Sculpture and Mixed Media

Linda Lebedowicz's Woodkins Steven Albaranes butterflies Casey Erlenheim soy candles Heather and Paul Harding candle holders Chiyori Filion jewelry

Add a bit of cheer to your kitchen with Linda Lebedowicz’s charming Woodkins. These hand-carved and hand-painted fruits and vegetables love to dangle their toes from kitchen shelves and tabletops, and their smiling and expressive faces are loaded with personality. Collect a whole basketful. Artist Steven Albaranes captures the mystery and beauty of the natural world in his breathtaking displays of exotic butterflies. He carefully poses each captive-bred butterfly in a beautiful display of color and motion. "You do tend to see them moving," says Albaranes. "I spread their wings to give them a realistic flight look. They're very soothing to look at." Virginia Jennings gives new life to old windows by transforming them into hanging gardens. The artist carefully restores old, worn windows, gives the frames a clean coat of paint, and then decorates the glass with her own original floral artwork. Her window gardens look beautiful hanging on walls or in existing windows and brighten any room like a fresh bouquet of flowers. Dennis Johnson has developed a special technique to fuse molten 24 karat gold into his original glass sculptures. The gold not only adds a metallic shine, but also tints the delicate sculptures anything from blue or purple to pink or red. “After working with the gold for more than 20 years, I now have approximately 70 percent control,” says the artist. “Every piece comes out different and no two can be exactly alike.” Johnson’s wife, Julie, then mounts the glass sculpture on a carefully chosen base of amethyst, coral, burl, stained glass or porcelain for a truly unique figurine. Let your inner child go wild with a unique metal sculpture from Metalsouls. This team of artists creates intricate and original metal sculptures inspired by the best in science fiction and fantasy, all out of recycled motorcycle parts. Some sculptured figures have a number of swiveling parts, enabling manipulation into a variety of battle poses. They are carefully coated and polished, ensuring a rich shine for years to come.

Functional Art

Pretty up your patio with a unique clay pot hanger from Roger Boggio. These creative hanging and table-top displays can hold up to six clay pots, each handcrafted from select redwood and protected with water seal. Just plant your clay pot hangers with beautiful flowers and watch the compliments pour in. Bring earth-friendly beauty into your home with soy candles, soaps and other bath and beauty products by Casey Erlenheim. These 100 percent natural candles are cleaner burning than traditional candles, contain no petroleum byproducts, and use only the finest quality fragrance oils, while the colorful, handcrafted soaps are as good for the environment as they are for your skin. Doug Gold and his wife Bobbie have created their own Santa’s workshop in their home, handcrafting quality wooden children’s toys for well over 18 years. Each toy is created from durable wood that can withstand a toddler’s rough play, sanded smooth, and finished with completely non-toxic water-based stains in a rainbow of colors. The homemade designs include airplanes, trucks, animals, blocks, alphabets, bookends, and more, for unlimited hours of creative play. Light up your life with a handmade wood and stone nightlight from Heather and Paul Harding. Each light features an original design carefully cut from slates of oak, then placed in front of a naturally translucent semiprecious agate gemstone. When backed by a votive candle or small light bulb, the artwork creates a warm glow that is sure to be a delight in any home. 

Amy Garcia mixed media Soo Noga painting Mishell Swartwout painting Tie dye clothing booth

Fine Art

Chiyori Filion hopes to evoke feelings of comfort, hope and harmony through her watercolors. The San Francisco artist plays with color, form and space to create her spiritual abstract paintings, her own attempt to bring healing and unity into this sometimes harsh world. Amy Garcia brings energy to her artwork with rich, saturated colors and dramatic brushstrokes. Her mixed media pieces utilize acrylic, mesh, metals, string and handmade paper to form dynamic compositions of light and dark. “Color, texture and energy is what motivates my art to emerge from the canvas,” she says. At a first glance, Soo Noga’s abstract oil paintings reflect a European flair, no doubt from her art education at Harrow School of Art and Kingston University in London, England, and her study of the Great Masters. But on a deeper level there is an Asian influence from her childhood in Malaysia, which sometimes comes through in a form or a color. In each work, Noga strives to use balance, color harmony and light to portray the essence of her subjects in simple lines or colors. Artist Mishell Swartwout captures the magic and innocence of childhood with her bright acrylic paintings of mermaids, fairies, dragons and castles. The beautiful frames and matting are part of the artwork, using hand-painted details and sparkling stars to bring the image right into the room.

Take a break from the hustle and bustle while listening to romantic, relaxing piano music by Jeffrey Michael. The Hermosa Beach musician is known for his serene, peaceful sounds. Westpoint resident John Reid enjoys painting landscapes and seascapes. He is inspired by beautiful California and Tuscany. The artist paints with both oils and watercolors in soft, soothing colors. A lone ship, solitary barn and a seaside village – Reid’s work is soothing and tranquil. Beautiful mermaids from far away lands … gossamer fairies dancing under the moonlight … boastful dragons looming near ominous castles … Mishell Swartwout is world famous for her ethereal, acrylic paintings. Her gorgeous prints are matted and framed. Michael Ho, a resident of San Leandro, amazes his customers with the ancient Chinese art of embroidery art. Ho begins by drawing an image on fabric, and then uses thousands of stitches to illustrate flowers, animals and landscapes. A small picture can be completed in a day or two, but a large embroidery can take several months. Aptos photographer Tom Jacobs sees extraordinary elements in ordinary objects all over the world – a distressed barn in Vermont, a colorful fishing boat in Ireland, an Amish cyclist in Ohio. “One of the joys of creating fine art photography is that it forces you to be in the moment,” Jacobs noted. “All other distractions fade away as you concentrate on creating simplicity from the beauty of a scene.”