On July 3rd, join us for our opening with featured art — ceramic
masks by Susan Blackwelder and baskets by Denise Roumbanis — as well as
wine pouring by Nelson Family Vineyards, and music by Don Haupt. The art will be on display throughout the month of July.
When Susan and her family settled in Ukiah, she began taking art classes at Mendocino College. She was ready to fulfill the creative dream she had as a child of wanting to be an artist. She found that she enjoyed the challenge of capturing the likeness of a subject in watercolor. When she started exploring ceramics with teacher Mac Magruder, making masks out of clay seemed like an obvious direction. Susan is showing masks from her own collection and from private collections of her work. Her drawing and paintings will also be shown in the gallery.
Denise has been a resident of Mendocino County for twelve years, but began her study of baskets when she lived in Sonoma County. She studied pine needle basketry with Native American artist Lucy Parker, daughter of Julia Parker, both well known Pomo basket makers who live near Yosemite. She enjoys any basketry that uses the coiled method, and likes experimenting with varied materials such as tules, wild iris leaves, redwood bark, and any other natural material that she can gather. She will be showing a collection of fifteen baskets. Denise hand dyes some of her materials, and also embellishes the baskets with feathers and beads.
Hanna Vogel, a ceramic artist, will be a guest artist featured inside the gallery.
At the Annex of Art Center Ukiah, Nelson Family Vineyards will be pouring wine and sharing one of their featured performers, Don Haupt, from their first ever Blues Festival, Reds, Whites, and The Blues on July 4th. He is an incredible performer and not to be missed. Music from 5:30 – 8:30; donations appreciated.
For over 50 years, the Nelson Family has been farming vineyards in
there fertile valley hidden in the Hopland Hills. The old tractor once
used to till the rugged soil, now stands as a symbol of there passion
for sustainable farming and belief that great wine is born in the
vineyards. The once working sheep ranch and orchard operation of 1952,
has contributed in creating the unique biodiversity that exists in the Nelson Family Vineyards today.
Keeping strictly to the tradition of the self accompanied blues-singer, Don Haupt
packs the sound and energy of a full band into a one man show. Whooping
vocals and a hefty hand on the guitar playing backed by a right foot
not just tapping but stomping the stage so hard it is felt through the
floor clear into the back row. The songs are old standards from the 20s
and 30s, dusted off and polished clean again. Songs like Son House’s
“Preachin Blues” and Robert Johnson’s “Traveling Riverside Blues” are
performed with conviction enough to turn any venue into old-time swamps
of Louisiana juke joint.
