Please introduce yourself.
Hello, my name is Jenn Norpchen.
Tell us about your favorite art medium. Gourd and Clay-wire sculpture. I love to look at gourds as a substrate to create using wire and clay.
Who/what is your biggest artistic influences?
Leonardo da Vinci and how he studied people and animals in action, especially animals’ expressions.
What motivates you to create? When I’m out hiking in the morning or talking with my friends.
When is your favorite time of day to create? Late evening and morning.
Does art help you in other areas of your life? Many times. It’s a wonderful talking point with people. It has helped me to want to teach others one of my favorite passions.
Please introduce yourself.
Hello, my name is Cathy McAllister.
Tell us about your favorite art medium.
Doing up-cycle projects. I love to find old things, different items and bring them back to life.
Who/what are your biggest artistic influences?
Gosh, there are so many to choose from as I get influenced by so many different things. I probably can’t really say one in particular. I do love nature, and I love colors, and I also love movements.
What motivates you to create?
I like to create things that are whimsical because it makes people happy.
When is your favorite time of day to create?
I used to think there wasn’t really a favorite time of day. I could do it all the time anytime but lately it seems like the nighttime is a great time to create.
Does art help you in other areas of your life?
Yes, art does help me. It makes me focus. It makes me feel better about myself. It’s a great outlet.
Don’t miss this special Anniversary Sale of 20% Off everything in the gallery! September 7th & 8th! Two days only! It only happens once a year!
Join us for our Anniversary Reception celebrating 29 years in business! Saturday • September 7th • 5-8 pm!
Come enjoy music, refreshments, meet the artists and watch artist demonstrations!
SEPTEMBER FEATURE WALL – “BLACK & WHITE”
Check out what our amazing artists can create in black, white and shades of gray! An artistic experience you don’t want to miss! Be sure to explore all the unique art Auburn Old Town Gallery has to offer from all the members…And remember! On September 7th and 8th it’s all 20% off celebrating our 29th Anniversary!
What could be more beautiful than discovering “CALIFORNIA” through the eyes of talented artists? That is the theme for the August feature wall…Beauty, whimsy and imagination are all on display! Come find your “gold” amongst these treasures, and any of the amazing work by all the members of Auburn Old Town Gallery!
**Applications are accepted via online submission only**
Please visit the Membership Applicationpage for more information and to submit an application. As an artist-run gallery, we expect each member to contribute to the gallery’s operations.
Our 2024 jurying will be held in January, May & September. Deadlines to submit applications are as follows: – December 29th, 2023 deadline for the January 15th, 2024 jurying – April 29th, 2024 deadline for the May 20th, 2024 jurying – August 26th, 2024 deadline for the September 16th, 2024 jurying
Our next jurying will be sometime in early 2025. Details will be posted on the Application page linked above.
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Located in Historic Old Town Auburn, our visitors include long-time patrons who purchase for their own collections or for gifts, locals who bring visiting friends & family to Old Town, and restaurant patrons & tourists traveling to/from the Sierra.
We are centrally located, close to the action during Spring and Summer events held in Old Town.
During the holiday season, the gallery is filled with gifts & decorations.
Please come in and “pause” to take in the incredible art on the feature wall for July…PAWS, PAWS, PAWS! It’s a treat for your eyes and if you happen to have a “paws” friend, there’s a treat for them as well! And speaking of treats – you will find wonderful treats throughout the gallery created by all our members!
Welcome our new member DARIEN HAMILTON
Born in San Francisco during the mid 1960’s, Darien was exposed to the bright hues of the then, new color, TV broadcasts and bold designs of the CounterCulture. His artistic parents normalized the idea of making a time and place to create art in their home and provided two and three dimensional media for him to experiment with. His father was a printmaker and art professor in both San Francisco and later, Sierra College in Rocklin, Ca. His mother balanced raising a willful child and creating beautiful gardens, printing woodblock prints, and painting. Darien went on to pursue art and received his AA degree in the mid 80’s, further refining his skills through intensive studies and studio courses in sculpture, painting, jewelry making and graphics at CSU Sacramento and City College of San Francisco. Later, (1992) he moved to the island of Maui with his new family and worked as a muralist, sculptor, and art director for the themed event and convention industries. On returning to Los Angeles, he applied his skills creating sets and props for Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood theme parks. Since his return to the foothills he has been exploring painting, airbrushing and creating various commissions.
It is always so exciting to welcome new members to Auburn Old Town Gallery, and these four new artists are exceptional in the talent they bring! Stop by soon to view their work!
CAROL BLACK ADDYMAN • LINOCUT
“My first response to life has always been a need to make art. primarily birds and animals, and later, geometric patterns. Printmaking allows me to combine both the natural world and geometric form.” From my very first linoprint, I was captivated by the magical alchemy of ordinary linoleum, ink, and paper. Linocut is a printmaking technique similar to woodcut. A design is carved into a piece of linoleum using chisels or gouges. then inked with a roller, the raised areas of the lino representing the design that will show when a piece of paper is laid over the inked surface, and pressed.
CHARLES BORGARDT • CERAMICS
“I have had a passion for ceramics for many years, using both hand built and wheel thrown techniques to create my pieces.” I have taught at Truckee Meadows Community College, and “Peace of Art” Gallery, adding to my learning, creativity and teaching. I am presently focusing on using doilies to create specific patterns and textures combining various colors and types of glazes. These doily pieces capture the pasts that hold stories of other peoples lives. All of these experiences influence my present creations.
KIMBER CHIN • FELTING
“Painting with wool is like painting with clouds – wispy and beautifully light. I can blend and mix colors and textures as I feel led, and build a fabric that is small or large, thick or so thin they are transparent. Since I used to spin yarn and knit, felting is an exciting new direction because there is little reliance on the twist of the yarn, or counting rows and stitches. I was also an abstract painter so painting abstract wool pieces was a natural progression. My work is very organic, following the nature of the ingredients, wispy, with holes, but sturdy like a survivor…”
LIV KERR • SLATE MOSAIC ART
“Art, for me, is a journey of exploration and discovery, a deep connection to the world around me. When I create, I liberate color and texture from their external constraints, allowing them to become the focal point of my work. Inspiration and emotions guide me, whether experimenting with slate mosaics or painting with oil and acrylic on canvas, I trust in the process.” Livia Radu Kerr, originally from Bucharest, Romania, now calls Auburn, California home. Her one-of-a-kind Slate Mosaics are meticulously handcrafted, utilizing a variety of materials including stone, smalti (specialized mosaic glass), handpulled filati (artisan fused glass rods), raku, and metal wire. Slate holds a special place in her heart for its strength, delicate qualities, and diverse color and texture options. Livia’s creations are described as bold and powerful, reflecting her zest for life.
Listen to the waves…feel the sand on your feet! You can feel summer is in the air through the creative works by our members for the June feature wall…”Sand & Sea”! And it’s a delight to experience all the works created by our members throughout the gallery!
Plus we want to welcome new members Liv Kerr, slate mosaics; Carol Black Addyman, linocut; Chuck Hoffman, ceramics; and Kimberly Chin, fiber artist. Be sure to stop by the gallery and see our amazing new artists!
Please introduce yourself and briefly describe your art. Hello! My name is Jane Markham and I’m a 76-year young woodworker. I create keepsake and treasure boxes out of Claro (Black) & English Walnut, as well as Maple Burls that we salvage from decay or destruction. We are preserving our beautiful Northern California hardwoods.
What led you to be an artist and to share your art in Auburn Old Town Gallery? I worked with my late husband, a carpenter/contractor, for 20 years when he retired and returned to his love of art and wood! Over time we created a fabulous wood shop and I wanted to learn everything I could. Since his passing 16 years ago, my family and I have carried on his legacy of exquisite woodworking craft, expanding our skills. We did several years of many art shows around the western states, and I continued to travel for 13 years. I am honored to be an artist at the Old Town Gallery where my woodworks are displayed. My work has improved over the years, and I love being a part of a cooperative art community of local artists.
Where are you originally from? I grew up in Southern California and lived in Palm Springs where my mom and dad owned & ran a small cafe as well as an early convenience store in the 50’s. My parents wanted a small town for us to grow up in, and we settled in Sunnymead, then 5,000 people; and now has grown to 350,000! We owned a hardware store, and we were all involved in our community. We brought our first high school to our valley, and I was in the first graduating class. It was lots of orange groves & potato fields.
What did you want to be when you were younger? My paternal grandmother influenced me greatly as a young girl. After a career teaching in Utah, she was teaching English in Iran through a university in the 50’s. She and my step-grandfather travelled the world for years, entertaining us with their adventures. In the 60’s they joined the Peace Corps, but medical issues kept them from going to Liberia. They bought property in Encinitas CA, where we spent a lot of time at the beaches and enjoyed the flowers. I always wanted to be a teacher because of my “Granny’s” life-long passion for learning. A couple years after I received my Master’s degree, I taught a variety of classes at my Alma Mater for 4 years and “graduated” with my seniors. My next move was teaching at 2 colleges in Lake Tahoe. My move to Grass Valley brought me to Adult Education which I loved—”English as a Second Language” and a “Memoirs Writing for Seniors” class that I developed and taught for years.
I also began my 29-year involvement as “The Tree Lady”; a facilitator for Talk About Trees, a program designed to teach 3-6th graders about our forests & the importance of trees in our everyday lives. I was also learning more each day that I could refine in our wood shop. Now I love to tell people about our local woods that will “Keep the Spirit of the Tree Alive.”
Tell us about a compliment that you’ve received that you’re most proud of. A favorite compliment I received as I first showed my own creations came from a gentleman at a special art show. He said after a thorough examination of my work…” every one of these boxes is a perfect treasure”!
What’s one thing that has made you smile recently? My 4-year-old grandson Nova & my daughter Lilia have lived with me for 2 1/2 years. It is my joy to be part of his growth and maturity. He entertains us constantly with his perspectives on life and actions that make us laugh! ___________
Please introduce yourself and briefly describe your art. Hello, my name is David Roseberry, a professional gourd artist. My personal connections to the Southwest and a strong passion for basic colors has led me to a truly unique position among other fine art gourd artists. I create gourd models that are made, almost entirely, from gourds and gourd parts manufactured by me in my tiny shop. I have created gourd models as large as eight feet tall to as small as two inches and have covered subjects from Kokopelli to coocoo birds and almost everything in between.
What led you to be an artist and to share your art in Auburn Old Town Gallery? I have been an artist my entire life, I guess I was born that way, but it was my extreme interest in Southwest art that led me to a part time career in the arts about thirty-five years ago. Having participated in way too many outdoor art venues to count, I’ve managed to learn a lot about location and traffic flow and feel my artwork requires a slower pace and maybe answers to a question or two. AOTG provides both of these things for me quite nicely.
Where are you originally from? I was born in Sacramento California and never really ever left.
What did you want to be when you were younger? As a small child I was very much a momma’s boy. I baked cakes and pies with my mother from a very young age. I knew that I wanted to be a chef when I grew up, and became a chef’s apprentice many years later at the Mansion Inn in Sacramento.
Tell us about a compliment that you’ve received that you’re most proud of. It was at the first gourd festival I participated in. I was doing a hands-on demonstration for the kids in attendance and had a table laid out with all the components needed to assemble a simple gourd rattle which they could then take home and decorate. It was my job to assist each child with the assembly. The event was hugely successful but suddenly became very emotional in tone when a young vision impaired person with huge glasses and even a bigger smile asked for my assistance on that wonderful autumn morning. Now some thirty years later, I can close my eyes and hear the rain he made that day and the smiles on his parents’ faces will, forever, be all the thanks I’ll ever need.
What’s one thing that has made you smile recently? Many observers of my work might guess that I’m a big fan of birds and they would be right as I have a handful of Parakeets in my patio observatory at home. Nothing brings me greater joy than watching them destroy a brand-new toy in minutes. That’s how I roll.
