Every
Day is a "Great Day" for the Artists' Collective in
Elk
Story
by Debbie L. Holmer
ARS
LONGA, VITA BREVIS…
Life is short, the art long…
A tale of a town
with two names: The little town of Elk is a place of beauty and serenity,
a place for respite and renewal—a place
apart. On a coast celebrated for its scenic beauty, Elk is exceptional.
Rock formations, sometimes called sea stacks, constitute a collection
aesthetically unequaled like a Zen rock garden artfully arranged and
appearing startlingly different when viewed from different angles.
Visitors from near and far can always be seen pausing to take in the
breathless views.
Like much of this coastline, Elk is characterized by sweeping vistas;
but this tiny town also seems to turn inward, enfolded by sloping forests
on land and sheltered by towering rocks at sea. Often still referred
to as “Greenwood,” Elk, California was established in the
early logging days and was a busy and prosperous lumber town. Peopled
with natives, immigrants and homesteaders; bustling with lumber mills,
stables, shops, and saloons (and brothels, too); Greenwood was a hub
of activity and a rich source of history for the generations that followed.
The town of Greenwood got its name from early settlers, the Greenwood
Brothers—William, Britton, James and Boggs—who settled
on the creek south of town, between 1854 and 1862. In 1888, after the
opening of the Greenwood Post Office, the official request was made
for a post office to be called “Greenwood,” but alas the
name was already taken. So the name of “Elk” was chosen
because of the many elk in the surrounding hills. The common name of
the town was never changed and today a sign still hangs near the old
post office door reading “Elk Post Office, Greenwood California.”
Artists’ Collective
at the Elk Studio Gallery
The Artists’ Collective was started one year ago, in August 2007.
The site was the previous home of the Elk Studio Gallery which had
been operational for two years. However, as sometimes happens in life,
people changed, times changed, and the gallery was in peril of closing
its doors. The Elk Studio Gallery had limited itself to showing the
work of Elk residents only, which worked alright, until it stopped
working. They then decided to open up the gallery to other artists,
up and down the coast to see if new blood could keep the gallery doors
open. That is when Lu and Jim Vickery got involved and teamed up with
Craig Hathaway.
Lu and Jim had finally realized their dream of moving to the coast
after retiring from the Bay Area and immediately jumped into the art
scene and had made many art contacts up and down the coast. Craig was
an original member of the Elk Studio Gallery and a local longtime resident
of Elk. Together, with Craig’s love of the gallery and the Vickerys’ desire
to keep the doors open, they came up with a plan. (CityArt Gallery
in Point Arena was closing; that would mean there would be no gallery
between Gualala and Mendocino.)
Since making a profit off the gallery was not a priority, they decided
all they needed was to have enough money to pay the rent, utilities,
insurance and incidentals. Also the thought process included keeping
work affordable so it will be purchased and then displayed in people’s
homes. With these two ideas they decided they would need twelve to
fourteen members to do this, and they would not charge any commission.
This way, the artists could charge a little less for their work, and
the clients would in turn have original art at a reasonable price.
So they set out, looking for artists. The response was very gratifying.
At this time, they have seventeen members. They hail from The Sea Ranch
on the south, to Mendocino on the north to Cloverdale on the east.
Each member works the gallery twice every five weeks, and pays a monthly
fee that covers the expenses.
Lu and Craig learned a lot from this experience as neither had done
anything like this before—getting a business license, a business
bank account, credit card machines, etc. At times, it got pretty involved
and almost did not happen, but they persevered and today have the great
little gallery that folks love to visit.
If you talk to their members, they love the fact that there are no
meetings. With some co-ops, each member has a wall that they curate
and take care of and although this works perfectly well elsewhere,
the Vickerys do all the curating, mixing members’ work so it
looks appealing. Visitors often come in and tell them how cozy, warm
and inviting the gallery is.
Members are encouraged to have solo shows if they like and to share
ideas to make their gallery run smoothly. Some of the best ideas they
have implemented have come from their members. The diversity they offer
is pretty inclusive. They show redwood burl furniture, alabaster, redwood
and ceramic sculpture, jewelry, textiles, photography, pottery, porcelain
tiles, as well as oil, pastel, watercolor and acrylic paintings, pencil
and ink drawings, and pine needle baskets. In addition to the creative
showcase of Artists’ Collective members, longtime resident of
Elk, Rae Wisdom displays and sells her beautiful handmade cards on
a wall in the gallery.
Members of the Artists’ Collective believe that they have just
a little bit of heaven in their gallery. After all, in October of 2005
the building housing the gallery was blessed by the Gaden Shartse abbot
seminary of Karnataka, India. There are no big egos here; levels of
sensitivity pass from artist to artist. Lu Vickery, the “go to” person,
says, “We have really good camaraderie here and a very relaxed,
friendly atmosphere. I asked the group if there was anything spicy
they’d like to tell me about their gallery. Their comment was, “Not
yet, give us time!”
The Artists’ Collective of Elk is proud to be a “gateway” gallery
for the Studio Discovery Tour, (www.studio-tours.com) this year. What
this means is that each artist participating in the tour will have
one piece of art displayed in the main room of the Elk gallery, so
those wishing to go on the Studio Discovery Tour the following weekend,
will be able to see what kind of art will be presented at the artists’ homes.
The art will be displayed in the gallery’s main room August 21
to September 14, with a kickoff reception on Saturday, August 23 from
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Goodies will be offered along with wine.
The Artist’s Collective of Elk is always open to talking to artists
that might like to join their little family. Please feel free to call
the gallery at 877-1128, and Lu or Craig will be glad to speak to you.
Meet the members
of the Artists’ Collective
The Artist’s Collective at the Elk Studio Gallery has a wonderful
mix of artists, quite an eclectic crew, each adding their own flavor
to the soup. Let’s get to know a little about each of them:
Cloud
As a fifth-generation native Californian, Cloud was born in the City
of Angels. While visiting her grandmother as a child, next door lived
an old Gabrielino Indian, Tom. The two of them were friends from
toddler age to teens and in her consciousness, all her life. Some
years ago, Cloud moved to Elk where she became more attuned to the
land among the trees and close to the Pacific. Cloud says, “The
devastating massive tree cuts which occurred in the early 1990s inspired
me to begin to paint Tree Beings in colors upon canvas. Besides the
large oil paintings, I create ancient native lore. I’ve traced
my Ojibwa lineage to the sixteenth century.” For more information,
write Cloud at P. O. Box 101, Elk.
Zola de Firmian
Zola de Firmian began making pots in the Arizona mountains, digging
the beautiful red clay near her grandparents’ spring. Many
pivotal experiences in her life were charged by this bond with precious
earth. Zola says that her relationship with clay is “intense,
thrilling, and frustrating. It can be a demanding medium with its
overlay of technical-chemical balancing, thrown together with fire
and self. It’s my ancient love.”
Zola is a member
of the North Coast Artists Guild, Artist’s
Collective at Elk, and the California Regional Environmental Educators’ Coalition.
She welcomes commissions, custom tiles and other pieces. For more information,
go to www.zinfusionz.com.
Hilary Dimock
The greatest inspiration of Hilary Dimock’s work comes from nature. “Whether
it be the great outdoors, nature within the urban society, or human
nature, I see beauty, irony and comedy in all these things.” Born
in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Los Angeles, Hilary currently resides
in Mendocino. She attended the fine art and design programs at California
State University, Long Beach and continued her studies at the Brentwood
Art Center in Los Angeles, Arts College International in San Diego,
and the Athenaeum, in La Jolla. Her work is in many collections. She
has traveled in Italy, France, Spain, Brazil, Canada and Mexico. Hilary
hopes that through her art-making process, she can uncover her most
natural, uninhibited interpretations, and then share the results. “Life
is so complex; I find solace in focusing on the minimal. I choose to
portray the beautiful side of just a few things. In this way I find
balance.” For more information, visit www.hilarydimockart.com.
Tom Eckles
For Tom Eckles, photography was as present in his early life as were
crayons. His father built a darkroom and so spending time in the
aromatic dark space fumbling with film and reels, had allure from
age nine. Tom says, “My intention is to capture the ‘wow‘ moments
I see surrounding my path in life. I want to share those moments
with you, even while knowing my images may speak differently to you
than to me.” He goes on to say, “I strive to share the
scene I saw, unaltered, with the viewer. Therefore, I do not use
filters and do not crop the view from what I saw through my lens.
What you see is what I saw.” Some of Tom’s images may
be viewed and purchased at his Website www.tom.eckles.com.
Kathy Edelbrock
Kathy Edelbrock began painting in 1975 as a means of relaxation from
raising six active children. Although mainly a self-taught artist,
learning from books, she did study with different teachers along
the way and took lessons in oils with Marge Yaros who taught in an
old masters style with glazes and washes of color. When Kathy and
her husband retired they moved from southern California to the Mendocino
Coast, residing in Irish Beach. Kathy has continued her art education
studies with Kay Like and Judith Greenleaf along with workshops by
Dwight Eberly, Nancy Collins, and Gale Chase-Bien, and classes from
Ken Sikora and Bill Martin at the College of the Redwoods in Fort
Bragg. Kathy says, “I enjoy painting realistic interpretations
of local scenes, flowers, portraits of our grandchildren, friends
and acquaintances, and the beloved animals of our neighbors and friends.
I work mainly in oils and with watercolors.” She goes on to
say, “With so much that is unpleasant in the world today, I
hope that my art will bring a little beauty and pleasure into the
lives of those who need a bit of relief from the stress of life.”
Kathy’s
paintings hang in collections on the north coast, southern California,
Wisconsin and in Europe. For more information, visit www.art.mcn.org/Kathy-Edelbrock.
Rio Elkhart
Several years ago, Rio Elkhart became seriously interested in photography,
and began taking workshops with photographers whom she admired. Rio
says, “I find the greatest challenge in photography, as well
as the greatest joy, is the endeavor to express my personal vision
through the creation of an image. Nothing makes me happier than to
tramp along by myself, or with an equally obsessed pal, camera in
hand. And how wonderful to be part of the Artist’s Collective
in Elk. I am grateful.”
Sharon Garner
Sharon Garner is the former owner and creator of the nationally acclaimed
Grainful Bread Bakery, which served the Bay Area for more than fifteen
years in San Rafael, California and was known for its fine handmade,
individually crafted cakes, pastries, cookies and breads. This tradition
is continued today by Sharon and her husband Stephen with their edible
art. Sharon has been working on a cookbook to celebrate her love
of baking and is hoping to complete it in the not too distant future.
Sharon’s immersion into the fine art arena began in 2000, when
she went back to school to study graphic design. Inspired by her
teacher, mentor and friend (nationally acclaimed calligrapher and
designer Judy Detrick), Sharon said, “I began to explore the
beauty of my natural surroundings and became passionate about wildflowers.
I now show regularly at the Elk Studio Gallery as well as other local
venues.” Music is also an important component of Sharon’s
life. As a lead vocalist, Sharon has sung in many blues/rock bands
in northern California. Currently she sings with The Billy Schieve
Trio and Richard Cooper as well as contemporary songs with Mitchell
Holman, formerly of It’s a Beautiful Day.
Sharon specializes
in photography and is “influenced by the
environment in which I live; the beautiful Mendocino Coast.” For
more information, visit www.ssquaredartproductions.com.
Craig Hathaway
“It’s really Mother Nature’s work, I just polish
it up,” says Craig Hathaway, and anyone seeing the finished product
would have to agree that Craig makes a great partner to nature with
his finished pieces. Craig was so amazed by the beauty of seeing his
first slab of redwood burl in 1978 that he purchased a 1959 one-ton
flatbed Ford wench truck and started collecting burls and roots. Together
with many friends and partners over the years, Craig wholesaled raw
wood to the woodworkers up north and in the Bay Area. In 1984 he started
working with one of his wholesale slab buyers and began learning how
to create a range of beautifully designed and finished tables, desks,
benches and outdoor furnishings. In 1999 he started his Website with
the help from his father, Chuck, at Mendocino Graphics. Now he sells
locally and on the Internet to buyers from all over the country, building
custom made orders.
Craig has lived
in Elk for quite some time now. By constantly scouring the beaches
that dot the Mendocino coastline, Craig is able to retrieve the best
of the burls that have washed up after each winter storm. Using his
unique eye and special touch, along with the latest in tools and
technology, Craig creates the highest quality
furniture, clocks and hangings. Each piece is one-of-a-kind. For more
information, visit www.mendocinoredwoodburl.com
Eileen Hathaway
Eileen Hathaway is married to Craig and is a longtime resident of Elk.
They have a teenage son, Carson. Eileen makes gorgeous jewelry.
Jennie Henderson
Jennie Henderson is a weaver. “I was six years old when my mother
brought home a handspun, hand-woven
rebozo (shawl) she had purchased in Mexico and ever since then I’ve
been wrapping myself in exotic textiles and handmade shawls. Jennie’s
introduction into fiber arts came as a child learning the basics of
knitting from her grandmother. Her interest in weaving bloomed during
her sophomore year at the University of Denmark where she purchased
her first floor loom and shipped it back home to California. Since
then her work has gravitated from manufactured yarns toward handspun
natural fibers. She experiments with fibers (ranging from silk to dog
hair) and the use of natural dyes made from materials she has collected
in the wild, such as mushrooms, bark, flowers, and lichen. Jennie weaves
on several different sizes of European-style floor looms, and has recently
added a Navajo-style loom. Jennie has lived on the Mendocino Coast
since 1977. Her studio, where all phases of the work to produce her
rugs and garments are performed, is in her home which is situated in
the quiet, forested hills. Her rugs and garments are all made one at
a time; start to finish, with her own two hands.
Jennie says, “For
me, the joy of weaving comes from the richness of the colors and
textures of the fibers and the ability to turn them into something
wonderful for
people to enjoy.” For more information, visit www.jleeh.biz/shawls.htm.
Bruce Jones
Although his education and work experience were in economics and business,
Bruce Jones has been painting all of his life; as did many members
of his family. In 2000 he moved to Gualala and started doing art
pretty much full time. His subject matter is varied: landscapes,
seascapes, people, florals, glass, and rusty equipment, practically
anything with interesting colors or textures. Bruce does most of
his painting on location rather than from photographs. As a result
he is thoroughly involved in local plein air painting and life drawing
groups. His sculptures tend to be more abstract and tactile oriented
than his paintings. Bruce says, “I’m fascinated with
the way our brains use clues of shape and texture to figure out what
we are seeing. I explore patterns of these clues in my paintings,
drawings and sculptures.” Bruce paints primarily in watercolor,
sometimes as a watercolor “purist” and sometimes he finishes
with pastels, ink or colored pencil. He likes to use hard lines and
strong darks in his compositions and spends a lot of time working
on textures.
Bruce has done paper mache masks for decades and has been carving
stone since 2004: alabaster, limestone and marble. Stone carving has
become a passion for Bruce, in the traditional Italian method using
a hammer,
chisels and rasps. For more information, visit www.art.mcn.org/bruce-jones.
Rabbani Kenyon (Clarke William Kenyon)
Born in New Hampshire in 1947, and raised in southern California, Rabbani
received his BFA and MFA in 1970 from the California College of Arts
and Crafts in Oakland, California. He has been a resident and working
artist on the northern Mendocino Coast for thirty-seven years. Rabbani
told me that, “For twenty-six of those years, I was known as
the ‘Noyo Harbor Carver’ having owned, along with my
beautiful wife, ‘The Studio’ a working studio and gallery
in the Noyo Harbor fishing village on the north side of Noyo River.” Rabbani
and Cleo now reside in Albion. The wood sculpted by Rabbani is located
on the north coast of California. The natural beauty of the wood
is enhanced and preserved with the finishing process. Each sculpture
is made with a single piece of wood which has its own unique characteristics
and is one of a kind. For more information, visit Rabbani Kenyon
at www.redwoodsculptures.com.
Sophia Sutherland
Sophia Sutherland works primarily with clay. “I want to say ‘play.’ As
I delve into the lump, it becomes a human shape and the form fills
up with mystery. At last there is a sense of the whimsical, the philosophical,
the surreal, and with some good fortune, of paradox, to delight the
fun finders like myself.”
For more information, visit www.northcoastartists.org/sophia.html.
Julia Terr
Julia Terr is a ceramic artist from Cloverdale, California who creates
jars, bottles, coffee pots, teapots and various other useful art
for cooking, eating, drinking and displaying. Julia says, “When
I attended the Penland School of Crafts to study clay, I was living
with clay in a community of artists. The bar was so very high, and
I was hooked. The concentration at Penland changed my life, made
me hungry to improve and learn, and encouraged me to open my own
studio and make my life as a studio potter.” Julia has been
awarded teaching assistantships at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts
and Penland School of Crafts working for master potters Nicholas
Joerling, Syd Carpenter, Sequoia Miller and Cynthia Bringle. She’s
had many exhibitions throughout northern California. Julia enjoys
experimenting with more natural forms, putting together different
pieces but trying to make a family. “I’m experimenting
with the relationship between pieces and how forms exist both as
a set, but as a union of individuals. These forms still challenge
and excite me, and I welcome the process of experimenting and designing.”
She goes on to
say, “I feel I’m my best when I’m
making something, standing in front of my wheel, and throwing pots.” For
more information, visit Julia at www.juliaterr.com.
Jim Vickery
Jim Vickery has spent most of his adult life in the San Francisco Bay
Area, where he says, “My talented and tolerant wife, Lu and
I raised our three boys.” He graduated from California College
of Arts and Crafts in 1974. “Those were interesting times,
and some of those artistic influences have lasted a lifetime.” Growing
up in the fifties and sixties, Jim devoured comic books, Mad magazine
and horror movies. After studying “serious art” his influence
widened to include the likes of Salvador Dali, M.C. Escher, and Vermeer. “Although
my subject matter is not traditional, my techniques in oils and pen
and ink are.” Jim goes on to say that he has always approached
art with a sense of humor. “Whether it is tongue in cheek or
a finger in the eye, it is meant to point out our vulnerabilities
and our strengths, always remembering that we are imperfect.” Jim
continues, “Having said that, I feel compelled to say something
about the two distinct directions my art has taken. Being pulled
in two different directions is not an altogether unpleasant experience!
I have found that it is impossible to live on the coast without trying
to say something about that, artistically.”
Jim has done political cartoons for The Sierra Club and CWA [Communications
Workers of America]. He has illustrated for The New West magazine and
had the opportunity to show at many galleries throughout
northern California. For more information, visit www.jimvickery.com.
Lu Vickery
Lu Vickery is a recent arrival to the coast. She retired here with
her husband Jim and they have three grown sons. Jim is a member of
the gallery and does oil painting. Lu is also a member and makes
pine-needle baskets.
Shirley A. Washburn
As Shirley Washburn puts it, “I was born a few years ago in San
Jose, California, and raised in Fair Oaks, which sounds like I didn’t
travel far! The best move I made was to Mendocino County some twenty-seven
years ago. “I was educated in California schools when that still
meant something for if I had not won an award in high school art, I
probably would never have thought about pursuing art in college. But,
after a teacher told me that if I wanted to make a living as an artist,
I would have to do nothing but art, which was somehow daunting to me.
I guess I didn’t have enough confidence in my ability and so
I became a school teacher and supported my art habit. Well, that didn’t
last too long because I became a wife and mother. Then I became a registered
nurse! Which I still am. And I’m still supporting my art habit
and contented with what I do. I enjoy painting in oils and watercolor
and would like to pursue pastels.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Reflecting ones inner spark
In the shared area of art
Is a kind of archeology of the soul.
I dig for beauty and bring it back with joy.
To share what I uncover is an act of love.
—Zola de Firmian
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Artist’s
Collective at Elk is located at 6031 South Highway 1, Elk. They are
open seven days a week, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For information,
call 707-877-1128 or 707-882-2792 or e-mail them at artmail@artists-collective.net.
Their Website is
www.artists-collective.net.
Studio Discovery Tour
The sixteenth Studio Discovery Tour presented by the North Coast Artists’ Guild
of the Mendocino-Sonoma Coast will be held Saturday–Monday, August
30, 31 and September 1, and Saturday–Sunday, September 6 and
7, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, go to www.studio-tours.com.
Great Day in Elk
The Great Day in Elk celebration, an annual event for community members,
families and visitors to Elk, began in 1974 as a community-sponsored
event to raise funds to support the ongoing programs and services
of the Greenwood Community Center. Over the years, Great Day in Elk
has become a highlight on the Mendocino Coast. The day begins with
a parade which winds down Highway 1 through Elk to the Greenwood
Community Center, continues with an afternoon carnival and food,
and moves into the evening with a dinner and dance. Mark your calendars
and invite all your friends to the next Great Day in Elk on Saturday,
August 23, 2008! |