Please introduce yourself and briefly describe your art.
Hello, I’m Meg and my medium is jewelry.

What led you to be an artist and to share your art in Auburn Old Town Gallery?
While getting my car looked at, I was offered an apprenticeship at a local jewelry store named Elfstone Silver and Gold so that I could learn how to make jewelry. I apprenticed there for two years before moving and starting my own business. It was an honor to join the Auburn Old Town Gallery.

Where are you originally from?
California.

 What did you want to be when you were younger?
A cowgirl.

 Tell us about a compliment that you’ve received that you’re most proud of.
Repairing an onyx necklace that I had made for a customer that had saved her and her son’s life in an automobile accident.

What’s one thing that has made you smile recently?
My cat.

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Read Meg’s previous interview here.

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Please introduce yourself and briefly describe your art.
Hi, I’m Stacey Lamothe and I am a Jewelry Artist. I love narrative art, something that tells a story. There is usually special text on the back side of pendants or inside of ring bands. I work mostly in Sterling Silver but also use copper and occasionally river rocks, found objects and assorted semi-precious stones.

What led you to be an artist and to share your art in Auburn Old Town Gallery?
When I was new in town I perused the local galleries in Auburn, Grass Valley and Nevada City. I chose Auburn Old Town Gallery because the staffing artists were personable & welcoming, the gallery was established, I liked the variety of art and I liked the co-op concept.

Where are you originally from?
Oakland CA!

What did you want to be when you were younger?
I wanted to be a Chef! I started the Culinary Program at Laney college in Oakland where Chef Hanks (that’s right, Tom Hanks’ dad!) was the beginning instructor. I finished my program at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill where my final banquet was presented by Martin Yan (Yan Can Cook)! That’s all the name dropping I will do in this interview 🙂

Tell us about a compliment that you’ve received that you’re most proud of.
A client that I hadn’t seen in years contacted me to make a special piece for a gift. It was for a woman who sang at her mother’s memorial service. Together she & I navigated the possibilities. We both cried and smiled throughout the conversation. I feel so honored that she chose and trusts me to create such a heartfelt gift. I am lucky to have this happen frequently and love to hear the stories about our previous encounter, gifts given or how a piece is a talisman for them all the years later.

What’s one thing that has made you smile recently?
#1 I got a call from the gallery staffer telling me how much a woman loved the piece they had just sold her. The woman bought one of my Peace Baby! necklaces. She came back 5 minutes later to tell the staffer that she just noticed on the back side of the pendant there was a little heart with “Lamothe” stamped in it. She was to have open heart surgery shortly thereafter and bought it with that in mind. The “love” on the back confirmed it as her talisman. After her surgery she contacted me to tell me that my art had successfully navigated her through the surgery, and she still wears it every day. #2 A customer was gushing over a little pig pendant in my case. When she read the back text: Pigs for Peace, she exclaimed I’ve got to get this for my sister! She’s having a heart transplant and will be getting a pig heart as her transplant! (How heartfelt are those two examples?!)

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Read Stacey’s previous interview here.

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Please introduce yourself and briefly describe your art.
Hello, I’m Doug Parks, a fine art landscape photographer. My passion for nature translates into captivating images, often printed on aluminum to enhance their clarity and depth. Photography not only connects me to the natural world but also evokes cherished memories of exploring its beauty with my father.

What led you to be an artist and to share your art in Auburn Old Town Gallery?
I carried a camera with me from an early age. As a young man I was fortunate enough to work in photography as a camera repairman, camera salesman and photo lab rat. After retiring from a career in technology I was able to make my way back to the photographic art world in the new digital age. No longer the need for dark room chemistry although those skills are something that shapes my post processing even today. When visiting the gallery one day I was impressed by the professional look and feel of the gallery and so I applied. It took a number of years to get in because this gallery maintains a great balance of work and the mediums represented in the gallery. I feel so lucky to be a member.

Where are you originally from?
I was born in San Francisco and lived my young life on the peninsula in the bay area. I made my way to the central valley and eventually the gold country with my wife of 40+ years. I have resided in the gold country for over 30 years.

What did you want to be when you were younger?
As a child I wanted to be a veterinarian because of my love of animals. However, I made the turn towards technology because of my love for mathematics and to this day still love animals.

Tell us about a compliment that you’ve received that you’re most proud of.
I receive a number of compliments on the vision and feel that comes across in my images. When creating an image my goal is always to convey the feeling I had when capturing the image, and when I am complimented on the feeling of the photograph it warms my soul.

What’s one thing that has made you smile recently?
Traveling recently through the Eastern Sierra and Death Valley I was presented with a spectacular sunrise that lit up the crest of the Sierra while the moon was setting on the same crest. The tones from the cool blue of the sky to the warm sunrise colors on the peaks made me smile from ear to ear. I felt complete just witnessing the scene that was presented to me by mother nature. Click! There goes the shutter, so the memory is captured.

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Read Doug’s previous interview here.

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Please introduce yourself and briefly describe your art.
Hello, I’m Don Antram and my art is mixed media.

What led you to be an artist and to share your art in Auburn Old Town Gallery?
Art and creativity have always been one of my strengths. I joined AOTG to have another opportunity to show and sell my passion.

Where are you originally from?
I grew up in southern California.

What did you want to be when you were younger?
I always wanted to be an entertainer.

Tell us about a compliment that you’ve received that you’re most proud of.
The best compliments I get are from children, saying they want to be like me when they grow up.

What’s one thing that has made you smile recently?
Being proud of my daughter buying a house for herself all by herself.

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Read Don’s previous interview here.

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Please introduce yourself and briefly describe your art.
Hello, I’m Gia, and I create abstract mixed media textured work. I also have a clothing line featuring my art images.

What led you to be an artist and to share your art in Auburn Old Town Gallery?
My mother was an artist.  I was surrounded by art and creating art daily as a child. However, my path was performing arts initially, and only later in life (midlife “awakening”!) did I determine visual art as one of my paths. In 2012 I began creating art as an adult for the first time, initially focused on realistic, representative acrylic paintings. In 2018 I began to transition to abstract art; it’s really an adventure! Images are “revealed” as I create. I rarely know where I’m going when I start a piece. I love creating!

Where are you originally from?
I grew up in Georgia from age 5-16.

What did you want to be when you were younger?
I wanted to be an actor. I have a performance degree from an acting conservatory.

Tell us about a compliment that you’ve received that you’re most proud of.
I have been extremely blessed to have my art selected by the Auburn Symphony for their programs. I’ve met so many wonderful people! After a recent concert, a concertgoer reached out to me via email and purchased one of my original pieces, the one chosen for the Auburn Symphony’s “Symphonic Sorcery”.

What’s one thing that has made you smile recently?
When someone loves a piece of art so much, they have to own it. I only wish I could witness this each time personally!

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Read Gia’s previous interview here.

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Please introduce yourself and briefly describe your art.
Hello, I’m Cherie Danzer. I’m a multi-discipline artist whose works include painting, fine metal jewelry, Raku clay sculptures, pottery and metal sculpture.  A variety of shapes and colors appear my paintings, clay work, metal sculptures, mixed media and jewelry.

What led you to be an artist and to share your art in Auburn Old Town Gallery?
I am proud to say that I am one of the original and founding members of the gallery. The beginning of the gallery was a blessing to me and all the other artists.  Transporting artwork to and from shows caused damage to the paintings, the pottery, and some jewelry.  It was wonderful to have the gallery to showcase our work in one place and to eliminate some of the transport.

Where are you originally from?
I was very fortunate to be a member of a family that was able to live in other countries when I was young.  Memories of Bavaria and Japan were influences found in my work over the years.

Tell us about a compliment that you’ve received that you’re most proud of.
Being a founding member of Auburn Old Town Gallery.  Customers gladly come to enjoy all the artwork gathered in one place. 

What’s one thing that has made you smile recently?
Being a part of the gallery have been the best years of my life!

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Read Cherie’s previous interview here.

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Please introduce yourself and briefly describe your art.
Hello, I’m Kirsty Roberts. I create my art with Hex Mesh wire. It’s a specialty wire that allows me to create without framework beneath.

What led you to be an artist and to share your art in Auburn Old Town Gallery?
My creative soul craves artistic expression, it’s an addiction! I was encouraged to apply to Old Town Gallery by a fellow artist and was honored to be part of this wonderful group of artists!

Where are you originally from?
I grew up and attended school on the Central Coast of California, where art is celebrated in the local community.

What did you want to be when you were younger?
Forestry and nature conservation was one of several focuses. I spent a couple summers working with the YCC, Youth Conservation Corps.

Tell us about a compliment that you’ve received that you’re most proud of.
Last year I was asked to make a German Shepard K9 for a local Sheriffs Museum. My Wire Sculpture Dog wears a bulletproof vest in a display at their training facility.

What’s one thing that has made you smile recently?
The New Year makes me smile! It’s an awesome feeling to start over with a fresh outlook and renewed expectations for the coming year!

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Read Kirsty’s previous interview here.
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Please introduce yourself and briefly describe your art.
Hello. We are Kelly & Janis Quinn, and our art medium is metal art. But not just any metal! We use discarded, old, rusty metal and repurpose it into a piece of art.

What led you to be an artist and to share your art in Auburn Old Town Gallery?
While I (Janis) have always been crafty I never considered myself an artist. And while Kelly was never an artist, he is extremely creative and comfortable thinking waaaay outside the box. Kelly always wanted to weld and after retirement started welding things together. What better metal to practice on than old, thrown out junk that people didn’t want. In this process the idea of building art utilizing recycled metal was born.

Where are you originally from?
Other than Janis spending elementary school years in Sacramento, we have lived in the foothills in Placer County since birth.

What did you want to be when you were younger?
Neither of us had any idea what we aspired to be when we were young. We both just went to work after high school and chose careers that suited us, stuck with it and feel proud of our accomplishments.

Tell us about a compliment that you’ve received that you’re most proud of.
We routinely receive compliments that our work makes people happy, that it makes them smile. The fun part about our art is that while it’s dirty, messy, heavy and hot – the end result is so pleasing. It’s amazing to think you can take all this old dirty metal and fashion it into something entirely different. We love it!

 What’s one thing that has made you smile recently?
Our grandchildren!

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Read The Quinn’s previous interview here.
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