Five Artists Open Studios This Weekend

Five North Coast Open Studios artists have chose to open their studios again this weekend, Saturday and Sunday June 25 and 26, fro 11 a to 5 pm. The participating artists had such a great experience with Open Studios, that they chose to invite the public to creative space once again.

Artists open this weekend will be:

• Elizabeth Berrien
  Fine wire sculpture
  590 Ole Hanson Road, Freshwater
  (707) 445-4931
  wireladye@yahoo.com
  Open Saturday & Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm

• Augustus Clark
  Acrylic paintings on varied surfaces
  208 C Street, Eureka
  (707) 445-9492
  clark@humboldt1.com
  www.humboldt1.com/~clark
  Open Saturday & Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm

• Susan Harper
  Watercolor paintings, beaded watches, rosaries
  1671 Bella Vista Road, McKinleyville
  (707) 839-5760
  sueharper46@yahoo.com
  www.susanwalshharper.com
  To get to studio: Take Central Avenue onto Bella Vista.
  Left into last driveway of Plaza parking lot,
  follow lane behind the business park to 1671 (behind yellow house).
  Open Sunday from 1 to 5 pm

• Joyce Jonté
  Paintings - Florals and nudes, originals, cards and reproductions
  StewArt Studios, 1125 16th Street, Arcata, #105-G
  (707) 498-6224
  jonteart@suddenlink.net
  www.arcataartisans.com
  To get to studio: Enter parking lot from L Street between 15th and 16th.
  Enter building on the GROUND level.
  Open Saturday & Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm

• Susan Strope/Studio S
  Oil Paintings
  717 Third Street, Eureka
  (707) 442-5656
  Studio is located between H and I on Third Street.
  Open Saturday from 1 to 5 pm

You can find more information about these artists on the North Coast Open Studios website: www.northcoastopenstudios.com or in the 2010 Guidebook. Want to visit a particular participating artist that is not opening this weekend? All artists listed in the guidebook are open by appointment, so please contact any artists whose studios you are interested in visiting. All open studios are free and family friendly. For more information, contact Taffy Stockton, NCOS Coordinator by email at contact@northcoastopenstudios.com, or by calling (707) 834-6460.

Wire goat by Elizabeth Berrien

Painting by Gus Clark

"Mom's Roses" by Susan Harper

"Repose" by Joyce Jonté

"Four of a Kind" by Susan Strope

Open Studios Continues With Weekend 2: June 12 & 13

The Twelfth Annual North Coast Open Studios continues this weekend, June 12&13! Weekend 2 of NCOS will feature 61 artists, from Fortuna to Trinidad, opening their studio doors to you for the weekend. Studios will be open 11 am to 5 pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

Susan Fox in her studio. Painting by Fox, After The Race: Baga Gazriin Chuluu.

Artists open for Weekend 2 are (click on the name to be taken to their artist listing on the NCOS website):

Erin Austin (North Coast Metal Arts Guild) - Eureka, NCOS Artist #38

Julia Bednar - Eureka, NCOS Artist #39

Elaine Benjamin (Blue Chair Press) - Blue Lake, NCOS Artist #13

Karen Berman - Bayside, NCOS Artist #33

Elizabeth Berrien - Indianola, NCOS Artist #36

Blue Ox Community School - Eureka, NCOS Artist #41

Frances Boettcher - King Salmon, NCOS Artist #80

Susan Bornstein - Arcata, NCOS Artist #16

Kathrin Burleson - Trinidad, NCOS Artist #1

Donna Bush - Fortuna, NCOS Artist #82

Augustus Clark - Eureka, NCOS Artist #45
Susan Cooper - Fortuna, NCOS Artist #83

Natalie Craig - Arcata, NCOS Artist #17

Andrew Daniel - Arcata, NCOS Artist #1

Saremy Duffy (Chicken Boots) - Blue Lake, NCOS Artist #14
Fire Arts Center - Arcata, NCOS Artist #19

Susan Fox- Dows Prairie, NCOS Artist #9

Karen Chase Frazee - Bayside, NCOS Artist #34
Libby George - Arcata, NCOS Artist #20
Joan Gold - Eureka, NCOS Artist #48

Elaine Gredassoff - Fortuna, NCOS Artist #84

Susan Harper - McKinleyville, NCOS Artist #3

Erin House - Eureka, NCOS Artist #51

Bernice Huston - Glendale Drive, NCOS Artist #11

Steven V. Johnson - Arcata, NCOS Artist #22

Dannion Jones - Eureka, NCOS Artist #53

Joyce Jonté - Arcata, NCOS Artist #23

Beth Kabat (Thimbleberry Threads) - Dows Prairie, NCOS Artist #10

Kinetic Sculpture Museum - Ferndale, NCOS Artist #81

Lorraine Lindley - Eureka, NCOS Artist #58

Peggy Loudon - Arcata, NCOS Artist #24

Jim Lowry - Arcata, NCOS Artist #25
Sarah Marina - Eureka, NCOS Artist #60
Lucien Midnight - Arcata, NCOS Artist #26

Jeff Morales - McKinleyville, NCOS Artist #4

Morris Graves Museum of Art - Eureka, NCOS Artist #63
Christy Mueller - Eureka, NCOS Artist #64

Kathy O'Leary - Eureka, NCOS Artist #66
Linda Parkinson - Eureka, NCOS Artist #12

Allison Reed - Arcata, NCOS Artist #27

Alan Sanborn - Arcata, NCOS Artist #28

Patricia Sennott - Arcata, NCOS Artist #29

Lia Sharp - Eureka, NCOS Artist #70

Zachary Shea - Bayside, NCOS Artist #35

Simone Smith - Eureka, NCOS Artist #72

Susan Strope - Eureka, NCOS Artist #73

Studio S - Eureka, NCOS Artist #74

Christina Swingdler - Eureka, NCOS Artist #75

Linnea Tobias - Arcata, NCOS Artist #30

David Van de Mark - Eureka, NCOS Artist #76

Colin Vance - Manila, NCOS Artist #37

Steven Vander Meer - Arcata, NCOS Artist #31

Stasia Walters- Blue Lake, NCOS Artist #1

John Wesa - McKinleyville, NCOS Artist #5

Westhaven Center for the Arts - Westhaven, NCOS Artist #2

Michael Woods - Eureka, NCOS Artist #78

Hal Work - McKinleyville, NCOS Artist #6

Mark Young - Eureka, NCOS Artist #79

Peter Zambas - Fieldbrook, NCOS Artist #8

Melissa Zielinski (Mill Creek Glass) - McKinleyville, NCOS Artist #7

Saremy Duffy at work, some of her textile pieces, and a studio visitor.

Open Studios starts this weekend!

The Twelfth Annual North Coast Open Studios starts this weekend, June 5&6. Weekend 1 of NCOS will feature 68 artists opening their studio for the weekend.










Kathy O'Leary


Here is you chance to visit the places where art is made as Humboldt County artists open their studios and their creative process to you. Meet the artists firsthand... explore types of work that are both familiar and new to you... and purchase work directly from the artists!






Susan Bloch


Studios will be open 11 am to 5 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Artists open for Weekend 1 are (click on the name to be taken to their artist listing on the NCOS website):
Erin Austin - Eureka, NCOS Artist #38
Julia Bednar - Eureka, NCOS Artist #39
Elizabeth Berrien - Indianola, NCOS Artist #36
Susan Bloch - Eureka, NCOS Artist #40
Blue Ox Community School - Eureka, NCOS Artist #41
Lorna Brown - Eureka, NCOS Artist #42
Donna Bush - Fortuna, NCOS Artist #82
Regina Case - Eureka, NCOS Artist #43
Sheldon Chase - Eureka, NCOS Artist #44
Augustus Clark - Eureka, NCOS Artist #45
Susan Cooper - Fortuna, NCOS Artist #83
Merry Coor - Eureka, NCOS Artist #46
Kay Damgaard - Eureka, NCOS Artist #47
Andrew Daniel - Arcata, NCOS Artist #18
Fire Arts Center - Arcata, NCOS Artist #19
Karen Chase Frazee - Bayside, NCOS Artist #34
Libby George - Arcata, NCOS Artist #20
Joan Gold - Eureka, NCOS Artist #48
Shawn Gould - Eureka, NCOS Artist #49
Elaine Gredassof - Fortuna, NCOS Artist #84
Rick Gustafson - Eureka, NCOS Artist #50
Susan Harper - McKinleyville, NCOS Artist #3
Erin House - Eureka, NCOS Artist #51
Bernice Huston - Glendale Drive, NCOS Artist #11
Steven V. Johnson - Arcata, NCOS Artist #22
Tani Johnson - Eureka, NCOS Artist #52
Damion Jones - Eureka, NCOS Artist #53
Joyce Jonté - Arcata, NCOS Artist #23
Yvonne Kern - Eureka, NCOS Artist #54
Kinetic Sculpture Museum - Ferndale, NCOS Artist #81
John King - Eureka, NCOS Artist #55
Frances Kuta - Eureka, NCOS Artist #56
Thao Le Khac - Eureka, NCOS Artist #57
Lorraine Lindley - Eureka, NCOS Artist #58
Peggy Loudon - Arcata, NCOS Artist #24
Jim Lowry - Arcata, NCOS Artist #25
Kathy Marie - Eureka, NCOS Artist #59
Sarah Marina - Eureka, NCOS Artist #60
Kelly Mathson - Eureka, NCOS Artist #61
Karen Merry - Eureka, NCOS Artist #62
Lucien Midnight - Arcata, NCOS Artist #26
Jeff Morales - McKinleyville, NCOS Artist #4
Morris Graves Museum of Art - Eureka, NCOS Artist #63
Michelle Murphy-Ferguson - Eureka, NCOS Artist #65
Kathy O'Leary - Eureka, NCOS Artist #66
Allison Reed - Arcata, NCOS Artist #27
Naomi Rose - Eureka, NCOS Artist #68
Victoria Ryan - Eureka, NCOS Artist #69
Alan Sanborn - Arcata, NCOS Artist #28
Patricia Sennott - Arcata, NCOS Artist #29
Lia Sharp - Eureka, NCOS Artist #70
Alice Shaw - Eureka, NCOS Artist #71
Zachary Shea - Bayside, NCOS Artist #35
Simone Smith - Eureka, NCOS Artist #72
Susan Strope - Eureka, NCOS Artist #73
Studio S - Eureka, NCOS Artist #74
Christina Swingdler - Eureka, NCOS Artist #75
Linnea Tobias - Arcata, NCOS Artist #30
David Van de Mark - Eureka, NCOS Artist #76
Colin Vance - Manila, NCOS Artist #37
Steven Vander Meer - Arcata, NCOS Artist #31
John Wesa - McKinleyville, NCOS Artist #5
Westhaven Center for the Arts - Westhaven, NCOS Artist #2
Jesse Wiedel - Eureka, NCOS Artist #77
Michael Woods - Eureka, NCOS Artist #78
Hal Work - McKinleyville, NCOS Artist #6
Mark Young - Eureka, NCOS Artist #79
Peter Zambas - Fieldbrook, NCOS Artist #8

1. Yvonne Kern

Four Myrtletown Artists Open Their Creative Spaces

Four Myrtletown artists will be sharing their unique spaces with the public during the first weekend of this year's 12th Annual North Coast Open Studios Tour. The community will have the rare opportunity to visit the studios of glass artist Susan Bloch-Welliver, painter Yvonne Kern, mixed media artist Kathy Marie and, potter Kate Purcell. This eclectic mix of artists share, along with their neighborhood, a deep connection with nature and it's designs.

Susan Bloch-Welliver, a nationally recognized glass artist, creates her "one of a kind" pieces in a multifaceted studio located at 1081 Vernon Street. Bloch-Welliver is creating a unique series of mixed media work while specializing in commissioned etched glass and sculptures.

"Time and nature compel me," says Bloch-Welliver. "I sharpen my awareness by memorializing daily moments of awe with shapes of glass, which become translated into sculptures". Sculptures, glass flowers, and etched glass are a few of the treasures that will be available for purchase at her studio.

Bloch-Welliver's work can be found in a recently released book titled Creative Glass, by Danijela Kracun & Charles McFadden, and at www.blochstudio.com.

Yvonne Kern's backyard studio is across the street from Susan Bloch-Welliver's studio. Visitors will find a tent pavilion and studio down a garden path behind the house. As a representational oil and watercolor painter for more than 20 years, Kern has found a lot of inspiration in her private space.

"I love the abundant beauty of this area. North Coast Open Studios offers me an unprecedented opportunity to share with our community this beauty that I have captured with my art."

Kern will exhibit several new oil and watercolor paintings. Note cards, "recycled art bookmarks", and a few other rare small gift items will be offered for sale. See www.yvonnekern.com for more information.

Kathy Marie, a local collage/mixed media artist, has been selling her art and participating in local holiday fairs for many years. Her inspiration comes from attending workshops, reading art books, working with talented artists in the area, and traveling experiences.

Marie's studio can be found on Hill Street, behind the Myrtle Avenue Starbucks. Look for
the green door. "For years I have been creating art using many different kinds of media but I have always felt most comfortable with collage/mixed media," says Marie about her art. "I love to work with color and try to express a powerful emotion in my work.. I feel art is an expression of oneself and a message about the world.. So as I grow as an individual so does my art."

Visitors will find digital photography, collages, altered art and one of a kind stuffed toys at her studio. Her work can be seen at the Rustic West Trading Co. in Old Town Eureka and on www.kathymarie.net.

Kate Purcell has been creating pottery for more than 20 years and her handmade colorfully decorated pottery is well known in Humboldt County. Her studio is located in a shop behind her house at 2572 Myrtle Ave. (Between Hubbard Street and Hall Ave) Visitors will have the opportunity to see her new wall plaques in addition to her other fine serving pieces.

"I like to imagine all the pots we have made over the years being used and enjoyed at social gatherings", Purcell said.

Her pottery can be found locally at Plaza Design, Trinidad Trading Company, at her studio and at www.firedancedesign.com.

Here's Your Chance to Win Art and Support Open Studios!

For 2010, the NCOS artists are offering an art-filled way to raise funds for this event: Support North Coast Open Studios and get a chance to win and one of three beautiful art pieces!

Local oil painter Kathy O’Leary, Jewelry artist Christina Swindgler and glass artist Susan Bloch have all donated pieces for the benefit drawing. Kathy O’Leary donated an oil painting “Mad River Bluffs”, approximate framed size is 21” x 27”, valued at $1,300. Christina Swingdler, of Christina Anastasia, donated a Swarovski crystal and stone necklace and earring set, valued at $175. Glass artist Susan Bloch, of Bloch Studios, donated an etched glass plate “Nesting” valued at $350.

All three pieces will be raffled off on Wednesday, June 23rd, and the proceeds will benefit North Coast Open Studios, and help defray the costs of this community event. Tickets are available until Tuesday, June 22nd for a $5 donation to North Coast Open Studios (c/o Ink People Center for the Arts). Call (707) 442-8413 for your chance to take one of these beautiful pieces of art home with you!

Winner need not be present to win. For more information, contact NCOS Coordinator Taffy Stockton, by email at contact@northcoastopenstudios.com.




















"Mad River Bluffs" oil painting by Kathy O'Leary.
















"Nesting" glass etched plate by Susan Bloch.














Necklace (earrings not pictured) by Christina Swindgler.

Win Art & Support

Getting Ready for Open Studios

Open Studios is always a joyful experience...meeting and talking with people who have come to see where we artists create our work...a glimpse into the private world of a producing artist...an opportunity to see work in progress as well as finished pieces of art. That's what it's all about.

But before Open Studios happens, artists need to get their studios ready for visitors. For some totally organized artists, that is simple...just straighten a few things, plan refreshments and put the Open Studios signs up.

For others of us, getting ready for Open Studios is a major undertaking. For me, it begins just after taxes are finished...when I start saying "I have to get ready for Open Studios". But the days fly by and the end of April, I realize that time is getting short, and I need to fit "getting ready" into my already overcrowded schedule.

I have a pretty big yard, neglected all winter...that needs to have a spring (now that the weather isn't so cold) grooming. The windows want to be washed. And the clutter of paintings, frames, supplies, unfinished projects, etc...need to be dealt with somehow. Invitations have to be designed, printed and mailed. So May is the month to focus on creating order out of chaos, preparing for the exciting weekends in June when I will share my studio, my work and my lifestyle with visitors.

No, people who visit my studio won't find a perfect environment. Try as i might, I won't be able to magically turn my place into an advertisement for House Beautiful. But the folks who visit me will see what an artist's studio really looks like... paintings not yet finished, completed works, brushes and canvases and paints and art books and all the stuff that makes my studio what it is. They can also walk around my yard, check out whatever is blooming in June and relax for a bit in a lawn chair and enjoy some refreshments.

Most of all, I want people to feel welcomed to my studio, enjoy their visit and leave with a greater appreciation of what we artists do to create our work. That's what makes it all worthwhile.

- Julia Bednar, NCOS Participating Artist #39
Julia will open her Eureka studio for both Weekend 1 & Weekend 2