Darlene Boyd....Aromas Hills Artisan Exstaordinair

Darlene Boyd, Aromas Hills Artisan and teacher

“I am a sculptor, who also enjoys painting and drawing. I am not
tied to any particular medium, and I thrive in experimenting and
blending many materials. I am interested in forms, surfaces, visual
metaphors and the emotional responses that my art work evokes.
I particularly enjoy teaching art and using these processes both
as forms as self-expression and as a means to heal oneself. ” --
Darlene S. Boyd

Born in Lodi, California, Darlene S. Boyd, a fourth generation
Californian, grew up in the local wine vineyards. She was
nurtured, at an early age, by Constance M. Darden, who gave
studio art lessons for local children in Lodi. These experiences
set many of Ms. Boyd’s expressive anchors and eventually led
her to study art in college. She is a 1973 Honors graduate of
Brooks Institute, School of Fine Arts / Santa Barbara Art
Institute. She majored in sculpture, along with a strong emphasis
in both drawing and painting. She was privileged to have studied
under the notable and esteemed professional artists: Alice Carr
de Creeft (sculpture), Duane Loppnow (sculpture), Ray S.
Strong (landscape painting), Richard Barrett (figure drawing),
Priscilla Bendershore (drawing and painting), Douglas Paschal
(portrait drawing).

She moved to Fresno with her husband, and family in 1981. She
continued to enjoy teaching art at Bullard TALENT and
Camp Shalom as a Director of Fine Arts, among other venues.
She expanded her exploratory studies of fiber media under the
mentorship of Kathy Wosika, a locally celebrated, Fresno artist.

Ms. Boyd is now the Chief Creative Officer of The ART
Experience, LLC studio, nestled in the pastoral mission town of
San Juan Bautista, California. She is currently working on
figure sculptures in clay for bronze casting. She also creates
landscape, floral, still life, portrait and architectural paintings.
She finds time to occasionally work on projects in other
contemporary media and genres. Her work is currently on exhibit
in several California Central Coast venues, including Stone
Griffin Gallery at 416 E. Campbell Avenue, Campbell,
California 95008. Various on-line galleries showcase her work,
such as sbawca.org. Her work is enjoyed by many private
collectors, local and international. To learn more about Ms.
Boyd and her art please visit her on-line gallery at www.
darleneboyd.com, or you are welcome to make an appointment to
visit her studio in San Juan Bautista, by calling 831-623-2750.

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." ~
Edgar Degas
All images and site content
copyright by Darlene S. Boyd

Green Time.....by Joyce Riley

GREEN TIME

By Joyce Riley







Children don’t need more screen time.
What they need is more green time,
Time to dig holes, time to climb trees
Time to fly kites in the morning breeze,
Time to jump and splash and tug,
And play with rolly-polly bugs.
Children don’t need more chair time.
What they need is more air time,
Time to let their spirits fly.
Come to think of it, so do I.

When does the fair smell like a rose? by Joyce Oroz

The Santa Cruz County Fair opens it's doors Tuesday, September 13 for a fun filled week of food, excitement and fun. The Display Garden of the Monterey Bay Rose Society, located at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 East Lake Avenue (Highway 152), Watsonville, opens it's garden gates for a week of sweet smelling beauty. If you decide to leave the food shacks and hoof-it up to the cow barns, stop along the way and smell the roses.

The Monterey Bay Rose Society was founded in 1980 and now has about 100 members.

The MBRS presents monthly meetings with interesting programs, publishes an award-winning monthly newsletter, The Bay Rose, with tips and tricks for growing better roses in our area, plans visits to rose gardens and nurseries, and sponsors an annual rose show in the spring. They now meet on the last Friday of each month except June, July, November and December.

Proceeds from Joe Truskot's wonderful book, "Central Coast Rose Manual" go to support the maintenance of the Display Garden at the fairgrounds.

excerpt from Shaking in Her Flip Flops..... by Joyce Oroz

"Robert, don’t tell me you’re out of my favorite enchilada sauce.”
“I’ll check in the back.” He made a sharp right and disappeared into the warehouse. Five minutes later he was back with a jar of sauce and placed it in my cart.
“You’re brilliant, Robert. Thank you.” I pushed on to other aisles while Robert ran to the front of the store and opened the express lane. I finished the shopping list and was ready to pay for my two dozen items. Robert’s “10 items or less” lane was empty so he waved me in.
“Don’t worry, I do this all the time,” he said, just before an older woman wearing thick horn-rimmed glasses and a grumpy face shoved her basket into the back of mine. Her ten bottles of adult beverages, not that I counted, clinked and rattled. She pointed to every item in my basket and counted out loud. She put her hands on her hips and let out a long, smelly breath. Fortunately, Maude didn’t recognize me.
“I heard the FBI is getting involved with the hotel murder,” Robert said, probably quoting the KPIG reporter.
I squirmed, remembering that Maude was standing nearby and forced myself to act casual, but with my face turned away from her froggy stare.
“Why the FBI? It was just a murder,” I said. Robert paused to think.
“Maybe because of the stolen car? I don’t know, but they did say something about illegal immigrants.” Robert looked at the ceiling. “I think that’s what KPIG said, but don’t quote me.” Finally, he dropped the last of my groceries into the second bag. By that time Maude was gnashing her teeth. I hurried off with my two bags of groceries before the old woman could attack me from behind with a bottle of gin.

My Sister, the Tree House and I....by Joyce Riley

MY SISTER, THE TREE HOUSE and I

By Joyce Riley

On our walk through the woods we happened to see
A little, old house in a very tall tree.
“A tree-house, a tree-house,” the two of us chimed.
Then, up the ladder, the two of us climbed.
The house had a porch, a window, a door
And a small rocking chair on a hard wooden floor.
Next to the chair, on a table, there sat
A tea cup, a saucer and a very small cat.
The saucer was empty, the tea cup was dry
And the little grey cat began softly to cry,
“Feed me. Feed me,” we heard it say
So, we gave it the lunch we had packed just that day.
The cat began purring when it had been fed,
Then went to sleep on a lumpy, old bed.
On a very high shelf a radio sat
So, we found some music to sooth our new cat.



Out on the porch we looked all around
Up through the tree top, down to the ground.
There were leaves on the roof and holes in the stair
And, out in the woods, a giant, brown bear.
We stood very still, started to pray
And, after awhile, the bear walked away.
We scooped up the cat, promised never to roam,
And said to our folks, “Look what followed us home.”


Post Script
We never went back trying to find
The house in the woods where, one day we climbed.
But, closer to home, in a very tall tree
Our folks built a house for Sister, and Big Cat and, of course, me.

High Tech at the Fair?....by Joyce Oroz

Let's all support our local fair and save it for future generations!

The Santa Cruz County Fair is gearing up for this years “big show.”
I have the inside scoop on the Harvest Building, the showplace for local organizations like 4H, Future Farmers of America and Scouts. The Santa Cruz Technology Team from Felton 4H has installed a hands-on slider-lights display with monitors. Be sure to drop by between September 13th and 18th, and try it out for yourself. See what our teens are up to these days.


Welcome to the 2011-2012 4-H year! This year is going to be amazing. We have tons of exciting projects to offer, like archery, crafts, rocketry, carpentry, flower arranging and much, much more. And you can't forget all our amazing animal projects, like swine, goats and chickens. This year we're planning new events, community service projects and parties throughout the year.



For people new to 4-H, it's a non-profit youth organization that offers lots of fun activities and gives kids a chance to take on leadership roles. Felton 4-H is the biggest 4-H club in Santa Cruz County, and we always are busy in events like the Santa Cruz County Fair and the Spring Fair. We hope you'll join, because we're always welcoming new members! I hope everyone has a great experience in 4-H this year!

Interview with Kay Walters.....by Joyce Oroz

Today I am talking to a lovely lady, an Aromas Hills Artisan with great artistic talent and an excellent sense of design and color.

Hello, Kay Walters. Please tell us about yourself and how you became an artisan.


I live in north Monterey County with my miniature horses, inherited dogs, and rescued cats.
I have always been interested in glass. Many years ago I was a glazier (replacing glass panels in aluminum frame windows, for new housing projects).
I was drawn to the myriad of colors of glass about ten years ago, bought my first kiln and was immediately captivated.
I started with a small kiln for jewelry and tiny bowls. Of course, that wasn't big enough so I purchased a larger kiln, and then another even larger kiln.

Now I create jewelry, table art, and wall art. I make beaded necklaces with some of my pendants. I am starting to combine other materials with my art. I will be making small table tops.

Kay, can you describe this glass obsession that has captured your heart?


It is the myriad of colors: reds, yellows, greens, cobalt blue, mauve, violet, that light up
my spirit.
It is the joyous process of combining translucents, opaques, dichroics, iridescents, frits,
and stringers, for my inspirations.
It is the magic of the glowing, flowing, fusing process. The kiln melting the glass into a
white-hot taffy-like material, the molecules connecting.
Then! After each individual artwork ever so slowly cools, it presents itself to me;
inspiration for new visions that beg to be brought into the world.
Glass Madness guides my spirit and passion of creating!
Creating glass art has brought out my lighthearted and whimsical side. I am drawn to
the clarity and color of glass and the melting and fusing process.
Each design is individually created for the discerning collector.
Once I am in my creative mind, everything in nature is inspiring, and gives me endless ideas.

Kay, where can people find your beautiful work?

My website is: KayWalters.com e-mail: kaysglassinspirations@gmail.com
phone: (831) 633-3348
I will be participating in the Carmel Craft Fair at the Valley Hills Center in Carmel Valley on Sept. 17.

Thank you, Kay. We look forward to seeing future projects.