ARTrails open studio tour

Sonoma County, a dynamic county combining agriculture and industry, City and country, creating unique and varied challenges for its citizens join us as we present some of the information and services provided by the county of Sonoma to help us as we move into the 21st century. Welcome

to Sonoma County in the 90s with your host Dana Torrico. Hello, I'm Dana Jericho and welcome to Sonoma County in the nineties were going to be talking about art trails. A great event that will be coming up this weekend. And with me today, I have ELISA

baker, the coordinator for art trails, T barney, stone, steel, bronze, wood and water sculptor and Alice Tebow, an oil painting artist. Great to have you on the show today. Yes. And it's a great event that's going to be coming up this weekend. So, um, where shall

we start? Why don't you tell me? We'll start with ELISA and you can tell us and our viewers about art trails. Okay, thank you. Well, this is the 14th year for art trails. It's become a real Sonoma county tradition. Um, I'd like to show you this

is the catalog, which you may have seen. I hope you've seen around. It's available in all the local libraries, all the branches, bookstores, visitors centers and you can call the Cultural Arts Council as well to get one. The number there is 579, 27 87 or 579

arts. Um, you might also want to watch for signs like the one behind me that's the logo, which identifies artist studios throughout the county. Um, so art trails has been going on for 14 years. And can you tell me who is behind art trails? It is,

it's a county sponsored event and give me a little bit about history about it. Who belongs local artists obviously and some information like that. Um, well actually our trails is a program of the Cultural Arts Council of Sonoma County. Um, and we have this year we

have over 100 we have 100 and 15 artists throughout the county that will participate. Who will participate in our trails, right? Um, and that extends from Healdsburg to Petaluma, Sonoma and as far west as casa de ro. So we really cover the entire county. Um, and

it will take place two weekends this weekend and the 23rd and 20 the fourth of october as well. I see. So now you mentioned the, the logo that our trails have. So maybe we should start there because that is my understanding is going to identify the

different artists on the trail. Exactly. We'll all hang one of these flags, right? One or more on the, on the roads and highways so that you can find the studios. There's also a map in the catalog and that identifies where artists are located now. So it's

really important to have the map to find the artists where can one find the catalog. It says the, like the Sonoma County Museum has them, right? We have it at the museum, we have it at local bookstores, coffeehouses, libraries, the Cultural Arts Council itself. Um, and

places where people gather throughout the county because many times a lot of our viewers want to come to these events. Um and they don't know where you find out about them. Is there a fee to go on the tour? So it's absolutely free. Absolutely free. And

artists do open their studios. So it's a really unique opportunity to see the artist in their environment, The artists at work and see to really better understand the process that created the painting or the sculpture or the crafts that you see. Okay, thank you. Uh t

barney, why don't we talk about now? This is your piece of work out here in front. And tell me a little bit about this piece of work. It's called Tesseract, which has to do with a box form. And it's basically, it's one of my little fountains,

sculptures for sculpture. Excuse me? Fountain sculptures of all one word that I make. Um uh and it has a water feature. It's made of India um, slate and it doesn't have any splatter, which is the technical term for water that doesn't stay in the basin. Um,

make a lot of different kinds similar to this. Um as well as stone, Steel bonds, wood pieces and it has the water coming down on three sides. It has four sides, four sides. It has to be level in order for it to come down on all

four sides. So this you when you said that you did stone, steel, bronze, wood and water. So this would be one example of the many different types of art pieces that you'll have exhibited in your art studio. I see this is really very lovely and I

don't know if our viewers get the full appreciation. It has a wonderful water sound of a fountain trickling very soothing by the height, keeping the height of the water a different height. You can actually make it quieter or a little louder. And how long does it

take for you to create an object such as this? It's taken me all my life to learn how to do that. Okay, well I won't ask you how old you are but okay, it's taken you all your life. I've been a professional sculptor for 20 years

to develop your technique but the actual hours, you have an estimate for my work on probably half a dozen to a dozen pieces at a time. So that's a little bit difficult to say. Currently, I don't know if you saw my studio but therefore other fountains

commissioned that I'm making that need to go out by next week. Um, so this is really about the artist's Sonoma County artist. That's what this whole event and function. It's the main event for the year to cameo our local artists, is that correct? Yes, I think

that's that's a really nice way to put it. Yes, it really does highlight the work of artists throughout the county. One of the things that the people are interested in is when, when I applied at least when I, when I understood was that the artists be

at home, that there be a sense of where you're actually working, that your studio, that a lot of, I mean obviously it's about your work, but a lot of it is about where your studio and the atmosphere and how it how it is. That one goes

about this. Because the question about how long is a question that that we encounter all the time and there's no answer for it. There's never an answer for it because I don't know, first of all because artists don't have to check in. Thank God, secondly, because

you don't know because for instance, I don't know how sculpture work at all, but uh, but I have, when I glaze for instance, you do it as fast as you can work and then I have to lay the piece down and while I'm doing that, I

work on something else. So I don't know what kind of time went into peace a because I'm working on another two or three pieces all at the same time, um, Alice you, you've brought in some beautiful oil paintings here and they're really very lovely and of

a classical subject matter. I'm a graduate of the Art Institute in SAn Francisco, but I also did alternative semesters in in France and in Italy and Czechoslovakia. So when I went back to school I was a grown up and could travel and you have to do

things the fun way and it's very um, very traditional, very traditional, very lovely colors, very rich. I work with a lot of, a lot of renaissance art work. Um often pick up images that you mentioned at one point that this reminded you of the one on

the left which isn't finished. It's one of the mother and child series and that's the laundry mother. I raised a bunch of Children. So I sort of you. Um, but she, the image, the pose of that of that character is is after a titian which hangs

in, she's called the Madonna del hangs in venice and she's 30 ft tall on the version. She made only the poses recognizable. The garments are different than the original, but I like your use of bold colors. The camera can't do them justice as far as the

color. I was in ST peter and paul's church in North Beach yesterday afternoon and realized that that's where my entire aesthetic comes from. The grottoes and I know that color. I mean the colors the stained glass, they pick up a lot of like I hadn't really

known that until yesterday. I thought it was very funny that's beautiful. Now speaking of you identified with the laundry lady t barney, I read a little sheet about how you identify different art symbols and forms through history, different cultures and it's a universal. Do you want

to elaborate a little bit about that? That was an interesting outlook. That's, how long do we have? Um I make up a lot of different kinds of um sculpture wall pieces and they're etched and those are usually um uh, fossils or what we call icons and

they're based on real fossils. And also the icons that um have come down through history and I find ones that are similar in japanese history as well as Celtic history as well as southwestern indians. And those are the ones that I pick and I do a

little artist um uh, artistic impression on, I take license to make them similar. Um, and those are, those hang on the wall because people don't always have friends of mine don't always have enough space in their house for a sculpture that's real and takes up space

so they can hang these on the wall. Most of them probably go in the bathrooms, but hey, they get seen every day. Um, one thing I did want to say about our trails is um, I was on it when it first opened. Um, and then got

really busy and decided I didn't want my studio open to the public and this is, you know, this is a treasure for people to come to, to come to artist studios. Um Richard Diebenkorn was a neighbor of mine and a friend and he's come over all

the time because in san Francisco, no in in alexander valley, Richard demon corn corn, I didn't realize that last years of his life were spent in alexander valley across the river from and he said God how can you open your studio, the public, I could never

do that because it's very private and you get a lot of insight I think by going and visiting these studios because you see where the work happens. Um and sometimes the inspiration is there or where it comes from and and I think that that really gives

you an understanding of what the art is about or can artists are very temperamental or can be so I can see where he'd have that outlook of how could they come to my studio now, Do you have many of his pieces of work? No, that's unfortunate,

he just, he kept coming over because he always wanted to try carving stone and a couple of times he whacked at some pieces but he didn't go any farther than that. He did some very interesting things. So um back to ELISA I want to ask you

about, is there a preview at the Sonoma county Museum and why don't you tell us about that event? Right, I was glad you mentioned that because it's a chance to see all of the artists work in one place and it might be a good place to

start the tour. Um it will be at the Sonoma County Museum. Um the exhibitors from october 1st through november 7th and um the gala opening to meet the artists and the artists reception is october the eighth. That's a friday from 6 to 8 o'clock. Now, this

event at the Sonoma County Museum is typically how many people usually turn out? And how many artists are there? All the artists that are going to? Most of the artists who come? Yes, we have a band, we have food and wine and it's, it's a real

party. Does every artist have a piece of work on display at the museum or they selected pieces? No. All artists are represented there. Every artist, it's a real good opportunity to see, to see the whole scope of the work. How does an artist become a member

of our trails. Is there a interview process? Do they, is there a review of their artwork? What is that process? Yes. Actually our trails is jury. It's one of the few juried open studios that are in California. Uh, can you explain what jury? Open studio means

to our viewers? Sure. Um, artists submit six slides for review and um, we have a jury from out of the county who don't know the artist's work at all and they view those slides and essentially vote on them and decide What quality will make our trails.

So this year we have 39 new artists in our trails. I think that's the most we've ever had in one year. Now. That's quite a few new artists are we getting a more artists coming in or more artists are interested in joining our trails? Well, I

don't think I can really answer that question. I think Sonoma County has a very high percentage of artists. It's a lovely county, very creative. Here it is. We need to pause here for a brief message. Stay tuned, we'll be right back. I joined the Peace Corps

because it gave me an opportunity to do something worthwhile. We were providing clean water which everyone there is health and we try to do the same thing here by just providing health care, compassion, perspective, a sense of adventure. Those three things help me get through the

day and make me a better doc. I'd recommend the Peace Corps. Anyone that was thinking about any job that'll help them excel and be better or whatever they do. You learn the value of service, you're gonna want to be in a position to give service back.

Changing the world changing America Welcome back to Sonoma County in the nineties and let's rejoin our lovely artists and coordinator for art trails. So back to the Sonoma County Museum, there's going to be an event to feature and cameo all of the artists that will be

participating in the art trails. What time in the morning does it start and what time in the evening isn't over. I'm sure that the artists appreciate that being put out to our viewers. Right well um the museum is open from 10 to 4 um and then

the reception itself will be on a friday evening october 8th and that will be between six and eight. And what about the day of art trails? The studio's open at what time in the morning? Yes, showing up at five a.m. Studios open at 10 10 morning

and stay open until 55 PM four days. I see. What about tours? Are there any kind of organized tours where you go in groups or can you just get one of the catalogs and take off? Um Well there's no there's no organized tour of our trails

itself and that's sort of the beauty of our trails. It's a real independent um and it can be a family outing. Um Most people that I meet say we go to our trails every year. We love it. It's become a real tradition for our family. Everybody

goes, we get to see the studios and visit. It seems like it would be a wonderful um outing, especially when you're in the alexander valley area, you can stop and do a little wine tasting and stop off at the art trails, their address for the works

or if you're out in Sebastopol um there's just so a lot of things that are tied in a lot of good restaurants out there now. Great. And I hear there's some great restaurants and you can stop off and have some good food. A lot of the

studios offer a little snack and drink of some sort. They do. The artists are very generous, we have too many apples I guess. We'll see lots of apples. Okay, I'm gonna now go back and focus a little bit on the artists and their talents. T barney,

where did you have a formal education in art or is it something that's self taught? I did. I went to school, I went to lots of them. That's good. You had a lot of different Denison University in Ohio and Stanford and Brown University in Rhode Island

School of Design and I don't know whether this counts, but I was also artist in residence at the Woodstock School of Art in new york where the big concert happened, which is another enclave of artists, they're probably, everybody in the town is an artist. Um So

and I work in marble from all over or stone from all over the world. Um My bronze has come from original marble or wood pieces. Um The steel is welded steel mostly found in the dumper in the corporation yards. Yes, it's all recycled. And the water

is obviously here, the wood is mostly from walnut trees that I've been collecting over the last 20 years. Pretty much so you recycle a lot of the natural elements or materials that you use the stone comes in big blocks or in flat sheets. As for fountain

pieces because they're they're assembled instead of carving and you order this from where does it come from? This is India slate. I actually get it from a local stone supplier. It's a lovely, lovely sculptor. I'm not going to say the names. No, no we don't need

to know the names but it's really beautiful, very beautiful. And you want to tell us any more about your background and like where do you display? Do you have different areas? You exhibit your work all over the country? All over the country galleries that represent me?

Well Joy Horwich in Chicago. I want our viewers to realize how well known and what type of artists the caliber of artists we have in this county. So tell us about your studios. Will you exhibit? Okay. Well I exhibit in in, I don't know, I can't

remember how many but there's Chicago and Kansas city and Nantucket massachusetts in palm beach florida and san Francisco and um Palo alto and los altos and santa fe. So I'm I'm pretty well represented around. Not really. And I also have some pieces in the upstairs gallery

in Healdsburg Which is an artist run gallery but so that's where I represented. Where is the upstairs gallery? It's on the plaza in Healdsburg above the bookstore. It's above 11 and co bookstore. I've not been up there. I need to walk up the stairs And how

about you Alice, I don't compare to T. Barney. I went back to art school when I was 50 years old. That's fantastic. You're only 39. So I've only been out of art school since 92 and we moved to sebastopol um shortly thereafter and my husband said,

Okay, here's your studio, you better, you paid a lot of money for education, you better do something with it. So I just started from nowhere painting um found things painting on chairs, painting what ever crossed my path. And we lived right on Grabenstein highway, right near

the french restaurant in Grabenstein highway. So I just started putting out my canvases out in front of the little studio that my husband pulled together there for me and people started stopping by and saying, oh can I have one of those? So I did. Then I

did screaming Mimi's ice cream parlor, I love that ice cream And after that people started coming to me. So I don't have a gallery because I never sent slides to a gallery because I have this wonderful life living in Sebastopol painting for a steward called travel

agency has a 10 ft tall sign with a bunch of figures on that I made for them along Grabenstein highway and I've done the windows of of of rosemary's garden and a bunch of places and dressing rooms for for used clothes places and had just been

very fortunate that I have worked for my neighbors and hang when I before I started showing pieces so widely hung pieces on the chicken coops and chickens were happy. I mean you know I just put pictures out there and there they are. Alice. Had you always

painted? I had always drawn but I raised six daughters and I just didn't cross my mind that I got to express myself. I just sort of thought that's what you did by yelling at the Children and something like that. So you you you always would sketch

or draw. I did some drawing. Yeah. My Children say I always do, although I didn't remember that. I thought all I ever did was the laundry. So you always would draw but you never really expressed yourself or did is there any other medium that you, I

was a journalist. I wrote, I still write a friend just sent me a big fancy Dell computer and said, okay, now you have no more excuses. Get back to it. I was, but you do such a lovely job. Thank you. Thank you. I've always been really,

really interested but I didn't know that. I got to, I got to get away with it. Yes. No, lovely, lovely sense of color. I like your fold. Thank you colors and they're very big. Beautiful. So tell me a little more about art trails. ELISA. Well I

was thinking when you were talking to t barney about how widespread are artists are and how far they go their work goes. We have patrons who come from as far as florida to art trails. We have a family hawaii. We have a family who flies in

from colorado each year just for art trails and certainly people from all over the state. Los Angeles, southern California sacramento. Um, it's becoming collectors that play in every year for from Chicago. Well, they like to come to the wine country to and falls a good time

to come. So they kind of go, okay, what time is what data is going to be on this year? So we're finding that we're getting a lot of tourists who like to come in and coordinate the wine country and our trails and our good dining. We

like to call the mark patrons. Your patrons, patrons of the arts fall in Sonoma County. Yes. So this is a true community effort. The, the art trails. And can you tell me more about the preparation that goes into it? Sure. Yes. It really is a community

effort. The artists all volunteer six hours, at least six hours of their time towards putting and organizing our trails and putting it together. So they do everything from distributing catalogs to hanging banners at the museum to stuffing envelopes to just about anything that, that we need

help with. Um, it's, it's a very nice communal event. I think of 100 and 15 people also that, I mean it's really important to get one of these babies. Where are we here? One of these babies because the catalog is really nicely done. I remember when

we were printing it first year black and white on newsprint and now we have color pictures and we have a map and it tells what each and it's it's referenced different ways. And it has a picture of each straight up of each um, of each artist's

work, for example, of each artist's work in color. And it's it's really a piece of basket weavers, altar. And then you have the maps which tell you the number. Each artist has a number by his name and that is his number on the map or her

number on the map. And the maps aren't necessarily to scale. But they really help you find the location. And then when you're there you find the you'll see the logo signs, the flag, the flag, the wandering road. And now what whose pieces that on the front

cover this year? This is how a collaborative piece by Gerald and kelly Hong who are ceramicist and they're husband and wife team and they work together. They do work alone as well. A lot of their work is collaborative and this is a piece of, there's this

year that we're featuring on the cover. It's imperative to get one of these. You really need a catalog. You really need a catalog with the map, which is for viewers who just turned in. You can pick up the catalog at the Sonoma County Museum, right at

the Cultural Arts Council, you can call 579 Arts and we will be glad to send you a catalog. All of the local libraries have catalogs available as well as most book stores, coffee houses, any places that people gather. We try to get them all across the

county. I see um as far as the event again, the dates are the dates through october 16th and 17th and 23rd and 24th. That's the day of the actual art. Those open Studios Studios, right 8, 10 to 5. So all of the artists participate in all

of the artists that are are involved. Open up, you can go into the studio, you they are all going to be working on their projects. Oftentimes the artists are too busy to actually work, but they often have demonstrations of their work. And if they can be

doing anything at the time, they know artists that do try to work. I usually try to haul out my diamond chainsaw as a demonstration or split a big rock of stone while people are there have to be there at the right time because it only happens

once. So you try to plan our their phone numbers where you can call ahead and ask, are you going to be doing a special demonstration? Actually there are phone numbers for each of the artists in the catalog as well as their address and even their email

addresses of their websites. So if I wanted to, if there was something I was really interested in, I could then uh, through this guy catalog, call up and say, I want to see how you, whatever you're gonna demonstrate and you can give a time and then

you could arrive and be able to see that demonstration that would work. Most of the artists would be available if someone were to call them, wouldn't they? I mean, I would assume that other people would too if you wanted a private tour. So the key is

to get a cop of the catalog. We're out of time. But I want to thank both of you, all three of you for being here today. And I will look forward to seeing you on one of those days for the art trails. I'm gonna come around

and visit some of the studios. So I hope to see you there Also. I'm dana Jericho and this is Sonoma County in the nineties. I look forward to seeing you the next time