Home
Gualala Arts
Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961.
Local ArtistSabina Walla - Oil Painting
In the summer of 2007 my partner, Mana Hobson, and I moved to Gualala. Already in love with the north coast, a new employment opportunity brought us here to live full time. The dazzling beauty of this place is a dream come true for a painter. This is my first year to participate in the Discovery Tour. Please come to my studio in Anchor Bay, I'd love to share some stories and artwork with you!!
Awards and Exhibitions
Marin County Fair and Exposition, 1985- Best of Show, Memberhips
Portrait Society of America, 2005-6
© copyright 2010 - all rights to the images are retained by the artist |
During my junior year as voice major at Lawrence University School of Music, I enrolled in my first painting class. It felt so natural to me, I changed my major and completed the requirements to receive a degree in Applied Arts. During those days the painting and teaching was very open and non-traditional. I was a big square. More inspired by the Old Masters, I read everything I could about their techniques. The beautifully refined draftsmanship, limited palette, and unparalleled empathy toward their subject was, to me, deeply engaging.
After college I pursued work in the trades, first in carpentry then in drywall. In 1985, I used these skills at the Marin Headlands Art Center. One of 17 artist-interns, we worked under the direction of David Ireland and Mark Thompson to restore a military quarters into what is now a thriving Center of the Arts, nestled in the hills of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. In exchange for our work we received free studio space and the wonderful experience of an artist community project. While working as a self-employed house painter and paperhanger, I explored faux-finishes, marbling, glazing and trompe l'oeil. Striving to incorporate my artistic potential into my trade skills, I painted murals for restaurants, private homes, a hotel and a winery. I enjoyed the special design challenges of these comissions. Clients have included the Dipsea Cafe, the Red Lion, Mary's Pizza Shack, Sam Sebastiani, and Reba McEntire.
In the late 1990s while living in Sonoma county. I tried my hand at animal portraiture. This brought me so much joy and satisfaction that it really was a turning for me to make a greater effort at pursuing fine art as a path for growth and change. In 2005, I joined ARTtrails, the open studio tour, and program of the Arts Council of Sonoma County. I had a small studio in the South 'A' Street arts district of Santa Rosa, where I started the painter's journey in earnest.
