noon - 5 PM Exhibit features CeCe Case, realistic & abstract figure drawings, and Harald Eric Nordvold, ceramics

June 3-27. Reception, Saturday June 4, Noon - 5 PM, Exhibit features Sharon Nickodem, photo-collage Donnalynne, collage and Mark Chase, sculpture

July 1-25. Exhibit features Barbara Poole, printmaking and printer Bea Acosta, vessels and Brenda Phillips, ceramics. Reception: July 3, 12 Noon to 5 PM, which includes 1 to 2 PM parade time of Point Arena Independence Day Parade

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August 5-29: Reception: Sat August 6, Noon - 5 PM. Exhibit features Elizabeth B. Solomon, custom clothing & fabric sculptures, multi-media and another artist TBD

September 2-26: Reception Saturday, Sept 3, Noon - 5 PM. Exhibit features Geraldine LiaBraaten, Photography Shannon Guzzo, beadwork art and Karen Blaise, found objects and bead work

October 1 -29: Reception, Sat. Oct. 1, Noon - 5 PM. Exhibit features Kelly Kieve, painting, collage and Peter Bailey, jewelry

November 4 -28: Reception: Friday, 4, Noon - 5 PM. Exhibit features Andrea Allen, Chinese Brush painting and ceramics and Ling-Yen Jones, handmade jewelry

December 2 - 26: CHAC Members' Holiday Gift show, including participation in Point Arena Merchants Assoc. (PAMA) Hometown Holidays Shopping Day TBA.

CC Case is an eclectic local artist, showing for the first time at CHAC with her husband, potter Eric Harald Nordvold. Her journey to the coast took 60 years, starting in upstate New York, and including almost thirty years in western Colorado. After graduating from Elmira College she worked in the fields of printing and advertising, beginning as a paste-up artist in New Jersey in the pre-computer days. In the Caribbean, her calligraphy and illustrations were featured on menus and tee shirts, and in western Colorado she was co-owner of a small advertising agency. She left commercial art to work with adults and children with developmental disabilities, craving more interaction with people. She went on to earn an MA from the University of Northern Colorado and become a special education teacher and consultant.

Art was always an interest and part of the journey, first drawing and painting as a young child, taking occasional classes and art workshops through her adult years, and then creating learning materials and environments. Case has participated for many years in life drawing sessions at Gualala Arts and strives to depict the human figure with sensitivity, to render the organic form believably and also capture some sense of spirit or mood. She paints both abstractly and realistically in a variety of media, depicting either the natural beauty of her surroundings or the inner world of imagination, impressions and energy. She also will be showing "photo collage paintings," digitally manipulated photographs. For the past eleven years Case has made her home in Gualala, drawing inspiration from quiet time in the forest and regular walks on the beaches and bluffs, appreciating and gaining nourishment from the peace and beauty of the coastal surroundings.

Eric Harald Nordvold has been a potter for over 40 years, making a variety of stoneware and porcelain pieces using the name Viking Pottery. He splits time between homes in Santa Rosa, where he maintains his studio, and Gualala, where he finds inspiration in the colors, patterns and energy of the natural environment. He is known for his bowls, mugs, vases, trays and plaques and for the luminous multicolored and ash glazes he has formulated and mixes himself, which are what set his pottery apart from other work. His pieces are high fired in a kiln of his own construction to create a durable and vitrified product. The kiln allows him to work with a range of natural materials to develop glazes that have the fluidity of water and blend into each other in various ways as do the colors of nature. He has been working with wood ash glazes for many years with other minerals added to create glaze surfaces reminiscent of tide pools or ocean currents through kelp forests. The interaction of the glaze materials with the manipulation of the kiln atmosphere and temperature create the magical alchemy that brings life and spirit to his work. Nordvold remarks, "Every firing brings surprises, like when one happens upon a brilliant sea star or anemone at low tide."

Nordvold's throws work on the potter's wheel, with consideration for the form and function of each piece, and in recent years has added rectangular and square shapes, and experimented with a variety of textural effects and different clays. He finds great satisfaction from creating pieces that people enjoy using everyday. He says, " Drinking from a mug is a trivial thing we might take for granted- one chooses a mug with a pleasing color and shape, but the touch of your hand on the handle and lips on the rim are intimate and sensual- I find great satisfaction when someone tells me they love to drink from my mug." Nordvold cites the influence of potters Warren Mackenzie, Bernard and David Leach, and Shoji Hamada. Growing up in San Francisco, he was also influenced by his father, a Norwegian immigrant who worked with wood to build cabinetry, furniture and even his own skis, and his mother, who came from South Africa and worked with her hands as a dressmaker. He received his BA from Sonoma State College, and has taught pottery there and at the Mendocino Art Center.

This month-long exhibit is all about what could be and what was created by three local artists. The Coast Highway Art Collective (CHAC) is hosting a collection of art work that portrays a world made from these artists imagination. Antique photos collide with new ideas, metal is shaped into new worlds, and digital images are crafted as future visions. Mark Chase’s sculptures intermix well with Sharon Nickodem’s and Donnalynn’s collages.

Sharon Nickodem started her artist life as a photographer, but once she discovered collage she was smitten. Her collages include materials taken from magazines, her own photos, collected mementos, the written word from old books and post cards, combined with other media. Sharon says, “The assembled image may recall a past event, a dream or a fantasy. The collage process brings a deeper, more personal interpretation to my subjects.” First, Sharon assembles collage materials in the traditional analog manner. Next, she scans the composition and reworks it on her computer, adding layers and additional elements until she creates the desired result. Lastly, she prints the final piece on high quality archival paper. The result is an integrated image where the elements flow together, telling a story.

Donnalynn Chase came naturally to collage through her obsession with collecting books and all kinds of ephemera. Hunting for that perfect old book or antique ephemera has been one of her favorite things to do. She often feels like a historian or librarian of valuable papers and findings from the past. For over a decade, Donnalynn has primarily used antique & vintage images and ephemera in her art work. As an artist, she feels entrusted to bring old ephemera, etchings, and papers back to life in a new expressive way or keep them safe for the future. She loves the challenge of incorporating her collection of “stuff” into her art. Donnalynn is a traditional cut & paste collage artist. A unique quality of her art work is that she incorporates original paper materials in her artwork, not digital copies. When you purchase or are gifted a piece of her art, you are also getting an authentic piece of the past that is made new.

Mark Chase is a self-taught artist who has been influenced by years of working in aerospace industry with precise and articulate requirements. Brass, bronze or copper and beautiful minerals are the dominate materials in his objects d’ arte. Antique celestial models and instruments inspire the majority of Mark’s work. All of Mark’s art is one-of-a-kind design embodying the marriage of art and science. He started to make armillary spheres when it became apparent that he couldn’t afford to purchase authentic specimens to grace his own growing collection. This exhibit showcases several of his artifacts that could be a solar system discovered in the future or viewed as a historic specimen.

This month, the Coast Highway Art Collective welcomes Chris Hagie, mixed media and Deborah Threlkel, The Abalone Queen jewelry. The opening reception is on Saturday, March 5 from noon to 5 p.m. The show runs from March 4-28.

Hagie works mostly with mixed media abstract pieces. She says her goal is to make “eyes smile” with the intersection of unique elements in an attempt to lure a sense of well-being. She loves color, how shapes interact with each other, the quality of lines and marks, lots of different textures and values of the palette. She finds inspiration during walks on the Northern California coast, in the Redwood forest in which she lives, and also in the energy from her visits to urban areas.

“I am in love with paint! says Hagie, “and I love color and how shapes interact with each other. I see shapes, colors, lines and patterns when I walk on the coast or look at houses and buildings. I love how shapes are defined with sharp edges or blurry lightness, or how they can highlight a focus of interest in a painting. I also love textures - folds, patterns, gold or copper foils and mesh-like materials, and how these mediums act upon each other and with paint. My paintings and mixed media pieces are like little experiments of many different elements.” Hagie lives in Fort Bragg, where she is a member of Edgewater Gallery in the town. She is on the board of Art Explorers, a studio and gallery in Fort Bragg for artists who have developmental disabilities. Her work is available online at chrishagie.com.

Threlkel is well known along the coast for her creative and innovative abalone jewelry, earning her the name The Abalone Queen. She finds many of the elements she uses in her pieces when beach combing, as a rock hound and a collector of interesting things. Threlkel says every piece crafted has its own inspiration and story from within her experiences and each result is a one-of-a kind creation.

“With the earth and oceans always changing, I can see as I gather and collect that there is no longer the abundance of material that used to be found as I beach comb. Many of the shells and their inhabitants are gone, some facing extinction, making each piece of jewelry that much rarer and more precious.” Using a combination of gemstones, coral, luminous pearls, shells and beach glass, she wire-wraps each necklace creating a chain out of a single piece of precious metal wire. As a result, the finished product is delicate in appearance but also very strong and durable. “I love every part of the process that brings me to a completed necklace or earrings. My goal is that when you are wearing a piece of Abalone Queen jewelry you will feel as if you are wearing the ocean,” Threlkel concludes.

The Coast Highway Art Collective is located at 284 Main St., Point Arena, the little red building with the big yellow sun, located next to the Redwood Coast Credit Union. Regular hours are Friday through Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm. Visit the website for information about the collective’s artists, upcoming events and how to join. To find out more about becoming a member of the Collective, contact Ling-Yen Jones at lingyen@juno.com

Rozann Grunig

Opening exhibit at the CHAC art gallery in Point Arena, CA, featuring Deborah Threlkel and Chris Hagie. Deb presents individually designed necklaces and earrings from her Abalone Queen collection, sourced from the rocky coasts of northern CA and embellished with semi-precious stones and hand-wired Bali silver chains. Chris gives a tour of her abstract paintings, featuring exciting color brushwork and semi-translucent overlays of graphics and printed text, all of which combine to give a dramatic composition.

The Coast Highway Art Collective is exhibiting a special Valentine’s Day show, Insight Into Love, an exploration of what love looks like from many perspectives. The opening reception is on Friday, Feb. 11 from noon to 5 p.m. The community is invited to join Collective members as they celebrate the many facets of love.

When Valentine’s Day rolls around each year, hearts, chocolates, flowers and wine have come to symbolize romantic love. So, ask a group of artists to interpret other kinds of love through their art, and the result is a thought-provoking exhibit that will challenge the viewer to think, and maybe to love, differently. During the last two years, we’ve had to learn new ways to show our emotions – how to smile with our eyes while our mouths are covered by a face mask, how important our words are now that there is no body language to make a different interpretation. We have found alternative ways to show our love for a far-away friend, a grandchild over a Zoom call, an aging parent we cannot hug.

These things create strong emotions. And strong emotions in an artist’s eye translates into powerful art. Featured guests for this show are Kristin Hoard, metal sculpture Elizabeth B. Solomon, multi-media artist Deborah Threlkel, abalone jewelry and Siobhan, wearable silk art. Additional pieces for this exhibit by collective members Ling-Yen Jones, jewelry, Chris Grassano, oil paintings and Rozann Grunig, photography will be on exhibit.

The Coast Highway Art Collective is located at 284 Main St., Point Arena, the little red building with the big yellow sun, located next to the Redwood Coast Credit Union. Regular hours are Friday through Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm. Visit the website at www.coast-highway-artists.com for information about the collective’s artists, upcoming events and how to join. To find out more about becoming a member of the Collective, contact Ling-Yen Jones via the website above.

Rozann Grunig

At the Coast Highway Art Collective, the members strive to create an ever changing and dynamic space for visitors. Art displays change regularly as works are sold and replaced, new artists join the group and artwork is moved to new locations to better group complimentary pieces. Members leave from time-to-time for various reasons, but their influence on the group and the space lingers long after their works are gone.
The Collective has recently gained six new members, bringing exciting and interesting pieces with them. In January, the group welcomes Don Antram, painter Sarah Alice Britton, jeweler Linda Green, painting and sculpture Jacqueline Mooney, glass Patty Paolone, glass and Elizabeth Solomon, custom clothing & fabric sculptures, & multi-media.

Antram had a mural and faux finish business in Sacramento for many years. In 2008, he moved from working with oil paints to watercolors and acrylics, working in a very realistic style. Then, in 2010 he began studying with abstract artist Sondra Hersh , soaking up her knowledge and style, fusing that with his experience to create a style all his own.

Britton’s jewelry incorporates texture and maximizes movement both literally and visually. Influenced by the industrial world that surrounds her, she combines both soldering and cold connections in her creations, celebrating the mechanics of the pieces.
Green works in both oils and ceramics. Her oil pieces start with a textured surface, adding layer upon layer of oil paint and thin washes to build up the image that emerges. She says “In paint or in clay it is the progression of building and taking away until I find the balance in motion.”

Mooney always loved glass objects, and started taking classes when her daughter got a job at a local stained glass and fused glass shop. Fused glass offered her so many different techniques and possibilities, and dichroic glass was perfect for making jewelry. Most of Mooney’s work was functional art until recently, when she started working with enamels and painting with frit. “Nature is a frequent theme in my art pieces, Mooney says. “I love combining different techniques and challenging myself. Nothing makes me happier than having someone else find joy in something that I've created.”

Paolone began fusing glass in 2000 as a hobby, eventually buying her own kiln and starting her business, Hobbigon Wild. She says she finds working with glass very relaxing, but exciting at the same time, laying out new pieces and trying new techniques.

Solomon joined the Collective just this month, January 2022, and is well known in the local art community for her gorgeous custom clothing and fabric sculptures. The website will have more on her accomplishments and examples of her work in the coming days.

The Coast Highway Art Collective is located at 284 Main St., Point Arena, the little red building with the big yellow sun, located next to the Redwood Coast Credit Union. Regular hours are Friday through Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm.

Brenda Phillips has been our gallery's foremost potter since CHAC began almost ten years ago. Her early training in pottery began with locally well known Paul Stine of Manchester and Kaye Like of Brandybuck Studio in Point Arena, and her skills were further developed in seminars at Mendocino Art Center and Sierra Nevada College. Brenda has her own local clay source and her studio is equipped with a high-temperature kiln and a wide inventory of ceramic glazes. She has a unique gift for developing tasteful new designs in her functional pottery pieces, varying basic shapes, employing pleasing color combinations, and incorporating hand painted artistic imagery in glazed overlays.

Bruce Jones has been a frequent guest artist in the monthly new exhibits at our gallery in Point Arena. Some of us have also shared years of Life Drawing weekly drop-in sessions with Bruce at the Gualala Arts center. His range of subject matter, techniques, and media have been marvelous to view. A few words from Bruce himself: "Each piece of my art reflects my fascination with shape, whether found in a seascape, human body, or a motorcycle. Shadows and reflections make everything more interesting. The only requirement for subject matter is that it captures my imagination. I am captivated by the patterns I find as I walk along the beach, looking closely at the textures and contours of the sand and the seaweeds that wash up on the shore. But the panoramic perspective of distant sea and fog is just as interesting. Although I have been experimenting recently with mechanical subject matter, I insist on drawing it freehand without the assistance of drafting tools controlling the line. I want the shapes in my art to be spontaneous and organic."

Following are a few selected images of each of the artists' work. We hope you will try to make it to the opening reception, Friday, Nov. 4th, Noon - 5 PM. Meet and speak with Bruce and Brenda, and enjoy a tour of their wonderful exhibit. The exhibit will remain for the entire month of November, so if you miss the reception we hope you can visit us later in the month.

Brenda Phillips, ceramics and pottery, and Bruce Jones, painting and drawing, show and discuss their newest work at an opening reception for their November, 2021 exhibit at the CHAC gallery in Point Arena, CA. Brenda describes her applications of unique glazes to the vases, and pottery using sprayed, dipping, and brush painting techniques. Bruce Jones discusses his dramatic watercolor paintings of the regional coastline, and beautiful colored wax pencil drawings featuring local and botanical garden settings.

The October opening reception at the Coast Highway Art Collective in Point Arena features the works of local artist, Andrea Allen, Chinese Brush artist, and Peter Bailey, jewelry artist. The opening reception is on Saturday, Oct. 2 from noon to 5 p.m. Guests and staff are required to wear face masks during the event.

Allen has a unique style that combines the traditions of the Chinese Masters with a subtle, contemporary flair. She studied with a Chinese Master for six years and has been painting and teaching in this style for over 20 years. She utilizes many ancient Chinese techniques, such as grinding her own Sumi ink, often mixing it with watercolors, loading the calligraphy brush and applying it to handmade rice paper, with a minimal number of strokes to complete each painting. She carefully balances the unpainted and painted spaces in each composition, creating a tranquil flow throughout each painting. In addition to Allen’s painting, she also creates ceramics, silk pillows and t-shirts. “Ancient Chinese symbolism and philosophy influence my work,” explains Allen “enhancing the feeling of vital energy and serenity. The inherent effect is for the viewer to be effortlessly invited into each painting, to experience a peaceful balance and harmony in a timeless continuum.

Bailey says he loves to emphasize the sculptural and sensual aspects of jewelry making while at the same time creating a balance between a beautiful gemstone and a complimentary design. Much of his work incorporates images from nature that inspires him and gives him a sense of wonder. “I love the lines of a dragonfly, an iris or a trellis vine...even musical notations, Bailey explains. At the age of five my mother would take me to jewelry stores where I gazed in amazement at the shimmering colors of precious stones and the ageless luster of gold and silver. That moment in time ignited a creative desire to express myself in the art of jewelry making. I love to work with the entire range of gemstones, specializing in high quality and timeless gems. As a jewelry artist I am proud and honored to be a part of many people’s lives, celebrations, special occasions, anniversaries, weddings, and birthdays.”

The show runs from Oct. 1 through the 29th. The Coast Highway Art Collective is located at 284 Main St., Point Arena, the little red building with the big yellow sun, located next to the Redwood Coast Credit Union. Regular hours are Friday through Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm.

Rozann Grunig

Peter Bailey exhibits his latest line of modern and Celtic-themed Jewelry, including fine silver earrings, some with stunning, hand applied electrolytic colors. Peter gives some intriguing discussion on the eternal love themes inherent in the Celtic knot designs. Andrea Allen shows her gorgeous Chinese Brush paintings, framed, or mounted on classic Chinese silk scrolls. Andrea also provides some wonderful details of what goes into the artistic process of completing a Chinese Brush painting.

Our new art exhibit opens in what is usually the most beautiful season we have along the northern California coast, autumn, with any morning fog lifting by 8 or 9, to clear, mild sunny days and soft breezes. Our garden should still be lush and colorful, and a nice place to sit and catch a few rays before or after entering the gallery for the new show of oil paintings and glass artwork of our featured artists, Chris and Colette, as well as offerings by other member artists. You may be assured the latest covid hygeine precautions will be in place for your well-being.

Chris Grassano - I have been painting the natural world for half a century. The North Coast has been my inspiration for most of that time. My oil paintings of nature focus on the birds and animals I encounter near my home under the Redwoods and throughout the North Coast. My goal is to capture in paint, the feeling of excitement and wonder in the moment the animal is first seen.I have chosen monochromatic oil painting (black on white) for my new body of work. I start out with a white gesso board. I cover the surface with a thin coat of black oil paint. Using brushes, cotton swabs, Exacto knives, steel wool and engraving tools, I lift off the black paint to render my images with a wide range of values and textures. In this way I interpret fur, feather, and petal.

Colette Coad - I love glass. It is not only my medium, it is a source of great joy and sometimes great frustration. I started eight years ago with a class on glass fusing. I fell in love. I bought a kiln and some glass (enough to fill a stand holding eight pieces). I now have two kilns, five stands and two crates of glass. Yes, I do love glass. Glass has always intrigued and fascinated me. I think the dichotomy of it being both dangerous and fragile while being so beautiful is captivating. I love the way it looks in different lights and the almost endless combinations of colors and even textures that can be created. I do wish I had bought stock in a band-aid company.

Another exciting opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 14th from 12 to 5 p.m. at the Coast Highway Art Collective, featuring the works of Emma Hurley, hand-carved thrown functional ceramics and original art screen printed clothing, and Phil Clark, wood projects from furniture to restoring historic buildings, crafted from sustainable or recycled wood and in styles from the Arts & Crafts movement to Rustic and American styles. The show runs from Aug. 5 through Aug. 29.

Emma Hurley has created a line of wearable “fish art,” reflecting her background in conservation biology and her love of the ocean. While working as a fisheries biologist and an ocean educator in Santa Cruz, Hurley created a line of clothing using her hand-drawn designs, ‘inspired by 'the colors, shapes, beauty, humor, mystery and character of the fish that live off the cold brine water of California,” explains Hurley.

Her goal with her brand, which she calls NorthCoast Brine, is to encourage stewardship and pride in the fish in our cold ocean waters. On hang tags attached to her garments, she provides species natural history information as well as advice on sustainable methods of taking and of eating seafood. “Many of the species I depict have a long history as human food. Most of us are now removed from the process of catching and cleaning our seafood and only know halibut, lingcod, or rockfish as a square white fillet. My wearable art work puts an image to these common food species that are beautiful amazing animals in their own right.” Her wearable (shirts, tanks, hoodies) will be on display and for sale at the show. Hurley will also be showing her functional ceramics. The ocean plays a major factor once again in influencing the decoration on bowls, cups and plates. Carrying on the themes of NorthCoast Brine, fish or swell and wave patterns adorn most pieces. Find Emma online at www.northcoastbrine.com.

Phil Clark grew up in California and found his passion for wood early on. "It all began with treehouses! Then, my parents built an addition to our Walnut Creek home and I helped, as a teenager. In high school I studied three years of mechanical and architectural drafting, and I continued my studies in Architecture at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.

After college I owned an Antique Shop in Oakland, and by restoring antiques I learned what joinery techniques endured and how authentic furniture weathered with time. My lifelong occupation with wood has included an Eco-forestry business in Oregon, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. I have constructed new houses and barns and did historical restorations of houses and barns. I was proprietor of two galleries in Ashland, Oregon, featuring the fine woodworking of members of the Siskiyou Woodcraft Guild and other local artists. My other wood projects have included bridges, greenhouses, fences and arbors, a jeweler’s bench, weavers warping racks, rocking chairs, tables and bookshelves, altars and framed mirrors.

I love the process of creation. Each piece of wood is different the grain, the shape and its natural singularity will dictate how I use it to produce my one-of-a-kind pieces. I use hand and power tools and native and domestic woods, that I find, salvage, and repurpose. I have cut down trees and milled them into lumber, and then fashioned them into furniture after air drying them for years. I am a self-taught artisan woodcrafter and my process is almost spontaneous, since I do not draw or make calculations before I begin building furniture. Traditional joinery is used exclusively to create heirloom quality furniture and accessories. I have been inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement furniture design, and by rustic furniture and American Design that utilize distinctive grains and live edges. Honoring the tree’s life through functional art and design is my goal as a builder-maker. I hope you enjoy my work."

The Coast Highway Art Collective is located at 284 Main St, Point Arena, the little red building next door to the Redwood Credit Union. Regular gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or by appointment - 707-884-9153. Visit the galley’s website at www.coast-highway-artists.com to view the collective members and see the range of work available regularly at the gallery. Collective members work in multiple media, including painting, printmaking, ceramics, metal sculpture, steampunk, glass, textiles, basketry, photography, jewelry, woodworking and modern art forms, uniquely expressed in the creations of our award-winning artists.

A video of the August 2021 art exhibit at the CHAC gallery in Point Arena, CA. Phil Clark, a master woodworker in the tradition of the Arts & Crafts Movement, discusses design and construction of the handsome pieces on display. Phil has long experience in ecological construction projects and sustainable practices using wood products. Emma Hurley, an outstanding potter and apparel designer as well as being a fisheries biologist and ocean educator, discusses her marine-life inspired themes in ceramic mugs and bowls and in screen-printed designs of marine life on fashionable outdoors clothing.

Collaborative artists, Joan Rhine and Jim Meilander, discuss their individual and collaborative art pieces on exhibit at a reception for a special July 2021 show at the Coast Highway Artists Collective gallery in Point Arena, CA. Their artwork includes collage assemblage using handmade paper, textiles, encaustics, and pigments and graphic art, also a wall scroll of woven copper wire threads with embedded beadwork, and fine jewelry featuring woven threads of silver and gold in necklaces pins with jade and semi-precious stones, and a lighted sculpture of handmade paper.

This July, the Coast Highway Art Collective will open its doors to feature a new exhibit by long-time Gualala artists, Jim Meilander and Joan Rhine. Their show, “Joan Rhine and Jim Meilander Together : Individual and Collaborative Art,” will be at CHAC from July 1 – 25. An opening reception and a chance to meet the artists is on Friday, July 2 from noon to 5 pm.

Meilander works with many diverse materials using a wide range of techniques: hand-papermaking, collage, printmaking, painting, drawing, and sculpture. Meilander says his abstract imagery is a playful personal synthesis of real and imaginary images. He is inspired by his natural and man-made physical surroundings, by objects used in work and play, and by pure fantasy. Among his many honors, Jim won the Collage Award at Gualala Salon, 2021, Best of Show in 2018 Putting it All Together, with his artwork "Presence and Absence," First Place in Collage & Mixed-Media at Art in the Redwoods, Gualala Art Center, in 2008 and 2012, and First Place in Printmaking in 2015. Recent exhibits in California include “The Art of Paper” at Ukiah Art Center and “Expressions in Handmade Paper 3” at the Morris Graves Museum in Eureka. Jim is an active member of the international papermakers’ organization “North American Hand Papermakers.”

Rhine’s creations include abstract wall pieces and sculpture in mixed media, and jewelry. Her most recent work is evolving in two separate, yet related, directions: mixed media artworks featuring handmade paper and her Joan Rhine designs… Jewelry collection using precious metals, semi-precious stones and beads. Joan’s expressive jewelry pieces are unique, each one completely handmade one-of-a-kind or in small editions. Her contemporary jewelry designs are light, comfortable to wear, and flatter the wearer. Recent sculptures combine copper and her custom handmade paper with mixed materials. Much of her work is inspired by her surroundings, as she walks on the beach or in the forest absorbing natural forms, textures and colors: “Landscapes, skies, even man-made structures along the coast and through the countryside stimulate my imagination.” They also regularly show their artwork at their studio and at Discovery Gallery during the annual North Coast Artists’ Guild "Studio Discovery Tour.”

The Coast Highway Art Collective is regularly open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Masks and social distancing are still in place for the safety of all of the guests, artists and staff. The gallery is located at 284 Main St., Point Arena, next door to the Redwood Credit Union.

The members of the Coast Highway Art Collective are excited to host two of their favorite guest artists, Deborah Caperton (mixed media assemblages) and Madeline Kibbe (Mixed media) for a show that runs from June 3 – 27. An opening reception will be held on Friday, June 4 from noon to 5 p.m. at the CHAC gallery in beautiful downtown Point Arena.

Deb Caperton works in mixed media assemblages, combining original elements she makes in clay and metal, then blends these with objects she collects. “The process of creating loosely woven metaphors through a vocabulary of objects hopefully enables the viewer to find their own meaning,” she explains. Caperton graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a major in jewelry and light metals and a minor in sculpture. In 1989 she moved to San Francisco with her husband and two daughters and their two dogs. She works with metal, glass, ceramics and wood as a designer and artisan. Deborah Caperton Jewelry was founded in 1997 and Caperton continues to exhibit her jewelry in stores and galleries and enjoys doing custom projects. She has taught metalsmithing, ceramics and mixed media classes at San Francisco State University, The Academy of Art University, The Mendocino Arts Center and The Richmond Art Center. Capearton enjoys being part of Spark Ceramics: a community-based ceramics education program in San Francisco, teaching ceramics at Kipp High School and getting to Point Arena as much as possible. “Throughout the pandemic I have been working more with ceramics, clay being so different from my usual medium of metal I have enjoyed a more intuitive and spontaneous process.” A recent botanical series she created has been a departure for her. She used different plants to create impressions into the clay. When the plants were fired in the kiln, they turned to ash. She then worked the clay at many different stages to layer on color. “These pieces make me think of the passage of time, how we adapt, experience change and why some things must, inescapably, remain,” says Caperton. More information about Caperton’s work can be seen by visiting her website, deborahcapertonjewelry.com

Madeline Kibbe studied biology at Mount Holyoke College and transferred to Rhode Island School of Design where she received a BFA in printmaking in 1988. Shortly after, she moved to Point Arena. Since then she has worked in a variety of media and has had numerous shows locally and was included in a kite show juried by Milton Glaser at the Smithsonian Institute. “I was not trained as a sculptor but I have made some sculpture over the years,” Kibbe says. “The inspiration has always come from the materials which have brought forth strange creative impulses that I like to allow without judgement.” One series Kibbe created featured old growth milled redwood and hand forged nails rescued from an old house she remodeled. This time, Kibbe says her inspirations come from charred wood, rusted metal, buttons, keys and various bits and pieces that found their way into her studio. The Coast Highway Art Collective is regularly open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The gallery is located at 284 Main St., Point Arena, next door to the Redwood Credit Union.

R. Grunig

Deborah Threlkel:

My inspiration goes back to days at the beach, finding a superbly lustrous piece of Abalone shell and making my first necklace for my grandmother when I was 11. I was hooked, little did I know back then that these memories and my passion for the all things connected to the ocean would stay with me for the rest of my life. When I moved to Gualala and it’s supportive artists community 10 years ago Abalone Queen Jewelry was conceptualized, honoring the tradition and beauty of the abalone shell found along the California Coast. I had been making jewelry for over 20 years and was really wanting to create a connection to the beauty of the natural world. Every piece crafted has it’s own inspiration and story from within my experiences and each result is a one of a kind creation. With the earth and oceans always changing I can see as I gather and collect that there is no longer the abundance of material that used to be found as I beach comb. Many of the shells and their inhabitants are gone, some facing extinction, making each piece of jewelry that much more rare and precious. When assembling my designs I use different combinations of shells, coral, drilled beach glass, luminous pearls and high quality gemstone beads. I wire wrap each piece of jewelry creating a chain out of a single piece of wire using either sterling silver, gold or gold fill wire. The delicate appearance of the finished earrings or necklaces are as unique and beautiful as they are strong and durable. As much as I love the act of creating my art with Abalone Queen Jewelry it is through the one on one transactions, of bringing joy, connecting and building relationships that I feel truly grateful to be doing what I do.

David Brix:

I have always enjoyed taking photographs ever since college so many years ago when I bought my first camera, a Nikon FM film SLR. A lot has changed in my photography over the years. Cameras have gone from film to digital, lens have gotten better and sharper, and post processing has gone from dodging and burning in the dark room to adjusting hue and saturation on the computer. What has not changed for me along the way is the pleasure I get in making a photograph and bringing it to life, and the satisfaction I get in capturing the awe and beauty I find in the world. In the beginning it was party pics and class assignments for Deva Hyman's photography class. Soon, though, I was shooting 4x5 landscapes à la Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, and developing B&W prints in my bathroom at night. Later I assisted studio and architectural photographers before striking out on my own. Initially, I followed a career path for over 15 years that included a business in digital imaging (digital and graphic illustration, retouching, and pre-press). In 2006, desiring a more stable and lucrative career, I decided to pursue another kind of imaging as a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. While not as expressive, it has allowed me to help others, as well as to afford my creative passions. These days, I am blessed and thrilled to be able to explore even more of the beauty that our natural environment has to offer. I have rekindled my love for shooting landscapes, nightscapes, and travel images, as well as more abstract images. I hope that you enjoy viewing my photographs as much as I have enjoyed creating them!

Coast Highway Artists Collective, CHAC, celebrate a Ninth Year Anniversary in their Point Arena, California gallery, with an April, 2021 exhibition of new artwork from members and former members, and with a retrospective of selected artwork for two of our late co-founders, Arna Means and Jane Reichhold. Reception The exhibit runs through the month of April. Covid protocols in place. The following video is an updated version showing the final exhibit collection as displayed at the reception.

An Exhibit celebrating Nine Years as the Coast Highway Art Collective (CHAC), featuring selected work of current and past members. Past members Arna Means and Jane Reichhold will receive special commemoration, including an exhibit of their selected works. Reception: Friday, April 2, Noon to 5 PM.

Arna Means was a lifelong artist who used art as a tool for exploration. She used many mediums but is most known for her whimsical etchings and paintings. Her works showcase her connection and celebration of animals, nature and the cosmos, the female form and the human experience. This show will feature selections from her body of etchings, paintings and mixed media .

Jane Reichhold had a long, innovative career in the arts. She was internationally known as a Haiku poet, and created her own imprint to publish selected works submitted to her by the global community of Haiku poets. She also worked in ceramics during her many years in our art community on the south coast of Mendocino. In one of her uniquely creative art excursions, in 2013, Jane had been primarily making jewelry, but then began to dedicate much of her time to beading collectable Teenie Beanie Babies. These small stuffed toys, created by the famous Ty Company that made Beanie Babies, were manufactured for McDonalds as give-aways for Happy Meals. The program was first unveiled in 1996 and continued through 2009. The original toys were avidly sought by collectors and bought for the day when they would increase in value. Some of the best ones available after their discontinuance were still in the original plastic bags with the swing and tush tags attached. Jane bought some of these and carefully removed the animal in its pristine condition, cut off the tags, and saved them in the original plastic bag. Then she began to bead. Sometimes the bead colors and shapes followed the design of the original beast, and other times whimsy took over and she created completely new animals. See some examples of Jane's work in the photos following.

Jane was a unique artist in our collective, and was a mentor to many of our newer artists.

MARCH ART EXHIBIT Cynthia Myers, Glass, and Peter Dobbins, Photography: March 4 - 28, Reception Mar. 5, NOON - 5 PM

Our March Exhibit will feature two visiting artists who are outstanding in their work.

Peter Dobbins started his career as ship’s photographer on the U.S.S. Rochester, often the Flag Ship of the Seventh Fleet in the Far East, He attended the U. of Alabama, and the Art Center School in L.A.—a leading fine and commercial art school—to study in their photography department (now the Art Center College of Design).

After a few years of working as a photo-assistant for advertising free-lancers and agencies in L.A. and the Bay Area, Dobbins co-founded Cohen Dobbins Photography, with a studio in the Ramparts village area, later moved to Beverly Hills. In Peter’s take on his work:

“Dealing with art directors and agencies was certainly stressful but boy was it a hell of a teacher! A client would call with the need for any kind of photograph from, still life, aerial, landscape, portrait, underwater, industrial, fashion to??? Often, needed props required our manufacture as well, sometimes on very short notice with a bit of bargaining thrown in. Too often an agency would leave our small business hanging and after a couple of years of increased stress and overhead we were ready for a change and I left the business to Mike. I spent the next year shooting a little for The LA Times Magazine but mostly shooting just for myself, but I was seriously burnt out and my wife and I decided that moving to the country was the thing!

“I am some kind of a Zen Buddhist. I love the Japanese poetry forms of haiku and senryū, austere poetry that is meant to give you an instant visual hit of truth from mere words. In my images, I seek something similar to the audial experience one feels in the immediate aching silence at the end of the last note of an organ in a cathedral or a gong in a temple as those last notes are still ring in your head.

“The large piece hanging free is of Point Arena denizens who came to town in costume on a Halloween night back in the ‘80s. It is not wholly mine but was setup and shot by Cohen Dobbins photography- getting together for the purpose of creating a Point Arena self-portrait. (A pro bono job that we did again by popular demand the following year).”

Cynthia Myers is well known on the Mendocino coast for her etched glass work. Intricately etched glass vases and art pieces in a variety of hues "catch the light and the viewer's imagination." Myer's designs feature floral and animal themes that aim for subtlety as well as detail.

"I use sand under pressure to carve and etch my artwork onto handblown glass," she said, adding that she is self-taught, having learned her art in the barnyard of her family farm in northern California.

"I've now honed not etching and artwork over 30 years and have been continuously by the wild nature that surrounds me in my garden here on the edge of the Pacific Ocean." For more information about Myers and her work, visit her website at cynthiamyersglass.com.

Selected photos by Dobbins and glass pieces by Myers are shown following.

What happens when a local artist decides to move away for another adventure? They host a pop-up sale of all their beautiful work, of course. Joyce George, whose oil-on-canvas scenes have been featured in local galleries and GAC, is moving out of the area soon. On Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13 from 11:30 am until 2 pm., join George at the Coast Highway Art Collective in Point Arena for a special pop up sale, featuring over 30 large canvases (18 x 20 and 18 x 24) plus several 5 x 7 canvases priced to sell. She says the 5 x 7 pieces will sell for $20 each and a maximum on her larger pieces will be $150. A portion of each sale will be donated to CHAC.

FEBRUARY ART EXHIBIT VALENTINES DAY RECEPTION, P-ARTY, NOON - 5 PM

Our special February Exhibit will feature CHAC member artists new selections, many of which focus on the Valentines Day theme. Some examples are given in the video above. We will have two visiting local poets from Point Arena, Blake More and Lauren Sinnott, on hand to create unique poems for gallery visitors on that day. Blake will be here from 2 PM - 5 PM, and Lauren from Noon - 5 PM. Your special poem can be commissioned for costs from $10 to $50. For those interested who cannot attend the day of the reception, poems can be ordered by emailing Ling-Yen at lingyen1969@gmail.com sometime before the reception and they will be delivered to you later. Also, Blake will have some of her books available for sale, and Lauren will have some of unique design fabric face masks for sale. COVID protocol for safe shopping will be in effect.

Coast Highway Artists

Gallery at 284 Main St., Point Arena, CA 95468 - 707-882-3616

VISIT OUR GALLERY

Artwork & Gift Shopping

CHAC GALLERY

MONTHLY ARTISTS' RECEPTIONS

SPECIAL EXHIBITS

MULTI-MEDIA ART

CHAC GALLERY SCHEDULE

may exhibit, OPENING RECEPTION, CC case and harald nordvold, Friday, May 6, Noon - 5 PM

painting & pottery - opening reception for featured artists: cc case, painting, & Harald eric nordvold, pottery and vases

June exhibit - the past & future retold, with visiting artists: sharon nickodem, donnalyn & mark chase. reception june 4

UPDATE #4 OF THE GO FUND ME CAMPAIGN: "SAVE POINT ARENA GALLERY WITH a NEW ROOF"

MARCH EXHIBIT - RECEPTION MAR. 5, NOON - 5 P.M.DEBORAH THRELKEL - ABALONE QUEEN JEWELRY CHRIS HAGIE - MIXED MEDIA ABSTRACT PAINTING

dt - necklace 1

DT - necklance 2

dt - necklace 3

ch - garden bubbles

ch - sf bay area

ch - indiana farmlands

march 7, 2022 opening reception video of ABALONE JEWELRY & ABSTRACT PAINTING, featuring interviews and works of artists Deborah threlkel and chris hagie

OPENING RECEPTION, VALENTINE’S DAY ART AT THE COAST HIGHWAY ARTISTS COLLECTIVE

opening reception video for february, 2022 Valentines exhibit featuring selected new pieces by the coast highway artists collective members

Kristen hoard

kristen hoard

deborah threlkel

deborah threlkel

elizabeth solomon

siobhan

the collective adds six new member artists: don antram, sarah britton, linda green, jacqualine mooney, patricia paolone, and Elizabeth solomon

Don antram

don antram

sarah brittton

sarah britton

linda green

linda green

jacqualine mooney

jacqualine mooney

patricia paolone

november EXHIBIT brenda phillips - pottery & CERAMICSbruce jones - paintingreception nov. 4, noon - 5 p.m.

hummingbird & flowers pattern

mugs and bowls

mugs and canister

flowers 1 pattern

flowers 2 pattern

stormy seascape

river pine

cormorants

driftwood

opening reception video for november, 2021 exhibit with Brenda Phillips and Bruce Jones

OCTOBER exhibit at chac gallery - ANDREA ALLEN & PETER BAILEY

JEWELRY AND PAINTINGS INSPIRED BY NATURE

opening reception video for October, 2021 exhibit with Peter bailey & andrea allen

SEPTEMBER EXHIBIT - CHRIS GRASSANO, PAINTING, AND COLETTE COAD, GLASS ARTWORK

bee - c.g.

bunny - c.G.

great grey owl - c.g.

raven - c.g.

white breasted nuthatch - c.g.

untitled 1 - C.C.

perfect parrot - C.C.

untitled 2 - C.C.

untitled 3 - c.c.

opening reception video for September, 2021 exhibit with chris grassano & colette coad

AUGUST EXHIBIT - EMMA HURLEY - CERAMICS, APPAREL & PHIL CLARK, - WOODWORKING

Whale mug - Emma

Marine life hoody - Emma

Fish Pot - emma

Kelp mug - EMMA

marine life tee-shirt, - EMMA

mirror - salvaged port orford cedar - PHIL

mirror - salvaged black walnut - PHIL

side table - PHIL

wall altar - PHIL

opening reception video for August, 2021 exhibit with Phil clark and emma hurley

opening reception for "together: collaborative artists joan rhine & jim meilander." exhibit remains at gallery for month of july

new July exhibit at chac gallery.

opening reception for sculpture and assemblage exhibit featuring madeline kibbe and deborah caperton, held June 4. exhibit remains at gallery for month of june

June is mixed media month at CHAC

INTERVIEWS WITH FEATURED ARTISTS: DEBORAH CAPERTON & MADELINE KIBBE

may exhibit, OPENING RECEPTION, CC case and
harald nordvold, Friday, May 6, Noon - 5 PM

June exhibit - the past & future retold, with visiting artists:
sharon nickodem, donnalyn & mark chase. reception june 4

MARCH EXHIBIT - RECEPTION MAR. 5, NOON - 5 P.M.
DEBORAH THRELKEL - ABALONE QUEEN JEWELRY
CHRIS HAGIE - MIXED MEDIA ABSTRACT PAINTING

november EXHIBIT
brenda phillips - pottery & CERAMICS
bruce jones - painting
reception nov. 4, noon - 5 p.m.

opening reception video for november, 2021 exhibit with Brenda Phillips
and Bruce Jones

SEPTEMBER EXHIBIT - CHRIS GRASSANO, PAINTING, AND
COLETTE COAD, GLASS ARTWORK

opening reception video for September, 2021 exhibit with chris grassano
& colette coad

david brix -Far Out Places photography
deborah threlkel - abalone queen jewelry
Exhibit may 1 - 30

ARNA MEANS & JANE REICHHOLD RETROSPECTIVE
and 9-yr. anniversary of chac