Coast Highway Artists


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



Monthly Exhibits



Descriptions of Current and Past Monthly Exhibits, including artists' bio, selected images of artists' work and video interviews





Nov. 2020 Exhibit





Deborah Threlkel



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Deborah is a beach comber, a rock hound and a collector of interesting things, She has been inspired to create through her jewelry a connection to the delicate balance of our natural world. Nine years ago, she moved to Gualala from San Francisco and started incorporating shells and beach glass into her necklaces, and as a result Abalone Queen was conceptualized. In Deborah's words: "I love collecting, probably my favorite part of the process, and then I sort and drill. Tom, my husband, has become an expert at drilling sometimes as many as 100 pieces of beach glass for one necklace. Using a combination of gemstones, shells and beach glass I wire wrap 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, knowing that Abalone Queen jewelry will feel as if you are wearing the ocean. I was invited to become a part of the Coast Highway Artists Collective by Ling-Yen Jones when I first started showing my pieces and it is wonderful to be welcomed back to show my work again November 5-28th. I will be joined by my long time friend and jeweler Sara Costello/Costello Rose Designs from Humboldt County for our first show together. Sara and I grew up in Berkeley and met in Jr. High School in the tumultuous 60's. We have had many amazing adventures throughout the years and many more still to come. We are excited to present our latest works and welcome you to our artists reception Nov 6 12-5pm."



Sarah Costello



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Sara started Costello Rose Designs in !994, but has been creating jewelry since 1974. Her inspiration goes back to her roots as a New Mexico native taking trips to old town in her hometown Albuquerque, New Mexico.


In Sara's words: "There, the Native Americans displayed their jewelry and wares on the ground spread out on beautiful woven blankets and rugs.The one-on-one transactions, being grounded with real people, the colors of turquoise, jet, coral, jaspers, shell, and SILVER - this is what I see in my mind's eye as I create my pieces. My fondest 2nd grade memory is when a father came to share the art of Tufa casting. I was mesmerized by the torch and the molten silver pouring into the mold.These memories and the act of creating art are what keeps my heart beating evenly - that is why I continue to create.


I also enjoy the social aspect of being a vendor, which can be a challenge online, but I am going with the flow with determination to make connections online. I am more than excited to be here in Mendocino with my friend of 50 years Deborah Threlkel. The Abalone Queen and Costello Rose has a good ring to it, don't you think? Thanks to Coast Highway Artist Collective for this wonderful opportunity."



Deborah Threlkel & Sarah Costello Jewelry Exhibit



This is a video taken at the Artists' Reception for the Deborah Threlkel & Sara Costello Jewelry Exhibit featured in Nov. 2020 at the Coast Highway Artists Collective, (CHAC), in Point Arena CA. Debra's Abalone Queen jewelry line features an exquisite beauty of the pearl-like luster found in ocean sculpted abalone shell fragments collected along the northern California coast. Combined with either semi-precious stones or surf-polished glass beads, and fine silver-link necklaces, the jewelry is exciting. Sara's Costello Rose Designs feature southwestern ambiance, using semi-precious stones sourced from select mines, including turquoise, and volcanic rock powders molded, carved, and fitted to silver bracelets, in silverwork styles of her own unique, and intuitive designs.



Oct. 2020 Exhibit





Geraldine LiaBraaten



It’s all about Color. Color is my life. If I lived on the island of the colorblind I would just fade away to nothing. My house is a riot of color: turquoise kitchen, red couch, fuchsia duvet, yellow pillows. And don’t get me started on my wardrobe: there’s a reason my nickname is “Flamboya”. This year marks my golden anniversary as a photographer. I’ve done it all: media assignments of newsworthy events, stock photography, outdoor art fairs, gallery exhibits and nonprofit fundraisers. Through it all my style has remained consistent: I like color, diagonals, pattern and oddness.


Over time I’ve gotten closer and closer to my subjects, evolving from large panoramas to small semi-abstracts. The element of surprise, plus recognition and discovery are part of what I give the viewer: from “What the heck IS that?” to “Aha!” I want you to have as much fun with the images as I have.


I don’t do darkroom work or image manipulation, not out of any purist mindset but because I have no patience with technology, nor interest in changing my images. What I saw through the viewfinder is what you get in the image. It’s very exciting for me to have an exhibit with Colette Coad, whose work I admire tremendously. Though our media are not the same, we have a similar feel for color and pattern that makes our work show well together. I studied her work and chose images that I felt would complement her pieces some are from existing work and many were photographed especially for this showing. I hope you will be as pleased with the collection as I am.



Colette Coad



Colette loves glass. It is not only her medium, it is a source of great joy and sometimes great frustration. She started eight years ago with a class on glass fusing and fell in love with the medium. She bought a kiln and some glass (enough to fill a stand holding eight pieces). She now has two kilns, five stands and two crates of glass. Yes, she does love glass.


Glass has always intrigued and fascinated her. She thinks the dichotomy of it being both dangerous and fragile while being so beautiful is captivating. She loves the way it looks in different light and the almost endless combinations of colors and even textures that can be created. However, she now wishes she had bought stock in a band-aid company given how easy it is to cut oneself while doing glass.


In the words of Colette: “I had a very busy and fulfilling career in management consulting. I traveled extensively in North America and Europe while raising my family with my husband. I loved what I did and it offered many creative opportunities. None of those opportunities were artistic. After I moved to the coast and was retired for a while, I rediscovered glass. I had never thought of myself as an artist. I have never taken an “art” class. Over the last eight years I have taken many glass classes that focus primarily on technique. I think I have found my “inner artist”. I have come to believe that this inner artist exists in many, if not all, of us. I was lucky to find glass with the first series of classes I took in Sebastopol. The Mendonoma area offers so many opportunities to explore and discover what will unleash your inner artist. Last March when Covid19 started impacting everything we do I wondered if anyone would ever see any of the pieces I planned for the show in October. I wondered if the show would even take place. I decided that I would create pieces for myself and that is what I did. It was very freeing."



Glass & Photography - Collete Coad & Geraldine LiaBraaten



A video of the Glass & Photography Exhibit - Colette Coad works in fused glass creations, employing kiln fired techniques and special glass materials, such as Dichroic glass. Her pieces are free-standing mid-sized display works of sensual beauty. Geraldine LiaBraaten is an artist photographer, capturing the unusual scene typically involving an interaction of light and shadow, or environmental effects on everyday, utilitarian objects that are not immediately recognized before that thrilling moment of cognizance..



Aug. 2020 Exhibit





Westley Luster



Born in Oklahoma City, OK, Wesley Luster is a multi-ethnic artist whose creative work --much like his ethnic background-- is extremely varied in shape, scope, nature, taste, form and function. His work is created out of that which also fuels his inspiration... the potential for limitless creation and possibility.

When in his creative process, there are no bounds or limits, though he tends to focus on portraits in a variety of styles.
Materials may include pencil, charcoal, paint (acrylics oils), mosaic tiling, decoupage, objects and/or any number of media that inspire working concepts. His mind has more in common with a hot wire, sparking to establish a fresh connection with new ideas. Wesley’s art is also a service, under @RazeYourVibes.


He can schedule initial consults for commissions, murals, signs (ex. store restaurant), graphic design (ex. logos), and wall art (ex. children's/teens’ habitats).


lusterdesign@gmx.com. Phone: 405-802-8978


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Deborah Caperton



Deborah Caperton grew up in the Northeast and studied at The Rhode Island School of Design majoring in jewelry and light metals with a minor in sculpture. In 1989 she moved to San Francisco, then Point Arena then back to the Bay Area finally settling in Bernal Heights, SF in 1994. She now lives with her husband, 2 daughters and 2 dogs. Deb works with metal, glass, ceramics and wood as a designer and artisan. The mixed media series has been one of her most enjoyable and challenging endeavors. These works have been exhibited in solo and group shows since 1999.


"My Mixed Media narratives combine original elements that I create along with objects from my collection. I truly enjoy the process of creating metaphors and sharing ideas with a vocabulary of objects. I have accumulated a diverse assortment resulting from many decades spent trolling fleas markets, yard sales, discovering flora and fauna as well as receiving oddities from family and friends. These treasures had past lives and history. I like to imagine I am collaborating while repurposing- giving new life to something overlooked and forgotten. The components I make are fabricated by hand, mostly in metal and are designed to fill in the blanks where needed to drive a concept. The use of text is also important. The signage provides the observer with instructive hints and directions making the viewer a collaborator. For example: prompted to blow, whistle or slide a door to creates a reaction that helps tell the story. These pieces are sensory, requiring participation and discovery, coming alive with interaction. The narratives are loosely woven to leave space for the observer to make personal connections and reflections. My hope is that this active participation beckons the viewer to be affected by what they see and feel, thus making these stories their own."


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Wesley Luster & Deborah Caperton Art Exhibit, Paintings, Assemblage



An art exhibit featuring Wesley Luster, paintings, and Deborah Caperton, Assemblage. This exhibit was held in the Coast Highway Artists Collective art gallery during August, 2020 in Point Arena, California. Wesley's large acrylic paintings of musicians and portraiture are thrilling. Deb Caperton's assemblage pieces are handsome and thought provoking, keyed to environmental and existential themes.