Coast Highway Art Collective • Valentines Art and Poetry Meet by Rozann Greunig
The members of the Coast Highway Art Collective are hosting their first opening reception of 2021 on Saturday, February 6 from 11:00am to 5:00pm. This Valentine’s Day-themed exhibit posed questions to the members of the Collective; “What does Valentine’s day mean to you, your friends and family in the time of COVID 19? Is love complicated, tumultuous or simple? How do you express it in your art?” Our members took this challenge to heart, so to speak, and this exciting and creative exhibit is the result.
The exhibit inside the gallery will feature works by new member, Phil Clark, (woodworker), as well as pieces by Bea Acosta, (pine needle baskets), Andrea Allen, (Chinese Brush painting), Lena Bullamore, (drawing and painting), Colette Coad, (art glass), Ling-Yen Jones, (jewelry), Rozann Grunig, (photography), Kersten & Ants, (jewelry), Tamar Lenzi, (lapidary & wire wrapped Jewelry), Geraldine LiaBraaten, (photography), Jack O’Rourke, (watercolor), Brenda Phillips, (Ceramics), Scott Sewell, (photography), Deborah Threlkel (Abalone Queen jewelry), and Kathryn Weiss, (glass beads and jewelry.)
On the patio February 6, local poets Blake More and Lauren Sinnott will write a poem for visitors for their special Valentine. They are excited to revive “Poems on the Spot,” the beloved tradition started by Caroline Cooke and Stephen Kessler back in the day of CityArt. “Lauren and Blake will be on our outdoor patio, socially distanced, while they talk with you and compose your poem, either on a computer or written by hand,” says gallery manager, Ling-Yen Jones. “When your poem is finished, they will email it or send it to you. There will be a small fee requested of $10 to $50.”
Lauren, Blake and Ling-Yen will be interviewed on KGUA on Tuesday, February 2 at 9:00am to discuss the show and their approach to poetry and art.
Sinnott was raised in Wisconsin’s dairyland by her “very shy, highly organized, mechanically adept artist mother” and her “gregarious, disordered, audacious poet father,” she says. “I thank the universe all the time for giving me their best and withholding the rest. My mom supported our family on commercial art jobs that my dad went out into the publishing and business world to bring home. Before I was 2, I was working at a little table alongside her. My parents were beatniks and I grew up a little hippie.” In high school, Sinnott was an exchange student in Belgium, speaking only French and inhaling the culture. She returned to college in Houston, earning her BA and BFA in Art and French, then received a fellowship to earn an MA in Art History.
After 22 years in Houston, she and her young sons came west in a school bus outfitted with beds and a wood stove. They lived in the bus on the ridge for a year before moving to town. “I supported us with art and rent. I took jobs ranging from ornate murals to dog portraits, from tombstone design to painting a grinning pirate on the High School basketball court floor. I sewed a life-size torso complete with all female reproductive parts for a doctor. I created the Velvet Vulva line of purses for the feminist and enlightened market. I painted curbs and hemmed pants. Business signs and design services were a mainstay. We took in a parade of roommates to make ends meet. The house was teeming with the boys and their friends, and is still full of books and paintings,” recalls Sinnott.
Her current project is the huge historical mural on the north wall of the Ukiah Valley Conference Center. She says the mural is a public work for everyone and about everyone. It contains over one-hundred portraits so far and tells many stories of people who live here now.
Blake More believes artists must give back to the generations to come, and practices this belief in many ways that benefit the local community. She works with California Poets in the Schools and the California Arts Council to deliver creative arts instruction in K-12 classrooms around the Northern California region. Among other things, she teaches poetry and video, produce youth poetry anthologies, and coach high school poetry slam teams. She has co-produced Dragon’s Breath Theater for the past 20 years, as well as volunteers for several non-profit arts and education organizations, and co-produce several shows and events a year, including the music at the Point Arena Fireworks Festival, live shows at the Arena Theater and a monthly poetry and jazz series.
More’s sense of fun and humor is exemplified by her motto – “My name is Blake. My last name is More. That makes me B More! Be More. Always. I have so much fun with my name: my live radio talk show is called “BE MORE NOW”, my creative design business is “B MORE CREATIONS”, and my private healing practice is “B MORE FLOW.” A UCLA graduate and resident of California’s Mendocino Coast since the late 90s, More calls herself a healing artist with many creative voices and expressions.
“People call me a renaissance woman, because I am truly inspired by the raw ingredients of life,” she says. “I write. I paint outdoor murals and daily-use art cars. I make poetry videos. I create mosaics. I emcee and host shows. I perform. I dance. I design costumes for myself and others. I live off grid. I sew. I garden. I forage. I conjure decadent meals from high nutrient, healthy foods. I make my own skin products and cosmetics clean enough to eat. I practice yoga daily. I love gorilla theater. To summarize, I am a muse, a magician, and an activator. I breathe creation. I evoke creation, I heal, nurture and activate creation in others. And I love helping to “Turn On” the light switches of others.”
This show will run from February 4 through February 27. The Coast Highway Art Collective is open on Thursday through Sunday from 11:00am to 2:00pm. Face masks, social distancing and limited capacity for guests is in place. The gallery is located at 284 Main Street, Point Arena, next door to the Redwood Credit Union. More information is available at www.coast-highway-artists.com.
