Alumni Artists at Waves Weekend 2015

Marianne Barnard (M) ('92) is a contemporary artist creating in a broad spectrum of mediums. Her art comes from a deep place within her psyche, expressing both personal and social issues. "Before I start creating, I ignite myself from within and gather energy to reach a level of intensity from which the shapes and colors will be born. I find a piece of music, which moves me and expresses some of the thoughts and feeling I'm wrestling with, which I use as a mantra. I'll listen to a song on repeat throughout the birthing process, letting the energies of the music flow through me so that I become a conduit. My art is a dance of creation." - (M) Marianne grew up in Malibu, riding the waves and horseback riding which nurtured her close connection to and love of the ocean and nature. She attended Idyllwild Arts Academy where she was taught by artist Francoise Gilot, the muse and mistress of Picasso. Marianne Barnard (M) received her Bachelor of Arts, Fine and Studio Arts, from Pepperdine University.

Emily Branch's ('12) art is an exploration of the movement of water, as evidenced by the pigment carried across the surface of the paper. Her overall research and artwork currently revolves around our versions of nature, our relationship with nature, and how visual representations of nature might be used therapeutically (emotionally and psychologically).

Shannon Celia ('98) creates contemporary coastal vignettes in oil with an emphasis on texture, light and color. Using palette knives along with brushes enables me to create more texture and movement. She spends time at local harbors painting the commercial fishing vessels she falls in love with every time she sees them as well as in coastal industrial places finding beauty in more utilitarian structures when the light hits them just right. Shannon prefers painting in the early morning so her pieces radiate that time of day and whatever particular mood she aims to capture. She started painting en plein air after a recent trip to Italy and it's affected how she sees color and shape and my end result. Her approach continually evolves, but she is most inspired by seascapes. Shannon expresses her feelings in terms of color and strives to convey this in her work.

Janelle Clayton's ('05) artwork is a colorful expression of her experience as a woman and the many inspirational people in her life. She is inspired by the beauty of discovery and self-realization, the essence of humanity, and the physical aesthetic. Janelles' paintings celebrate life.

Jocelyn Davis' ('13) art plays with light and exaggerated color. Trees hold a central and symbolic role in many of her works. For her, they represent a state of growth. Though the branches may be twisted and imperfect, the tree always reaches to extend beyond itself.

Emily Dilbeck's ('06) work is inspired by aerial views. She often flies and sketches page after page of various things that stand out to her about the land below. The order that man creates within the landscape is fascinating. Quite simply, in her mind, it is organized chaos. Emily's work is about exploring the relationship between rural landscape and the systematic order that man places within the landscape. She is an organizer to a fault. She wants everything to fit nicely, to go in its place, and be color coded. Emily even likes those separated spaces for plates because everything has its own space. But much like life, nature is not organized. There are always twists and turns in places we never thought they would be. However, the beauty of chaos is there - if we stop to look for it. Emily's hope is the viewer will go past the surface of the artwork and submerge themselves into the journey within her work.

For years Jason Herber ('01) has archived every piece of art that he's created regardless of perceived success in his eyes. This last year, he began cutting his "strike-outs" into small squares and assembling them into larger works of art. He calls this the Babe Ruth series, because Babe struck out nearly twice as many times he hit a home run. Not every drawing is a masterwork, but when assembled into a collage, these snippets of discarded art have a chance to live on in a new form.

Tori Higa ('99) loves to use mixed media in her work. She uses personal sketches, ink, paint, and vintage fabric. These particular pieces have vintage fabric that was given to her by her late grandmother in law. Tori loves taking old, discarded things and giving them a new purpose.

Anna-Rebecca Johnson's ('13) art is unique, because it is a true representation of her own personality. Like Anna-Rebecca, her art is lighthearted and cheerful, yet deeply sensitive and philosophical. The fact that she is a shameless daydreamer shows throughout her body of work. She likes to take everyday objects and incorporate them into her fantasy world. Anna-Rebecca's creative perspective is her thumbprint, showing precisely who she is as a person and what she believes. And like a thumbprint, it is unlike any other.

Katherine Keyworth's ('10) work captures the intriguing collision of color palette and motion through brush strokes and texture. To be inspired, and in turn create work from this overwhelming sense of beauty is a lasting and wonderful feeling.

Award winning artist, Peggy Ludington ('76), continues to gain recognition for her unique portrayal of animals. She grew up an extremely artistic kid, who graduated from crayons and watercolors to oil paints by age ten. Certain she would major in art at Pepperdine, she somehow ended up at UCLA Law School instead. Born and raised in Long Beach, CA, Peggy moved to Ventura County, California in 1980. She practiced law for 16 years, got married, raised two sons, wrote two book manuscripts, and bought a commercial lemon orchard. After years away from the easel, in 2010 she returned to for the first time since college. Since then, she has studied with nationally acclaimed artists, like Timothy Horn, Sarah J. Webber, Lynn Gertenbach, Mitchell Albala, Vadim Zanginian, and modern master, Quang Ho. She has won first place awards in various shows. Her work hangs in collections across the country. Asked to describe her paintings for a recent article, Peggy responded: "Vibrant colors and a strong sense of light and shadow define my work. In painting animals, I always strive to capture what I see and feel behind the eyes, to convey a sense of the creature's presence. Ultimately, each painting is a reflection of my love and reverence for my own pets. When what I've translated into paint actually touches another person – for me, that is the best part of being an artist."

Rachel Rubenstein ('08) is a mixed media abstract painter. She uses a variety of found objects to create intense texture. Her work explores the complexities of perception and the senses. Rachel uses multiple layers of paint and continually deconstruct her work using many pieces from one work of art to other canvasses, creating a continuum in her body of work.

Ellice Ruiz's ('13) work is about life, but mostly living. She's interested in deconstructing fears, reminding us to experience the moment, and pealing off the layers of mechanisms that delude us into thinking we're safe. So often, safety is an illusion that limits us from living life fully. Ellice is exploring existential planes and getting lost in the realization that there's no direction home. There is only this moment and the western horizon. On her journey, she is looking at the constructs and deciding which ones are worth breaking down. Ellice is questioning the ideas of the American Dream, the body, eroticism, power, trauma, loss, magic, and love. She is rewriting the stories she's been told about these ideas. And sometimes, embracing the self-evident truths. Ellice creates: collage + words = zines. 

Liberty Worth ('97) is a collector. Of memories and adventures, of images, colors, patterns and words. Whether it is captured within her mixed media collages or her modern quilts, a viewer will almost always find mixes of pattern, sentimental pieces of fabric or paper and a large measure of spontaneity and passion that she infuses into all of her work. Liberty tell stories through her work, with symbols she has created and layers of memories, with shapes that carry their own meanings to herself.