Video Gallery

WOW! What an amazing time we had celebrating our Art of Mixology winners! Thank you to Justin Cole, our emcee extraordinaire, to the winning bartenders who joined us LIVE to tell us about their masterpiece cocktails, to our sponsors and restaurant partners, and to the entire LAC community for supporting our event this year!

Mike Whipple, Canyon Club: 04:25
Sadé Stamps, Sobre Mesa: 09:45
Denise Nomura, LAC President: 16:05
Hailey Coder, Bar Cava: 21:30
Ben Dimond, Bardo Lounge: 26:55
Brian Gamble: 31:45
Presentation of AWARDS: 40:45

Fall'ifornia Dreamin' by Brian Gamble - Audience Award
Independent Mixologist, Auburn, CA

Fall’ifornia Dreamin’ kicks off the season with an autumn flavor bonanza! This drink features St. George Breaking & Entering American Whiskey, combined with the crisp flavors of apple and pear, rich chocolate, and cozy spices.

Brian Gamble has worked at Mikkeller Bar in San Francisco and Fieldwork Brewing. Both are beer-centric, but they helped him hone his palate for when he ended up at San Diego's Vintana Wine + Dine, where he thrived on creating custom cocktails. During Covid, Brian has held bi-weekly themed cocktail classes via Zoom for his friends back home.

Two Faced by Hailey Coder - 1st Place, Mixologist of the Year
Bar Cava, Martinez, CA

Two Faced offers the best of both worlds — a fruity refreshing concoction with a kick! This drink features El Mayor Tequila, combined with the contrasting flavors of jalapeno and pineapple, cranberry and lime, and rimmed with something a little different on each side.

Hailey Coder has been in the bartending industry for 10 years. She credits being able to expand her knowledge and break the norm of mixology as why she got into the industry. She says, "I am always learning, and my passion grows stronger every day!"

Chipotle Bloody Mary by Mike Whipple - 4th Place
Canyon Club Brewery, Moraga, CA

Chipotle Bloody Mary breaks with tradition and starts your day off with some heat. This drink features Tahoe Blue Vodka, paired with tangy tomato, bright citrus, and smoky chipotle.

Mike Whipple has lived and breathed this business for over 2 decades, and he continues to be challenged and fulfilled. He says the day he walked into Canyon Club, he knew it was special, and he wanted to be a part of such a positive team and brand.

Smog in the Noggin by Ben Dimond - 3rd Place
Bardo Lounge & Supper Club, Oakland, CA

Smog in the Noggin’ is inspired by the bartender’s thousands of interactions with strangers passing through who asked him to surprise them with something special. This drink features St. George Terrior Gin, combined with honey, lemon, and anise, topped off with sparkling soda and herbs.

Ben has been bartending professionally for 10 years in New York City, San Francisco, and Oakland. Currently he is Bar Manager at Bardo Lounge & Supper Club in Oakland.

Betty's 7pm by Sadé Stamps - 2nd Place
Sobre Mesa, Oakland, CA

Betty’s 7pm captures the essence of cocktail time at the bartender’s family celebrations and the merriment that ensued. This drink features Banks 5 Island Rum, paired with citrus flavors, pineapple, and warm spices.

A wandering spirit and flavor aficionado, Sadé Stamps tells stories through libations and the cultures she holds close to heart. From the east coast to the west coast, she has embodied just about every front of house position in her career. Seeing how you can shift someone's reality through knowledge and a good drink, she quickly realized that bartending was her favorite position.

She is most passionate about the untamed sugar spirit, rum, and its history. Sadé draws on the flavors of her childhood, her heritage, and the people who deeply inspire her to craft vibrant and creative cocktails with intention.

Dina Asna of Moraga is drawn to paint watercolors to transfer what she is feeling onto paper. Applying color is the most exciting part of this process for her. She said this requires letting go of perfectionism. Her theme for this virtual exhibit is ‘Be Happy!’

Her life’s journey has been ‘do not worry about what is missing or about your flaws.’ Asking herself, ‘what makes you happy’ often has become a way of life. “I believe we can heal a lot of wounds using art,” said Asna. She is delighted when people experience the cheerfulness in her artwork. Whether you are viewing Feather Friends, Forest Friends, or Joy Birds, all of which are 9” x 9” watercolors on paper, avoiding cheerfulness is almost impossible!

Dina Asna is scheduled to exhibit at the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library in October 2020. The gallery is currently closed, but please check lamorindaarts.org/galleries-current/ for the latest updates.

Loralee Chapleau of Danville is often inspired by the ever changing beauty of the seasons. She paints in oils and acrylics with an expressive style, using vivid colors, energetic brushstrokes, and favors large pieces. Her theme for this virtual exhibit is ‘Recollections: Experiential and Imagined.’

Sometimes she paints from direct observation on location, but more and more she draws on past experiences and memory to create large semi-abstract pieces. Chapleau understood that by reducing the literal elements in an artwork the viewer’s brain would fill in their own experience, which adds another layer to our understanding of abstract art. Chapleau calls it a very pleasurable way to experience art, whether you are the viewer or the artist.

“We enjoy it because our mind actively experiences and participates in the artwork,” said Chapleau. Chapleau wants viewers to know she strives to present emotion with every stroke in her paintings.

Loralee Chapleau is scheduled the exhibit at the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library in October 2020. The gallery is currently closed, but please check lamorindaarts.org/galleries-current/ for the latest updates.

The voices of San Francisco Peace and Hope (SFPH) reflect a hopeful vision in their literary journal devoted to poetry and art during these challenging times. This is accomplished through online and print publications encompassing art and the spoken word. There are also face-to-face get togethers, now gone virtual, and a blog.

It all began informally when 9/11 occurred and Elizabeth Hack started a blog. She realized a tribe used to expressing their creative voices through the spoken word, poetry, visual art, dance and more could articulate a singular, much needed mission. SFHP’s mission was and is to examine global change while celebrating the eternal, changeless aspects of life.

Viewers of the virtual exhibit will see photographs and a video of written and visual excerpts of Light The Sky. The library said, “If you are seeking a glimpse of what humanity can be this weekend, this is the book for you.” Noted illustrator Elaine Drew created the book jacket. It can be found in public libraries, bookstores and online.

SFPH is scheduled to exhibit in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library in October 2020. The gallery is currently closed, but please check lamorindaarts.org/current-exhibits/ for the latest updates.

Ann F. Fallin of Walnut Creek began as an oil painter but switched to watercolors in 1980; thus her exceptional skill is evident in every painting. “Through painting I like to communicate the upbeat and the positive,” she said. Her goal is to share her enthusiasm for the subject – which can be anything from a landscape, portrait (human or animal) floral or still life – in hopes of causing the viewer to become positively involved with her work.

Some of the most difficult aspects of painting watercolors are what she loves most. “I love the battle to gain control over the medium, which often decides what it’s going to do despite the painter’s plans. I love the transparency of watercolor, the endless effects it produces, its versatility, and how much just plain fun it is to paint with,” said Fallin.

She describes her work as contemporary realism. According to Fallin, jumping around from subject to subject keeps her work fresh.

Fallin is scheduled to exhibit at the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library in October 2020. The gallery is currently closed, but please check lamorindaarts.org/current-exhibits/ for the latest updates.

Margie Caldwell-Gill of Orinda started out as a photorealist painter in college and rebelled against the dominant art forms of the time, pop art and abstract art. After working as a medical illustrator for 15 years, she lost interest in recreating what she saw in the world and became interested in abstract painting. She fell in love with the beauty of the materials themselves – thick and thin layers of paint, the edges of one shape next to another, how marks disappear behind a brushstroke of paint, and how this can convey space, time, and emotions. She now paints intuitively, which means she never knows where a painting will take her.

“I approach my paintings with a sense of experimentation and play,” she said. She’s learned more about color, composition and value than she ever learned when doing representational work. She is showing nine works in her virtual exhibit including Reverie, a 16.5” x 22.5” mixed media work. Her expressive brushstrokes and graphic marks create a world uniquely hers. Expect abstract work with lots of geometric shapes in complimentary colors including blues, grays and orange earth tones.

Calwell-Gill is scheduled to exhibit at the Art Gallery at Wilder in October 2020. The gallery is currently closed, but please check lamorindaarts.org/current-exhibits/ for the latest updates.

Art Embraces Words Online August 2020
Enjoy this recording of our Art Embraces Words online event, which took place as a live webinar on August 30, 2020. The program features five emerging writers reading excerpts from recent works, three local artists discussing a selection of their work in slideshow format, and Q&A with the emcee.

Panelists for this event include:
Denise Nomura, Emcee and LAC Board President
Natalie Wheeler, Art Embraces Words Co-Chair
Nancie Clare, Writer (00:01:50)
Donna Marie Arganbright, Artist (00:16:30)
Alfred J. Garrotto, Writer (00:26:00)
William Martin, Writer (00:40:40)
Grant Rusk, Artist (00:53:50)
Lucinda Jackson, Writer (01:08:00)
Lara B. Horoupian, Artist (01:22:25)
Michelle Hoffman, Writer (01:32:10)

Writers paint images with words. Artists tell stories with color. Together they enrich our community. Art Embraces Words is made possible by a generous grant from the Lafayette Community Foundation.