The Artists
(page 3)



Ann Ranlett

Ann Ranlett2
Newcastle resident Ann Ranlett is an award-winning artist & illustrator who focuses on animal & nature subjects rendered in ink on scratchboard, watercolor, pencil or mixed media. Ann enjoys the challenge of capturing texture and tone in shades of black, white & grey for her scratchboard drawings. To take a break from the time-consuming, monochrome works, Ann creates "Paintings with Petzazz" - brightly colored animal portraits in watercolor on Yupo (a synthetic paper). Ann also accepts commissions for pet portraits and nature illustrations. Visit Ann's web site


Polly Roberts1
Polly Roberts2

Polly Roberts is one of the founding members of the Auburn Old Town Gallery where she shows her handweaving. She became a three dimensional art major at Cal State Northridge when her children began "leaving the nest...". Majoring in ceramics and fiber arts, her focus now is on handweaving. In 1980, when her husband, Ray, retired, they moved to Auburn. She has a studio in their home. Polly is a member of the Sacramento Weavers and Spinners Guild and continues to take classes and workshops in weaving.

Polly is also a poet and writer. She paints with words in her book of poetry entitled A Life of Love, Laughter and Tears. Her book is available at the Gallery.


Read the Auburn Journal article about Polly.

 


Colleen Murray

Colleen Romig, another founding member of the Gallery started working with glass in 1975. Her fused glass chimes are made of kiln fired glass panels, dangling from a painted oak ring or from driftwood gathered on a California Beach. Each chime is finished with glass beading detail. The texture contrast between weathered driftwood and shiny glass on the driftwood chimes is particularly striking. Inspired by her love of the ocean, her fused glass and "beach treasure" mobiles are a whimsical collection of nature's shapes and textures.
 


Elaine B. Rothwell
Elaine B. Rothwell is known for her etchings. In her etchings, she uses visual puns, figure-ground ambiguities and enigmatic images to present the viewer with two things simultaneously or familiar images in unlikely settings. She was first known for her series of etchings using chess imagery and hidden chess positions. Her latest etchings "Seasons of Romance" and "Moons", can be seen at the Auburn Old Town Gallery and many of her etchings can be viewed on line at www.artbyrothwell.com. Although the subject matter of Rothwell's etchings is playful her involvement in the process by which they are executed is a devout labor. She makes all her own plates, employing traditional techniques as well as experimental methods.
Visit Elaine's web site

Read the March '07 article about Elaine that
appeared in the Auburn Journal
 


Christina1
Christina2
Jewelry artist Christina loves all forms of art. She is always looking for ways to create unique pieces and bracelets are her favorite design projects. She worked as a bench jeweler for ten years and now enjoys the freedom of creating her own designs. She relishes the feeling of starting with a piece of wax and carving just to see what appears or forging metal to find its purpose. She typically uses silver for the way it enhances her designs. Her love of travel and the art of the Mayans, Incas and Aztecs influences her work. Her jewelry reflects what she sees and how she feels at a particular time.


Joan Sexton
Joan Sexton is in love with the outdoors and paints "alla prima" whenever she can. Her pastels reflect her love of nature and her interest in travel. If she is not outside painting her pastels and watercolors, she is travelling to some far-away place for inspiration. She also admits to being a colorist so you may even find purple trees in her art! Her work is found in many private collections both here and abroad. Joan is President of the Pastel Society of the West Coast and is active in championing the use of pastels and of informing the buying public of the permanence and brilliance of the medium.
 


Jay Stargaard
Jay Stargaard’s sculptures are created out of stainless steel, copper, bronze, and some mild steel most of which are recycled metals. She specializes in fabricating butterflies, dragonflies, fairies, wishing bowls, flowers, and hearts. Every piece of art has its own energetic essence allowing each piece to be distinctly different. “The beauty of Nature and forms I experience in my dream-states inspires my work. I quest to develop new ways to mix the elements of metal, wood, rock, and water to express my appreciation of nature. My passion for tig welding sculptures is driven by the possibility to create a more beautiful place that inspires joy and reflects one’s own grace, love and fascination.”
 



Bookbinder Judy Thompson creates custom books and paper art. Most of the decorative papers used in her work are original hand-marbled or hand-made paste papers. She specializes in design binding - creating book covers based on themes and ideas expressed within the text of the book. She also does limited restoration and repair of damaged books.

Judy's one-of-a-kind design bindings have been displayed throughout the United States in Guild of Book Workers exhibitions and she has won many awards in juried shows. One of her bindings is on permanent display in the Museum of Bookbinding in the Czech Republic.

Judy enjoys bookbinding because it brings together her talent in art and design with her love for precision hand craftsmanship.

 


Monica Turner
Monica Turner captures her fascination for wildlife in her watercolor paintings and photographs. Trips to Africa have provided her with unique subjects for her realistic paintings.
 


George Updegraff
George Updegraff turned his self-taught hobby, woodcarving, into a full-time career. The bas-relief style of carving and of carving in the round is represented in his work today. The Bas-relief process begins by sketching the subject on basswood, a soft, white wood similar to pine but not as heavily grained. Next, the wood is carved away to form a subject and patiently sanded down. George's art is always challenging. He is constantly creating new designs, once a carving is begun; the subject cannot be "erased". With this fact in mine, one can be certain that each piece of art created by George Updegraff is unique and truly an original.


Dianne Van de Carr
Dianne Van de Carr - jewelry
Fused glass artist, Dianne Van de Carr loves everything about glass, the colors, textures and versatility. She creates whimsical wall art, coasters, ornaments and jewelry. Much of her work in made with Dichroic Glass, a "space age" glass that has metals vacuum deposited on the surface creating wonderful reflective qualities. The combination of technical challenges and unlimited artistic possibilities keeps her excited about her work.
Visit Dianne's web site


Jane Welles
Jane Welles is an artist who enjoys painting the landscape on location, using oil, pastels, or watercolor. This award-winning artist was an art major at CSUSJ and is a co-founder of the Nevada County Plein Air Painters, a group of artists who enjoy getting together to paint outside.
Jane paints on location because she feels it makes a difference in capturing the quality of the light. Her inspriation comes from the quiet contemplation of nature and being in close harmony with her surroundings. She hopes she can share this love of the outdoors with others. Jane loves living in Nevada County because there is so much in the area to paint.


Linda Whiteside
Linda Whiteside has been involved with the arts most of her life and has been sculpting for the past 13 years. She works primarily in clay and draws her inspiration from nature, the human spirit, and cultural differences. She makes her home in Folsom and has shown her work extensively in the greater Sacramento area and throughout the State.

Linda and Lana Federico combine their talents to produce unique, free form, Raku-fired art. Visit Linda & Lana's web site


Kenn Womack is a retired professional now living in the Gold Country. Throughout his career he pursued a variety of artistic disciplines as a means of obtaining relief and balance from occupational pressure and stress. In addition to being a successful jeweler and school-trained engraver, he has pursued the art of Pysanky and built examples of historic period muzzle loading firearms. Kenn has taken up woodturning as a way to make something of many interesting or highly figured pieces of wood that would have burned, wasted or otherwise lost. Initially using hardwoods from discarded pallets, end cuts and trim from small mill operations, his interest in woodturning has extended itself to locating, rescue and salvage of material for use on the lathe.

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©Auburn Old Town Gallery, 2003 - 2008. Last updated February 2008
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