Meet the Artists
My Passion for Professional Still Imagery & Fine Art:
As a Freshman in high school Aaron was filling up two to three rolls of 35mm films per-week. The Riekes Center (a non-profit organization in Menlo Park, geared to helping people achieve their goals) made it possible for Aaron to perfect his numbers & exposures which spurred his true passion for the fine arts.
While finishing High School in 2007, Aaron was already active in the business of photography and would soon become a professional in the field. In 2012 Aaron taught his first Digital Darkroom Photography class to underprivileged High School students in the Bay Area.
After graduating from the Art Institute of California in 2015, Aaron witnessed first hand how most students attending underprivileged schools needed more resources and mentors who were passionate about the field of Fine Arts. So, Aaron took on the task to build new innovative ways to best serve the community through the arts by extending digital photography classes to these students.
In 2015 to 2020 Aaron became the Visual Arts Director at the Riekes Center. In this role, Aaron was able to provide new photography equipment to students, and develop a curriculum for photography techniques and digital data organization.
In addition to Aaron’s role as a Visual Arts/Communication Arts & Financial Aid Director, Aaron worked as a professional Freelance Photographer in the Bay Area with a tremendous amount of work, which led to meeting key community stakeholders within the Silicon Valley.
Aaron’s Photography has been the contributing photographer for the Atherton Living, Los Altos Hills and Mountain Home private magazines since June 2021 and current.
Aaron has now successfully shown his first Art Gallery showing in 2022 at Mirada Art Gallery on Main Street, Half Moon Bay.
During the months of September through December, Aaron will be showcasing a series of Ancient tree series (4,850 year old pine trees) at Ocean Blue the Vault Art Gallery on Main Street, Half Moon Bay.
– Aaron believes that these ancient trees have genetic information that can help us understand our climates within the planet. These series of photographs will hold history, resistance, adaptation and growth.
Aaron Alvarez Mendoza
Aaron’s Photography
I want to honor the changing scope of our natural world and how we are all connected to it. I paint on location and rely on plein air painting, drawing, memory, notes, and photographs, to make work. I think painting furthers both my story and yours as a viewer because it gives us a passport for travel through our shared human experiences.
I use painting to explore our perception of natural light. Painting can do what the camera cannot: There’s nothing like seeing color outdoors, in all kinds of weather, either night or day! Direct observation from life is my preferred method because natural light heightens our perception of color and space. Yet the studio is my laboratory, where I slow down, plan and experiment. These approaches feed one another.
I received a full scholarship to attend Syracuse University and earned a B.F.A. which opened countless doors for me creatively and professionally. Now my education continues as I take classes and find opportunities to learn from all other painters.
I look for the sacredness of life and the beauty that lives within the world. Through my empathic connection and awareness, my photography seeks to capture the wonder and mystery of life. Each moment is unique and special. Embodying more than just the physical; it’s a window into the spirit world.
This vision brings forth a love for all living creatures. Leaving one with a sense of harmony, oneness, inner calm, and peace.
Knowing within my heart that this captured beauty can stir the soul instills a belief that the web of life can be preserved and wild animals and places can be protected for posterity.
It all began because my dad was a deer hunter, and as his son, I was expected to follow in his footsteps. I killed many birds, ground squirrels, and rabbits as a young boy. Then, in my teens, with my first big rifle, I took up deer hunting. That was short-lived. After watching the light of life go out of a black-tailed buck’s eyes, I choose to preserve the lives of animals. This was a seminal moment in becoming the nature photographer I am today.
My father’s Ramrod Ranch, now mine, in the upper reaches of the Arroyo Seco Valley, Greenfield, California, has become my beloved and sacred place, where I learned to love wildlife, especially birds. I became fascinated with their beautiful sounds, varied and gorgeous coloring, and exciting bird behaviors.
I have cultivated a passionate desire to create nature images that are alive and beautiful. Honing my photographic talents and developing my artistic style allows me to capture the majesty and sacredness of life. I have also learned to love wildlife and the natural world by photographing birds and other animals in such proximity.
I am an artist driven by a deep fascination with the moments of human emotion that connect us all. Because I thrive on variety and technical challenges, my work ranges from landscapes to modern still lifes to figurative work. No matter my subject, my goal is always to capture those ubiquitous feelings—joy, longing, solitude, hope—that resonate across boundaries and time.
My landscapes are invitations to step into a memory or a mood, capturing the beauty of our shared home and the adventure we encounter heading into the wild of it. They aim to preserve the powerful emotions felt while exploring the world, whether sparked by breathtaking scenery or shared experiences. Each piece is a tribute to the awe and connection I find in the wild, conveying something deeper and more lasting than a camera ever could – not just its beauty, but the emotional response it stirs.
In my modern still lifes, I find whimsy in the everyday. I arrange familiar objects in unexpected ways, using light, color, and composition to reveal the stories and emotions hidden in the ordinary. Whether they be a vibrant exploration of the commercialization of childhood or a meticulously painted bad dad joke, these works are representations on presence, nostalgia, and the subtle drama of daily life.
Portraiture, for me, is about more than likeness. I seek to capture the inner world of my subjects—their vulnerability, strength, and complexity. Every brushstroke is an attempt to honor the unique humanity of the person before me, while also reflecting something universal that viewers can see in themselves.
Through all my work, I hope to create art that feels both personal and shared. My paintings are an exploration of what it means to feel, to remember, and to connect. I invite you to find your own story within them.
I have been making Glass since 1971and have lived in Santa Cruz since 1972. I have had several private studios, and in 1998 began teaching at Palo Alto High School, where I began a Fiery Arts program teaching Sculpture, Ceramics, Bronze Casting and Glass Making. I retired from Paly in 2012 and now work in my Studio in the Santa Cruz Mountains above Aptos making Custom Lighting, Glass Vessels, Ceramics, Monoprints, and Woodcut Prints.
The Window series of vessels are an exploration in the Italian style using murine and cane, cased in Crystal. They are labor intensive vessels that require many hours of prefabrication, are hand-blown, one-of-a-kind collectibles. The Expression series are also difficult and large pieces requiring a team of three to make. They came about from watching Hummingbirds. I see them as a sort of expressionistic painting with glass.
David Camner – 2025
David Ebner has designed and created memorable art for Television and Cinema since he was 18 years of age. Listed by Wired Magazine as one of Hollywood’s most creative individuals, Ebner has contributed to over 70 feature films and has worked with notable auteurs such as Steven Spielberg, Guillermo Del Toro, Martin Scorsese, Tim Burton, Stephen Sommers, Francis Ford Coppola, Taylor Hackford, David Fincher, John Woo, Frank Darabont, among others.
While only 22 years of age, Dateline NBC and Entertainment Tonight, the two leading cable programs were branded with title graphics created by Ebner and his team. On top of that, Ebner oversaw the graphics for HBO, Nat Geo Channel, ESPN, Skybox, among others, winning BDA and Promaxx awards.
Ebner joined director Guillermo Del Toro for Hellboy, then as a producer and production partner for Pan’s Labyrinth, in which his team created the visual effects. They won over 100 film festival awards and won best in show at SigGraph’s Electronic Theater, representing the very best in Visual Effects that year.
As the Creative Director and Senior VFX Supervisor of Cafefx, Ebner and team created the films for Universal Studio’s “Wizarding World of Harry Potter.” It is still considered the most successful theme park addition, with an immediate boost of 1 million annual attendees to the park.
At Ocean Blue Vault, Ebner is pleased to introduce his fine art. His paintings reflect the emotion, passion, and feelings which percolate his creative mind.
Ebner’s watercolor, pencil and acrylic paintings reflect the emotion, passion, and feelings which percolate in his creative mind, drawing upon nature and imaginative inspirations as well as fascination by the works of Winslow Homer, Franz Marc, Claude Lorrain, Georgia O’Keefe, and master watercolor artist John Ebner, David’s uncle.
Just as he has for many film directors, Ebner often reaches within for new possibilities and exploration to delight people, often the case with groundbreaking visuals that have never been seen before.
You can see Ebner’s work in various galleries and art festivals. More information on the website.
About the Paintings:
Ebner creates Fine Art using watercolor, oil, pastel and acrylic paint over wood, paper, canvas and ceramic substrates. He works in the medium which best reflects the emotion of each piece, often times exploring unique mark making to further express a feeling.
The paints and substrate preparation are of the finest quality to ensure richness of colors and longevity.
Ebner also creates large mosaics on kiln fired ceramic tiles which he fully produces in-house.
Limited Edition prints are Museum Grade Giclees, which will last two hundred to four hundred years if cared for properly.
Hi, I’m Diane. I am a long time Coastsider who creates functional and decorative pottery and mosaics for the home and garden.
My handmade ceramics are food and dishwasher safe and most are oven safe. I create mosaics primarily with repurposed and handmade ceramic materials. Pottery and mosaics are grounded in nature and allow me to feel, visualize and bring in the colors, textures and movement of our coastal shore, agriculture and mountains. Treasure hunting for colorful, unique and primarily used and broken materials inspires my creative flow that comes with making mosaics and knowing these treasures will find new life by giving people joy.
Whether working in the Half Moon Bay studio I shared with my father-in-law or in our Santa Cruz Mountains studio, my mind flows with cherished memories of Half Moon Bay, my mother and Papa Joe, a Half Moon Bay Native who graced the Coastside with his stories, stained glass, craftsmanship, kindness, and generosity. Honoring him and our family’s love of the Coastside through art is pure joy. My love of nature and the environment inspires me to envision ways to rescue and repurpose things that would otherwise end up discarded. My prior 42-year career included teaching Agriculture, Landscape Gardening, Design and Construction, Forestry, and Park Ranger and administrating Career Technical Education programs.
I am thankful for the richness of our local community and the support of the Coastside Artists, the Ocean Blue Art Vault, my mentors and patrons. In addition to the Vault, I’ve had the pleasure of showing my art at the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival Made on the Coast, the Gathering of Women Artists, Mirada Art, and at various art shows throughout San Mateo County.
I am both a composer and a painter, drawing inspiration from the world of visual art and sound. I believe in the power of combining painting and music to express deeper, more unified stories.
My journey with painting was rekindled during a pre-pandemic visit to Amsterdam, where I participated in a workshop at the Van Gogh Museum. Since then, I’ve been creating actively through the California Bijutsu Club in San Jose for over five years.
I primarily work in acrylic on canvas, often using palette knives to capture texture and emotion. Recently, I’ve been exploring ink and watercolor, drawn to their fluidity and translucency. Color plays a central role in my work, shaping each piece’s atmosphere and rhythm.
My subject matter spans landscapes, still life, portraiture, Surrealism, and abstraction. While varied, each genre reflects a different thread in the broader narrative I wish to convey. For me, genre is a storytelling tool—not a constraint.
My exhibitions include the California Bijutsu Club shows (2019, 2022, 2023), and several juried shows at the Coastal Arts League, including “A Moment in Time” (2024), “Anything Goes” (2024), “In the Garden” (2025), and the ongoing “Imagine This!” (Honorable Mention).
I often begin with a theme or object that stirs my imagination, then weave emotion and narrative into the work. Looking ahead, I aspire to compose music that pairs with my paintings—uniting image, rhythm, and resonance—to invite viewers on a journey that speaks to both the eyes and the heart.
I am Ekaterina Kalistru, a professional artist and teacher with a passion for creativity. With years of experience teaching and making art, I have explored many techniques and mediums, but watercolor and graphics hold a special place in my heart.
I see the world in watercolors – soft skies spreading like wet pigment on paper, trees as delicate brushstrokes, and city streets a blur of merging colors. I feel the world unfolding like a wet sheet of paper, colors spreading and merging in unexpected ways. My art is about capturing this fluid beauty, letting the colors bleed and blend on my canvas. It’s a constant dance between control and chance, as I try to catch the ephemeral nature of life in my paintings.
Nature inspires me, and I love capturing its beauty through landscapes, animals, and still-life compositions.
After moving to America with my family three years ago, I’ve been rediscovering my artistic voice and excited to connect with fellow art lovers.
You can find me on Instagram @katrin_kalistru
My website katrinkalistru.com
I started learning painting since middle school, The first painting I had ever painted was at the age of 16.
I enjoy painting realism, impressionism, landscapes, flowers and animals. all my paintings are high quality and 100% handmade oil paintings on canvas.
Glynis Takalo is a 4-time award-winning artist who specializes in fluid and abstract art. Her passion for capturing the fluidity and majesty of the Pacific Ocean is a major inspiration for her work.
She was recently recognized for her talent, winning 1st place in the Mixed Media Category at the Coastal Art League in Half Moon Bay for her piece titled “Skimming Bean Hollow.”
A self-taught artist, Takalo started her professional career in 2017 when she founded Visual Abstracts by Glynis.
She uses a variety of mediums, including colored resin, sand, and shells, to create immersive ocean scenes that evoke a sense of movement and depth.
As an artist captivated by the endless beauty of the ocean. I find inspiration in the rhythmic dance of waves, the vibrant colors of underwater life, and the boundless expanse of the sea. Without any formal training or art education, I have cultivated a deep love for translating the wonders of the ocean onto canvas, as I interpret them. Creating art is self-care for me and allows me to nurture my mind and soul.
When I am not painting you can find me spending time with my family, or volunteering with animals (something I am VERY passionate about).
I am so honored to be included in the Ocean Blue Vault Collective with so many talented artists and I hope you enjoy your visit to the gallery.
XO,
Heather Prince
Stained Glass Artist
I came to stained glass after a thirty-year career as an American diplomat, serving in eight foreign countries and retiring as the U.S. Ambassador to Estonia. The unusual hobby of building picture frames first led me to the satisfaction of breaking glass to my will. Later, after returning to California, a poster offering stained glass classes caught my attention. I’ve always believed that people and experiences come into your life when you’re ready. I was ready — and immediately taken with the artistry and craftsmanship required to create art from glass.
Living on the Coast is a constant source of inspiration and many of my pieces mix glass with driftwood. I consider my pieces more sculptures than windows and prefer to display them on stands rather than installation. Light is essential for glass to come alive. The colors, lead lines, and the mood itself change frequently through the day, adding unexpected elements of interest. The majority of my pieces start with the idea of an image that renders well in glass. The ideas are then refined through glass selection, color, texture, and design. In addition to the artistic element, technical considerations necessary for successful construction are equally critical, Mistakes are frequent but the Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi – beauty in imperfection – also influences my work.
I’ve had few experiences more satisfying than creating a piece that someone would like to have. In these economic times, buying art is rarely at the top of the priority list. I am honored beyond words by anyone drawn to my work whether it’s purchased or not. Touching them with beauty, even for a brief moment, is the reward I’m after. Life on the Coast is paradise, and I am proud to be among the artists and craftsmen trying to capture that.
Owner and Artist Fierce Siren Studios
An avid beachcomber and self-proclaimed history geek, I am an artist who incorporates local beach-found treasures into my work while researching, writing, and educating about them. Always drawing as a child, I won a competition to create my high school logo, studied art and architectural history at the University of London as a teen, then graduated with Honors from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design. Life kept me away from creating for decades, until the sea rekindled my spark. I founded Fierce Siren Studios in 2021 and think of myself as an artist whose inspiration is the waste of the past.
Shows and Exhibits
Women’s View 2024, 2025 Juried Group Exhibit for Women’s History Month, San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture
Coastal Arts League, Exhibiting artist in juried shows 2023-2025
Ocean Blue Vault, Exhibiting artist 2023-2025
Art Guild of Pacifica, Exhibiting artist 2024-2025
Los Altos Library Juried Public Art Exhibit, 2023, 2025
Burlingame Library Juried Public Art Exhibit 2025
City of Sunnyvale Juried Solo Public Art Exhibit April–May 2024
Redwood City Juried Solo Public Art Exhibit Summer 2023
Mohr Gallery Juried Exhibit, Menlo Park March-April 2023
Festivals and Speaking Engagements
Santa Barbara Sea Glass and Ocean Arts Festival – Vendor (juried) and Speaker 2023-2025
Santa Cruz Sea Glass and Ocean Arts Festival – Vendor (juried) 2022–2024 and Speaker 2023-2024
San Francisco Gem and Mineral Society, Speaker “The Colorful World of Sea Glass” February 2025
Silicon Valley Open Studios, Sanchez Center 2024, 2025
Winter Art Faire 2023-2024, Art Guild of Pacifica, Sanchez Art Center
Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival, Vendor (juried) 2022-2024
Sunnyvale Art and Wine Festival, Vendor (juried) 2023 (not held in 2024
South Coast Artist Alliance member show 2023-2025
Pescadero Art and Fun Festival, juried Vendor 2023-2024
Half Moon Bay History Association, Speaker “The History of Miramar” August 2023
Published Articles and Art
Author of eight articles on local history and glass for the Half Moon Bay History Association, including the most-clicked on item on their web site, “Half Moon Bay History Reveled Through Glass” HMB History Through Glass – Half Moon Bay History Association
“Three Masts and a Ghost” Short story, Beachcombing Magazine, volume 38 September-October 2023
“Spirit of the Sea” Painting, Beachcombing Magazine, volume 38 September – October 2023
Affiliations
Coastal Arts League
Colony of Coastside Artists (CoCA)
South Coast Artists Alliance
Art Guild of Pacifica
Silicon Valley Open Studios
fiercesirenstudios@gmail.com
Larry Salveson is a Software Developer in the San Mateo, CA area. He has enjoyed a lifelong passion for photography, which has evolved to include creating digital paintings. Larry’s images span a broad range of interests including people, abstracts, nature, and landscapes.
Custom sizes are available for most images. Contact me directly for signed prints that I make myself. Other prints can be ordered from my website.
Larry Salveson
Larry@LarrySalveson.com
LarrySalveson.com
Margaret Luo is a self-taught artist based in San Jose, California, whose work explores the emotional and human connections between people and their environments. Born to Chinese immigrants and raised in Pennsylvania, Luo grew up witnessing how place, culture, and landscape shape identity and belonging. These formative experiences continue to inform her artistic practice, where she seeks to translate the complex interplay between the external world and inner emotional landscapes. Working primarily in oil paint, Luo creates contemplative works that highlight themes of transformation, memory, and interconnectedness.
Luo’s paintings are exhibited in local businesses, galleries, and museums in California. Notably, she received an honorable mention at the California Nature Art Museum’s California National Parks: Stories of Water exhibition in 2023. Her work is currently exhibited in the group exhibition Ebb and Flow at the New Museum Los Gatos. In 2024, Luo was an Artist in Residence at the Cuttyhunk Island AIR program. To see more of her work, visit margaretluoart.com or connect with her on social media @margaret.luo.art.
Art is an expression of soul. It is a blend of real and fantasy, the subject matter depicts places, people, objects and events from life.
Marilyn’s early art: sketches, paintings, and prints and her more recent art expression through fabric and glass are glimpses of life events and are driven by a need to express self. Current glass , as seen in The Vault is a dynamic medium of light interacting with the art object. It serves to enhance and move focus bringing a life to the art itself.
Marilyn has worked for the art department of Mira Costa Junior College and the Art and Lectures Department at University of California, Santa Cruz on work study grants. She has been a member of art communities in Venice Beach CA, Santa Cruz CA , the Inland Valley, Riverside area, and in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Marilyn is a member of the Sanchez art community, Cradle of the Sun stain glass studio, and a community arts program at the Pacifica Senior Center. She is a resident of Pacifica CA. and works as an Occupational Therapist at an acute hospital setting.
Awards:
Window Scape artist, Riverside CA
Artist Recognition, Sanchez Arts, Member Show
Shows:
Mountain Ranch Resource Center, CA
Cabrillo College, Santa Cruz, CA
Mira Costa Junior College, Oceanside, CA
Art Displays:
Ocean Yoga, Pacifica CA.
Martha Diaz is a San Francisco–based artist whose work is inspired by the California coast and the natural world. From childhood, she dreamed of being an artist, but her path first led to a career in healthcare and raising a family. When her children grew older, she returned to her passion, studying with well-known artists through classes, workshops, and mentorships.
A significant part of her practice is plein air painting—creating directly on location. Whether along the cliffs and beaches of the coast or in nearby parks and trails, Martha finds inspiration in the immediacy of painting outdoors, where light and atmosphere change moment by moment. These experiences often serve as the foundation for her studio paintings, which expand on her plein air studies with expressive interpretations.
Martha’s paintings reflect both observation and emotion. Through color, light, and movement, she strives to capture more than a scene, inviting viewers into an intimate connection with nature that resonates on a deeply emotional level.
In addition to her painting practice, Martha teaches art classes that nurture creativity at all levels and welcomes commissions, collaborating with clients to create meaningful, one-of-a-kind works. Her art is both a celebration of nature and an invitation to connect more deeply with it.
NOEMI’s JOURNEY
Noemi’s origin traces back to Barcelona, Spain, where she spent her formative years captivated by the city’s rich tapestry of art, architecture, and culture. Immersed in the vibrant environment, she delved into the study of art history, drawing inspiration from iconic figures such as Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh, Monet, Salvador Dali, and others of that era.
In her twenties, she embarked on a new chapter by relocating to the United States, specifically the San Francisco Bay Area. Despite the change in surroundings, her unwavering passion for art remained constant, manifesting itself through her daily commitment to painting. Today, her works grace public and private collections across Europe and California, renowned for their dynamic movement, vibrant color palette, and the profound expression of emotion.
Noemi draws inspiration from her travels and finds particular joy in depicting Urban Landscapes, though her love for the Impressionist style endures and continues to be a focal point of study in her home studio. Over the past eight years, her pieces have found homes with both local and international collectors, earning her finalist accolades in competitions held in San Francisco, Barcelona, and Italy. Notable showcases include exhibitions in Silicon Valley art shows and esteemed Barcelona Art Galleries, along with various private exhibitions.
Beyond artistic pursuits, Noemi is driven by a mission to contribute to her community, dedicating a portion of her proceeds to causes close to her heart.
Her academic background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business and Tourism from the University of Barcelona. Early in her professional journey, she navigated the realm of consumer marketing, making significant contributions at companies like Virgin Airlines, GAP, and Visa.
For commission inquiries and updates on her latest creations, Noemi can be reached via email at noe_manero@yahoo.com. Stay informed about her upcoming events and art exhibitions by following her on Instagram at #noemaneroart or visiting www.noemimanero.com.
After many years of painting in watercolors, I transitioned to acrylics because of the flexibility of the medium: you can add, subtract, apply textures and other media with ease. I just love that freedom!
Acrylics also allow me to express my love for nature and animals spontaneously and expressively which give me such joy. It is through creativity that I am reminded of the beauty and preciousness of all life.
I hope you enjoy too!
Patt Sheldon is local—born in San Francisco and raised on the Peninsula. She taught mostly middle school English and Health Ed for 34 years, and never considered herself artistic, though her flair for color always showed.
Patt took up knitting and weaving as “indoor sports” after moving over the hill in 1999, and experiencing two summers of coastal fog. Weaving, knitting, and ice dyeing workshops inspired her artistic side. A class in knitting with wire brought beads and jewelry designing into her life. She loves working with colorful beads—gemstones and Czech glass—to create one of a kind pieces, preferring to be ahead of the crowd rather than part of it.
Besides selling through Colony of Coastside Artists’ Open Studios in November, her eclectic textiles and jewelry sells in stores, local in-person shows, and online Etsy (Patt711) and her website—www.pattsheldon.com, which highlights her vivid colors and textures.
She is very excited to return with her jewelry to The Vault’s collective art group.
Robin Brandt
Robin calls the metalsmith studio at the San Francisco Gem and Mineral Society (SFGMS) her Happy Place, where she can focus on being creative and working on her art medium: jewelry.
At the SFGMS studio she goes beyond making jewelry, she experiments with new metalsmith techniques, socializes with other artists and teaches others the foundations of silver jewelry making: sawing, forming, soldering, casting, setting,…
Although Robin’s love of gems and rocks started when she was a child (collecting pretty rocks she found by the side of the road and skipping class to go to rock and gem shows at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium) it wasn’t until 2016 when she learned how to turn those rocks into beautiful cabochons she sold to jewelers and collectors. Then in 2018 she took the first step toward creating her own jewelry line by joining the SFGMS where she learned the basics and started developing her technical skills and her voice as a jewelry artist.
Her work is gemstone centric, working with some of the most beautiful mineral cabochons she creates herself or sources from fellow lapidary artists from all over the world. Her style is eclectic, sometimes leaning BoHo Chic, sometimes goth, sometimes Victorian, but always focusing on the insanely beautiful natural gems and interesting textures and designs.
You can find Robin helping other jewelers at the silver studio of the SFGMS and you can check out her jewelry at The Ocean Blue Vault in Half Moon Bay and on her social media accounts (IG: Robintattoo, FB: Robins Rocks and Jewelry, and TikTok: robinbrandt7
Through many decades I have longed to find my own personal style. I discovered the freeing and challenging medium of Alcohol Inks several years ago. Alcohol Inks are a vibrant, fluid medium that I yearn to contain to create my inner vision.
Placing the ink on the porcelain tile always leads to new discoveries of what is possible. Oscillating between letting the ink and coastal humidity control the outcome of its path, or controlling the placement of each fine detail.California’s stunning flora and fauna are my inspiration and place of solitude. They flow into life through the interaction of coastal landscapes, churning seas, unique plants and animals, and sweet ocean air.
Suodaba is an artist based in Sunnyvale, CA, who primarily works with acrylic paints and watercolors. Drawing inspiration from nature and nostalgia, she creates pieces that blend beauty with emotional resonance. She loves creating art that brings a little color and joy to people’s lives.
She is also passionate about creating art for social good, bringing her skills to projects such as a mural for a residential mental health facility, designed to bring positivity to a healing space. Other notable public art projects include Sun Flair, a fiberglass sun sculpture installed in a local park for the City of Sunnyvale.
In addition to her art practice, she holds a B.S. in Public Health with a Studio Art minor from San Jose State University and works as a UX designer on projects with a social impact focus.
She is open to commissions, including live wedding painting and murals. Check out more of her work at her website or on Instagram.
Susan Grabowski, originally from New Jersey, spent 22 years on Cape Cod before making her way to the San Francisco Bay Area. She captures the fleeting moments in her light-filled paintings in the California plein air/impressionist style.
“The light captivates us from the start, but look within the shadows for the full picture.
I’ve been making art since I was a young child, and after all this time, I can now identify that my inspiration is light: how it glows through a breaking ocean wave, or turns a simple piece of fruit on one of my plates into so many surprising colors. My subject does not need to be a shockingly beautiful place or thing. It can be a suburban street, or my kitchen counter in the early morning. I see the beauty in the everyday things we all see, and invite you to see it too.
I like to paint outdoors from life (en plein air) and about 50% of my paintings are done that way. I pack my gear and take it when I travel. Having a focus on depicting the places I visit gives added meaning, and mementos galore! Visit my website for more details on my long and varied career. My busy thoughts slow to a simple calm when I am painting and I hope that soothing serenity is communicated to you in this cacophonous world, so full of distractions and busy-ness.
I have a Studio at Art Bias in San Carlos, and welcome studio visits. Every first Sunday of the month, the facility holds Open Studios from 12-4pm. There are 50 artist studios, and at least half the artists participate in the Open Studios.“
Website: susangrabowski.com
Art That Makes a Difference
Each season, Ocean Blue Vault selects a deserving local non-profit to support through the sale of donated artwork.
This season we’re proud to support Boys & Girls Club of the Coastside.
The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of the Coastside is to enable ALL Coastside youth, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens.
BGCC envisions a Coastside where every young person is strong, engaged, valued, and able to reach their full potential. Because when our young people thrive, so do we all.
Our Mission
The Ocean Blue Vault supports our local creative community & endeavors to offer the premier location for artists to show and sell their art on the coast. The Vault is committed to diversity, not only with the wide range of art offered each quarter, but diversity in its selection of people – all artists will find a supportive, safe environment and will feel welcome. The Vault strives to pay the artists the highest split on the coast with 100% of the proceeds from the “non profit” wall going directly to that quarter’s local charity. We are about community first.
What is the Ocean Blue Vault?
Ocean Blue Real Estate founder David Oliphant introduces the Ocean Blue (Art) Vault, a local artists’ collective. David’s vision in creating this special space is to showcase local artists who celebrate the natural beauty found in Half Moon Bay.
Living Locally
In this Living Locally segment, meet photographer, Steve Maller; sculptor, Marie LaCour Studio; eclectic creative, Jennifer Roberts Almodova; and local artist, Sonya Kleshik who champions this unique collective “as bringing the community together because art acts as an instrument of connection.