About the Gallery

LIST OF ARTISTS AND BIOGRAPHIES

EDWIN BERTOLET

Although I have a college degree in design, I am self-taught as a painter. As a full-time graphic artist for over 30 years, I studied and painted in watercolor, but upon retiring, I discovered Plein air oils and was immediately captivated. My Plein air works take their main inspiration from the early California Impressionists who uniquely captured the vitality and beauty of the region in a direct and unmannered style. In my work, I try to capture the quiet beauty and serene elegance of the surrounding landscape. Subtle color, a sense of light, and a unique sense of serenity are the things I try to capture in my painting as I feel those things best reflect the quiet beauty of the world around us. It is my good fortune to be able to offer my paintings to those of you who respond to those elements of nature in the same way as I do.

LARRY CALOF

After a successful career in corporate and securities law, Larry rediscovered his passion for photography. He uses natural light and high-quality digital equipment to capture wildlife and landscapes in distinct manners that illuminate their unique characteristics. In his wildlife photography, he tries to capture an emotional connection with his subjects. In his landscape images, he tries to find light and angles to add magical or mystical perspectives to his images. More of Larry's work may be seen on his Class Five Images website.

MARK DOBRIN

Mark Dobrin is an award-winning Bay Area artist whose work invites viewers to experience the beauty of creation through layered color and quiet form. His art is part nature, part imagination and part spiritual practice.

KATHY FRANCESCHINI

Kathy Franceschini paints expressive abstracts inspired by travel and nature in Northern California. She loves the interpretation that abstraction provides to the viewer. Each painting contains many layers, incorporating intricate marks and bold brush strokes.

FRANCES FREYBERG

Frances is an emerging photographer specializing in portraits of people, wildlife, nature, and architecture from her travels to more than 45 countries. Through her photography, she hopes to educate people about our world and inspire them to get out and experience it for themselves. She's particularly drawn to scenes that express beauty, excitement, humor, and diversity, whether through a brilliantly colored blossom or a poignant face in the crowd. Her photographs are featured in galleries and private collections around the world—and can also be explored online through her photographic journey.

MARSHA HEIMBECKER

Marsha Heimbecker is a fine artist who paints with risk, creativity, and emotion. Her unique use of vivid colors and bold brushwork reveals her passion for self-expression.

Marsha was born in San Francisco, California, and grew up in the Bay Area. She has taken art classes at the Academy of Art in San Francisco and many Bay Area colleges, and she has attended art workshops around the country.

Storytelling often becomes her inspiration -- the journeys of life. She hopes to unfold adventures, images, and tales that challenge our senses and awaken our histories. Marsha's paintings express movement and invite individual interpretations where emotions are captured rather than explained.

"I fondly remember childhood stories shared by my father and family. My favorite memories are of these little things. I am taken with the beauty of life. I am fortunate. I paint passionately and enjoy sharing my life stories." Her paintings live in private collections across the country and can be explored further on her official website, where her stories continue to unfold in color and canvas.

KIM HOLL

I grew up in a creative household with art all around. My grandfather was a cartoonist, my mom was an artist and my dad was an architect. There were always art supplies to get messy with. After college, I went into education as a reading specialist but continued with making art because it grounds me. I have worked in a variety of materials including oil, watercolor, pen and ink, acrylic, and textiles. I am currently showing acrylic mono prints with a minimum of four layers of images. Please visit my website to see my other work.

SUSAN JOCHHEIM

Susan Jochheim, a Los Gatos-based watermedia artist, creates award winning vivid, expressive work in both representational and abstract styles. Susan holds “signature” member status in Watercolor West & the Society of West-Coast Artists.

PATRICIA JONES

Patricia Jones is an award-winning landscape and still life painter in oils with a strong foundation in the Russian Impressionist tradition. Using thick paint and loose brush strokes, she conveys the energy, mood, and essence of everyday subjects. Upon reflection, Patricia observes: “Contemplating, observing, studying, and working on art consume most of my waking hours. This is a passion that has completely energized my life.” Patricia is always happy to accept commissions. To explore more of Patricia’s captivating work, visit her website and immerse yourself in her vibrant landscapes and still lifes.

HELEN JU
Helen’s unique paper and wire sculptures are influenced by the art history, life drawing, graphic design, typography, and illustration from her training in Graphic Design. She started working in 3D in 2012 while studying clay figurative sculpting. The subject of Helen’s current body of work is dogs. After walking her friend’s dog for a year, she fell madly in love with dogs for their personality, affection, and antics. Her paper and wire sculptures explore and capture the essence of each dog, not just their physical form. No paint is used. Instead, printed paper is used for its durability and to "paint" Helen’s lively and whimsical dog sculptures. Like a painter, she has a palette of papers in an array of colors, textures, and patterns, along with a collection of illustrations, photos, and copy. Helen has done commission work for both international and domestic clients. A native of the Bay Area, she and her husband live in Mountain View. To see more of her work, visit her shop on Etsy. For more photos, click on “Photos” on her Facebook page.

MISAKO KAMBE

Misako Kambe, a ceramicist, is influenced by traditional Japanese and Chinese ceramic and kimono designs.

CHRISTINA LIM

Emerging Bay Area artist Christina Lim creates acrylic "visual sanctuaries" inspired by nature, especially redwoods. A former design leader, her award-winning work prioritizes emotional resonance inviting viewers to find hope peace and serenity.

TERRY MCMAHON

Terry McMahon, of Palo Alto, is a retired art teacher from the Menlo Park school district. She has traveled and lived around the world. Her artwork is influenced by her collection and love of folk art from the places she has visited and lived. She combines a strong sense of design with bold use of color, and she gravitates toward sculptural shapes and forms. She enjoys rearranging or redefining forms, whether in architecture, plants, animals, or people. Most of her work is imaginative, while some is decorative and even fanciful. Explore the imaginative and colorful world of Terry’s art by visiting her website and discovering the bold forms that inspire her creativity.

YVONNE NEWHOUSE

Yvonne Newhouse creates fine art watercolors. To dive deeper into Yvonne’s exquisite watercolor creations, visit her official website and explore her vibrant portfolio.

JERRY PETERS

Jerry Peter's love of painting began after retiring from the fire service in 1996. He spent 30 years as a firefighter, the last ten as a Battalion Chief in the Menlo Park Fire Protection District. He paints in acrylics on stretched canvas. Jerry's early work was in Fire Engines, Fire Helmets, and Fire Scenes. For the past 15 years, his subject matter has exclusively focused on old trucks, portraits, landscapes, and still-life objects. He developed a fondness for old, battered trucks in rural settings. He loved that they had such character and a sense of history. Finding these old trucks in rural settings gives Jerry's paintings the sense of how the beauty of nature blends seamlessly with the wisdom of age. In addition to his "Old Trucks", Jerry paints from photographs taken during his travels. His work includes scenes from trips to Italy, Belgium, Egypt, Greece, England, and Turkey, as well as scenes taken from travels around the USA and Canada. Jerry has done numerous commissions for portraiture and landscapes. Discover more of Jerry’s evocative paintings—from weathered old trucks to captivating landscapes—by visiting his official website.

JAN PRISCO

Jan Prisco is a pastel and oil painter who focuses on paintings of the San Francisco peninsula to Big Sur. Most of her paintings are begun plein air. Her work can be viewed at www.janprisco.com.

ROBIN SCHOLL

Robin Scholl has been painting in her Los Altos studio and teaching at the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto for more than 30 years. She is known for impressionistic landscapes with a focus on light and color in the natural world. She works from photographs taken during her wide travels and favorite California scenes, using four media: oils, watercolor, watercolor with pastel, and watercolor with gouache. Her signature layered technique builds up the media, creating movement and depth uncommon in watercolors. She holds a B.A. in studio art and a teaching credential in art instruction from UCSB. Her classes in watercolor, oil media and landscape drawing are popular favorites at the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto. She served on the Board of Directors for seven years, retiring from that role recently. She has been affiliated with galleries across the U.S., including Mona Berman Fine Arts ( New Haven, CT.), Corporate Art Directions ( New York, NY), Greenleaf Gallery ( Saratoga, CA), The Equinox ( Chicago, IL.), and Nathan’s Gallery ( Carmel, CA). Her work has been commissioned for large scale by corporations and recognized in three different statewide competitions at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, as well as in juried shows at the Santa Cruz Art League and the Pacific Art League. Scholl currently exhibits at Fast Frame Gallery in Los Altos, the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto, Marcella’s Village Gallery in Menlo Park, CA., and the Portola Gallery in Allied Arts Menlo Park, CA. Robin’s stunning landscapes and vibrant works can be explored further at her official website, where her artistic journey continues to unfold.

JARED SINES

Jared Sines has enjoyed a long career as a fine and commercial artist. He began showing his work at Shreve and Co. in San Francisco at the age of 20 and has been represented by fine California galleries and retail establishments on a continuous basis ever since. Presently, his oil paintings also hang in the New Masters Gallery in Carmel. His art education began formally at the Richard Stephens Art Academy (now the San Francisco Academy of Art) when he was eight years old. His father, also an artist and an owner of an advertising agency, provided him with art materials, instruction, and resources. He also taught him the basics of advertising art and copywriting. Jared studied still life drawing, portraiture, and still life painting at various institutions thought his formative years, and he earned his degree in fine arts and creative writing from San Francisco State College.

CHRIS TOULSON

A retired Silicon Valley software engineer, Chris Toulson learned the basics of woodworking from his Dad while growing up in Montreal, Canada. Working out of his garage workshop in Palo Alto enjoys making intricate wood designs that also have a practical side. He currently specializes in using wood to create optical illusions in end-grain cutting boards, small boxes,
inlaid trays, and other smaller items. On the more practical side, he also makes picture frames for fellow artists at the Gallery.

RONEN VAINISH

Ronen Vainish began the craft of glass blowing many years ago after an inspiring visit to Murano in Venice, an island famous for its long history of glassmaking. His inspiration comes from how the glass reacts to light.

ALICE WEIL

Menlo Park artist Alice Weil, inspired early by a family friend, creates award-winning paintings collected worldwide. Her new impressionistic series departs from landscapes, using loose brushwork and light to evoke calm reflection and imaginative contemplation.