Four Artists, One Day, One Very Full House

A lot of artists are introverts, thriving on deep thinking, self-motivation, and comfort in solitude. And while those are all strong traits of mine as well, I am really an extrovert, and I love a good party with a lot of people around. That’s one of the reasons that I am hosting another Open Studio & Garden Party and including three of my artist friends to join me for the day.

Jessi Brooks, Metal Artist

Metal art by Jessi Brooks.

I've known Jessi Brooks for many years, and she is quite simply one of the most joyful people I have ever met, so it's no surprise that joy is exactly what her art radiates. Originally from outside Philadelphia, Jessi made her way to California following a creative calling that the West Coast seemed to reflect back to her in a way the East never quite did. She came by way of massage therapy, yoga, and meditation — a softer, more spiritual path — which makes it all the more delightful that she landed in metal sculpture.

It happened almost by accident, when other artist friends drew her back into the visual art she'd long set aside. What followed was extraordinary: she began bringing her whimsical, colorful drawings to life in three-dimensional form, proving that metal doesn't have to be heavy or hard-edged. Jessi works with recycled metal, vibrant color and texture, and has more recently woven in ceramics and copper for a softer appeal, always in service of work that makes people feel something good. She says she's done her job as an artist if her pieces bring happiness and warmth to the eye of the beholder. I think she's been doing her job exceptionally well for a long time.

For nearly a decade she has exhibited at Auburn Old Town Gallery and taken on private commissions throughout the Sacramento and Bay Area region, and on May 2nd, her metalwork will be in my garden, right where it belongs.

Angela Houk, Artist & Educator

Nature themed artworks by Angela Houk.

When Angela Houk and I really connected several years back, it felt like finding the long-lost sister I never knew I had. It makes complete sense when you get to know her, Angela carries joy not as a mood but as a lifelong pursuit, literally woven into her name and her calling. She is perpetually curious, endlessly creative, and deeply committed to the belief that beauty and renewal are available to anyone willing to pay attention to the everyday rhythms of life.

That conviction has shaped everything she does. As the Founder and Director of New Joy Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to cultivating creativity in individuals and communities, she has spent decades making art accessible to people of all ages through classes, integrated arts programs, and creativity workshops. Alongside that community work, she has pursued her own artistic journey for more than thirty years, constantly finding inspiration in the ordinary and the overlooked. She is one of my weekly walking companions, wandering the creek trails with our dogs, discussing plant names and picking up treasures along the way together. Beauty, joy, and renewal are not just themes in her work, they are the way she moves through the world.

This is the second year Angela is joining me for Open Studio, and last fall we had the joy of doing an open studio tour together at her home as well. If you've been to one of our events before, you already know the kind of warmth she brings. If you haven't, May 2nd is a wonderful place to start.

Ziva Shaya Design Company, Reva Wittenberg

Hand-crafted jewelry by Ziva Shayna Design Company.

I met Reva Wittenberg a few years back when we both found ourselves at another artist friend's open studio, and we've been open studio companions many times since. I'll also confess that I've made some of her jewelry very much my own, it has a way of doing that.

Reva works out of her home studio in Sacramento, crafting handmade copper jewelry and chain mail designs under the name Ziva Shayna, which means splendor and beautiful in Yiddish. Everything she makes is handwrought from raw wire and sheet metal — no store-bought components, no two pieces alike — and each one is patinaed, tumble-polished, and finished with museum-grade wax, so it continues to change and gain character as you wear it. Reva describes metalsmithing as pure alchemy, and when you hold one of her pieces you understand exactly what she means. There is something elemental about her work, something that feels simultaneously ancient and completely alive. She uses reclaimed wire whenever possible, which adds another layer of meaning to jewelry that already carries so much of it.

I'm so glad to have her back at the studio on May 2nd and I have a feeling her table will be one you won't walk past without stopping.

You’re invited!

I hope you'll come spend part of your Saturday with us. The garden will be open, my studio doors will be wide, and there will be free succulent cuttings for anyone who wants to take a little piece of the garden home. Four artists, one day, one very full and happy house. Come as you are, stay as long as you like, and bring a friend.

Open Studio & Garden Party: Saturday, May 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.My home studio in Antelope, CA. Address shared upon request or sign up for my email list for details.