Among the colors on Patris Miller’s life palette are three that she holds most dear: a love of teaching, a passion for creating art and a zeal for revitalizing Oak Park. With one stroke of her paintbrush, she mixed the three dissimilar elements together when she opened Patris Studio and Art Gallery. Her Oak Park-based studio and gallery offers education, events and exhibits and is a vital art center for the local community and the larger community of artists. It is also a dream come true for the Montana native. Patris originally known as Patti Miller, came to the Sacramento region and became an educator after earning her teaching credential from California State University, Sacramento. I

Shannon Jane Morgan’s first exposure to the ancient art of glassblowing was when friends invited her to an arts and crafts conference in the Bay Area. While there, she saw a glassblowing demonstration and was “blown away” by what artistic hands could do and by how smoothly all the glassblowers worked side by side in sync. Shortly thereafter, Morgan enrolled in a Glassblowing 101 class at San Francisco State. When the instructor asked why she was there, she answered, “Because I’m supposed to be.” Morgan says she “was terrible at it,” but when a local glass artist came to the class he noticed her. Morgan attributes the attention to her age - she was in her thirties and older than the rest

For background information on this story, read  the Locke property dispute Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3   In December 2011 the Locke Management Association (LMA), a 13-member board of directors, increased all Locke building owners’ monthly assessments by 20 percent, in order to cover their projected ongoing 2012 lawsuit costs against Martha Esch for her purchase of a Locke commercial-residential combination use property in March 2011. Esch said, “The only reason we’ve seen yet for their lawsuit is the signed statement LMA made in a letter to the seller’s attorney that said they had to notify ‘400 Chinese ancestors of their priority to purchase the Locke property.’ And since I don’t fit LMA

Sad news has hit Sacramento’s art community as it learns of yet another gallery closure, Tangent Gallery. In addition to Tangent, several other prominent galleries have fallen victim to challenging times and faced closure, including 20th Street Art Gallery, Skinner Howard Contemporary Art, Solomon Dubnick, and MAIYA. These galleries have provided years of beauty to Sacramento’s art district and as they close their doors some may assume that this is a result of a decline in support of the arts, but the reality is quite to the contrary. These closures have been positively countered with creative arts partnership efforts and a new reign of galleries moving in, here to show art is alive and we

Read "Locke property dispute (part 1)" here. This is my reply to the long response of another of my neighbors in Locke to "Locke property dispute (part 2)" RLM: It was with great interest that I read this. Esch: Glad to have your interest, Ronnie.   RLM: I have never publicly spoken on this matter, neither verbally nor in print--not even anonymously. Esch: According to my friend Jacquie and her friend, who visited me a couple weeks ago, you had quite a lot to say to them about it.   RLM: However, I must dispute some of the claims made. Firstly: There are two separate issues here 1" the manner in which the building at 1265 Levee was acquired by Ms. Esch and 2) the zoning of this propert

Continued from "Locke property dispute (part 1)" There was a second response – a very lengthy one - to my first article from an anonymous person posting under the name, “Locked.” I suspect “Locked” is one of my neighbors and a board member of LMA Locke Management Association, the public agency which has filed a lawsuit against me to take my property. Locked’s writing style is recognizable, accusatory, with no factual basis. Original article (part 1) is found here: http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/56717/Locke_property_dispute_part_1 I’ll take Locked’s questions and comments one by one... Locked: Who's throwing stones? Esch: LMA board threw the first stones at me when they sent me a

A Watercolors and Hiking event will be held in Locke, Calif. on Thursday, September 15, 2011 starting at 10:00 a.m. The hike will be led by Martha Esch. Bring the kids and the grandparents; everyone is welcome!  Well-behaved dogs on leashes, okay. This is a mostly level 1.5 mile hike apart from one 20 foot long, somewhat steep, narrow path up a levee hill and some optional off-path routes along the way that are prickly and narrow. Locke artist and art teacher, Martha Esch, will demonstrate easy techniques to painting a quick, lovely, loose watercolor postcard of scenic spots along the hike. Next, participants will begin using watercolor kits, blank postcards and brushes that will be pas

Public Agency Lawsuit to Seize $21,000 Home from Rightful Purchaser near Sacramento, California... In the rustic, antique wood-built town of Locke, California, founded from 1912 to 1920s, the Locke Management Association (LMA), a thirteen (13) member board put in place in 2003 to maintain, preserve and manage the town is prioritizing its limited $60,000 operating budget to attempt to undo a recent property purchase that occurred. The buyer, Martha Esch, struck a deal to purchase one of the town’s dilapidated properties with seller, Dona LaBlanc for a $21,000 purchase price. The LMA claims both women circumvented the agency’s rules in order to complete the sale. The property was previously

Imagine being a child in a world with endless possibilities for creativity. Welcome to Art Beast, an art studio for children located at 2226 K St. Children of all ages are encouraged to act, paint, color, play and dream inside the sacred walls of Art Beast. Parents and adults feel like the visitors in this magical world. The Art Beast contains three floors and a basement perfect for letting your child's creativity run wild. "Everything is here in this building," grandma Rose Orlandi said as she watched her two grandchildren ages 4 and 2. "Clay. Sand. Paint. They have it all and I don't have to worry about getting it on my carpet. Where else can I play too?" Different floors are dedicate

Hey parents, wondering how to keep your little beasts - er, I mean children - busy for the rest of the summer? Let your free-range kids explore Artbeast, a newly opened art studio for the little ones in midtown Sac. It's full of art exploration rooms and loads of classes. Kids can really dig into the arts. An ArtBeast monthly membership offers unlimited time in the open studio and arts exploration rooms, and one or two weekly arts classes.   Let 'em get their feet muddy.   And their hands, too!   They'll love it. Really!   They can sing and mess around playing somebody else. Dramatic play spaces change monthly so children can explore the creation of story lines wi