Butterflies and Vineyards

Gallery reception: Saturday, November 3, 3 - 6pm Fine Art Oil Painter, Donna Schaffer, says she feels privileged to live in the Dry Creek Valley, just to the northwest of the town of Healdsburg. In recent years she’s planted heritage zinnias, salvia, cosmos, black-eyed susans and milkweed in order to attract the widest range of butterflies. Quietly sitting next to the flowers, with her camera ready, she’s had quite a bit of success, and uses these reference photos to compose and create her paintings. In addition to butterflies, Schaffer says her "neighborhood" landscapes have glorious seasons and personalities. She captures these scenes on canvas so she can share the best seasons and the best times of day with her collectors. Some of her paintings are accomplished on-site or "plein aire", other paintings are based on her sketches, color notes and her personal reference photos. Schaffer's original oil painting interpretations range from using thick paint (impasto) on some creations to smooth, detailed observations on others. Donna has lived amongst the vineyards in Dry Creek Valley since 1990, a place where she can paint her passion for northern California’s flora and fauna, especially her very popular and widely collected vineyards. Not limited to the land, she has painted a vast collection of marine life paintings. Her passionately curious mind pushes her to learn scientific knowledge about each subject that she paints. Donna says, “Sometimes I think I should’ve become a botanist or biologist instead of a fine arts painter”. Ms. Schaffer is a studio painter, and has been painting full time since 1996. Her background is in advertising and photojournalism from the years she lived in Silicon Valley. She continues to take workshops to hone her painting and observation skills. Donna’s oil paintings will be featured in the window and inside the gallery for the month of November. Ron Sumner - Small Works Showcase Ron Sumner is the featured artist for the Small Works Showcase in November. His poetic watercolors are seemingly created with minimal and languid expressive movements of line and design. His collection comprises old barns, birds, landscapes and water related subject matter. Ron grew up in Northern California and began his art training while in high school. He earned a BFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts. Following that, Ron worked as a technical illustrator for various engineering firms. Today he paints full time, focusing on seascapes, landscapes, horses and West Coast Birds. Coming from a family of artists, Ron’s three brothers are professional artists as well. Among his many accolades includes a portrait of John F. Kennedy that he painted which is now part of the permanent collection of the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, and over the last couple years The Artist’s Magazine has chosen his work to be included in their art book publications. Upstairs Art Gallery is Open daily, 11 am - 6 pm.