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Michele LaMontagne Hausman, natural views on canvas

Celebrate Santa Cruz
Art, Wine & Jazz Festival

from a supplement to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, May 17, 2001

The Beauty of Coastal California Inspires Gorgeous Art

by Angela Meadows Signorelli

The mysterious power of the ocean, with its ethereal quality of light and majestic tides, has inspired humankind from the beginning. At the "Sixth Annual Celebrate Santa Cruz: Art, Wine and Jazz Festival," you'll discover the same is true today as you visit with many of the artists in the 110 booths downtown. ... We talked with some of the artists who will be at this weekend's event and they shared their thoughts about living in this beautiful coastal area and the influence it has on their art and their lives.

Michele Hausman, oil painter

"I'm attracted to the rhythm of the waves and the beauty of the colors in the mornings and the evenings," said local artist Michele Hausman when asked about the allure of our coastal area on her and her art. Hausman, who specializes in oil painting, but is known to dabble in watercolor as well, has lived along Soquel Creek since 1983 and feels that, "When you live surrounded by beauty, it inspires you to try and somehow capture it," she explained.

Calling oil painting a "complicated skill," Hausman enjoys "using a two-dimensional plane to create the illusion of a three-dimensional space." She has studied back east, locally and in Arizona.

Lately she has been enjoying her participation in the Oil Painters Alliance (www.oilpainters.org), a small group that was recently formed with one simple goal in mind, "To go out and paint," she said. She welcomes other oil painters to join the group, citing the benefits of safety, camaraderie and inspiration. The group holds a formal meeting once every two months in order to decide upon locations, "but the truly fun part is getting together just about every week in a different beautiful location just to paint with others who share your passion," she said.

Preferring to use a primary palette, which she says "keeps the colors clean," Hausman is drawn to painting landscapes of many of our lush surrounding areas, including that of the irresistible California coast. The challenge to her of painting seascapes is to capture the light. "I was raised in Massachusetts, where the skies and colors are often muted. On this coast, the light is so different, so bright," she said.

Hausman will be a participating artist at the festival on both Saturday and Sunday, so be sure to visit her booth, ask her about her painting group, and check out the nice variety of artwork she'll be offering for sale.

For information on current exhibits, upcoming shows, or to arrange
to visit her studio, contact Michele Hausman at
michele@michelehausman.com.

Images are copyright © 1992-2003 by Michele Hausman