Date: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE7/15/26
AUGUST EXHIBIT: PAINTING IN FAUVE
EXHIBIT DATES:July 27 – August 30, 2026
RECEPTION: SATURDAY, August 1, 2026, 3-6 pm: Join us to meet Willow LaLand and Gen Zorich;Learn about their art and celebrate the show.Be sure to take part in the Gallery’s free monthlong drawing for a beautiful work by a Gallery artist.Refreshments will be served.
Sonoma wine country artist, Willow LaLand presents Painting in Fauve, a collection of oil and acrylic paintings focusing on our region’s vibrant beauty through the artist’s Fauvist lens.Known for her hyper-realistic landscapes, these works take an imaginative turn to the fantastical, tapping into the wild Fauve vivid color palette. Highlighting the show, “Mt. Tamalpais” comes alive, swathed in rich colors cascading over its undulating slopes, while rich foreground purple/blues heighten the mountain’s grandeur. “Fitch Mountain” similarly seems to sing with color as it overlooks a lush vineyard.LaLand’s color lens takes us from palette to palate as she captures the luxuriant purple/reds of a fine red wine in “Sommelier’s Dream.”Reflecting on her creative process, LaLand notes “I love the artistic freedom to play, create depth in color, and give a tangible realistic impression within a completely fantastical expression.”
A third-generation artist, LaLand started her studies as a young girl and had a studio space at 10 years old.She is inspired by early American realists and uses traditional techniques to achieve dramatic realism.LaLand finds the Fauve color palette elicits a joyful response to her themes of nature and wine.Many of her collectors love both her styles and have a hard time, though they vastly differ, choosing between the two.LaLand exhibits widely, including internationally, and participated in the Art Trails Program.She was featured in American Art Collector magazine in 2013 and on KRCB in 2015.
Meet the artist: LaLand will host the Gallery on August 2, 2:30 – 6pm and August 16 & 29, 11am to 6 pm.
The Stairway Smallworks Showcase features Gen Zorich’s Summertime, highlighting the beauty of wine country and the warmth of long, lazy summer days.From Zorich’s background as a geologist and environmental scientist, she imbues her paintings with a deep understanding of the natural world. Focusing on flora, pink waterlilies floating on pastel pads in “Summer Color” engender a sense of sun-filled easy days.These works would bring a feeling of summer contentment any time of year.An award-winning artist, Zorich has exhibited widely and has been a longtime participant in the Sonoma County Art Trails Program.
Meet the artist: Zorich will host the Gallery on August 2, 11am – 2:30pm, August 4, 11am to 6 pm and August 21 & 23, 2:30 – 6pm.
Also join us for ART NITE HEALDSBURG, Thursday, August 6, 5 – 7 pm.ART NITE Healdsburg, held the 1st Thursday of Every Month, is a community event celebrating art and creativity with over 20 galleries participating. This month’s special theme: Music and Mocktails. ArtNiteHealdsburg.com.
Upstairs Art Gallery, 306 Center Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448. (707) 431-4214.: OPEN DAILY: 11am – 6 pm.www.upstairsart gallery.net
For further information: Contact: Beverly Bird, Press Contact, at bvdrio@sonic.net or 707-799-1490.