Summer of Joy Marketplace

Lulu Sotelo is greatly influenced by her upbringing in Mexico City. In her distinct figurative style, she creates portraits of herself, her friends, and characters from her favorite Mexican sitcom ‘El Chavo del Ocho’. With large heads, exaggerated facial features, and peg-like extremities, her characters are bright and colorful, sometimes accompanied by symbolic imagery. An admirer of fashion, Sotelo pays special attention to the clothing in her drawings, devising festive outfits from her imagination or rendering apparel true to life. In her textile practice, Sotelo combines painting, weaving, sewing, and embroidery (Lulu has invented her own embroidery knots) on clothes, and creates one-of-a-kind garments covered with her signature characters. Sotelo also makes her characters into plush dolls, complete with costumes and removable hats.

Larry Randolph works methodically, using nature books or newspapers as reference material to create intricately detailed ecosystems or original comic book strips with elaborate story lines. A devotee of classic animation, Randolph describes his own comics as “a soap opera in a cartoon comic.” He details the adventures of characters like the “Super High Power Team” and the “Wolse-Rode Family,” where Randolph creates dramatic scenes of love and politics. Whether densely colored or black and white, his gifted style of line work and shading make his figures appear animated. Randolph’s work was included in the Best American Comics of 2017. A master of multiple mediums, Randolph is also an accomplished ceramicist. His rough hand-shaped whales, doughnuts, pies, and roasted turkeys have been exhibited at art fairs and galleries internationally.

Prior to joining NIAD, Jean McElvane studied art and music at Contra Costa College. She also worked as an artist’s assistant. McElvane’s paintings and drawings tend toward realism, but the majority of her work is in the craft field, creating meticulously built fiber projects or using recycled found materials to build amazing objects that capture the essence of insects or creatures.

When Gerald Wiggins makes art, he is “not necessarily trying to say something to people. I’m just trying to make them happy, because there is not enough happiness.” Wiggins’ depictions of human figures, animal life, and fantastical creatures are stunningly accomplished. Working with colored pencil, marker, graphite, and watercolor, as well as with digital printmaking software, Wiggins’ drawings are uncluttered and precise and use a spare, controlled line and careful coloring to convey detail. Wiggins also creates ceramic sculptures, from frightening vampiric characters to a rotating cast of life-like city dwellers he calls “the crew.” Occasionally, key portions of a figure or natural element are left unfinished, or isolated parts are collected together in a single piece; these techniques add visual playfulness to his style. “I like the feeling of making something in your head that doesn’t exist,” Wiggins says, “to make it real.” He co-curated Shoerageous in 2014, an exhibition featuring shoes in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Learn more about Wiggins in this video, which debuted at Art Changes Lives 2017.

Donzell Lewis taught himself to knit by watching instructional videos on YouTube. From tiny bits of jewelry to yarn-bombing trees, Lewis has become a master at his craft.

Donald Gruneisen’s favorite subject matters include horror movies like Halloween, old school Universal Studios monster movies like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, and classic TV shows like The Munsters. Donald left CE in March of 2015 to pursue full-time employment, but returned part-time in 2018 to resume his art making practice. Donald’s inspirations have grown to include The Beatles, The Polar Express, and colorful, tie-dyed creatures. He is a big San Francisco Giants fan and a Grateful Dead enthusiast who often wears outfits celebrating these loves. Donald is a positive and peaceful presence in the studio, full of warmth and good humor. Gruneisen’s artwork is characterized by his use of geometry to segment bodies and forms, perhaps alluding to the mish-mash of parts that make up some of his favorite monsters. His movie monsters are typically depicted looking at the viewer or in profile – often inspired by movie posters and including titles in neat cursive.