FSVAA Gallery

Solano Towne Center
1350 Travis Blvd., Fairfield, CA

ArtDivas as spotlight artists

September 11 - October 26, 2024

Celebratory Ribbons ~ Mixed-Media Manipultated Canvas ~ 32 x 52
Artist: Janet Manalo ( Close-up View )

Two decades of ArtDivas creation will be exhibited at Solano Town Center Gallery

Daily Republic Newpaper ~ Reporter Amy Maginnis-Honey

FAIRFIELD — The ArtDivas are celebrating their 20th anniversary with a show at the Solano Town Center gallery.

Ann Jacobs, Brigitte Sukeforth and Anna Maria Sablan joined forces in August 2004 to explore their love of collage. Jacobs is a retired educational paraprofessional who works as a painter on canvas, paper and fiber. Sablan, a graphic designer and owner of Anagrafx Advertising-Design, is a photographer, collage and computer artist. Sukeforth is a designer of quilt patterns and collage artist.

Five additional "Divas" joined, including Annie Johnson, a painter who works in mixed media; Janet Manalo, a web designer working in digital photography, textiles and acrylics; and Robin Rossi, a printmaker and 3-D artist.

Between 2004 and 2006, the ArtDivas created Unpuzzling the Tangram, an exhibit that traveled to four venues. A 20-foot mural created during that timeframe, was sold to benefit a local arts advocacy group.

Maps and Messages: An Artful Journey opened in 2006. The year ended with Visual Harmony, which was displayed on Oliver's Wall, at what is now the Downtown Theatre.

Life has changed over the past two decades. Some of the "Divas" have moved; others have lost spouses, but the bond remains. The group said they are more of a sisterhood now.

Sablan said she never thought about the group celebrating 20 years. "You're always hopeful," she said.
Jo McLain considers herself the "newbie" of the group. Locals saw her art at the Lawler House Gallery in Suisun City. "I admired the ArtDivas for years," she said. "It's just like you have these goals in life. One of my goals was to be part of wonderful ArtDivas group. I was thrilled when I became a member."

Annie Johnson loves being with other creative people. "We've had a lot of wonderful shows through the years," she said. "We are always creating." Since joining the group, Johnson said she has done more collage work and has been in more shows.

Manalo is a "Diva Sistah" at heart after relocating to Southern California. She will have a piece in this show and will fly up for the reception. "20 years of exciting exhibits, wild workshops, arty adventures and enjoying a strong sisterhood encapsulates my ArtDiva experiences," she shared in an email. "We all gained confidence as individual artists through our sincere critiques. We also quickly learned to collaborate, and created fascinating artwork which incorporated all our unique styles of expression.
"Personally, I learned greater details about book-making, paper-making, printing and etching, just to name a few of the shared techniques."

The group's last show was in 2019 in Benicia. Each show has a theme. This one centers on Celebrate.
"The pieces focus on something we are celebrating besides 20 years together," Johnson said. Hers is a whimsical celebration of friendship.

Sablan is thinking about art after the show. She usually does linear work. Now, she wants to create something more loose. "I usually know where I am going when I am doing something," she said.

Jacobs' creation draws inspiration from travels and family. As the women age, family becomes more important, she said. Her piece focuses on her husband's family who came from Ireland.

The ArtDivas will be the spotlight artists during 'The Open Show,' opening September 11. It runs through October 26.

The reception is 4 to 6 p.m. September 21 at the Gallery, 1350 Travis Blvd., on the second floor. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Wanna Play ~ Altered Books and Vintage Board Games ~ 18 x 18 x 12

Pasadena Society of Artists

Artist's Choice Exhibition

Group Exhibition

September 1 -30, 2023

Whites Fine Art in Montrose

2414 Honolulu Ave, Montrose, CA 91020

Coming Into Focus ~ Acrylic and Pencil on Canvas ~ 32x32

Pasadena Society of Artists

98th Annual Juried Art Show

June 5 - July 14, 2023

Creative Arts Group Gallery

108 N. Baldwin Ave.
Sierra Madre, CA 91024

Reception: June 9, 2023
7-9 PM

Wanna Play ~ Altered Books and Game Boards ~ 18 x 18 x 12

Confections

An all-media group exhibition

Online only
April 29 - May 26, 2023

Las Laguna Art Gallery

Women in Art

April 6-29, 2023

Online Group Exhibition

Undisclosed Location

An all-media exploration
of environments,
both real and imagined

Online only
September 17 - October 9, 2022  

Pasadena Society of Artists

97th Annual
Juried Exhibition

May 2 - May 27, 2022






Betsy Lueke Cultural Arts Gallery
Burbank, CA

Los Angeles Art Association's
2021 Open Show

featuring the very best
in emerging art.
Juried by Peter Frank, Art Critic

December 11, 2021
through January 7, 2022

Gallery 825

825 N. La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90069

Pasadena Society of Artists

96th Annual
Juried Exhibition

October 15 - November 13, 2021

Whites Fine Art Gallery

2414 Honolulu Ave, Montrose, CA

Los Angeles Art Association

"Ceremonial" Online Group Exhibit

Online September 8 - 24, 2021

Pasadena Society of Artists

Oil and Acrylic

July 15 - August 15, 2021

Group Exhibition

Pasadena Society of Artists

Artist's Choice Exhibition

June 1 - June 30, 2021

Group Exhibition

Las Laguna Art Gallery

Purely Abstract

May 6-29, 2021

Group Exhibition

True abstract art not only
utilizes flexibility and freedom;
it also employs bold uses
of color, line, pattern, form, process, mark making and composition.

Los Angeles
Art Association
is proud to present

FAT CITY

FAT CITY is an opportunity
for artists to illuminate and challenge our shared understandings of what
landscape means in 2021.

FAT CITY will run online
April 24 - May 14, 2021

Los Angeles
Art Association
is proud to present

READY GO !

an all media presentation of artwork created
since the challenges
of 2020.

"Mask - or - Aid" ~ Altered Book Assemblage ~ 16x20