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Marge Essel lives in Berkeley.Ca. She was born in Western Pennsylvania. She became interested in fine arts at the age of 6. She took up painting & attended her 1st classes. While attending high school, she began her formal art training by studying figure drawing in preparation for an Art degree. Following graduation she took a position as a designer & artist for the Lovelace Marionette Theater. She returned to Berkeley to further her studies & became the head costume designer for a dance company. She returned to college in 1980 to attend UCB. to receive a Fine Arts credential. Marge continued her studies & in 1982 received a B.A. from New College. She began to exhibit her ceramic sculptures in the community. She studied ceramics at CAL State. She exhibited in shows there. She received a Fine Arts & Multiple Subjects credential. She has been an artist in residence with the Berkeley Arts Center & the Oakland Museum. She has studied art in London, England & Hawaii. She has exhibited ceramic sculptures, paintings & photographs in group shows in Berkeley, Oakland & Alameda. She has received several artists grants from the Academy of Art In S.F. where she studied photography & photographic processes. These along with her sculptures & paintings were exhibited in 2 one woman shows.

Debbie Fimrite is a deaf, Japanese-inspired artist with over 30 years of experience studying, creating, exhibiting and occasionally teaching art. She enjoys painting, drawing, sculpture, computer graphics, photography, origami, creating art dolls and altering Barbies. Always interested in art as a means of inspiration, self expression and healing; she was fortunate to grow up in the presence of many supportive artists including her mother who is a painter and sculptor. Over the years she has exhibited in a number of Bay Area Galleries including the Fort Mason Art Center, the Nanny Goat Hill Gallery, Gallery Sanchez, The Tea Spot Cafe,  the Japan Center, Red Ink Studios, the Market Street Gallery,  Art 94124 Gallery, Age Song Gallery and participated in San Francisco and East Bay Open Studios.

Mark Fischer lives in the Bay Area in California and was born in Pennsylvania, Stationed in Amberg, Germany in the US Army and earned a B.S. in electronics and computer engineering from George Mason University. For 10 years he worked in software development, defense and telecommunications and since 2002, has been doing independent research in cetacean and more recently, avian acoustics. He states: “There are any number of paths to an environmental epiphany: For many people it was the first time they heard the song of the Humpback whale. While on a "walkabout" in Baja California Sur, I became fascinated by cetacean acoustics during an especially vivid encounter in the Sea of Cortez. As a trained computer engineer, I soon realized that the visual representations of the songs of whales had not advanced much beyond crude graphs and spectrograms. There was nothing that adequately captured the sheer beauty of sounds that can be louder than a jet engine and as melodic as the human voice. Researching the issues lead to the mathematics of wavelets, and the development of a process for visually expressing the sounds of whales and dolphins.” Recently artist Mark Fischer has been widening the scope of this work, from initial forays with the acoustics of whales and dolphins, now including the songs of birds and insects. The result is AGUASONIC® art in the form of prints and movies made from these sounds. The prints can be finished as large as 4 feet by 8 feet using Alumin Arte, or more modest sizes on Crane Museo archival paper and canvas.

Rinna B. Flohr lives in Oakland, California. She grew up on the East Coast in New Jersey and New York. She graduated from Syracuse University with a B. A. in theatre arts and a Masters of Social Work. She also completed a Certificate in Psychodrama at the Moreno Institute of Psychodrama in New York. She received her license as a clinical social worker and for 37 years she worked as a licensed psychotherapist in private practice and as Deputy Director of Mental Health for Alameda County; Director of the Center for Special Problems, San Francisco Community Mental Health and Assistant Director for San Francisco County Behavioral Health Services. In 1991 her house burned down in the Oakland fire, which led her to study Interior Architecture and Design in order to rebuild her home. She completed the program at UC Berkeley in 2001. With an interior design degree she started Design Ideas and she began doing remodels and designing new interiors that later led her to staging and floral design. She studied floral design with Ron Morgan. Her floral designs were part of the Bouquets to Art Show at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco in the past and she was a member of the San Francisco Museum flower committee. She also makes jewelry from recycled materials left over from interior design projects and later from other found objects such as found rubber from inner tubes of tires or cement from building sites. She was President of San Francisco Women Artists in San Francisco, one of the oldest women’s art galleries. Currently she is founder and Director of Expressions Gallery in Berkeley, Ca. (www.expressionsgallery.org )

Sue Mary Fox splits her year between her winter workroom in Berkeley, CA, and her summer workroom in the village of Robbinston, Maine.  Born and raised in a rural hamlet on the wild Maine coast, Fox spent her early summers organizing bits and pieces of nature’s “art parts” into patterns on 2- and 3- dimensional surfaces.  Much of her outdoor time was spent along beaches assembling installations of flotsam & jetsam that would become rearranged by time, tide, and weather.  Participating in the long term process of building & observing the progress of disintegrating beach installations has been a life long interest. Although she trained in ceramics at university, Fox spent 32 years in the field of design & construction using the sewing machine– at various times employed making Art to Wear clothing; costumes for theater, dance, opera, & circus; and more recently in creating site specific installations for commercial interiors.  A full time studio artist since 2001, Fox maintains a fully equipped sewing studio on each coast where she primarily produces boldly colorful quilts with an abstract contemporary edge. Her large format quilts have been exhibited across the United States and in Europe. Scarf making offers the joyful opportunity to play with color and texture.

Chandra Garsson lives in Oakland, California. She grew up in Los Angeles, California. She has two degrees in fine art, including a Master of Fine Arts from San Jose State University, with her B.F.A. from U. C. Santa Cruz. After making perhaps two thousand or so paintings, sculptures, etchings, and mixed media works, shown nationally and internationally, Chandra has returned to an earlier and more ornamental mode, that of jewelry making. Her work has been most recently shown at Deep Roots Tea House Gallery, in Oakland. Before that, in the last show in the old space of Pro Arts Gallery (the first solo exhibition of the gallery at the time), over two hundred of Chandra Garsson’s works were shown in the exhibit, Insomnia (Awakening).  For now, after many years of work observing problems concerned with our human condition, she finds joy in the simplicity of beauteously decorating the people of our world. Artist states: “a Google search of my name and a click on my websites will confirm the radical nature of the change I have made in my work when I began making jewelry.” Her jewelry has been exhibited at Pro Arts Gallery, Oakland, The Gem Gallery and Bill’s Trading Post, Berkeley, and Itsy Bitsy, Rockridge.

Rohilah Guy was born in Canada and moved to the Bay Area in 1964. Rohilah works in pastel, watercolor, acrylic and sumi-e. She has recently begun Learn, Inc. Photography. Rohilah has always been interested in art, studying it as a child and in university. Encouraged by many people along the way, the artist continues to explore all facets of art.  She has been a weaver and a textile and clothing designer. Influenced by her textile design, she finds freedom to incorporate patterns and design into her paintings as did Henri Matisse. Currently she is focused on mixed media and photography.

Harriett Hache lives in Berkeley, CA. She has a graduate degree from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Mass. She is a professional artist working in multi media, painting and printmaking. All of Hache's work has an ongoing theme. First and foremost is the story-telling aspect. Her work involves the human form. When asked about the concept behind  her work; Harriett responds: "My work is about Relationships". I admire Picasso and David Hockney.

Catherine Hamlett lives in Oakland, Ca with her husband, Dennis. She was born in Pennsylvania in 1946, the second of three children and attended to college in the Midwest.  Although she really wanted to study “art”, she graduated in social work. She worked in the field for many years and retired as a Probation Officer from Alameda County in 1999. She has two daughters.  With parenting duties over and mortgage paid, it was time to return to “art”.  She has benefited from many art teachers over the last several years, including the staff at Laney College as well as private instructors. She has a background in the decorative arts—faux finishing, stenciling and murals—but it is only within the last several years that she started to work on canvas.  “I am learning to see as an artist does, slowly and appreciatively.  The light captivates me, and I love the sheer joy of color, bright and lively on the canvas.  And I love animals—all kinds of animals—and I get a kick out of painting them in humorous situations. Although I also paint landscapes, I always seem to come back to those sweet faces.”

Kelly Hammargren is a full time East Bay Artist who grew up in South Central Minnesota. She describes herself as being uncomfortable with routine and works in multiple mediums including: lithograph, intaglio, and linocut prints; oil painting, pastels, collage; clay and sculpture incorporating found objects. The common thread is to evoke thought and feeling. Often the works tell a story about life and culture. Kelly's formal education is a BA in Nursing from Gustavus Adolphus College and an MBA in Health Care Management from Golden Gate University. Early experience includes working as a Visiting Nurse in the poor inner City of Los Angeles. She often draws on this experience to bring attention to social justice issues. She has taken classes in Art "to speed up the process of learning to work in multiple mediums," but is mostly self-taught through looking at a lot of art."  This summer was typical. In a thirteen day trip in the Midwest, she visited nine museums. Kelly most admires artists who work in multiple mediums, continue to evolve through their careers, develop an individual style and express emotion in their art. Her summer favorite exhibits were Thorton Dial at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Aminah Robinson at the Columbus Museum of Art. 

Judy Katon Heim lives in San Francisco, California. She has been influenced by the Balinese belief that every child is born an artist. For Judy drawing and painting have been her passion. She began drawing weekly as a young child with her father as her teacher. Judy has studied art in New York City and continued in Hawaii. She has been taking art classes at San Francisco City College since 1996. At that time her medium was watercolor. Strong color has always been her trademark. As Judy’s interest in Aboriginal Art evolved she began to paint using acrylics. This medium allows for multiple layers to be applied to the canvas with creative colors, textures and designs. Judy’s artwork has been exhibited in a solo show in the Chancellor of San Francisco City College reception area. She has also exhibited at the City College Art Gallery. Judy’s vibrant paintings are interpretive in style. There is also a playful element in her work. She would like her artwork to be enjoyed by everyone who appreciates art as a creative, fun process. judykatonheim@gmail.com.

Bruce Heppler was born in Berkeley 1955 (Kaiser).  He graduated Berkeley High in 1973 and worked at Lawrence Berkeley Lab from 1975 to 1983 as a mechanical technician.  He moved to Covelo, Mendocino Country and opened a welding and repair shop.  Bruce has been working with metal all his life. He did an art sculpture for a benefit for a local music teacher whose mobile home burned (made a phoenix from trailer frame), got positive comments and started making other things.  He takes inspiration from many sources, notably Louis Armstrong, the Three Stooges, and the Marx Brothers. When he’s not working on farm equipment, he’s making art.

Nancy Hines lives in San Jose, CA. She has studied at the Columbus College of Art and Design in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Her father, Bob Hines,was a wildlife artist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service and it is his love of nature and animals that has created her interest in the outdoors. A love and care for all pets is a natural part of Nancy. A photographer first, she has taught herself to create painting from her photos by using the computer. Her digital paintings are made by a hand drawn stroke of the graphic pen to finish the images that you see today. Like other artist who refine their techniques, she will sometimes work on this process repeatedly until the final print is made.. Nancy uses both Photoshop and Painter software to accomplish this. She was named a first and third place winner at the  Los Gatos Museum Shows in 2009 for her pictures using this technique. Check out her web site at www.nancyhinesartist.com

Melanie Hofmann lives in South Berkeley. She has loved viewing and creating art since she was a child.  She has a degree from California College of the Arts in Textiles. In addition to her hand painted and printed fabric pieces, Melanie has ventured into the digital realm with her photographic, video and image transfer work. In this exhibit, she is showing her work on Italian Charm Bracelets. The 18mm charms on the bracelets feature her work or can be custom made to feature your photographs or artwork. Melanie has a collection of seven works of digital art in the corporate collection of Lifescan in Milpitas. She has been the featured artist in several corporate lobby exhibits curated by William Torphy, an art consultant. Melanie is currently inspired by the hummingbirds in her backyard that have provided lots of opportunities to photograph them when they are sitting in a tree, feasting on flower nectar, or playing in the fountain. She also ventures into the field to photograph hummingbirds in other Bay Area locations.

Stan Huncilman was born in Indiana but he is a product of the San Francisco Bay Area art world.  He attended San Francisco State University where he was introduced to Funk Art and Happenings in the ‘70s.  He received his M.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1984.  S.F.A.I. is the home of the Bay Area’s leading art instructors. He has been a sculptor for more than 25 years.  Stan works in a variety of materials.  As a matter of practice he uses the material that is most expedient to creating the sculpture he wants rather than “pushing a particular material.”  His sculptures often begin from a simple sketch.  He prefers to work in a direct manner rather than making molds of models before the final sculpture. The artist states: “I combine a child-like playfulness with primitivism. This creates a wonderland of intriguing forms and convoluted messages.  When I enter my studio there is a mental sign post reading “Linear Thinking Stops Here.” Through my sculpture I create a world of nutritiously puzzling paradigms whose roots may be in religion, folk art, nineteenth century industrialisms or Greek mythology.  In this world, a whimsical sense of humor walks arm in arm with an obstinate determination to create.  The sculptures in this exhibition are part of his “All My Psyches” series, a whimsical yet intriguing observation of the complexities of consciousness.  His solo exhibits include Holy Names College in Oakland, California and the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.

Diane Jacobson lives in Oakland, CA. She is a transplant from the Little League capital of the world, Williamsport, Pennsylvania. As a veteran teacher in the Oakland schools, she used many art projects and visual cues to instruct her English learners. Although she dabbled in art classes an undergraduate, her interest in glass art was not kindled until the 1990's.  Through classes at Studio One and the Crucible, she has expanded her areas of expertise to include kiln casting and working deep, as well as fusing and slumping glass.  Her pieces are represented in Pro Arts Open Studio as well as several galleries in the Bay Area.  Artist states, "What I like best about fused glass is its element of surprise.  Glass is a chameleon.  Observe the pieces as the light changes.  Glass is a fickle and somewhat undependable medium, as reactions to color and temperature cause a visual dance of light and texture.  Enjoy the dance."

Ann Jasperson lives and works in Stamford, CT but grew up north of Chicago the youngest of a large family. Always drawing, the fire that is art was started when a family friend gave her a Paint by Numbers set-then it was off to the races. Nurtured by her sister Joan and many wonderful teachers she attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and graduated in 1981 with a BFA in Drawing/illustration. Moving to New York soon after graduation, she “fell” into the toy business, then became a toy inventor which is her “day job”. But always in the background was a love of stones. Designing and creating jewelry has become a word of mouth business that has grown over the last five years. One of a kind pieces inspired by the natural beauty of stones and pearls done just Once makes for wearable art. Other interests include her internet cartoon Cranky Bears, her garden, dogs and husband G.C. Stone.

Minal Jeswani lives in the Bay Area. She received a BFA in pictorial art, San Jose State University, December 2009. She has exhibited her work in numerous places: Including: Art Object Gallery, San Jose, August, 29, 2009 -September 19, 2009.Kalied Gallery, San Jose, August, 2009-January, 2010, Works Gallery, San Jose, May 28th-June 12th, 2010 Alameda County Fair: Juried Exhibit, June 30th to July 11th, 2010. Sun Gallery, Hayward, CA. June 28th to July 24th, 2010, Phantom galleries, 2cc Gallery, Tesserae exhibit, Sept 4th-Oct 3rd 2010, Mystic Art Center,  Art in Pieces, CT  Oct 1st-Nov 13th, 2010, Art and Soul Gallery, Burlingame CA Sep-Nov 2010, Tesserae Tile and Stone gallery, Gloucester MA Oct-Nov 2010, Silver circle studio and gallery, CT, Reasonable and seasonable exhibit Nov/Dec 2010. Artist’s Statement My work is about chaos and order, about struggling to find balance in the ever- changing world around me, about keeping steady amidst the turbulence of a constantly altering world. Over the last three years my art made the switch from representational to non-objective. Art is a medium that allows me to be in the present moment and helps me connect with my subconscious. I’m interested more in the unseen than the seen world. I am primarily interested in the essence, the life force that connects us all, the underlying life source that inhabits every plant, animal, and human. My art is connected with my everyday world, whether perceived or conceived. My relationship with my work is a quest for getting to know myself; art is a gateway to my inner world. 

Amy Jo Karn lives in Oakland, CA, with her daughter. A native of New Mexico, she has been influenced by the bold and expressive art of Santa Fe, as well as by the Expressionist and Fauvist painters of the late 19th century. As a college student, Amy Jo studied Humanities and French in Boulder, Colorado, and continued on to earn a master's degree in History of Art from Northwestern University. Her shift from the study of Art History to art-making was a natural and liberating move. Her education in the History of Art enhances and inspires her artwork. As a painter, she is largely self-taught. She has a constant waiting list for custom pet portraits and has shown her work in cafes and galleries throughout the Bay Area. She was recently named Runner Up Best Pet Artist in Bay Woof’s Beast of the Bay Awards. Her paintings were also featured on Eye on the Bay, and Amy Jo was nominated for an Oakland Indie Award. Her style has been best described as "expressive," "folk- like," and "imaginative." She uses bold color combinations and expressive lines to create highly emotive paintings. Her pet portraits offer a stylized, adoring, playful look at the presence of pets in our homes and our daily lives.

Joanna Katz is a long time resident of Berkeley.  She was born in Princeton, N.J., and spent her teens in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Her interest in art dates back to the time she was a child.  She made pictures from a combination of her fantasies and scenes from the fairy tales her mother read to her sister and herself. Ms. Katz has a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, Iowa City.  When she first came to San Francisco in the early1960's, she took evening classes at the Art Institute.  In later years she drew from a model, drew scenes in coffee houses, and painted on her own.  "Settling in theEast Bay in 1980  I took Diane Rusnak's Vista class, Women in Art History, and saw a range of fascinating images created by women artists.  I was especially drawn to the women surrealists," says Joanna. "Three or four years ago, I started experimenting with digital images, combining scanned in material with photographs on my desk top in Adobe Photoshop."  Her egret prints are a result of these digital adventures. More of Joannna's digital work can be seen at www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/joanna-katz.html. 2010 and 2011 one person shows of Joanna's work are "Marvelous Gardensand Distant Vistas’ at Marvin Gardens Realty in Kensington and "Nests - digital prints" at the Fingado Art Gallery, El Cerrito.

Jon Kerpel was born in New York City in 1950 and received his formal art education with a sponsorship to the School of Visual Arts.  There he was instrumental in helping to run a progressive figurative workshop for four years.  In 1977 Jon had his first one-person show at 47 Bond Street Gallery.  Then in 1980 he had a life-changing experience when he attended a workshop at Arcosanti, an experimental city combining architecture with ecology in the Arizona desert.  Jon then left New York City permanently and lived near Arcosanti for two years.  As a result, his art form departed from a formal figurative style and became focused on animals and their relationship to the environment.    After moving to the Bay Area in 1982, Jon Kerpel took classes for three years at Laney College, immersing himself in ceramics and printmaking.  Since then he has exhibited primarily in the Bay Area and his artwork has been selected for inclusion in many exhibitions including three Pro Arts shows, several California Society of Printmakers shows as well as shows at Expressions Gallery, Art Works Downtown and K Gallery.  Recent one-person installations have been at Autobody Fine Arts, Alameda Free Library and the latest at Gallery 555, an off-site exhibition space sponsored by the Oakland Museum.  He has sat on the California Society of Printmakers Board and is currently on the Alameda Free Library Art Board.  Jon’s current medium is sculpture and shaped panels crafted with found and recycled objects focusing on positive animal imagery.

Suzanna Klein  has been living in the East Bay for years. She was born and raised on the East Coast. She graduated Goucher College in 1966 and then studied at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts 1968-69. She was employed as biological illustrator through the University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut; she illustrated Womenfolk and Fairytales, published by Houghton Mifflin, 1975. In 1976-9 she worked, at Faunus Furniture, Berkeley. She has been in various small shows and open studios. Suzanna studied with Roland Worthington and did many paintings in acrylics and oils, made small plaster objects and recently completed a ten year stint of digital painting. Working on the computer awakened her desire to make "hands-on" projects; this has led her into fabric work...weaving and most recently needle-felting. She is experimenting with converting her digital images into a softer, felty medium.

Coral Lambert, currently living in the US, was born and raised in England and studied at Central School of Art in London, Canterbury College of Art, Kent and received her MFA in Sculpture from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1990.  Since then Coral has shown her work extensively in England and America including The Barbican Center, London, Franconia Sculpture Park, MN, Convergence, in Providence, Rhode Island, Grounds for Sculpture and twice in Chicago’s International Navy Pier Walk. Coral Lambert has lectured as a visiting artist at the Royal College of Art, London and RIT, New York among many others. From 1995-1998 she held the position of International Artist/Research Fellow in cast metals at the University of Minnesota. In 2000 she was invited as the semester visiting artist at the University of North Carolina and has returned there several times since. Coral is the Founder of the US/UK Contemporary Cast Iron Sculpture Residency Program that has taken place in England and America annually since 1997. A recent recipient of the Jerome Fellowship and Gottlieb Foundation Award, she also has artwork in several private collections. She and her husband spent a brief time here in Berkeley, Ca after they were evacuated from the Gulf Coast hurricane Katrina where they lost much of their work. Coral is currently Co-Chair of the 5th International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art. Her artwork references asteroids, standing stones and volcanoes; icons of transformation that careen between astronomy above and archaeology below. Central to her work is the exploration of concepts related to growth and form, with a particular interest to those specifically found in natural phenomena that contain some kind of metaphysical presence.

Mary Lanza currently lives in Oakland California where she was born and raised. She became interested in collage art at an early age.  For many years she shared her talent with friends and family who encouraged her to sell her work rather than give it away. Although she did not have any formal training she found herself creating collage after collage and showing her work in cafes throughout the bay area. Mary, inspired by her love of vintage magazines, found herself creating collages from popular magazine from the 40s, 50s, and 60s.  By creating these collages she feels she is creating scenes and scenarios for her viewers to reminisce.  Her belief is that the viewer would recognize images from their past but by seeing them in the context she creates, the images seem new and fresh again.  She decided to join the Oakland Art Association in 2001 in order to share her work with the public. Her collage art has been shown and sold in banks, cafes, and retirement homes throughout the bay area.

Roberta Loach lives in Kensington, Ca. She had two children, a son, Robert who is deceased and her daughter, Judith who is Deputy Attorney General, Oakland, Ca.  She has an M.A in painting from San Jose State University and two teaching credentials, one in art and one in history and political science. Roberta taught art history for many years at West Valley College in Saratoga and etching, drawing and design at DeAnza College in Cupertino. She edited and wrote for a visual arts journal from 1975 – 1980 using an interview format. From 1990 – 2002 she exhibited her work in the gallery of Michael Himowitz, a major art dealer and close friend. Here she had four solo shows and a number of group shows. She was also in Smith Andersen Gallery in Palo Alto, the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara as part of their Bay Area Masters Series and her work is part of a number of private collections, most notably, Hunk and Moo Andersen of Atherton. She has curated many shows herself and has also served numerous times as a juror. Her work is currently at the SFMOMA Artist’s Gallery in San Francisco and at the Collectors Gallery in the Oakland Museum of Art. She is a member of the California Society of Printmakers and exhibits with them often. She had a solo show with Smith Andersen and with d.p. Fong in San Jose.  Roberta states “ My major artistic influences are Francisco de Goya, Bosch, Dix, Kallowitz, Beckman, Daumier, Matisse, Picasso, Robert Colescott, Leon Golub, Ben Shahn, Paul Cadmus and others.”

Charles Lucke lives in Hercules, CA. He began borrowing his father’s cameras while growing up in Stratford, CT, and has been a freelance photographer since the 1970s. He added a darkroom to each of five consecutive residences, and though he shoots mostly digital today, he continues to mine an inventory of thousands of slides and negatives for images to exhibit. His first solo exhibit, “Four Ways to Abstraction,” was on view at the XZIBTit Gallery in Hercules for two months in 2007, and in July 2008, the Hercules City Council awarded him First Place in the first annual Hercules Photography Contest. Charlie’s inspirations include Hugo Steccati and Ruth Bernhard, who, though their work is very different, were both creatively involved in photography to the end of their long and interesting lives. Regarding his interest in abstract photography, the artist states: “There’s a desire in me to create something that no one else has created (or at least, not precisely the way I have created it.) It’s a way to free the form and change it from a visual reality to an unreality. It’s a way to free the process from the precise reproduction of tone, colors, and forms and let the right brain reign.” Charles brings to us visions of nature we all wish to preserve.

Laura Luzzi, M.S. grew up in NJ and formally studied art in 1992 at the NW College of Art in Oregon. During her years as a therapist and in higher education, her illustrations were published with Wild Earth magazine. Laura moved to NM where she started to paint in acrylic and experiment with mixed media. She aims to paint in ways that inspire and challenge observers to discuss, interpret and conceptualize what is happening. She enjoys painting "your favorite things". Laura has exhibited in solo and group shows in the SF Bay Area for several years now, also serving as Art Competition Judge with the First Hispanic Youth Symposiums in CA & NM and as volunteer Board of Director with Berkeley Art Center. She states, "personal, emotional and potentially healing, art is an opening to a world of symbols and at its best, elicits a response". www.tigerseyeonart.com

Jennifer Wallace Mack has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute.  She works in various media: painting, photography, mixed media, and jewelry.  Her work is consistent in the quality and detail in each medium she applies.  She has exhibited at a number of solo and group shows, many of which were juried.  Shown at Expressions Gallery is her magnificent jewelry.  Jennifer has served on various Boards of Directors for long standing Artists Organizations such as the San Francisco Women Artists, where she was a past President and Vice Treasurer and The San Francisco Gem and Mineral organization where she was Treasurer.

John Mallon grew up in the East Bay Area being born in Oakland, his present residence. Arts and crafts have been an interest since early childhood. While in the Navy, pencil portraits were a hobby. From there sculpture and painting became an interest as time went by, resulting in private painting instruction from a bay area teacher. A long list of “How To” art books have helped along the way with sculpture and pencil drawing, as well as a teacher in woodcarving. Awards came from Art shows presented by the Oakland and Alameda Art Associations the past 20 years.  Mallon was a Member and has been President of both Associations. Mallon states: “Monet, Dali and CA painter George Otis are an inspiration to me.  Color and graphite pencil are my favorite and best mediums. At the beginning of 2000, he states: “ I was inspired by the dot paintings of the Australian Aboriginals, somewhat similar to Seurat’s pointillism, using dots of acrylic paint to build texture.” For ten years, he focused on dot painting and then discovered the color combinations that create 3-D seen with 3-D glasses. Many of his dot paintings created during the 10 years period were 3-D, he discovered as he just happened to use colors that create the 3-D effect without realizing it. Most of his work now is in 3-D deliberately. Another interest has been in fun projects decorating hats using fabric paint and making fun clocks and masks.

Dr. Ruth Marcus lives and works in Germany. She first studied medical surgery and worked as a medical surgeon for years. Then she started to build houses, besides she worked as a photographer and journalist and she is the owner of an advertising agency. She lives on a court at the foot of a castle with her husband, dobermann Toele, the cat Tussie, the Arab stallion Sharon and the rabbits H5 and N1. A visitor is at first surprised about the stallion on the terrace. At the end of the visit, he almost takes for granted that Sharon may come into the living room in the evening, however.  She started working on free photo projects in 2004. She was educated at the film academie in Hamburg, learned a lot from the photographic experts Doc Baumann and Uli Staiger and was influenced since her early years by the sculptor August Gaul. Her main photographic theme is animals. Her intention is to show them as natural and beautiful as they are, simultaneously by a maximal formula reduction. All of her photographic projects start at her personal environment. From that point she has a look at the topic from among as many viewpoints as possible. So it has been with the project " Touching your soul: animals as therapy“ in which she has taken at first pictures from her seriously ill first husband together with Tussie the cat. And the same thing happened with her illustrated book “Hundeaugenblicke“(dog-eyes-moments) which appeared at the Collection Rolf Heyne 2007 in Germany. Therefore she started taking pictures of her beautiful dobermann “Toele“. The book shows several breeds of dogs in new and unknown sights in front of a black or white background. The first time she presented her works on the exhibition show Photo figure 05 in Berlin and then she participated in various group exhibitions in Berlin, Frankfurt and Hamburg. Her work has been shown in individual exhibitions at Meiser in Hanau 2006 and 2007 and she had an individual exhibition in the National Museum Koblenz. With a selection of her works she is represented at the Flo Peters Gallery in Hamburg and at Expressions Gallery in the United States. She prints her large photographs directly on UV Plastic or on Aluminum or on Foam Board.

Elena E. Maroth lives in Kensington, CA. Born close to the sea in Cuba, Elena has been surrounded throughout her life by nature, music, and visual beauty. The rhythms of the ocean and the culturally vibrant life of Havana  inspired Elena early on to dance and paint. She studied ballet with dancer and choreographer Alberto Alonso at Pro Arte Musical, continuing at the legendary Alicia Alonso Ballet School in Havana. She also studied art the celebrated Havana  Escuela San Alejandro, where many outstanding Cuban artists received their early training. After moving to the U.S., Elena’s art has continued to be inspired by her early environment as well as by her ballet training: she has brought to her visual art work the joy and rhythm of color and movement. She works mainly with acrylics; most of her canvases are 3x3 or 4x4 feet in size. Her published work includes a Univ. of New Mexico New Music Festival brochure cover painting and several classical music CD cover pictures for the Berkeley CD label Music

Joanie Mitchell was born in Ohio and educated in New York and London.  She has had a traveler’s life and as she went about, she drew the world. She writes of her art ‘I was the master of the quick sketch and with a few lines I captured the markets and temples of India, Balinese ceremonies, the rainforest of Hawaii and Peru.  And when I came to long for color, I found the art of batik painting..I found batik, or batik found me.  It was in a little Balinese guesthouse that I first saw the dye spreading to meet the golden lines of wax, and I was determined to learn all about it.  I started to study in Java with Umar Hassidin in the batik city of Solo, Java, and continued my work at the studio of master batik painter, Ketut Sujana in Ubud, Bali.  For fifteen years I have created batik in Ketut’s studio. I also made oil paintings and continued to follow my original passion for line drawing. Joanie has exhibited in Bali, Hawaii and Northern California and her work has appeared in magazines and books, including several collections of drawings and writing for the SEVA Foundation.

Maj-Britt Mobrand lives in Berkeley, CA but was born and grew up in Stockholm, Sweden.  As a little girl, she saw her grandmother’s loom in the attic and was very intrigued by it and knew she wanted to master one of those.  She has taken weaving classes both in Sweden and the U.S., but is for the most part self-taught.  She has been teaching weaving here in Berkeley since 1968.  Some of the juried shows she has participated in are U.C. Berkeley and Live Oak Art Galleries in Berkeley (1969); Artist League of Vallejo Gallery (1975); Olive Hyde Art Gallery in Fremont (1988); and Pro Arts Gallery in Oakland (2006 and 2008).  She has also participated in many Open Studios and has shown her work at various local venues and as a result has weavings in many private collections. Artist states:  “I enjoy using traditional weaves and patterns in a non-traditional manner and am striving to find a harmonious balance between the natural and the artificial or planned.  My inspiration is derived from music, nature, travels, and from my students.  It’s wonderful to see the enthusiasm of my students as they develop their projects on their looms after I’ve given them the ‘know how’.”

Christine Mulder was born in Santa Cruz, California and has lived in the Bay Area most of her life. But it was only after earning her MSW that her formal art studies began. Classes at junior colleges allowed her to acquire the basics of drawing, watercolors and acrylics, and in the past few years she has studied both acrylics and oils at Artes Cedraz in Salvador, Brazil, where she makes her second home. She counts as one of her main influences Jane Hofstetter, and states: "Although Jane's focus in her classes has been watercolor, her emphasis on strong design elements and use of color has helped me improve my work in whatever medium I choose."  Christine's work has been juried into various shows and competitions, among them, county fairs of Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, and Marin Counties. She is also an award-winning  member of the California Watercolor Association, Oakland Art Association, and El Cerrito Art Association, where she exhibits regularly. Warm weather frequently finds her outdoors sketching and painting with the East Bay Plein Aire Painters.  This is Christine's first time exhibiting at Expressions Gallery

Vicki Pierpont was born in California and raised in the Bay Area.  She presently lives in the Lamorinda area where she paints weekly with a group in Walnut Creek and Orinda.  She graduated from the University of Oregon with a major in Art Education.  She has always had a deep interest in the arts but only started painting seriously five years ago as a diversion to caring for gravely ill family members.  Her primary media is oil, and she paints a variety of subject matters including the abstract paintings on display.  She has work in private collections through out the greater Bay Area, the wine country, Lake Tahoe, Southern California, and in Coeur D' Alene and Sun Valley Idaho.  She has also displayed her work in galleries in Palm Desert, and Soquel California and in Ketchum, Idaho.

Marcia Poole was born in Washington D.C. and moved to the Berkeley in her early twenties. She has traveled extensively since then, but always returned to San Francisco or Berkeley to make her home. She pursued studies during this period in art, politics and philosophy and her artistic production is based on these interests. A former Zen lay priest and still a yogi, she attempts to bring spirit to form. She earned her B.A. from San Francisco State University in computer graphics/conceptual design and studied various artistic disciplines in the Bay Area & Mexico. She was fortunate enough to have training in drawing and printmaking with Jos Sances and Rene Castro, pastels with Rupert Garcia and painting with Paul Pratchenko. She collaborates artistically with Louis Cuneo and also coordinates the Berkeley Poetry Festival with him. Her personal works are more symbolic - often conveying political realities, social needs and spiritual calm within chaos. Her prints have been seen in numerous juried shows and are currently on view at galleries in the Bay Area. She won the “2010-2011 510arts.com Honorable Mention for Photography” and is a member of BayVAN. Her works are Haiga, the visual aspect of Haiku. More of her work can be seen on www.cuneopoole.com, www.mothershen.com and www. leanfrog.com

Winthrop Prince has lived in Berkeley for about 30 years but grew up in the Boston Area. He is from a family of artists; his grandmother was an illustrator, his mother and aunt were Painters. He met the Illustrator Bill Shields at the Academy of Art in SF and chose him as a mentor. After graduating with a BFA in Illustration from the Academy
Winthrop made a living as an illustrator, a nationally syndicated newspaper cartoonist and a fine artist showing his art at galleries and cafes. He has received awards from the East Bay Watercolor Society and Print Magazine for his drawings. Growing up he always admired artists who had a certain humor to their approach. Today some of his influences are Red Grooms, David Park, Robert Crumb, Moebius, Phillip Guston and Saul Steinberg. He is presently involved in a graphic novel that aspires to stretching the medium by abstracting the images and story in the manner of the fine artist with the intention of lending more “sophistication” and soul to the comic medium.

Charlene Richter currently lives in San Francisco where she was born and raised.  Her first adventure into the world of art was when she learned to knit at the age of 5.  From there she taught herself how to crochet, sew, weave. spin and dye raw fiber, and then about 6 years ago she moved into the the world of jewelry making.  Currently she is designing jewelry and multi-pieced silk scarves.  The unifying factor in all her work is the essence of color.  The artist who has influenced her the most is Kaffee Fassett, who started out as a painter, but who is now working with textiles.  She admires his unique sense of mixing different patterns and colors.  Artist states, " I love to work with colors,.to watch what happens when you put them next to each other and to make them sing".

Diego Marcial Rios lives in the Bay Area and paints in acrylics. He graduated with honors with an M.A. from the Universityof Wisconsin at Madison, Department of Fine Arts Graduate School and  a B.F.A. from University of California at Berkeley. He received a number of honors scholarships for Academic study. His artwork illustrates many complex social-economic issues faced by contemporary society. About his work he states: “I create art that is visually stimulating to gain initial viewer acceptance.  Once this is achieved, the viewer is confronted with ancient symbols of life and death.”  The figures and landscapes in the art are inspired by what I have experienced and later dreamed about. Diego’s work has been widely shown throughout the United States and Mexico and he is in a number of Museum Collections: The Auchenbach Foundation Collection at the Palace of the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco, Coos Art Museum, Coos Bay, Oregon; Laguna Beach Museum, Laguna Beach, Ca.; Museo National De La Estampa, Mexico City, Mexico, etc.. He has also illustrated a number of books and his work is part of a number of Public Collections: Harriet Taubman Gallery, MD; Mission Cultural Center, SF; The Collector Gallery of the Oakland Museum,Oakland, Ca.; Irish Arts Council, Belfast, Irelandand many more.  He has appeared as a speaker on Art and been interviewed on Television. His artwork has been included in many magazines.

Selma Rockett lives in Berkeley, California and was born and raised in Lewiston, Maine. As a very young child, Selma learned to use “make believe, fantasy, whimsy and pretend” to enhance her days and this is what influences her art. Many wonderful people she has met in life inspire her work. Hats have always had a role in her life. Selma is primarily self-taught however she did study briefly with Bertha Underwood in Oakland, Ca.  Her mediums include fabric, straw, yarn, wool and “lovely trinkets, feathers, buttons and all things shiny.”  The hats are hand molded, using an art medium to set the design. The hats are not ‘named’ as most are one of a kind—therefore ABSOLUTE WHIMSEY.

Rosie Rosenthal lives in Berkeley and grew up in the Bay Area. Her grandfather was a rock hound, her grandmother crocheted and painted china and watercolors; her mother was an artist – she painted and made jewelry. As a child she took classes at Studio One. As a young adult, she did jewelry and batik before pursuing a BFA in Fine Arts at the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1975. She states, “Alexander Calden’s Jewelry and Faberge inspire me.” She has received a number of awards for her printmaking, and is in Arthur Murray’s collection. Her current modality is unique jewelry with handmade beads, semi-precious stones, and pearls, that is whimsical and elegant which she is showing at Expressions Gallery.

Christine M. Rossi lives in Berkeley California and originally comes from a rural area in up-state New York. Christine began exploring art at an early age winning several art competitions while in high school. She was influenced by Japanese art and theater while on an exchange program to Japan. Christine later studied costume design at SUNY Binghamton, illustration, oil painting and color theory through the University of California Extension Programs and has also explored the mediums of Oil, Casein and Encaustic paint. She recently branched into photography to include original photographic images within her pieces through the use of collage, transfer and digital manipulation. Christine’s rich palette of color enhances the subject of interest, which includes mythological, natural and iconic imagery brought together in paintings and collage to tell a specific story or to create  living characters within a two dimensional world.  Christine exhibits in galleries in the San Francisco Bay Area and has artwork displayed on http://www.mesart.com. as well as her blog and websitewww.chrisrossiart.com . Prints of these works are available upon reservation through this gallery.

Angelica Samame lives in Lafayette, CA. Her interest in art started when she was a young girl in Peru, but her artistic career began in 2000. She experimented with different artistic mediums and found that she prefers acrylics because of the vibrancy of color. For Angelica, art is an obsession, a fascination, and an adventure. Angelica has taken many classes at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill and at Civic Arts in Walnut Creek, Lafayette and Orinda. She has also taken workshops from many different artists. She is influenced by contemporary masters such as Hessam Abrishami, Goldi Mahallati, Manuel Anoro, Dan McCaw, Arthur Bernard, and Sunol Alvar. Angelica's work is currently showing at  Moraga Art Gallery.

T. Scott Sayre is an internationally acclaimed artist  residing in the Bay Area for the last 25 years.  He produces murals and fine art. He has done work for Labor unions for many years, including the carpenters union in Seattle Washington, which houses a depiction of the history of labor. Other works include an historical mural created for The City of Cupertino in the foyer of the city hall and the Life of Jack London, at the Jack London Square in Oakland. His work can be seen from Japan to Washington DC.The Plumbers Union has an original mural in their office in Sacramento. In 2003 Scott received the Master Muralist award from Precita Eyes.You can view his work at, studiowindows.com

Eva Schlesinger lives in Berkeley, and is a native of Southeastern Connecticut, where she grew up in a community of artists, writers, and musicians. She began painting and drawing at the age of two; she also spent her childhood making handmade books, weaving, spinning wool, making straw baskets as well as doing calligraphy, pottery, batik, and photography. Imogen Cunningham’s work inspires her photography; Klee, Miró, Picasso, Calder, and Matisse’s art inspire her work with color and design. She is primarily self-taught, but has studied printmaking at Oberlin College, photography at University Wisconsin-Madison, and book arts at San Francisco Center for the Book. Artist states: “I enjoy capturing the whimsical in everyday experiences, whether in the animals I draw or photograph. My photos in the show come from animals I’ve seen on hikes in North Berkeley.” Eva has previously exhibited at the Berkeley Art Center and the Barbara Anderson Gallery as well as libraries and cafes on the East and West Coasts. When not creating art, she plays magical flute melodies, and writes.

Mary K. Shisler plays with plastic cameras and enjoys her companionship with herthree dogs and horse, Skimmel.  She resides in the Bay Area.  She grew up inWisconsin and has an M.F.A. in theatre costume design from the University ofWisconsin - Madison.  She always drew as a child and had an interest in theatre from an early age.  She works in alternative photography media such as cyanotypes and gum prints. Anna Atkins is her hero.  Anna produced the first book illustrated in photographic images, PHOTOGRAPHS OF BRITISH ALGAE: CYANOTYPEIMPRESSIONS in 1843.  Mary adores her because she is both a botanist and a photographer. THE SILLY DANISH GOAT represents her interest in alternative cameras such as a Lomo plastic camera with a fish eye lens. The goat lived behind her in-law’s home in Denmark. She has a one person show, ALLEGRO, PESTO ADAGIO, LARGO, running from October 15, 2011 to November 29, 2011 at the Picturish Gallery in Berkeley. Over the years she has won numerous awards for her work with alternative photography.   She is also an artist in residence at Kala Art Institute.  She teaches cyanotypes there as well.

Rita Sklar is an award-winning artist who lives in the Bay Area.  She took up art seriously in 2000 attending classes and workshops throughout the Bay Area and training with a private watercolor master in Madrid for a year. She draws inspiration from her life in the multi-cultural Bay Area.  Previously, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal, West Africa and worked for corporate giving programs and foundations serving the Bay Area’s non-profit community. Sklar’s works are in private collections across the country and in Europe.   Her paintings of animals and birds have been shown at the Oakland Zoo and other venues.  Her landscapes have been shown at Filoli Gardens.  Sklar skillfully juggles organic and geometric forms, transparent and opaque paint - all held together by a basic abstract underlying shape. It is this intricate dance, rendered in strong color and value, which produces her exciting paintings. Rita depicts wildlife in her compelling paintings.  By choosing species at risk and emphasizing their beauty, Sklar reminds us that the diminishing populations not only are a loss to us but send an urgent warning about the health of our environment. Her paintings reflect a balance between the reality of representational shapes and forms juxtaposed with abstract backgrounds. The use of texture weaves a distinctive tapestry that adds complexity. She has had a number of solo exhibits.

Emily Jurs Sparks is a native of Oakland. She is a soprano with Chora Nova, and she also likes to write. She has had no formal art training, but has been making things all her life. Her house and yard are her main canvas, where her biggest installations are the deer mural on the hillside retaining wall, Allegra the garden dryad, and the pique-assiette (broken ceramic) wall on the driveway that delivery trucks keep breaking. In the house, few surfaces are safe from paintbrush or glue; so far her Saab is untouched. Her current art form is toy-size Art Cars, inspired by what you see in the "How Berkeley Can You Be?" parade. Emily combines materials such as collage, piece- and glue-work. She does not use patterns; all her work is original. Animals, the whimsical, and the unexpected are driving forces. Her favorite subject has always been animals, and they are passengers in all her Art Cars.

Arlene Risi Streich, grew up and lives in Oakland, Ca. and cannot remember a time that she has not been interested in art. She received her B.A. ED and A.B. F. A. (Painting) from California College of Arts and Crafts (Now CCA) and has lived and spent much time in Mexico doing painting and photography. She has taught in the Oakland Public Schools, Diablo Valley College (Painting, drawing and fashion illustration) and CCAC (Children’s classes). She is presently exhibiting her glass jewelry, a medium started four years ago, and her painting. Her Jewelry work is influenced by her background in painting incorporating a bold use of color and line. Her painting and jewelry work has been shown in numerous exhibits around the country and in private collections. Artist states: “Our role as artists is to continue to amaze, provoke, stimulate, delight and agitate the senses. The fact that we continue to do so is a testimonial to not being complacent, while trying to process the internal/external creative dialogue.”

Wynette Weaver, RN, BS, currently living in Albany, was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah at the foot of the magnificent Wasatch Mt, Range to the East and a vista stretching to the horizon in the West. After receiving the usual brownie camera at age 11, Wynette took out a bank loan to buy a “good” camera in order to take better pictures. She became curious about what was on the other side of the Wastch Moutains so as soon as she could drive, she took off down the winding, narrow mountain road to find out. Her love of photography and travel blended seamlessly. Wynette seeks to take a scene from daily life and convey that atmosphere for vicarious enjoyment. When digital imaging became available, she recognized the infinite possibilities for more deeply conveying the mood and sense of the place through color and technical work with the basic photo. She has taken a number of photography and art courses, entered many shows, won prizes, sold images, and published photos in travel brochures and articles.

Judy Bebelaar taught English and creative writing in San Francisco public high schools for thirty-seven years. Her work has been published widely, most recently in Pearl, Westview, The Old Red Kimono, Schuylkill Valley Journal, Willard and Maple, The Griffin, The Squaw Valley Review,  Ship of Fools, and The Louisville Review. She recently won an honorable mention in the San Francisco Pen Women's poetry contest and was a finalist in Flyway's Writing the Wild chapbook contest.

Gail Newman was born in Germany and raised in Los Angeles. She lives in San Francisco with her husband. She is a museum educator at the Contemporary Jewish Museum and a poet-teacher for California Poets in the Schools. She has published two books of poems by children, Dear Earth and C is For California, and Inside Out, a book of lessons for high school teachers. She was the co-founder and editor of Room, A Women’s Literary Journal. Her poems have appeared in numerous anthologies, including Ghosts of the Holocaust, California Woman Poets and Dear Gentlepersons. One World is her first collection of poetry. Gail Newman’s recent publication, One World, chronicles a woman’s life of looking for and making poetry—alert for news, deciphering the unspoken and the half-said, questioning the present day and the past.

Fernando D. Castro was born in Ibagué, Colombia. Just two months before turning fifteen he left familiar surroundings to emigrate with his family to the New York City neighborhood of Jackson Heights – the heart of New York City's Colombian community. He grew up in an immigrant working-class family that wanted to embrace the American dream and yet was painfully aware of its contradictions.

Joie Cook has been participating in San Francisco poetry events since the early 1980's.  Beginning at the Spaghetti Factory readings in North Beach with the likes of Bob Kaufman and Gregory Corso, she entertained the crowds with her performance poetry until that venue ended.  Then, she was the first reader to christen the Babar Cafe series which lasted nearly a decade, and considers herself a "Babarian" poet.  It's been a long, exciting but rocky road for Joie, who now suffers from late stage Hepatitis C, which limits her ability to do many readings.  She will turn 60 in November.

Richard Loranger is a writer, performer, visual artist, and all around squeaky wheel, currently residing in Oakland, CA.  He is the author of Poems for Teeth, as well as The Orange Book and eight chapbooks, including Hello Poems and The Day Was Warm and Blue.  He’s currently working on a series of ecstatic odes.  Recent work can be found in Correspondence 1, 2, & 3, CLWN WR 42 & 45, and the anthologies you say. say and hell strung and crooked (both Uphook Press) and Beyond the Rift: Poets of the Palisades (Poets Press).  He wants only a calm moment.

Whitman McGowan lives in the Bay Area. One of his first public readings was with Kenneth Rexroth’s class in the UC Santa Barbara Ucen building taken over by activists during the anti-war protests of 1970 and a few years later he participated in a Guinness World record poetry marathon with Maya Angelou at the RainbowCommunity Center in Berkeley. He really kick started his public career reading poems for a dollar each at a Pasadena, California coffeehouse, putting poetry on the menu where he worked. He began traveling via courier flights to broaden his horizons and his first featured reading somehow took place on a farm in Northfield, Minnesota, his first solo appearance at Tigh Johnny, an Irish pub on the Rue Montmartre in Paris. Back home in California he became known for crafting a pagan anthem, “White Folks Was Wild Once, Too.” Since 1985 he has performed extensively in the San Francisco Bay Area and at the first National Poetry Slam, held in San Francisco in 1990, he was employed as the barker at the front door. He’s also hit most of the blue states and some of the red ones and toured Europe four times, often collaborating with flute player Margery Snyder and electronica artist DJ Louka (Lucalyptus). He’s also worked with guitarists East Bay Ray of The Dead Kennedys and Bob Log III and shared the stage with Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Attila the Stockbroker, Billy Childish, Jello Biafra and Lydia Lunch. Lately he has been dispensing wisdom via the persona of a sort of self help anti-guru named Trungpa Bumbleche and has recently been ordained by the Universal Life Church. Some anthologies to include him are Poems for the Retired Nihilist (Fortune Teller Press, London, 2005), Public House (Public House Press, San Francisco, 2004) and New American Underground Poetry: Volume 1: The Babarians of San Francisco - Poets from Hell (Trafford Press, Victoria, B.C., 2005). He’s also been published in Salon and a hundred other places. His two compact discs PO FU (Viridiana, 2000) and CAUGHT IN THE ACT (Little Records, 2003, combine storytelling, chant, comedy and talksinging. A book of his greatest spoken word hits, “Uncommon Knowledge,” with illustrations by Firesign Theater art director Bruce Litz is coming this fall from Berkeley's Zeitgeist Press. Whitman is on the Web athttp://www.whitmanmcgowan.com

Margery Snyder is a poet, flute-player & Poetry Guide at About.com (http://poetry.about.com/). She was born in Washtucna, a small town amid the dry wheat lands in the downwind shadow of the Hanford Atomic Reservation in eastern Washington state. She grew up in southern California, studied in Santa Barbara, Boston & Chicago, and began to write & perform poetry only after she settled in San Francisco in 1985, and came under the influence of the poets of North Beach and Cafe Babar. She is the author of Loving Argument (Viridiana: SF, 1991), The Gods, Their Feathers (Blue Beetle Press: SF, 1993), The Secret Humming (Mel Thompson Publishing: SF, 1994), and Earthly Magic (Deep Forest Press: SF, 2001). Her poems have been widely published in small press magazines and poetry journals, and she has read to audiences throughout northernCalifornia & in Paris, London, Portland, Vancouver, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas,Albuquerque, Detroit, Boston and New York. Her work lives on the Net in many places.