Vineyards by old barns, flowers cascading from windows and doorways, marshlands and oceans with cloud-filled skies, all executed in bold compositions with brilliant color characterize my work.    There is nothing I enjoy more than pushing oil paint around a canvas, especially when working in the solitude of nature, painting “en plein air”.  My vividly colored paintings, both realistic and impressionistic, are filled with the joy I feel when capturing a moment in time.

My work has been featured on event posters, used in products by a variety of companies, and is part of private and corporate collections in the US and internationally.   In addition to teaching art to all ages, I have always loved visiting art museums and recently spent 7 years leading docent art tours in San Francisco.

I have painted professionally for 40 years.  I have painted in locations around the world – but my subject of preference is always the beauty of Northern California, especially scenes of vineyards ablaze with color or coastal scenes of the area north of Half Moon Bay, California where I currently reside.

My personal challenge is to create the most striking photography on a personal level, then share that vision and enjoy reactions. My photography realistically represents the subject and composition. I also like to develop an artistic, imaginative interpretation. I photograph coastal scenes, landscapes, travel, nature, and cityscapes. I prefer vibrant color, like bold graphics, and use the best light for impact. I offer my photography art in a variety of media types. Metal, acrylic, wood, and canvas prints. Prints and framed art also. I have image merchandise available on my website with direct fulfillment offered. It’s been a joy to be part of the H.M.B. community, participating in various organizations, work/school volunteer activity over the years. Love my life on the coast for the last 38 years. How could you not with the natural surroundings & local community?

Barbara Masek Photography has also been a commercial photography service business and individual needs since 2010. I work with clients in head & portrait, event, and promotional assignments. https://www.barbaramasekphotography.com/home3  Sign up to receive previews of new releases and seasonal promotions. https://www.barbaramasekphoto.com

I love to paint wherever I am, whether it be a workshop in Provence, a landscape in Ireland, painting trips to Pennsylvania and upstate New York, or the loveliest scenes on the San Mateo coast and Peninsula.

I started painting sporadically over 30 years ago whenever I had time.  Then I met 2 artists who were instrumental in taking me to the next level.  Brigitte Curt, a fabulous artist from France, taught weekly plein air classes on the Peninsula.  She and her artist husband Jim Smyth held a very intense and amazing workshop in Provence.  These experiences were invaluable.  My incredibly talented friend, Ginger Wright, spurred me on with her encouragement and tutelage.  Our painting trips to the east coast were nothing short of inspirational.  I will be forever in her debt.  I paint in oil and acrylic and my paintings hang in homes across the country and have been sold internationally.

Bryan McClaine spent much of his younger years as a snowboard pioneer in Tahoe and Mammoth and then a commercial fisherman and dog musher in Homer, Alaska. He has been an inventor, creator, maker and artist since he’s been a kid.  He has always made handles for knives and designed many a blade, but after several years working at the Half Moon Bay Feed and Fuel, and then Covid hit, he had an opportunity to “forge” out on his own and actually start creating his own blades from start to finish.  He customized his workshop at home into a bladesmithing forge and after battling the CZU Lightning Complex Fires in 2020, created the name Fire Creek Forge (FCF) as he fought the flames coming down the creek by his house. 

Bryan lives in Loma Mar with his wife Lisa, who helps with the business’s website, Instagram and marketing, and their Australian cattledogs, Ruger, Blue and Coyote. 

Loma Mar FCF creates one-of-a-kind custom-made blades.  The steel used in the blades is 5160 spring steel.  It is reclaimed from the leaf springs of trucks.  The handles are naturally shed elk antler sourced from the Pacific Northwest.  We create culinary blades and blades used for the outdoors.  Our blades are meant to be used, will last for generations, and are a combination of function and beauty.

Casey is a lifelong, Half Moon Bay local. She created Layers Of Intention during the beginning of her Master’s degree program in Mind-Body Medicine nearly three years ago as a grounding tool, through the creation of jewelry and her Reiki practice. Now as she enters her Ph.D. program in Mind-Body Medicine at Saybrook University, she still finds comfort in creating pieces of jewelry that are layered with intention through the metaphysical properties of crystals.

Artist Statement:

Absorbing all that surrounds me, my goal is to share my emotional impressions through my medium.  I am grateful knowing that someone is moved by my art and it speaks to them.

Each of my pieces is a journey of discovery and learning.  I start with an experience during a walk in nature, a triggered memory, or even just a color.  It can be illustrative in style, but always intends to communicate a mood or feeling.

My primary medium is encaustic because I love the depth and luminosity of the wax, the ephemeral heat of the blowtorch fire, and the random impermanence of the pigment response – all the challenge and joy as I live inside my art.

I hope my art pieces convey my deep respect and love for our natural surroundings, especially birds and animals.  I am fortunate to call the Coast my home for the last 20 years and to experience the support of this community. In appreciation, my proceeds from this show will be donated to the local charity of Square Peg Foundation:  www.squarepegfoundation.org

Schooled locally and abroad, I define my art education as continually ”in process.”  I began to focus on artistic expression in 2016, and my pieces are now found in homes throughout North America as well as in South America and Europe.

Centoni’s Creations

Ceramics, Mosaics and More

www.pinterest.com/centonicreation

Hi, I’m Diane.  I am a long-time Coastsider and create functional and decorative pottery and mosaics for the home and garden.  My handmade ceramics are food, oven, and dishwasher-safe. I create mosaics primarily with repurposed and handmade ceramic materials.  Treasure hunting for colorful and unique materials inspires my creative flow that comes with making mosaics and knowing these treasures will find new life by giving people joy.

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.  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 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 agriculture has inspired me through my life.  My prior 42-year career included teaching Agriculture, Landscape Gardening, Design and Construction, Forestry, and Park Ranger.

I am thankful for the richness of our local community and the support of the Coastside Artists, the Vault my teachers, 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.

Erika Adkins creates two-dimensional works in both acrylic and encaustic. Her pieces rely on layering colors, textures, and meanings, often the result of multiple paintings on a single canvas. As a third-generation artist, Erika grew up assuming everything can be viewed for its aesthetic merit. Recently her work has explored conflict: between humans and the environment, between her dogs, or between history and individuals. Her current subject matter explores borders, barriers, and bridges. Born in Pittsburgh, PA and now based in Half Moon Bay, Erika holds a degree in Fine Art from Yale University and an MBA from the Leavey School of Business. She has spent the last 20 years working in Tech, while keeping her “Batman” art life alive and well.

My love for miniatures started at a young age. I began making miniature scenes in bird nest baskets in the 70’s. I enjoyed being spontaneous, combining natural materials with my love of birds and miniatures.  

Today I have a lot of fun creating miniature scenes with materials I have on hand using a variety of containers, such as tea cups and cigar boxes.  My artwork continues to be inspired by nature, the seasons and the holidays.  Many of my miniature scenes display those celebrations that I like to share.

I am pleased to be a member of the art community here at Ocean Blue Vault in Half Moon Bay for the Spring 2023 Collection.  Being able to share my miniature scenes with you means a lot to me.

I look forward to meeting you, and if you have a “container” you like, I might be inspired to make a miniature scene just for you! 

As a self-taught artist with no formal training or art education, I am always exploring new mediums and creative ways to reflect the beauty and tranquility of my home in Half Moon Bay, California. I am inspired by the calm, but also powerful emotions of the ocean.

Creating art is self-care for me and allows me to nurture my soul. When I am not painting, I am spending time with my family and my beloved dog Lola (who has become the best art and work assistant ever!) or volunteering with animals.

In addition to creating art, I am a full-time Executive Assistant with a local Energy Efficiency consulting firm, and I am married with a Senior at HMB Highschool.

 I have lived on the coast for 20+ years and I am so honored to be included in the Vault’s Spring collective. I hope my art evokes the ocean in your heart no matter where you are. 

XO,
Heather Prince
HMBheatherart

XO,
Heather Prince
Instagram: hmbheatherart
Etsy: hmbheatherart

Helen (she/her) is a 24-year-old female artist and wood recycler. Born and raised in Half Moon Bay, Helen began working with wood while attending Half Moon Bay High School. She began her art work creating gifts for loved ones. Since that time, her work has become well-known in the coastal community.

Helen chose birch wood for the spring vault season but also works with local redwood, basswood, maple, acacia, oak, and beyond. Outside of the Vault, Helen commissions custom artwork within the budget and timeline of the customer. She can work on virtually any wood surface–including barn wood, benches, surfboards, signs, earrings and so forth. In addition, she is a calligrapher for weddings, events, store signage, and can do large scale murals. Helen has donated proceeds of her profits to CoastPride, Black Earth Farms, American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region, ALAS Half Moon Bay, Stop AAPI Hate, Coastside Hope, First Nations, Wounded Warrior Project, UNICEF Ukraine, Andreotti Family Farms Barn Fundraiser, and more. She has donated artwork to various fundraisers, for example, Hatch Elementary School, AAUW (HMB Branch), Mavericks Awards, HMB FFA, Boys and Girls Club of the Coastside, and the IDES Society. 

Read more about the artist in a recent interview with the HMB review: https://www.hmbreview.com/news/coastsider-burns-for-her-artistic-expression/article_ad46a6f2-aacf-11ec-8d24-fb20e80c7813.html

She has more artwork located at Half Moon Boutique (545 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, CA), Fish Wife Sweets Shop (329 Main St, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019), and Flora and Fauna (270 Capistrano Rd Suite #34, Half Moon Bay, CA).

Follow along her artistic journey, ask questions, or commission a piece within your budget and timeline through the links below:

For Jo Fry, history is always bleeding into the present, affecting the way she sees and experiences the world.

As a child she was always drawing – friends, the horses that lived down the street. As a 16-year-old she studied history and design at the University of London, then earned a bachelor’s degree with Honors in Interior Design from San Jose State, while taking oil painting commissions to earn extra money.

As an adult, she focused on a career in retail, and on being a single mom to two children after the death of her husband.  She became a school volunteer and taught Art in Action for El Granada Elementary. Although retail allowed her to do copywriting, product, and industrial design, it was a far cry from the creative world of her youth.

Now she is re-emerging – her love of beachcombing re-igniting her creative spirit. Inspired by a deep respect for the sea and its inhabitants, and the beauty of our coastline, Jo calls herself a Sea Glass Artist, and incorporates sea glass and finds into her paintings and wearable art. Her unique and original mixed media work is featured on the websites of Silicon Valley Open Studios and Red Bluff Art Gallery. She has been awarded a solo public art exhibit by Redwood City for July-August 2023.

Jo is a member of the Community of Coastside Artists and has shown work at many prestigious California Art and Sea Glass events.  She is a volunteer archivist and docent for the Half Moon Bay History Museum and authored articles on glass for the museum’s website; her unbounded passion for the subject bringing meaning to the medium of sea glass, through her art and its links with the history of our community.

Published Articles: Half Moon Bay History Revealed Through Glass   Basic Guide to Bottle Identification

Joni is a native of Half Moon Bay, and with so much natural beauty, I wanted to capture it in my watercolor art.

And since retiring, I’m able to devote more time, to what I love, painting.

Thank you for checking out my artwork at The Ocean Blue Vault.

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

I currently live on the beautiful coast, but I grew up in Pennsylvania where my love of art began as a child.  I am a creative person who is  inspired by nature and the world around me.  A lot of things I see in nature show themselves as something else in my mind’s eye. A rock looks like a face, a piece of wood with a hole is an owl’s eye, a spikey tree nut on the ground is a hedgehog.  I like to collect these items and use them in my nature inspired collages.  I have been collecting bits and pieces from nature since I can remember.  I incorporate these pieces of nature into mixed media collages that represent landscape scenery, people, animals or just about anything that is relevant in my life.  My most recent work is a collage of an angel that represents a teenage girl who was taken from the Earth too soon.  The flowers from her funeral are in her wings and dress, there is sheet music and cats and crystals, and nature, and so many things that she loved incorporated into the piece.

I love to teach art classes for my two kids and their friends and classmates.  This enables me to share my love of creativity and hopefully inspire others to create along with me.  I’m always being introduced to various forms of art and I love to experiment and see what transpires.

Recently, I have been included in the following themed juried exhibits:

San Francisco Women Artists Gallery- 647 Irving Street, San Francisco, CA 94122

Mistlin Gallery, Central Ca Art Association- 1015 J Street Modesto CA 95354

SIY Gallery- 1026 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103

I’ve been interested in pottery since taking a class in “applied art” in high school. I took one pottery class in college, bought a potter’s wheel, and shortly after was distracted by a career, raising children, and dealing with the business of life. While the wheel was neglected, it traveled with me for the next many years until life slowed down enough for me to revisit earlier passions.

For the most part I am self-taught, which has made the lessons learned hard won. The advantage has been that limits have not been artificially set, and I’ve been free to explore what applications of the medium inspire me.

All of my work is functional and is largely informed by nature, the environment and to some extent the history of California and the Southwest. I love simple, organic forms so most of my work is wheel thrown and then altered or employs slab construction. The clays I use are porcelain, stoneware, and micaceous. The palette is neutral or clear over slip trailing and underglaze designs.

I was born & raised in the Bay Area & feel so blessed to be able to call The Coastside my home for the last 18 years. My love of this area and the ocean began on trips to Fitzgerald Preserve as a child and continued throughout my college years at UCSC. My practical scientific mind & love of animals led me to a degree in Biology and my first job as an educator at a nonprofit teaching science & natural history. The bonus for me were the animal educators I was privileged to work with.   While I’ve had many jobs over the years, none of these exactly prepared me to become an artist.

My first real art class was an art history course in college that allowed me to explore the museums in San Francisco as well as learn about the masters. The opportunity to create my own art wouldn’t come until much later. Years later, I was able to participate in my children’s Art in Action lessons as a docent & the spark was rekindled. Creating examples of the lessons for the students forced me to confront my insecurities regarding creating art. It also allowed me to remind students as well as myself that everyone is an artist in their own way and the only person who needs to like your art is you.

When I began to contemplate a return to the outside workforce, the practical scientist in me began taking classes at my community college including a career exploration class. Now if I had only read those evaluation results a little more thoroughly…. I went back to my roots in science and was able to gain an acceptance into a Dietetic Program when the Universe threw me a curveball. After some health challenges forced a suspension of my carefully laid plans, the Universe nudged me again. A chance video in my YouTube feed introduced me to my current art form & life has been much messier & much fuller as a result.

During my exploration of this art form, my use of painting surfaces has expanded from river rocks to canvases, to jewelry. I’m currently delving into the recycling and upcycling of items that can be redesigned through my painting. I find myself drawn to everyday items such as wooden bowls and boxes that seem to cry out for a makeover. Oh, and that evaluation test result… the one that listed possible careers… the number one profession, ahead of all my scientific career choices…craft artist.

Websites, social media links
www.noemimanero.com

@Instagram; noemaneroart

I’ve been in the creative arts all my life. First it was in the performing arts, then graphic design and teaching and now, many years later, painting. Although I was a “Sunday Painter” in watercolor media for many years, I’ve now transitioned into acrylics! (Life is about never-ending change, after all!) So I now find myself completely immersed in acrylic media —both pigments and textures — and absolutely enjoying the adventure. I love to go into my studio and just follow my muse on any particular day —wherever that takes me. I don’t always know where I’ll end up, but it’s all about the journey, right?

When Covid hit, I just couldn’t get the image of the Heart out of my mind’s eye. I felt we all just needed a little more Heart during that difficult time to lift us up and give us courage and hope. My ongoing heart series was a result of that challenging time. I also envisioned that dogs were probably struggling during that time too. They undoubtedly wanted to go out and play just as badly as we did during quarantine, so those wonderful pups were the inspiration for my Covid Canine series. (I’m currently working on a Post Covid Canine series and I’m happy to report that the pups are looking much happier now.)

Along with my smaller pieces of fruits, veggies and flowers, I’m always working on larger pieces filled with various textures and vivid color in which I try to capture the joy and gratitude I feel in each and every moment of life. Thank you for letting me share my artwork with you!

Patt Sheldon is local—born in San Francisco and raised on the Peninsula. She taught mostly middle school English and Health Education in Belmont for 35 years, and never considered herself artistic, though her flair for color aways showed.

Patt became a knitter, then a weaver after moving “over the hill” in 1999. Experiencing two summers of heavy coastal fog, she realized she needed indoor sports to combat the fog. She took a few weaving classes and many knitting technique workshops, learned ice dyeing one afternoon, and is self-taught in jewelry design. She creates unusual pieces and prefers being ahead of the crowd rather than part of it. Her works are one of a kind.

Hanging woven or fabric pieces on walls soften the hard edges of rooms, and after hearing how her dyed fabric and weavings should be showcased, she began creating wall hangings.

Ice dyeing natural fibers became a passion, preferring its soft patterns to deliberate designs. She dyes clothing and large array of home goods, as well as fabric for walls. The most exciting part of her ice dyeing has been collaborating with a former 6th grade student, now a fashion designer in Los Angeles.

Realizing how isolated artists can be, particularly after retiring from teaching and working at home, Patt started a group called Colony of Coastside Artists in Feb, 2010. The group is open to any level artist living on the coast interested in socializing, art discussions, and group projects, and is currently 100 members strong. Prior to 2020, CoCA met monthly, and has resumed annually sponsoring Open Studios in November, which is available to all coastside artists.

Besides selling through CoCA’s Open Studios, her diverse work sells in stores, and several in-person shows, mostly on the coast. Her website www.pattsheldon.com highlights her vivid colors and textures. Patt also sells through Harvard Market, Make It Main Street, SVOS, and Etsy and GoImagine online under the name Patt711.

She is very excited to be part of The Vault’s inaugural art group.

Spence Platt is a local artist, born and raised in San Jose. Spence grew up loving the western genre and country music and pulls his inspiration from that love. He uses a mixed media technique which includes but not limited to inks, watercolors, acrylics, spray paint, and resin. This blending of media provides texture and dimension to his work.

As many galleries closed during the pandemic, Spence intertwined his love of nature and the outdoors with his passion for art, traveling and adventuring throughout California finding beautiful places to display his work. You can follow his journey on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.

Stephanie Erskine was Born in San Francisco, and raised on the San Francisco Peninsula.

I work in Oil, Watercolor, Acrylic, Graphite, and stone sculpture

My inspiration comes from nature, the light, the forms, the colors of the natural world.

I have participated in group shows, and won First Place for “Iceberg” a watercolor, in the San Mateo County Women’s View Art Show 2014.

I have been an artist since 1970.

I’ve been a maker from my earliest years. As a child, I drew horses, made paper dolls, greeting cards, garments, cooked and baked. I could draw all the Flintstone characters, and a pencil drawing I did of Peter Tork of The Monkees was published in a teen magazine. I painted 40 murals in a hospital when I was 18. By the time I got to high school, I decided to major in art, stepping away from my high academic achievement and probably disappointing my parents. I went to Pratt Institute but quit in my second year. Since then, I have been on the journey. Always creating — my hands are never idle! I had a long career in graphic design, including my own sign company in the 80s and 90s, and a career in advertising until my retirement two years ago. I now devote much of my time to painting and have completed over 700 paintings in the last 40 years, mostly in private collections.

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.

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.

Instagram: @susan_grabowski_art

Website: susangrabowski.com

Ethereal Flow Artistry came into being in February of 2022, but my love of Art has been a lifetime journey. 

I have a passion for Art History which I studied in college. I have always enjoyed drawing, lettering, and painting. While experimenting with mixed media and the many ways I could express myself through it, I found my way to fluid art and have been producing works of every size & color ever since. I love the chemistry of the paints and the beautiful reactions they have on the canvas. Every painting continues to surprise and inspire me. Every day I can paint is a great day!

Thank you for taking a look at my art ~ Suzanne

Victoria L Rudolph has a MFA in fine art from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco where she completed her thesis in both painting and the traditional method of rug hooking.

She is also a certified rug hooking teacher through the Pearl K McGown Rug Hooking Guild.

She is published articles for Rug Hooking Magazine and ATHA (The Association of Traditional Rug Hookers) as well as published a Book entitled Foundation Magic A Rug Hooker’s Guide to Preparing Patterns. She creates one of a kind pieces for sale and commission She teaches on line and in person workshops personally and through organizations and art programs. Her website is Https://www.victorialrudolph.com

As a young person, Yoosun E, Cho, (Also known as “Sunny”), studied fine art in South Korea. After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area as an adult, she studied engineering, subsequently embarking on a career as an Engineer in Silicon Valley.

Here, she worked for both IBM, and Cisco Systems. Throughout this time, her love of the arts was never far from her mind and heart.
After her career in Silicon Valley, Yoosun decided it was time to return to the arts, by continuing her formal art education and training.

She attended the San Francisco Academy Of Art University, majoring in Fine Art painting. She received awards, and accolades for her work, at the University’s highly regarded annual Spring Shows.

She traveled to Florence, Italy for the University’s study abroad program during the summer of 2018. In the beautiful Italian light, her love of painting and understanding of color continued to advance.

Today, Yoosun can be found painting en plein air, or photographing reference material for her masterful studio paintings and still-life paintings.
Yoosun is working both Oil and water-color paintings, also working with Pastel and Charcoal for a dry medium as well.

She continues to celebrate the beauty of life through her artistic nature, creating exquisitely crafted paintings.