Pelican Art Gallery

Giant Steps is an amazing local non-profit organization that is the only year-round premier accredited therapeutic riding program in the North Bay Area. You can find out more about Giant Steps at  http://www.giantstepsriding.org.  Pelican Art Gallery is participating in an event to help support Giant Steps this week.  Great for the entire family!

This Thursday, August 5th, from 5 – 7pm, the Petaluma Galleries & Merchants will be taking the best of Petaluma to the Sonoma Horse Park in support of the Giant Steps Charity Classic.  It  will be an evening of enchanting art and product presentation combined with hunter/jumper competition entertainment.  This is one evening during the 4-day competition of world class horse & rider team events.  We invite you to join us in this unusual and exciting opportunity.

Also, learn more about the Giant Steps’ Grand Prix Gala to be held on August 7, 2010: http://giantstepsriding.org/news-events/charity_classic-1/

The last 17 years, Pebble Beach has hosted a series of Grand Prix, hunter/jumper horse competitions.  Due to the US Open Golf tournament this year,  these competition weekends moved to the Sonoma Horse Park in our own backyard!  You can find out more about the schedules for these competition weekends at http://sonomahorsepark.com/schedule.php

Hope to see you at the Horse Park!

Tags: fine art, Giant Steps, horses, outdoor exhibit, Sonoma Horse Park

We continue our Masters of Today series presenting two incredible master artists in their exhibit going up on June7th.  Christopher Schink is editor of the Pallet Magazine and the author of Mastering Color and Design In Watercolor and Color And Light For The Watercolor Painter— both published by Watson-Guptill, NY. He is the co-author (with Skip Lawrence) of Watermedia Focus Workbook, Volume I.  Schink is an internationally renowned painting instructor and competition juror, having taught throughout the US, Australia, Europe, Mexico and Canada.  We are so lucky to have Topher as one of the Pelican Art Gallery Master artists! I met Topher at the Intensive Studies Seminar in Taos, New Mexico a few years ago and was blown away with his style and ease of putting paint to paper.  When we found out he lived in Sonoma County we approached him about letting us represent him and were thrilled when he agreed!

"Along the Chamas" by Christopher Schink, watercolor on paper

Camille Przewodek, a nationally recognized painting instructor, offers classes and workshops from the l’Atelier aux Couleurs, the Petaluma Art Academy which she founded.   Camille is a dedicated, no-nonsense leader in the arts in Petaluma. At the Petaluma Art Academy, Przewodek subscribes to the teachings and painting methods introduced to her by master artist Henry Hensche at the Cape Cod School of Art in Massachusetts. She is a passionate artist who excels in plein air and still life painting. Camille is a key addition to our list of proven master artists at the Gallery.  She captures the beauty of the land in a way that evokes emotional response from viewers.

"Meadow at Sunset" by Camille Przewodek, oil on canvas board

Masters of Today exhibit at the Pelican Art Gallery featuring Schink & Przewodek will include an artist reception on Saturday, June 12th, 2010 from 4 – 7pm as part of the Second Saturday Art Walk downtown.  Schink will also be presenting a lecture on “The Roots of Modern Art” on Tuesday, June 8th at the Gallery at 6:30pm.  Pelican Art Gallery has started a new Tech Talk series scheduled for Thursday June 10th and 17th.  Call for details.  Public is welcome to all events listed in this article.  Exhibit runs through August 7th, 2010.

A new show is now up at the Pelican Art Gallery featuring Stanley Mouse and Alfredo Tofanelli.  We are so excited with this exhibit and the strength of the art.  You’ll find 20+ piece from each of the featured artists.

This exhibit will be available in the Gallery through June 5th.

I’ll be posting featured paintings from the show in the coming days.  Here are some pictures from the reception held yesterday (Sat, April 10th, 2010):

Friend Angela McKeon with Pelican Art Gallery Owners Donna Hinshaw & Linda Postenrieder

Linda Postenrieder with Master Artists Susan Adams & Alfredo Tofanelli

Master Artist Stanley Mouse with his daughter & friend

It was when Ray Roberts signed with us as a Resident Artist that made us stop and reflect on the distance we had come with the Gallery.  A member of the elite Plien Air Painters of America, Ray is one of California’s most respected Plein Air artists. He has a long list of awards including the Gold Medal for “Best Painting” at the California Art Club and the Artists’ Choice Award, the highest accolade from fellow artists, at three major Southwest art events.

"San Mateo Creek" by Ray Roberts 60 x 48 oil on canvas

Tags: fine art, gallery petaluma, Master artist

We currently represent 11 Masters of Today.  I will be introducing you to our Resident Artists through this blog.  I hope you enjoy the posts and feel a bit more connected to our commitment to the arts.

Alexander P. Sachal, simply known as Sachal, has an amazing story. Here is a small introduction to this Russian born Master Artist:   ” At 16 years old, I joined the Fine Arts School, Sculpture School, Sculpture Workshop. We were working for 4 hours in the shop, learning how to make sculpture. The next 4 hours were academic: learning architecture, decoration, stone carving, clay, hot wax process for bronze sculpture. In June 1941 school was closed and converted to a war factory to manufacture military hardware. So, I volunteered to the army so I could defend my country.” – Sachal

"Double Portrait" by Sachal, Oil on Canvas 52" x 42"

Sachal has a magical style of painting that stands up to the best of history’s master artists.  Photos just cannot capture the depth of color and sense of emotion. The “Double Portrait” (oil on canvas, 52″ x 42″) painting currently hanging in the group show at the Gallery demonstrates Sachal’s ability to capture emotion.  When he first showed us this painting he simply said that it showed human tenderness.  Sachal has a vivacious love for life and dedication to painting.  We are honored to represent his work and hope that you stop by to see this painting in particular of Sachal’s.  Learn more about Sachal here.

Susan Adams is an award winning watercolorist.  Her love for color and drive to capture light in a way that draws us  into the paintings combine to make her a phenomenal artist.  In her more recent works, she is incorporating gouache with the watercolors.  We have 3 paintings in the Gallery that use the new techniques.  Check out the “Red Purse”, “Lunchtime” & “Waiting” on her paintings page.

We’re thrilled that Susan has joined our Resident Artist Program and look forward to bringing you more of her work throughout the next year.

Susan teaches painting workshops and weekly sessions from her studio in Petaluma.  She will be taking a group of student artists to France with her this summer.  You can learn more about this trip by clicking here.

We’re very glad Stanley Mouse has joined us for the Resident Artist Program here at Pelican Art Gallery.

Poster for Heartbeat for Haiti on 2/13/2010

Stanley Mouse created this poster to assist Grateful Dead drummer Micky Hart with his fundraiser on 2/13/2010 called Heartbeat for Haiti.  At the Gallery the same night we raised $150 towards the cause.

As part of our current group show of our Masters of Today, Stanley provided the original painting that inspired the poster.  You can stop by the Gallery to see both the original painting and the signed poster.  It’s really amazing how much artwork Stanley donates to this type of fundraising.  We’re proud to represent such a wonderful artist.

"Heartbeat for Haiti" original painting by Stanley Mouse

Tags: fine art, Haiti, Micky Hart, Stanley Mouse