Sonoma Art Directory
painting and drawing
Irene Rowley began this website and writes a blog, to promote the fine artists of Sonoma County. She is a fine artist, painter and illustrator, who grew up oil pointing, acrylic painting and drawing landscapes and portraiture<. Irene has a B.A. in English and Studio Art from the University of California, Davis and works in web development and creative services. Irene simply loves art! Sonoma County is a beautiful place to paint!
Jackie Lee draws with pen and ink, and paints “free form” landscapes, wildlife and pet portraits, and still life compositions.
M.C. Carolyn is a Sonoma County artist known for her stone sculptures, painting in oils, acrylics and mixed mediums, mixed media artwork on paper, and public art commissions. A quote: “Starting with the human figure and then moving beyond it’s traditional shapes I explore the possibilities of not being predictable, nor violent but always speaking visually of the human condition.” M.C. has a BA in Painting from the University of California at Berkeley, graduate studies at the San Francisco Art Institute, and researched abroad on Prehistoric, Copper Age, Bronze Age art, temples and tombs.
Mary Lee Rybar is a painter, printmaker and lifelong student of the culinary arts and making things. Born in a Western Pennsylvania steel town, she attended Kent State University and the American School of Paris. She started Hunter Designs, producing custom hand painted textiles for a small stable of retailers. Her work ranges from abstract and representational paintings, to printmaking and sculpture. She maintains a printmaking studio at the Grove Street Studios in Sonoma and a home site painting studio.
Paula Peterson is active in painting, drawing, collages and mosaics. She shares her travel journal and mixed media meditations on her website.
Susan Greer is a plein air artist and currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Arts Council of Sonoma County. She has also served on the Art Trails steering committee and the Sonoma County Museum Board. “I love exploring the transient light of California coastal lands, and ways in which the ordinary become extraordinary with each passing hour. I paint out-of-doors, or plein air, whenever possible.”
Sophie Acheson works primarily in printmaking, handmade papers and the book arts. Her miniature gold leaf paintings are created with oil paint and 23K gold leaf on dyed handmade paper.
Patricia Akay is a native Californian artist and art teacher, who specializes in oil painting and watercolor. Akay enjoys painting the Sonoma Wine Country in its ever changing seasons, its historical buildings, landscapes, vineyards and the field workers. She attended the California College of the Arts in Oakland and for a time ran “the Gallery” in Burlingame.
Roberta S. Alexandra lives concurrently in Sonoma County, California and London, England. She is known for mixed media paintings, emphasizing encaustic and water-based collages.
Barbara Aliza utilizes a variety of natural and acrylic materials. Her work explores the complexity of surface, the beauty of imperfection and, ultimately, survival.
Brooks Anderson is a painter of large-scale landscapes, cloudscapes, seascapes and abstracts, and has painted in Los Angeles, Maine and the south of France. He resides now in Sonoma County. His work can be found in numerous collections, including the Philbrook Museum in Tulsa. He has a B.F.A. from California State University
The artist Dee Andreini is known for plein air oils, acrylics, and landscape paintings. She was born in San Francisco, and grew up in Northern California. Dee has a Fine Arts Degree from the California State College of Sonoma.
David Antonio is an abstract artist and painter. A quote from the artist: “For me, art has always been a portal to a parallel world.” David has a B.F.A. in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute, among other degrees.
Karen Ellen Arendell is an artist who paints symbolic and expressive paintings and signage. She has a background in design, fine art, photography, writing and art direction. Her favorite materials include acrylic, watercolor, ink, marker, pencil, paper, metal, and wood.
Kareem Assab is a Sonoma County artist who paints expresssive and colorful abstract paintings with acrylics.
Sally Baker is a watercolor artist of Sebastopol, California. She received a B.A. from the University of Southern California, and taught fine arts at Healdsburg High School for 20 years before retirement. Her subject matter includes desert landscapes, and a still life series that focuses on Asian artifacts, kimonos and bamboo.
Maria Bales is known for her paintings of Sonoma farms, rural landscapes, crows and some abstractions. She works in watercolor, oils, acrylics and colored pencil. She is also a knitting artist.
Susan R. Ball paints still life and landscapes in a realistic and impressionistic style. A quote from the artist: “With paint I have the tools to illuminate my subject and convey a tangible personal interpretation to connect with my audience.”
Mandy Bankson is an abstract painter, often working on large canvas with acrylics. A quote from the artist: “I paint abstractly because I am lured by the risk of plunging into the unknown to express the beauty and complexity of life.”
Linda Barretta is in her own words, “dedicated to the excitement of exploring and painting in plein air.” She paints landscapes, using mixed water, acrylics, casein, and watercolors in an impressionist style.
Charles Beck paints Sonoma landscapes, the coasts of Northern California, orchards and vineyards. He works with oil paints and watercolor.
Lisa Beerntsen paints underlying abstract forms, color, and movement, overlaid with patterns culled from diverse cultures (Islamic, Celtic, Tibetan, American quilters), as well as plant and flower forms. Lisa has also been an adjunct art instructor at the Santa Rosa Junior College for over 10 years. She has previously taught at the San Francisco Art Institute, California State University, Stanislaus, as well as the Universities of Maine and Massachusetts. Lisa has an M.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a B.F.A. from the California College of Arts and Crafts.
Sara Bell’s paintings, drawings and sketches are inspired by the world’s natural beauty. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute, College of Art, cum laude. Her subject matter includes children, people, landscapes, botanicals, creatures and symbolics.
The artist Warren Bellows, trained by Quang Ho at the Denver Art Students League, paints luminous landscapes, florals, and abstracts.
Ken Berman is a Western Sonoma artist who focuses on mechanical and industrial themes in oil paint. He has a background education and career in architecture. “I loosely describe my artwork as Industrial with architectonic and mechanical influences referencing Cubism, Constructivism, Dadaism and the Steampunk movement.”
Tom Berto is known for crisp, colorful and photo-realistic paintings. His medium of choice is acrylic paints, and he offers Giclée prints in signed and numbered limited editions.
Nina Bonos creates watercolors, mixed media collages of wine country landscapes and Judaica. She also offers art prints and greeting cards.
Wendy Brayton is a native from Sonoma County and a plein air oil painter who has often painted tractors and trailers, both rural and urban landscapes, as well as figures and portraits. She has a degree in sculpture from the Sonoma State University and is working on her masters degree at the Academy of Art in San Francisco.
Tim Brody is known for his landscapes, pastels, seascapes and art prints, and has been involved in the healing arts for over 30 years. A quote from the artist: “My guiding principle is to cultivate wakefulness, clarity and spaciousness.
Judy Butler was known for “painterly plein air oil paintings of the Northern California wine country and Pacific coast.” Judy studied art at Stanford University (BA) and the University of California, Berkeley (MA). Judy lived, worked and painted in Berkeley, New York, Egypt, Silicon Valley, Monterey and the Sonoma wine country. Before devoting herself full time to fine art, she worked as a graphic designer, illustrator, graphics manager and art director.