aRt Cottage

You’re invited!

Encore Reception, Saturday, June 17, 2 – 4 pm

Contra Costa Plein Air Group Show

An art show so nice we’re partying twice! Please join us to celebrate this beautiful show with refreshments, good cheer, and live music provided by popular local musician Roy Gonzales. This is a great chance to revisit some of your favorite paintings and discover some fresh new work that has been added as well. The Tiny House Gift Shop is open, too, full of creative, arty goodies.

We hope to see you then!

Contra Costa Plein Air Painters

May 3 – June 23, 2023

Reception Saturday, May 13, 2 – 4 pm. You are invited!

See a preview of the show here.

Plein air is the art of painting outdoors, working quickly to capture fleeting effects of light and color, motion and space. Immersed in a world of sights, sounds and smells, plein air artists are energized to express the spirit of the place and the day, each with their own unique voice.

Contra Costa Plein Air is a friendly group of artists who get together to paint at scenic locations all around the Bay Area and beyond. Our exhibit at the aRt Cottage is a nice sampler of plein air work created by our members, showcasing a wide range of media, styles and experience levels. We’re all connected by our love of nature and the camaraderie of painting with like-minded humans. New artists are always welcome! Learn more at www.contracostapleinair.blogspot.com or find us on Facebook @contracostapleinair.

The Three Amigos

Three Amigos

March 8 - April 21, 2023
Walter Crew. Robert Bradley & George Rammell

Artist Open House / Reception - Saturday, March 11th 2-4pm

Robert Bradley "Hamlet"

George Rammell "Purple Rain"

Meet Tim Aguino

Colorful Longevity

When did you first start making art?

I started producing art as a kid in grade school - drawing, painting, pottery, beading. I enjoyed them all, but beading was my favorite back then. The art class provided looms, but out of class, I built my own for use at home. The main goal is to draw out a design and then create with use of different colored sea beads. The loom was not very big, but I could end up with a piece the size of a bracelet. I was always pretty good at drawing freeform or from photos. After graduating high school and some college, I moved to California in the mid 1990’s and started painting in 1995. Since I could not think of anything else but being a famous artist, I decided to turn my art into a business. It’s been a wonderful journey and I’m proud of what my art represents and how it affects others.

Tell us about the materials you like to use in your work.

I started with oil paints but did not have the patience for the extensive drying time. I like to work fast and found that acrylic paints suited my style. They allow me to layer color on top of color in a much shorter period of time. I am a very colorful artist and abstract designing is a great fit for me. I’m proud to say I have developed my own style where I can showcase some of my Native American heritage. My paintings are exciting, but the bead designs that I incorporate in the pieces are my favorite aspect. They represent my personal designs of symbols and symbolism in my Native American background. I’m so glad that I was able to marry beading and painting into my own unique style.

Native Face

What inspires you to keep creating?
Artists are inspired by making sales, but individuals requesting commissioned work is the ultimate inspiration for me. I have had the privilege to produce at least 5 special requests - they definitely energize me and just make me feel like I can do anything. My first juried piece of art (Enchanted Sun) won two prizes – Best Design and Best Color. This type of acknowledgement is another way I am inspired.

The postcard for my current show features Three Spirits in the Sky - the three spirits are the bead designs that represent prayers for continued balance between heaven and earth.

The first expression from people who view my art comes from their own love of color. This pulls them in and then they are amazed by the bead designs. “Your art makes me feel happy” is one of the most common responses I have received. This is just another way I am inspired. I love when people are drawn to my art and want to know more about it.

I will be working on a bead design during my artist-in-residence day on Saturday, February 18th at aRt Cottage. Come by any time that day between 11am and 5pm for a visit!

All Creatures Great and Small

It's a zoo in here! Enjoy this sneak peek of our January show, featuring animal-themed artwork from 20+ local artists. We've got paintings, sculpture, photography, cute softies and more. You'll see frogs and dogs, cats and rats - plus foxes, birds and tigers, oh my!

Photos are courtesy of Lori Rutledge-Caughey.

Landing by Renaye Johnson

Clockwise from top left: Toby Tuesdays by Lori Rutledge; Kitty by Kara Tirsky; Cookie by Hailey Nunes; Watcher by Deena Sheranko; Cattitude by Deena Sheranko; Kitty & Flowers by Karolyn Dreyer

Morning Egret by Thea Jue

Praying Mantis by Alexis Carlson

Updraft (top) and Hagi (Hanafuda Series) by John Nakanishi

How's your eye?

Take a photography class to hone your camera and composition skills, stage better shots for painting and create more beautiful memories for you and your family. Click here for details and registration.

Since 1997, San Francisco Bay Area photography instructors, Roc DeWilde, Emeritus, and his wife, Margaret, have been the creators and directors of the ORION Youth Workshops. The Developing Your Eye Photography Workshop is one of six programs offered there, open to youth and the young at heart that want to focus on artistic design, hence applying photographic art fundamentals to create beautiful and powerful pictures.

Roc’s media assignments have included five US Presidents, with cover photographs and campaigns for editorial, fashion and advertising in Time, Life, People, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, WWD, Redbook and many other national and international publications.

Roc DeWilde's professionalism and artistic work has been honored by Graphis Magazine International with the Art Director's Club of Zurich, Switzerland giving him several awards, including first place - Best Usage of a Photograph in an Advertisement.

Europe's Der Spiegel Magazine described him as "…an American extraordinary photographer who shoots with drama..." Mary Dunn, Picture Editor with People Magazine said "...Roc directs his subjects masterfully that they look 'alive'...each picture has an anecdotal quality; they express moments."

Click here to view sample photo-art images from Roc's Quixotica exhibit.