As recently as two years ago, widely acclaimed local artist Maren Conrad had no interest whatsoever in painting outdoor murals. Conrad had painted interior murals before, and she was comfortable working on large-scale projects, usually in her trademark medium of metal leaf and layered resin, but she never considered herself a street artist.

Because Jeff Myers believes that artists need to keep learning or get stale, the painter and photographer has made it his mission to come up with ever more inventive and innovative techniques.

Last year was one wild ride for James Wheatley, executive director of Celebration Arts, the 32-year-old arts organization that provides training and performance opportunities in drama, music, dance and storytelling devoted to the African-American experience.

If there’s one thing you need to know about William Ishmael’s home and studio, tucked off Fair Oaks Boulevard near Watt Avenue, it’s this: He has artwork in the shower.
If that sounds odd, allow me to explain why it seems natural in the stunning abode Ishmael shares (and designed) with his husband, landscape architect David Gibson. Art is simply part of life for Ishmael, which you can tell from the wide range of works hung everywhere you look.

Mark Emerson likes the very thing about art that makes a lot of others anxious. “Uncertainty in the arts really frustrates a lot of people,” he says on a break from packing up his East Sac studio—located in the house where he grew up—on the eve of a move to Davis to be with his fiancée. “But I think it spurs us on to do our work.

Leslie Toms’ business card tells you a lot about her as a painter.
It’s a 2.5-by-2.5-inch square—an unusual size and shape, but that makes the card stand out. The front features a high-gloss image of two sunflowers in a vase with her name printed across the bottom in bright red letters. The colors are so vibrant that you can’t help but stare. The card is the epitome of Toms’ artistic style: a little different, a lot colorful and always pleasing to the eye.