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Yan Inlow embroidery art
David Hoobler "Island" painting
Tony Galindo painting
Anthony Verity "Tikkuri" painting
Georgia and Harvey Cohen
seed packet art
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Extraordinary art ranging from Japanese embroidery, stunning photographs, acrylic and watercolor paintings, exquisite lithographs, dollhouse mailboxes, handpainted recycled furniture and gorgeous jewelry to boutique-quality fashions, shimmering glass vessels, hand-blown ceramic pieces, recycled metal work, whimsical sculptures and hand-carved woodwork –– you’ll find all of this and more at the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival, September 6-7 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Castro Street. Stroll and browse well-stocked booths and meet 650 of America’s finest artists and craftmakers –– creators of the beautiful art on display at this nationally renown festival.
Fine Art
Alameda artist Yan Inlow amazes festivalgoers with her framed embroidery, a lost Japanese art. Her stitches are so tiny it can take more than a month to complete one piece. Inlow begins by drawing a scene on silk. Next, she hand stitches over the images of Japanese geisha, cherry blossoms, goldfish, queens, birds or Japanese scenery. “I paint my way through my stories,” said children’s author and illustrator David Hoobler. The Oakland resident also will be selling watercolor paintings of ocean and desert life. Carson resident Tony Galindo manipulates photographs to transform ordinary images into extraordinary works of art. He does everything by hand, not by computer. Galindo enjoys photographing flowers, animals, musical instruments and people. He adds punch to his photos by changing natural backgrounds and adding color. Anthony Verity of Northridge is a jack of all trades. A retired physician and current pathologist at UCLA, Verity believes his scientific training has influenced his abstract, contemporary, constructionist paintings. “Pathology is a visual art,” he explained. “There is a lot of pattern recognition. I do a lot of rigid, sinuous line work.” Verity enjoys the simplicity of acrylic paint and prefers shades of blue, gray, gold and red. Glen Ellen residents Georgia and Harvey Cohen were in the right place at the right time when they overheard people talking about an unusual discovery in New York –– vintage seed packets from 1917 found in a secret cellar. These antique treasures were exquisitely hand lithographed by artists almost 100 years ago. The Cohens have reproduced these beautiful lithographs, some of which depict extinct varieties of plants and flowers.
Barbara Ojena hand-made soaps
Jim and Melody Cole custom mailbox
Terry and Scott McBeth hand-painted furniture
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Functional Art
Take some time out for yourself by soaking in the tub with Barbara Ojena’s pure glycerin, 3-D designer soaps. Choose from 31 different fragrances including pineapple, chocolate, lavender, Rocky Mountain High, Angel’s Kiss, Jasmine, Surf’s Up and the artist’s favorite, Monet’s Garden. Ojena lives in Nipomo, California. You’re never too old for a dollhouse! Why not make it an adorable dollhouse mailbox made by husband and wife team Jim and Melody Cole? Choose from seven different styles, including a barn, cabin, cottage, Victorian house and bungalow. The Belmont residents even add wallpaper and carpet inside. It takes two to six months for Chico artist Richard Bright to make a wood-turned bowl or closed form. Woodturning is a slow process. The artist finds greenwood, sets it aside for six to eight weeks and lets it dry. After wood has dried, it is turned again and finished. All bowls are food safe. If you want to make a statement in that special room, visit Terry McBeth’s hand-painted furniture booth. She rescues furniture from second-hand stores turns them into Mexican and African art pieces. McBeth sells cheery tables and chairs, nightstands, headboards and home accessories.
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Rica Aghasi "Hamsa" sculpture
Janki Chokshi sand painting
Illona Hindt wool felt sculpture
Lori Black goose egg ornament
Barbara Hall jacket
Marty Bobroski "Guardian
Dragon" ear wrap
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Sculpture and Mixed Media
Rica Aghasi of Shermon Oaks makes interesting wall hangings and art based on the Israeli culture. Her ceramic hands, symbols of good luck and blessings in Israel, are very popular housewarming gifts. Cupertino artist Janki Chokshi has mastered the ancient Indian art of sand painting. She collects sand from beaches in California, Florida, Lake Tahoe and even India. Chokshi cleans and dries the sand and applies it to an oil-painted outline. Sand is glued to the interior of the image for an embossed effect. Paintings range from abstract black and white to realistic illustrations of nature.
Illona Hindt of Los Altos Hills crafts animals and people from wool. She buys freshly-shorn wool, washes it and dyes it in a variety of colors. Next, she uses a needle to poke the wool and shape it into sculptural forms. She has a steady flow of collectors who particularly love her farm animals and bathtub people. Newman resident Lori Black makes very unusual goose egg ornaments. Black decoupages recycled Christmas cards onto goose eggs. Pictures are sealed with 10 coats of resin. Black also sells goose eggs decoupaged with wedding and graduation announcements. Key West artist Pat Lloyd makes beautiful cheese boards and serving platters from recycled beer and wine bottles. The artist removes labels and melts bottles in a glass furnace until they are flat. Labels are reapplied with a special coating. The unusual aspect of Lloyd’s art is that bottles retain their natural shape – only they are flat. “The wine bottles are the most popular since so many people have a wine theme in their kitchens,” Lloyd said. “In Key West, we recycle everything because we have to take all our garbage to Miami. This allows me to recycle and do something creative.”
Wearable Art
Arizonan Barbara Hall designs one jacket for women in dozens of different fabrics. Everything is preshrunk and her collection ranges from sporty to dressy. Hall designed the figure-flattering, shapely jacket to solve her fashion pet peeves –– jackets are preshrunk, easy care and available in retail sizes 6 to 18. Pleasant Hill jeweler Dori Eganost loves to combine colored gemstones. For 32 years, she has made jewelry using a technique called wax casting. Her designs range from old world to contemporary. Although she works with many different types of gemstones, fancy colored sapphires are her favorite. Santa Cruz jeweler Marty Bobroskie sells sterling silver 14K gold ear cuffs, ear wraps, charms, rings and pendants. She even has designed outrageous moon and crescent ear wraps and concert jewelry for the musician Prince. Bobroskie is influenced by fantasy –– Mother Goose, Peter Pan and tales of King Arthur. She travels the world and is inspired by animals she encounters in rainforests and other tropical destinations. Santa Cruz designer Diane Wat makes sweaters, jackets, sportswear, knits and active wear with dog and cat themes. All of her clothing is machine washable. “My customers are really into their families,” the artist said. “I try to bring them joy by communicating my version of family.”
