MendocinoArts - Mendocino Art Center

Spring 2012
COMPLIMENTARY
MendocinoArts
ART AND CULTURE IN MENDOCINO COUNTY
PUBLISHED BY THE MENDOCINO ART CENTER

Taste of
Chocolate, Wine & Ale
Saturday, May 26, 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Mendocino Art center
Join us for the afternoon!
Fine Wine • Micro-Brewed Ales • Decadent Chocolate • Artisanal Treats • Fabulous Silent Auction
Advance Tickets: $25 u At the Gate: $30
A fundraiser for the Mendocino Music Festival and Mendocino Art Center
707 937-4041
www.mendocinomusic.com
707 937-5818, ext. 10
www.MendocinoArtCenter.org

Blooming Every Day!
www.gardenbythesea.org | 18220 North Highway 1, Fort Bragg, CA 95437 | 707-964-4352
GALLERY OF DECORATIVE
AND FINE ARTS
For the Art Collector
and the Craft Lover
45052 Main Street, Mendocino, CA
707 937-3132 • www.thehighlightgallery.com

The Mendocino Art Center Needs You!
Support the Arts by becoming a Member,
and give yourself the gift of art…
Become a Mendocino Art Center member – and a “MAC Insider” – with newly
added benefits for joining, and please consider joining at the highest possible
level. Your membership directly supports the Mendocino Art Center, bringing
vital cultural programs to the community, including unique gallery shows, youth
programs, low-cost open studios, art fairs and musical concerts, world-class
art workshops taught by some of the country’s finest instructors, exhibition
opportunities for local and national artists, and Mendocino Arts magazine.
Benefits at all levels:
❖ 10% discount on each workshop registration. 15% discount for
Mendocino County MAC members.
❖ Artist exhibit opportunities in the gallery and gallery shop.
❖ Special artist invitations to participate in Members’ Juried Exhibits.
❖ Members only discounts at participating businesses — lodging, art supplies, etc.
❖ Mailing of MAC publications and event information.
❖ Waiver of $25 per workshop non-refundable registration fee.
❖ Discounts at Suburban Propane, CALSTAR and REACH.
For details:
www.MendocinoartCenter.org/membership.html
MeMBersHip Categories:
individual MeMBer:
$50
All of the above.
HouseHold
MeMBer (maximum two
members): $90
All of the above.
student (12+ with
student ID): $25
All of the above.
senior (70+): $25
All of the above.
supporter: $150
All of the above and recognition
in a Mendocino Art Center
publication.
sustaining: $250
All of the above and invitations
to special gallery events.
patron: $500
All of the above and your
name on a gallery plaque.
CHaMpion: $750
All of the above and a commemorative
tile with wording
of your choice on the Zacha
Tile Walkway.
Business partner:
$100
Listing on the Mendocino Art
Center Web site.
Business WeB site
sponsor: $500
Listing on the Mendocino Art
Center Web site home page.
ZaCHa legaCY soCietY:
$2,500 and $1,000 annual
gifts
All of the above and name
included on the annual Zacha
Legacy Society wall; plus invitations
to events with VIP
privileges and invitations to
enticing quarterly member
evenings.
Sign me up to be a Mendocino Art Center
Member today!
❏ Individual $50
❏ Household $90
❏ Student $25
❏ Senior $25
❏ Supporter $150
❏ Sustaining $250
❏ Patron $500
❏ Champion $750
❏ Business Partner $100
❏ Business Web Site
Sponsor $500
❏ Zacha Legacy Society
$1,000
❏ Zacha Legacy Society
$2,500
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Mail to: Mendocino Art Center
P.O. Box 765
Mendocino, CA 95460
2 Mendocino Arts Magazine

Table of Contents
8
23
6
10
26
Published by the Mendocino Art Center
Vol XLIII, No 1, April 2012
Editorial: From Our Board President 5
Tom Macomber: History Transformed into Art 6
Lisa Orselli: Ancient Medium, Modern Sensibility 8
Artists in Residence 10
True Colors: Natural Pigments and Paints 12
April–June Workshops at MAC 14
Meet Lindsay Shields, Executive Director at MAC 16
Let’s Meet Some of MAC’s Instructors:
Seamus Berkeley, Bill van Gilder, Deborah Lozier,
Robert Rhoades and Nick Taylor 19
Encaustics: A Hot Topic 23
20 th Annual Garden Tour 26
Mendocino & Lake County Gallery Guide 30
Mendocino & Lake County Restaurant Guide 38
Gallery of Artists 42
Calendar of Events 46
Poetry by Armand Brint 48
Mendocino Arts promotes the arts by offering space to artists, writers, craftspeople and performers
and by providing information on arts and entertainment in Mendocino County. Submissions of unsolicited
non-fiction articles, photographs or artwork for consideration in Mendocino Arts must include a
SASE or we cannot be responsible for their return. We welcome announcements of upcoming events
to be included as space permits.
Spring 2012 3

Mendocino County Museum
Discover unique artifacts and exhibits that reflect
our heritage: Frolic Shipwreck, Wine History,
Stagecoaches and Wagons, Traveling Exhibits and
much more.
SPECIAL EXHIBITS: 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge
Photographs of Local Railroads from the Early 1900s
ROOTS OF MOTIVE POWER, Inc.
See restored and working steam
machines:
· Historic Logging Equipment
· Steam Engines and Caboose
Browse in our Museum Shop
400 East Commercial Street, Willits, CA
Call 707-459-2736 for more information
Email us at Museum@co.mendocino.ca.us
Open Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00am–4:30pm
www.MendocinoMuseum.org
4 Mendocino Arts Magazine

MendocinoArts
ART AND CULTURE IN MENDOCINO COUNTY
PUBLISHER
Mendocino Art Center
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Mike McDonald
EDITOR
Peggy Templer
ART DIRECTION / GRAPHIC PRODUCTION
Elizabeth Petersen, RevUp Creative Media
SALES
COAST: Steven P. Worthen – 707 964-2480,
707 813-7669
INLAND: Jill Schmuckley – 707 391-8057
LAKE COUNTY: Linda Kelly – 707 367-9038
GALLERY Of ARTISTS ADS: David Russell – 707 513-6015
SPRING DISTRIBUTION – 15,000
SUMMER 2012 DEADLINE – April 13, 2011
MENDOCINO ART CENTER STAff
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Lindsay Shields
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Mike McDonald
EDUCATION DIRECTOR: Karen Bowers
GALLERY DIRECTOR: Jessica Jade
BOOKKEEPER: Virginia Neira
REGISTRAR/CASHIER: Michele Cheyovich,
Kath Disney Nilson
MASTER ARTIST STUDIO INSTRUCTOR: Blago Stojanovski
PROGRAM COORDINATORS:
Ceramics/Artists in Residence — Derek Hambly
fiber Arts — Nancy Collins
fine Art — Arlene Reiss
Jewelry — Nancy Gardner
Sculpture — Gert Rasmussen
fACILITIES: Gabe Arreguin
MENDOCINO ART CENTER BOARD Of DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT: Liliana Cunha
VICE PRESIDENT: Patrick Keller
TREASURER: John Cornacchia
SECRETARY: Dale Moyer
Chuck Bush
Janis Porter
Eileen Robblee
Nick Schwartz
Marge Stewart
Bob Treaster
Lucia Zacha
MENDOCINO ART CENTER
45200 Little Lake Street • P.O. Box 765
Mendocino, CA 95460
707 937-5818 • 800 653-3328
fAX: 707 937-4625
register@mendocinoartcenter.org
www.MendocinoArtCenter.org
Mendocino Art Center Mission Statement:
The mission of the Mendocino Art Center is to be a vital
cultural resource, providing a broad range of the highest
quality educational and exhibition opportunities in the arts
to all people.
founded by Bill Zacha in 1959 as a nonprofit organization
to support, foster, advance and promote artistic awareness
and participation.
COVER IMAGE: Lisa Thorpe, Tree of Life, 8”x10”,
collaged map, stamps, art papers on wood, encased with
a skin of encaustic medium topped with gold leaf.
From Our Board President…
SPRING 2012
t’s spring! A time of new growth on the planet and so it is with
I the Art Center. We are delighted that Lindsay Shields has agreed
to join our staff permanently and is our new Executive Director.
With her leadership, the Zacha Legacy Society has come into being
and in the summer we will be honoring our first inductees. A grantseeking
program started by Lindsay during her consultancy with us is
moving forward. Most recently we received a $1,000 grant from the
Rotary Club of Mendocino for a new computer for the gallery. We
are very grateful for the continued support of our local businesses
and Rotarians.
The most exciting news in the education department is that this
summer we will be offering five classes for academic credit through
Woodbury University in Southern California. Each class is comprised
of two workshops. Accreditation is provided by NASAD (National
Association of Schools of Art and Design) and WASC (Western
Association of Schools and Colleges). These ten workshops will
still be available as stand-alone offerings to those who do not desire
credit. An additional cost will be added to the class fee for those
attending for credit. More information regarding these classes is
available in our summer catalog and on both the Art Center Web site
(www.mendocinoartcenter.org) and the Woodbury University Web
site (www.woodbury.edu).
If you plan to be in Mendocino for Memorial Day weekend come
to the “Taste of Chocolate, Wine and Ale” event. The Art Center is
partnering with the Mendocino Music Festival to bring to town
purveyors of the best wines, chocolate, ales and artisanal foods for
your tasting pleasure. You can’t miss us – we’ll be in the Festival tent
on the front lawn of the Art Center. Visit our Web site for updates
on this and other new events.
I hope you will join us for what promises to be a very exciting
year of new class offerings and events.
~ Liliana Cunha
Board President
Spring 2012 5

Above: Tom Macomber with his Western Bench
sculpture. Anna Macomber photo.
Tom Macomber:
History t r a n s f o r m e di
By Jessica Jade Norris
n t o Art
It’s a cold, crisp morning driving out to
Kelseyville. Wide open spaces with oak trees sit next to
bits of industry and family farms. A loaded hay truck
and include just about everything you could imagine – old
wood burning stove parts, wagon wheels, water pumps,
rock crushers, buggy axles, mining carts, an assortment
pulls out in front of me and escorts me down the road of gears, brackets, horseshoes, recycled woods, a pulley
to the Macomber ranch, while tiny wisps of hay collide driven drill press, and more.
with my windshield. The property is a peaceful, country Down the hill within walking distance is Tom’s
setting, decorated with strategically
workshop, and his area of
placed farm equipment, historical
inspiration. The entire outside
findings, and of course, Tom
space is lined with tables and flat
Macomber’s fantastically whimsical
surfaces that have piles of sorted
art sculptures. The road curves
metals for welding. It’s an incredible
around a large red barn and riding
feeling to see it all as a group and
area, where Tom’s wife, Anna,
realize how important these parts
keeps her horses. Further up the
once were. Tom takes scraps and
hill is the absolutely gorgeous
pieces of what has been left behind
home that took them eight years
and welds them back together in
to complete.
imaginative ways that are fun and
Tom is standing outside of
comical. He explains, “The process
the garage in front of his Model
of creating my metal sculptures
A car, and greets me with warmth
begins when I am mentally and
and enthusiasm. Without delay,
physically rested. I am usually
we walk around the yard for the
inspired by something I want to
tour and Tom explains to me where
create. I sketch it out or find a
all of the various yard treasures
picture and then go to my scrap
came from. Most of his antique
collectibles are from Lake County
Handcrafted Faucet Flower Bouquet.
iron (pile) inventory. Sometimes,
I get inspired just by searching
Anna Macomber photo.
Top: Discarded scrap metal that Tom
turns into his one-of-a-kind sculptures.
Above: Grasshopper Wine Holder.
Larry Wagner photo.
6 Mendocino Arts Magazine

through the misfit metal and come
Middletown. Collecting, refinishing,
up with some really great original
and appreciating antiques was a
creations. Putting it all together, I start
favorite pastime. They purchased
at the bottom and work my way up. I
the Macomber Ranch property in
cut and pre fit all pieces then grind all
1980 and completed their dream
the rust and dirt to bare metal where I
house just in time to welcome their
need to weld. Sharp and rough edges
son, Forrest.
must be ground smooth. I use a MIG
Tom had lots of work in
wire welder that has gas and argon mix
carpentry over the years and was
and an oxy-acetylene torch to heat and
running a successful business.
bend the metal. Occasionally I use
Everything changed in 1996, when
an air plasma cutter. Once the basic
Tom survived a near fatal heart attack
sculpture is created then I look for
and radical surgery to repair the
interesting items to dress it up and add
damage. After 30 years of carpentry,
to its character. When I am satisfied
he was forced to retire. With lots of
I give the bare metal a salt bath to
promote rust so the welds match the
Tom at work in his shop. Anna Macomber photo.
support from his family, he began
his cardiac rehabilitation and slowly
whole sculpture. When dry, I put a
started to get his life back. Not his
protective finish coat to seal and give the piece a finished old life, but a new one, with a greater appreciation for the
look. Then the fun part, picking a name and giving the smaller things. He had accomplished everything that he
creature life!”
had wanted to do in his trade. Now he had to “throw his
Tom was born in Fresno in 1941, and was raised with watch away.” No more stress or fast paced living.
his two brothers in Clearlake and Berkeley. He graduated With this new lifestyle came a new philosophy and
from Berkeley High in 1960 and spent six months in the the fulfillment of his dream to create sculptural art. “I
Army Reserve, after which he moved back to Clearlake. just love creating, it’s a great feeling. I believe that we all
At that time, they were just starting the Konocti Harbor have our niche, and we can find that niche if we just open
Inn, and his soon-to-be boss asked him, “Can you read a up our mind. Since rehabilitation, I don’t look at time as
tape measure?” He was a quick study and got a union job money anymore. I don’t keep track of my time when I am
doing commercial and industrial carpentry.
working on my art. I laugh and have fun with it. We are
Tom and Anna were married in 1975. They were only here for a short while.”
a great team and built a successful business together Tom is 70 years old and still enjoys making his art. His
buying and selling fixer-upper houses. They also bought work is in private and corporate collections all over the
and sold antiques, and had their own antique shop in world, and can be seen at the Mendocino Art Center.
Left to right: Horn Director. Larry Wagner photo. Kenmore Kat – inspired by an old Kenmore sewing machine. Anna Macomber photo.
Three Stooges Shovelback Bird. Larry Wagner photo.
Spring 2012 7

Ancient Medium,
Modern Sensibility
By Michael Potts
Lisa orselli fires up her torch
and points the hot blue flame at her latest
work. “Fuse it or lose it,” she murmurs. A
shimmer of liquidity passes across the waxy
surface, and the power of the medium becomes clear. Lisa
digs down through the beeswax, chips of wax flying, to reveal
colors from below, then re-torches to smooth and blend.
“In ‘regular life’ I plan,” Lisa confesses, “but with encaustics,
I can challenge myself to make jumps and see what
happens. Meditation, part of my yoga practice, has taught
me to see the space between myself and my thoughts, and
that helps me keep the critical voice at bay as I work.”
Art entered Lisa’s life in ninth
grade. “My best friend and I had
a wonderful teacher who encouraged
experimentation with blind
contour drawing [sketching without
looking at the paper], collage…
I was drawn into the practice
of making art, right up until
my work became ‘not right’ during
life drawing class in college.”
Art faded behind life, and Lisa
came away from University of the
Pacific with a degree in English.
In her twenties, she began her
life-long practice of yoga.
“I found my art again when
Before and After, 12"x12", encaustic on panel with
encising. Above left: Red Cosmos, 12"x12", panel,
encaustic and paper.
my kids were in junior high. I took a class at CCAC from
another wonderful teacher, Liz Sher. She told us not to
erase and never let us crumple, but urged us to try to do
more with whatever wasn’t working, to resolve it out of
chaos.
“In 1990, when my daughter was 17, she and I went to
study in Florence for half a year, she at the American High
School, and I at the Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute. When
I found the painting class full, I decided to study printmaking
in a studio once used (we were told) by Donatello
with another wonderful teacher,” Peruvian born Lucy
Jochamowitz. “She taught us to embrace our mistakes,”
Lisa reminisces. “I discovered that
print-making, scratching through
shellac onto a metal sheet, enhances
otherwise sketchy drawing skills.”
Back in the U.S. with a new medium
to explore, Lisa completed her
BFA at CCAC and joined a group
of artists sharing gallery space. She
continued to visit Mendocino for
classes at the Art Center, where
she enjoyed staying in and walking
the village while immersing
herself in art. When her husband
retired in 1997, they relocated. “I
felt uprooted,” Lisa remembers.
“I had to leave my press behind,
8 Mendocino Arts Magazine
Larry Wagner photos.

Keeping Track, 9"x12", encaustic on panel with scraping and
layering.
along with my gallery group, all my friends, and the
buzz of my birthplace. Berkeley is a hard place to leave.”
Classes with Bob Rhoades at College of the Redwoods,
and Bill Martin’s weekly figure drawing studio at the Art
Center, allowed Lisa to “stay oiled,” but it was yoga that
provided perspective. In 2000, a fellow yogi suggested
teacher training classes with noted instructor Rodney
Yee. “At the class, every time I lay on my back, I started
crying,” Lisa recalls. “Yoga works with our bodies, but its
practice opens up much more. During meditation, I could
watch my mind jumping hither and yon. Thus I came to
understand that a discerning mind is great in art and life,
but a critical mind is a hindrance. Each of my teachers
offered the same wisdom: persevere through the rough
spots, breathe, stay focused and calm, and keep at it until
the chaos resolves.”
In 2004, a friend urged Lisa to try an encaustics class
with Sandi Miot, a Novato-based visual artist whose
work seeks “to make order out of chaos.” Lisa remembers
thinking, “This is fun! The techniques mimic printmaking.
Encaustics is a seductive medium: you build and
fuse, scratch through it, stick things in it... Of course,” she
adds, “once you start, challenges emerge. There’s technology
– heaters, tools, waxes, pigments. I still feel like I am
just beginning.”
Lisa teaches yoga classes and takes courses while
pursuing her encaustic work. “I understand now the
importance of ‘practices’ in my life. When I stick with it,
doors open, and I discover more ways to make something I
haven’t seen before.” Lisa also teaches occasional encaustic
classes at Racine’s in Fort Bragg.
Paris Map, 9"x12", textured encaustic on panel.
Lisa is a member of the Artists’ Co-op of Mendocino,
upstairs at the west end of Main Street, where doing the
gallery payroll makes her think about the business of art.
“What little business sense I have tells me that most artists
work out of devotion to our medium and some kind of
hope that someone will see our work, appreciate it, and
possibly even buy.
“In yoga terms, I see that my work comes in cycles. I
just finished a flurry of work to fill my wall at the gallery.
This weekend I’m assisting Rodney Yee, who is teaching
at the Yoga Journal Conference in San Francisco… and
I’m working through another intensive yoga program
with a teacher in New Mexico. Being pulled in so many
directions means that my time for art bounces around.
The constant is that I am always grateful when I get to
my studio. I am so happy when the wax melts and I can
continue the adventure.”
Lisa Orselli in her studio. Larry Wagner photos.
Spring 2012 9

MAC Artists in Residencep
By K. Andarin Arvola
Derek Hambly, director of the Ceramics and Artists in
Residence programs, tells us “the AIR program is over 40
years old. Our artists are usually at a crossroads of professional
development. They are geared toward goals such as
preparing for studies for a post-bachelor or MFA program,
or to developing a body of work for exhibition purposes. We
cater to this, more so than treating this opportunity as a
retreat. We’re extremely interested in artists who are producing
work and contributing to their field/medium at a high
caliber of professionalism.
“As we move forward in the development and refinement
of our campus, our program will become a staple in
the arts for those who are in pursuit of artistic growth.”
Each year the Mendocino Art Center’s residency
program culminates with an exhibition of the participating
artists’ works created in the MAC studios. This
year’s exhibit, featuring artists from across the country
as well as from Taiwan and Holland, will be held
April 5–28, with the opening reception on April 14,
5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
p
Charlie Williams
Williams lives in Gainesville, Florida. “I’m interested in the
ever-surprising challenges of sculpting the human figure.
Predominantly representational, my residency project
involves creating solid aluminum and bronze figurative
sculptures. These are produced from concept design to
forging and chasing the final product. All the bronzes were
made by lost wax casting
and the aluminums were
sand/Styrofoam casting.
I work mainly in stone
but also enjoy drawing
and ceramics.”
Charlie Williams
Alicia Reyes McNamara
Originally from Chicago, McNamara says the four years
she spent living in Central America and Europe are her
inspiration. “These memories,
whether embellished, diluted
or sincere, remain as truths in
a history, the fine line between
memory and imagination
within personal mythologies;
my goal is to memorialize
events remembered
. . . Ceramics is a fusion of all
my loves; I can bring everything
in my background (sculpture,
textiles and painting) into Alicia Reyes McNamara
play. I can use textiles through
paper clay slip dipping, painting through glazing and
surface design and sculpture through my figurative forms
and installations.”
Nikki Couppee
“My current work talks about the different functions
jewelry performs in society. It can define social status,
question value and be a redeemable investment. Given
to mark a special occasion, jewelry can perform on a
psychological level with the transference of deep feelings
onto the object. I create opulent jewelry reminiscent of
royal jewelry but made of quotidian materials instead of
gems and precious metals . . . I insert an element of decay;
by allowing the mild steel to rust naturally against the
stainless, thereby adding a layer of impermanence which
challenges market value and forces one to reflect on its
potential changes over time.”
Saskia Konig
“I was born in the Netherlands and became fascinated by
Belgian Blue stone. This material reveals hidden treasures
from millions of years ago: fossils of shells, little sea animals
and plants. My leading theme was water: streaming,
10 Mendocino Arts Magazine

flowing water of river and sea; water as a symbol of life.
Last year, due to our removal to the forest, trees
became my chief theme: their meaning and connection
with people. For me they are creatures with experiences
and memories; that is what my tree sculptures represent.”
Wei Jane Chir
Wei Jane Chir presents in a left-to-right long scroll, a slow,
river-like narrative titled “One’s Special Tea.” The scroll
includes ten ancient Chinese pictures and introduces the
different teas, linked by theme. Photography is used to
integrate the artist’s own woodcut. “Drinking, collecting,
and growing my own tea was a personal hobby. I took my
wood block print work and used a modern medium to
bring tea into the digital age. It’s not only my own special
tea book, but the special tea book of many people.”
Jazmyn Azure
“I combine ceramics and photographic imagery on sculptural
forms to express my reflections of social, economic
and political trends. Through the manipulation of earth,
fire, color and imagery, my intent is to provide a more
journalistic and neutral perspective that may open the
viewer to discovering their own point of view. After
extensively researching and evaluating topics, I utilize
social interaction to compile a multitude of perspectives
around a single idea.”
Deborah Fell
Deborah Fell’s medium is
quilting. “As I studied the
surrounding beauty of the
Mendocino coast, it felt as if
I were witnessing conversations
everywhere . . .
between the cliffs crashing
against the waves, the sun
setting in the distance, the
dance of tiny beauty being
Deborah Fell
o
constantly washed ashore.”
Her series is entitled “Mendocino Coast Conversations.”
Once that concept solidified, “the painting, images and
design components overflowed.” She included text to
bring in a strong design component as well as emphasizing
the interactive coastal conversations and allowing the
“conversations” to become tangible.
Tim Ayers
Ayer’s work is a union of slip
cast, an historically industrial
technique, and the tradition of
wood fire. The marks of wood
firing are unlike any glaze or
brush stroke; wood embers and
fly ash melt and drip, salt fluxes
the silica present in the clay.
Flame causes the clay body to
flash in a beautifully irregu-
Tim Ayers
lar fashion. “I create ceramics
that reflect the control and the
sophistication of modern industry, yet through atmospheric
firing, my art still resonates with the chance and
irregularity of nature.”
Hannah Plotke
“These recent works are about the idea of bedazzling
something to death, the way a little girl holds a puppy
too tightly. A reverse elitism in cahoots with mainstream
culture; the viewers are complicit in their own kitschiness.
I include figures and portraiture, pattern, objects and
adornment, contemporary artifacts, clothing, jewelry and
artwork to create a quilt-like environment, a snapshot of
a psychological, personal and visceral state of mind. The
pattern serves as a way to talk about design, advertisement
and tapestry in a metaphorical sense; and to relay a
feminist perspective.”
Spring 2012 11