FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9/15/24
**OCTOBER EXHIBIT: PLEIN AIR ESCAPADES**
EXHIBIT DATES: SEPTEMBER 23 TO OCTOBER 20, 2024
RECEPTION: Saturday, October 5, 2024 3-6 pm: Meet artists **Karen Miller and Ron Sumner** to hear about their artistic inspirations and celebrate the show. Refreshments will be served.
**Sonoma County artist, Karen Miller presents** **Plein Air Escapades,** a collection of pastel paintings made during her forays into the wild, around town and adventures to other California locales. Sonoma County is an artist’s paradise, calling many artists to paint “en plein air” directly from life. Miller has taken up that calling with a vengeance. Her works capture vignettes with a sense of place and time. The intriguing way daylight filters through a stand of trees lends excitement to “Trees Circling the Pond.” The elegant swirl of lavender stalks strikes a spiral arrangement in “Lavender Hillside.” Bright splashes of colorful autumn leaves draw the viewer’s eye in “Martarona Winery: Rooftop View.” Her paintings are celebratory of nature. As she explains her vision, “Life is everywhere, and it is essential to celebrate it often.”
Born in Sacramento, Miller has lived in Healdsburg for the past 30 years. She studied fine art at UC Santa Cruz, then pursued a career as a structural engineer. Returning to fine art, she began working in soft pastels ten years ago. Miller has exhibited in numerous shows nationally and internationally. She recently achieved “Master Circle” status with the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS), earning her credential, IAPS-MC. Her work was juried into the IAPS exhibit this year. Another of her works was accepted for the Pastel Society of the West Coast exhibit.
Meet the Artist: Miller will be hosting the Gallery September 28, October 4, 9, 13, 19, 11 am to 2:30 pm.
The Stairway Small Works Showcase presents **Ron Sumner’s Yosemite Calls**, a collection of watercolor and gouache paintings depicting the majestic scenery of the Yosemite National Park, its waterfalls and its wildlife. “Vernal Falls” places the viewer in the verdant growth looking up to the famous falls. This exhibit enables viewers to re-connect with some of their favorite aspects of this nation’s beloved national park.
Meet the Artist: **Sumner** will be hosting the Gallery September 25 & October 6 2:30 to 6 pm and October 23 11 am to 6 pm.
**SECOND SATURDAY ART WALK OCTOBER 12, 5:30 – 7:00 pm** : The Upstairs Art Gallery is pleased to join other Healdsburg galleries in the Second Saturday Artwalk, featuring fourteen galleries surrounding the historic downtown plaza.
Upstairs Art Gallery, 306 Center Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448. (707) 431-4214.: OPEN DAILY: 11am – 6 pm **www.upstairsartgallery.net**
For further information, contact Beverly Bird, Press Contact, at
[email protected] or 707-799-1490.