While embracing a strong sense of the handmade, Carlos Fernandez’s paintings and drawings draw on the history of geometric abstraction as well as recent formalism. // Carlos’s available work // exhibition history Roses are Red, or, See what Kitty can do without fighting the war? organized by Liam Golden // NIAD Online Exhibition // August 2023 Small Wonders, organized by kg // NIAD Online Exhibition // July 2023 The Shape We’re in Feels Like the Colors of Hope, organized by Cynthia Branvall // NIAD Online Exhibition // May 2023 Blow Like Magic In Their Face And Vanish organized by James Sterling Read More …

I am creative in many ways, such as journal writing, quilt making, printmaking, working with linocuts, fabric making, sketch drawing, making ceramics/jewelry and African inspired sculptures. Sometimes I like to cross-pollinate in my work; I wrote a poem about making my first quilt at NIAD. I like to feed my creations.  2020 was my first time making a quilt. I like to hand sew my quilts and use different African fabrics and silky fabrics. Sewing is a family thing for me. My mom made Halloween costumes for us. She got it from her mom too. I like to make things Read More …

Mireya Betances se identifica como una artista interdisciplinaria a quien le gusta todo: dibujo, pintura, escultura y grabado. A Mireya le gusta la sensación de la arcilla y trabajar con sus manos, diciendo que la cerámica es divertida y genial para trabajar.  Mireya también es músico, cantante e intérprete. Mireya siempre escucha música mientras crea arte visual y menciona a Luis Fonsi y Michael Jackson como dos de sus principales influencias. En un futuro, Mireya considera explorar las conexiones entre la música, las artes visuales y la danza en su trabajo escénico. En cuanto a su auto presentación, la elección Read More …

Carlota Rodriguez is a lifelong Richmond resident with a large family from El Salvador who have supported her art practice. While embracing a strong sense of the handmade, Carlota Rodriguez’s paintings and drawings draw on the history of geometric abstraction as well as recent formalism. Carlota says, “when I paint I like to focus my mind on it. I like to focus on my favorite shapes like flowers and faces. When I’m working the colors come to me naturally and I just go with the flow”. — Carlota Rodriguez ha sido residente de Richmond toda su vida y tiene una Read More …

The thing that’s fascinating about Matthew Wilson’s drawings is that he draws the interior and exterior of machines at the same time, as if he has x-ray vision. And, after studying videos of machines, heavy equipment, transportation and amusement park ride, he creates his drawings from memory. // Matthew’s available work // exhibition history Roses are Red, or, See what Kitty can do without fighting the war? organized by Liam Golden // NIAD Online Exhibition // August 2023 Rainbow Cat Picnic organized by Cynthia Ona Innis // NIAD Online Exhibition // March 2023 Subtle Sweetness organized by Jamie Walsh // NIAD Read More …

Daily, Jesus Salas documents the interior of the bus that brings him to NIAD Art Center in graphite and sometimes marker on found sheets of paper. Less frequently, on the flip side of the page, he captures the exterior of the bus. Recently he has begin to create paintings with a minimalist field overlaid with numbers 1 to 100. Often the numerals become unclear or blurred due Salas’s hurried layering. Both bodies of work represent Salas’s efforts to record and order his environment. // Jesus’ available work // exhibition history Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & Read More …

Artist Jonathan Valdivias prefers moody colors but goes multi-pigmented for the many images he says are self-portraits. The resulting narratives reflect his self-perception and emotional sensitivities as well as his mastery of acrylics.  // Jonathan’s available work // exhibition history an echo carries texture // organized by Steph Kudisch // NIAD Online Exhibition // June 2023 Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD // Oakland Museum of California // May 2023 Empty Kind Of Full, organized by Tara Neuffer // NIAD Online Exhibition // May 2023 About Face // Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA // April Read More …

Linda Marie Stewart creates some amazing large-scale fiber works as well as drawings. The drawings are colorful and free-flowing like a lively conversation between two friends, loaded with popular cultural references and psychedelic insignia. The wall works are also brightly colored and feature a mix of pompoms and fabric tentacles amidst a melange of stitching. // Linda’s available work // recent exhibition history Woven, Mixed, Tied, and Attached: Fiber As Message // organized By Ramekon O’Arwisters NIAD Art Center 2018 Mayor Tom Butt Selects The Art Of NIAD// Richmond Mayor’s Suite Richmond 2017 Curious Weave // organized by Ramekon O’Arwisters Read More …

Alice Sampson (b. 1942) has a wide-ranging practice with an emphasis in ceramics, fiber, and jewelry. Her ingenuity with forms and her unexpected interpretations of common subject matter—birds, fish, the human figure—elevates her ceramic sculptures. Sampson also works at the intersection of fiber art and jewelry-making, constructing hand-stitched fabric beads and a series of cloth watches. Her radical use of color across all media she touches brings a boldness that animates her work. Sampson has been making art at NIAD since 2008. // Alice Sampson’s available work // Alice Sampson Exhibition History Roses are Red, or, See what Kitty can Read More …

Ann Meade comes from a long family line of artists, including her great grandmother, grandmother, cousin and aunt. Ann is proud to have a family history of creators and feels that her family’s legacy informs her work and her drive to create. Cats are another cornerstone for Ann’s practice; she had a cat as a child and they have always been an important part of her life. Making art keeps her life centered and calm, according to Ann. Art is about having fun to Ann and ‘seeing where it goes.’ Ann has been practicing her work since her high school Read More …

Erika Martinez, an extraordinary artist, was born on September 23, 1983. She moved to California with her family as a child. Erika grew up in Richmond, CA where she practiced as an artist throughout her adult life. She attended NIAD Art Center from 2005 to 2022. In her work it is very common to find human figures, body parts, animals, feathers, flowers, and geometric shapes. Her work reflects how important her family and friends were to her. Andres Cisneros-Galindo, printmaking art facilitator at NIAD, mentions “As a great artist, love was her inspiration” describing Erika’s work. Erika worked in painting, ceramic, Read More …

I am a phenomenal artist who works primarily in printmaking, ceramics, textiles and drawing. In my drawings I like to work with holes or gaps, especially in my nature scenes. Sometimes that’s me, sometimes I’m in a hole trying to get out of it and a lot of my art is about my feelings. When I work in the studio I like to stay in one spot so I can focus. I like to draw variations of an image; a flower, a leaf. I like to repeat an image; that’s why stencils and printmaking interest me. I like to work an image Read More …

Gene Simmons. Paul Stanley. Ace Frehley. Eric Singer. The members of KISS appear frequently in Heather Copus’ densely layered work. Jon Baker. Frank Poncherello. Sergeant Joseph Getraer. Captain. Benjamin Pierce. Trapper John McIntire. Major Margaret Houlihan. The character from classic 70s dramadies, like CHiPs and M*A*S*H also make appearances in her text-based works. Heather’s work walks the tightrope between obsessive fandom and the exploration of the meaning hidden within popular culture’s idioms.  // Heather’s available work // exhibition history Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD // Oakland Museum of California // May 2023 Empty Kind Read More …

I’ve been at NIAD for about 30 years and I want to go down in NIAD history. NIAD is a nice quiet place to work at and you can choose your materials and teachers. You can focus on your art. Andres Cisneros-Galindo is like a father at NIAD. Andres is a cool teacher who asks me to do prints in his class. Me and him know about history at NIAD.  I think I am a painter and a drawer. I love all materials but pencils and crayons are my favorites. I love putting flowers and suns in the background of Read More …

 Phyllis Carr can really work watercolor and inks into a fiery blaze. And, the thing is, when you look at her work, it’s hard for your eyes to stay in one place. There is so much movement in Phyllis’ work that it virtually dances off the plane. // Phyllis Carr’s available work // recent exhibition history Golden Hour, organized by Poppy Dodge // NIAD Online Exhibition // April 2023 A Year Through the (Browser) Windows // A Retrospective of NIAD’s 2021 Online Exhibitions // December 2021 Cities In Mind // organized by Kathleen King NIAD Art Center 2016 Variations On Read More …

If you like color, you’ll like the work of Barbara Arbogast. Before completing her pieces — whether ceramic plates or elaborately constructed clothing — Barbara seems to painstakingly soak her work in technicolor. She does not live in a black & white world. // Barbara’s available work // exhibition history Untangling Webs: A Journey In Abstract Textiles, organized by Alexander Hernandez // NIAD Online Exhibition // July 2023 Woven, Mixed, Tied, and Attached: Fiber As Message // organized By Ramekon O’Arwisters NIAD Art Center 2018 Hanging On a Thread: Fiber Art From NIAD Art Center // Contra Costa County McBrien Read More …

Saul Alegria makes color do things it doesn’t do for other artists. Or for Mother Nature, for that matter. Saul‘s colors sing. He is quietly prolific and equally at ease with ceramics, acrylics, inks, and watercolors. Saul’s delightfully loose interpretations of members of the animal, plant and robot kingdoms have a calming presence, much like the artist himself. Saul Alegria was born in 1987 and resides in Richmond, California. He started making art at NIAD Art Center soon after graduating from Richmond High School in 2009.  // Saul Alegria’s available work // exhibition history Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & Read More …

Making art is deeply tied to family, community and gift giving for Sylvia Fragoso. Most of her work is made in dedication to a family member, a NIAD studio facilitator or rooted in her Catholic faith. Her sisters, nieces, nephews, churches and angels are the consistent subjects for her works. Her ceramic sculptures are often homages to domestic and spiritual spaces; she frequently renders her grandmother’s past home in Mexico or churches visited in her lifetime. Sylvia’s work has a deep appreciation for the natural world. Sharks and snakes are her favorite animals and the sun is a recurring symbol Read More …

After being institutionalized for a large part of her youth, Susan Wise became interested in crafts in a vocational training program. For more than two decades, Wise has explored and mastered numerous craft forms – quilts, embroidery and ceramics. But Wise’s true masterworks are baskets. Unlike traditional basket making, which uses a very regimented math to tightly and firmly weave the materials, Wise has invented her process. She first lays out the twine or rope and begins shaping it into the vessel, and the, using a different diameter of string or yarn, lashes the coils into place. Characteristic of Wise’s Read More …