Sculpture in the Garden

Ana Bianchi, originally from Mexico, is Walnut Creek resident artist working in a wide range of creative pursuits: from ceramics, to printmaking, from children book illustrations to design.

Her work in art, design and illustration is woven together by a love for color, an element of storytelling and a keen eye looking for the beauty in nature and art.

Ana started working with ceramic sculpture 30 years ago while living in Florence Italy and later, in Mexico, and has continue her ceramic work at the local studio run by the City of Walnut Creek.

Ana has always been fascinated by all things botanical, but specially cacti and succulents, which she’s collected since she was a little girl and as an avid gardener, she is a keen observer not only of the plants in her garden but also the birds, bugs and wild critters in it.

“Crows” is a dual piece about two notorious inhabitants in her garden, their rivalry and personalities, specially when it is time to steal sweet treats from the orchard.
www.analovescolor.com
Instagram: @analovescolor

Antonio Inserni is an artist living in the East Bay. In addition to his own work, he has contributed to large scale public art for UnScruz and Burning Man, including “Aurora,” “Trust Cats,” “Farmer the Rigger,” and the 2024 BM Temple. A retired chemical engineer, Antonio often recycles manufacturing materials to create his garden art, as is the case with “Skipping Stones”on display at RBG. Antonio;s works can be found from Boulder CO to Richmond CA. The metal pieces are often brightly colored, and all metal pieces are protected against UV and sea salt spray. You can find Antonio’s other work in Instagram, at aainser1.

Lepus Californicus $1,300

Born in St Charles, Missouri in 1956, Clayton Thiel received his BA in sculpture from Maryville University in 1979, then came to California to study with Peter Voulkos and Joan Brown at UC Berkeley.  At San Jose State he studied with David Middlebrook and Stan Welsh receiving an MFA in 1985 .  He has been a full-time professor of Sculpture (clay, stone, and bronze), Art History, and Design Chabot College in Hayward, CA since 1990.  Thiel’s work has been shown widely in exhibits and galleries, and he has received numerous commissions from private collectors.

Clayton Thiel is a sculptor of clay, stone, and bronze, and a storyteller who is restoring magic and narrative to the world of contemporary sculpture. Continuing in the tradition of sculptors, Peter Volkous, Steve Distabler and Manuel Nari, Clayton Thiel is considered a leading artist among celebrated California art educators.  His  principle is media is clay, but he also works in stone and bronze, handling each medium with a process oriented approach. The fanciful merging of humans and birds in a totemic way, works as a vehicle to transport his viewers to see the world in a mythic dimension. He has a masterful sense of elemental design with a restrained pallet that unifies his body of work.  Thiel enters a meditative place when creating – a place between time, space and the worlds.

In describing Thiel’s daily Studio practice, he says:  “I often work on a series of three pieces at a time in rotation. Starting with a common conceptual thread, with various permutations, each member of the series takes on a life of its own – demanding I make some choices about the story wanting to be told.  I don’t plan these things – rather there is an intuitive decision-making process that I have come to surrender to.”

His work is often comparted to Boston expressionist, Leonard Baskin. “What I have admired about surrealist and expressionists artists of the 20th century is that they took the most improbable combinations of dreams, memories and reflections, and make them appear possible.”

Art has been his lifelong pursuit for over 50 years.

I’ve been building things my whole life.  Always encouraged to repair rather than replace I became mechanically inclined at a very young age.  I was drawn to steel by it’s strength and versatility and spent my youth exploring the possibilities.  With years of industrial training in a variety of fabrication techniques I found myself in a comfort zone without much flavor.  The conventional uses of steel are littered with boundaries.  Sculpture provided freedom.

With sculpture I can follow my impulses, breaking the rules and pushing the boundaries.  I have found my best accomplishments in the creation of artwork and always enjoy the honest interpretations that it brings.

Diana Markessinis is a California-based sculptor known for creating hybrid forms informed by the intersection of nature and humans. Primarily utilizing metal, ceramic and glass, Markessinis calls into conversation a variety of materials to explore the human impact on the natural world and vice versa. In 2007 she received her Masters of Fine Arts in sculpture from California State University, Fullerton, and her undergraduate degree in sculpture from West Virginia University (2003). You can find her large sculptures throughout California in public and private spaces. Follow Diana on Instagram at @markessinis and view more of her work at www.markessinis.com

Doug Tambling has been a ceramic artist most all his life beginning with “Tam-Art” studios in San Jose and now “Rainbows End Ceramics” in Walnut Creek. Recently retired from BioTech now focussed on building his home studio community with lessons and workshops. Most studio work is done with atmospheric firing such as Pit Fire, Raku and Sagger with high reduction. Doug has a large inventory of high fire stoneware and salt/soda fired functional ware as well. His home studio is open by appointments and several public shows a year. You may contact him at rainbowsendgardens.com for more information and video of some of his projects/gallery.

Dwight Hammack spent most of his life as the owner of Best Marble Co. fabricating kitchens and bathrooms out of marble and granite, but he was always an artist at heart. After he retired several years ago he devoted all of his time to making sculptures. He recently transitioned from marble to metal and his most recent pieces are fabricated in steel, aluminum and even rebar. Always the optimist, he often paints or powder coasts his sculptures in bright colors. Dwight is excited to be a part of this summer’s sculpture show at the Ruth Bancroft Garden.

Black and White Sgraffito Garden Stack $1,950
Red, Yellow and Orange Carved Garden Stack $1,950
Red and Orange Textured Garden Stack $1,800
Blue Garden Stack $1,500
Bronze and White Garden Stack $1,500

Jake Edwards is a local artist and an art teacher at Liberty High School in Brentwood California.  Edwards has been inspiring student there for the last 18 years.  He originally grew up in Oroville, California, near the wild life refuge. This environment had a huge influence in Edwards’ artwork. Edwards has been drawing since he could hold a pencil. He now specializes in painting, ceramics, and multimedia sculpture. Most of Edwards’ is related to nature.

My sculptures are based on images of women and animals that resonate with me visually, emotionally or spiritually. These images may be seen in life, in other artist’s work or in books and magazines. I frequent museums and galleries and peruse a variety of art and wildlife books and magazines for inspiration, never knowing when I might spot a potential pattern or image I need to incorporate into a sculpture. Sculpting has opened a door for me to explore and feel a connected. It has become a lifelong learning process.

Jeff Arnett has an art degree from UC Santa Cruz.  He works in stone, bronze and wood, creating both abstract and figurative sculptures. His work is in private collections throughout the United States and in Europe.

Illusion $2,400

I see wasteful practices wherever I go. It hurts me to know how much our country wastes, while other countries are so poor. And just as troubling is the growing challenge to stay healthy in a world with so much waste. I prefer to consume less and repurpose more and that inspires my artwork.

Karen Stanton is a former architect, teaching artist and published children’s book author/illustrator living in Oakland, CA and Valencia, Spain. She began making mosaic art with a partner over 20 years ago for an annual art auction that raised funds for art education in public school. She hasn’t stopped mosaicking since.  The tiles she uses in her mosaic art are either handmade in her home studio, upcycled from local tile vendors like Walker-Zanger, or schlepped home from her travels to places like Spain, Kyrgyzstan, Istanbul or her local Goodwill store.

Karina Kudymova was born in Moscow, Russia in 1967. After recieving her MFA degree from the Stroganov School of Art and Industry she successfully worked in both traditional and experimental media. Mrs. Kudymova participated in ceramics and painting exhibitions, worked as a book illustrator, and created a web site for children tinytram.com. She lives and works in San Jose, California. Her art can be seen at her blog kudymova.com

Leslie Safarik is an artist and craftswoman. her work is whimsical and fun. she embraces an aesthetic that embodies beauty, joyfulness and superior craftsmanship. her work is hand built and each sculpture is one of a kind.  she thinks art should be beautiful, imaginative and engaging. it is her goal to create work that energizes the space it inhabits. she enjoys  making large-scale work for exterior spaces and gardens that put a smile on your face. she has been doing ceramic sculpture for over 40 years. she received her BFA and MFA from California college of arts and crafts, Oakland, California.

At 37, my passion for clay was instantaneous; it allowed my imagination to come to life. With ADD and a fleeting attention span, this medium continues to captivate me endlessly. I love sculpting anything with animals, whimsical creations – anything that my mind’s eye comes up with. With life’s experiences comes new pieces: being a parent (now grandparent), having a love of animals, nature, and gardening. All of my passions show up in my work. I also love learning new techniques; they move me forward and keep me forever in love with clay.

Lucy Ruth Wright Rivers was born in Morocco and raised in rural central California. She earned a BS from UC Davis and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has created numerous commissions for both public and private outdoor settings. Lucy particularly enjoys working with found color, making art from discards and detritus, materials that can bring their own narratives to the artwork. She collaborates with her materials to best capture the changes of light and atmosphere throughout the day.

I grew up in a metropolis where the citizens supported the arts in education at the polls. The exposure created was akin to sparks landing in my lap. There was no choice but to respond. I’ve been a full time studio artist since 1993, producing architectural elements, sculpture and furnishings. The inspirations I’m fondest of come from dreamtime and the spaces between awake and asleep, when a collective conciousness comes to play. Passing the inspirational torch along is the essence of what I’m up to here.

I have been a clay sculptress for over 40 years. I have always loved to watch what emerges from my hands as the clay tells me a story. My work resides in the book Way of The Doll, in sculpture shows, in my garden and private gardens and homes. The piece I have submitted to the Ruth Bancroft Garden is over 30 years old, and has lived through seasons of calm and upheaval, while watching, always watching the moving sky.

Birdbug $480
Garden Chimes – Standing $1,000

I Graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Textile Design. While I still do tapestry weaving, I wanted to make three dimensional pieces and I started with plaster. Eventually, I created a process to produce more durable sculptures. Welded steel, covered in aviary wire and covered in sealed/painted concrete allow the sculptures to be outside. www/nwgrahamart.com

Born in New York, Nate Scott earned a BFA in painting from SUNY Buffalo State University. He relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1990s, and founded a metal fabrication shop in Oakland, CA, where he also shares a studio with a few like-minded painters and sculptors. natescottart.com
nateomaticfabrications.com

Paige Tashner, native Oregonian, East Bay California transplant, and award-winning self-taught artist, has been sharing her quirkiness with the public for nearly a decade. Ranging from an electric, drivable cupcake car to an illuminated spaceship bench (Stardust, 2018) to giant metal cats (Purr Pods and Trust), her creations have been experienced throughout the U.S. and in Bristol, England. Her current venture, Demure Le Purr cat sculptures, are 1/3 scale of the Purr Pods and the Trust cats. Her first one, Spring Kitten, sold at the Sotheby’s auction, Boundless Space…The Possibilities of Burning Man in the fall of 2021. Exhibitions for these sculptures include Oakland’s Autumn Lights Festival, the Portland Winter Light Festival in Oregon and The Ruth Bancroft Garden’s Sculpture in the Garden and Garden of D’Lights annual events.
www.paigetashner.art/
www.paigetashner.art/demurelepurr

Pierre Riche was born in NYC in 1966. He attended the School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago from 1986 to1989. He began sculpting the human and animal forms in 1992 using the direct metal open form method with welded reclaimed metals. Riche exhibited his sculpture at the Avery Fischer Hall at the Lincoln Center in NYC and attended the Art Students League. He had his work represented by several NYC art galleries. He sold one of his sculptures through Sotheby’s auction house. In 2005 He moved to California. He received an honorarium grant from Burning Man festival in 2010. In 2012 Riche exhibited one of his fire sculptures in front of the LA MOMA and another large sculpture later that year in the Santa Cruz MAH museum. As his work progressed he began to focus on the horse as a central theme. He has also shifted his material use from reclaimed metals to laser cut steel and bronze metals. The patterns he has cut are his own hand drawn scroll shapes that he sometimes presents as abstract stand alone sculptures. In 2018 He had his first International Art gallery representation at the Gaudi Gallery in Madrid Spain and showed at the Canes France art fair. Riche’s horse sculpture was purchased and placed in Reno NV. as a public sculpture in 2019. The artists work can be seen in many ongoing California outdoor sculpture exhibits and is continually receiving awards

I am a self-taught mosaicist who began my career when a close friend gifted me a pair of glass nippers and a bag of grout, I tried a small project and quickly fell in love with creating mosaics. When I start a new mosaic project, I don’t plan ahead of time – there is no pre-sketching or choosing of colors before I begin. I use my intuition in creating pieces with flow and bright colors, only know what the finished product will look like once it is complete. I revel in each and every project and find great joy from the response of those who view my work.

New England, born and raised. Though I have lived in California for all of my adult life, I grew up on a farm at the edge of a woods in Massachusetts. You cannot take the New Englander out of me; it will always be a part of me. For 30 years I have been making portraits of real people, as a photographer, for advertising and editorial clients worldwide. Along the way, I have pictured large sculptural pieces in my mind –– pieces I never had the space to create. Fast forward a few decades of city life, and I’m back living on a farm, this time in the Oakland hills. My 7000 square foot outdoor studio serves me well for photography clients, but when I started to carve under the shade of a 60-year-old cedar, I was back home again, back in the woods of New England, back playing with trees. This play has led me to work off the page, off the screen –– designing, shaping, and creating work in three dimensions, using both urban tree-fall and steel. While I have always worked with composition and form, sculpting a story in space creates work that takes on a presence that is strikingly different from flat art.

Growth $2,000
Balance $500 each ($1,350 for set of 3)

Earth Sentinels $2,000

Saturn’s Moon (large) $6,500
Saturn’s Moon (small) $3,250

Meditation 47 $4,500

I grew up surrounded by artists, both painter and sculptor, so I am aspired to become one.  Mosaics speak to me the most as they were made up of small pieces of broken ceramics tiles, each with its own unique color and shape, giving them a second chance of life.  The individual pieces created a perfectly balanced and beautiful piece of art.  It brings the colors of the painting to the sculptures.  I an excited to continue my journey as a mosaic artist, and to create the work that inspires people to look at the world in a new way.

Lisa $3,900

Hello, my name is Vojtech Blazejovsky, and I’m originally from the Czech Republic.

I came to be a metal worker in my thirties when I trained as a brazer and CNC operator with the flagship British brand Brompton Bicycles. For over 7 years I learned their craft and production discipline. I then joined Hall Conservation, a company specialising in the restoration of heritage metal work, fine art and sculptures, as well as bespoke interior and exterior design pieces. Since moving to California in 2022, I have been exploring and developing my own practice as an artist, which is the work you will be able to at this exhibition.

My home town in the Czech Republic is famous for its glass production. My mother is a trained glass painter, and my father is a metal worker. In my work I aspire to honour their respective crafts by bringing together their creativity and skill.

Wes Horn a second-generation mosaicist, who creates durable, functional, and engaging works of lasting beauty. Specializing in high-fire ceramic, tile mosaic, terrazzo, cement, steel, and earth materials, chosen mediums are perfectly suited and time-tested for high-traffic outdoor areas, and allow for the creation of interactive and dynamic spaces for All to enjoy.