Buy Local Art: Join Bear Yuba Land Trust and receive a “Living Wild” basket

“The local rivers and creeks are a continuous source of inspiration for me… I love transcribing my feelings for Nature into form and color on canvas,” said local Artist Denise Wey.

Her painting, Pyramid Rock on Deer Creek (left), is one of 12 pieces by local artists for sale at Nevada City Winery just in time for the holiday season.

Sales from the art show, “Inhabit: Art of the Land” benefit Bear Yuba Land Trust (BYLT). Art lovers have only two weeks left to stop by the winery for a glass of wine and shop for original artwork inspired by the landscape from 11 local artists. The show runs through Nov. 3.

As an added bonus, each art sale will include a one-year membership to the Land Trust, a $50 value, and a basket of wild crafted gifts: a Living Wild book, Manzanita sugar, a Madrone necklace and other local goods. BYLT memberships come with a Treks Pass, a discount on the popular Trekking Program and invitations to special members-only events.

For more than two decades, community support has helped BYLT conserve and restore thousands of acres of important local landscapes for agriculture, recreation and wildlife habitat. In addition, the Land Trust has built and maintained numerous local trails and provided a popular nature studies camp for children every summer.

BYLT has a big year ahead with a number of major projects in the works: Restoring Garden Bar as a working cattle ranch, acquiring Rice’s Crossing for public access to the Yuba River, conserving 10,000 acres of PG&E land in the Sierra Nevada and the construction of a 10-mile section of the Bear River Trail.

Each of the artists in the show say they find inspiration from nature, particularly from the local landscape they call home.

Mike Sneggs turns Black Walnut, Manzanita Burl, Madrone and Black Oak into wooden bowls. Yuba Watershed Institute has captured an image of a black bear taken from a wildlife camera and turned it into a fine art metal wall hanging. Jennifer Rain Crosby painted a Winter Oak, David Wong photographed a Barn Owl Landing and Tahiti Pehrson and Sarah Coleman created images depicting Nevada City’s historic architectural landmarks.

Photographer Gail Lipson is attracted by the glow of afternoon light as it plays on the water in her image, Yuba Rock. North San Juan Ridge native Karouna Thompson weaves native plants like Deer Brush, Willow, Redbud, Red-twig Dogwood, and Mock Orange to create her on-of-a-kind baskets. Karel Hendee looked to local farms for the inspiration behind her quilted painting on silk, Back to Basics.

Paul Thompson’s love for the South Yuba River led him to paint At the Water.

“If in any way my work helps others to appreciate the beauty and the wild nature of the Yuba Watershed then I feel it has served a greater purpose. Because when we appreciate something we are more likely to protect and preserve it,” Thompson said.

For more information visit: www.bylt.org or call Laura Brown at 272-5994 x 211.

—By Laura Brown, Bear Yuba Land Trust

“Poppies on the Yuba,” by Denise Wey