\RED BLUFF – Local artists offer a glimpse into a fantasy world they create through their imagination and vision at the “Fairies and Fantasies” art exhibit at the Tehama Arts Gallery July 12-27.
Visitors are invited to meet the artists at the opening ceremony on Friday, July 12th from 5:30pm to 8pm and vote for their favorite artwork. The selected artist will receive the People’s Choice Award.
The featured artist/illustrator is Steve Ferchaud, known for his whimsical fantasy world with gnomes, frogs and other creatures and characters.
“He inspires and entertains his devoted followers with his illustrations, poems and writings and has a gift for telling stories with insight, passion and personable wit,” said Barbara Luzzadder of the Tehama County Arts Council (TCAC).
Ferchaud is a mainstay of the annual Red Bluff Downtown ArtWalk and is known for his popular five-minute caricature sketches.
Ferchaud grew up in Red Bluff. In school, he was known for drawing in the margins of his papers and on his desk. He said he received a lot of encouragement from his teachers and parents, who recognized his early talent, Luzzadder said.
“He took every available art class in high school and college. He was heavily influenced by illustrators of the 1930s, especially Norman Rockwell. He learned to draw figures in Mad Magazine in the 1970s. All of this led him to a career of published, award-winning illustrations,” Luzzadder added.
Ferchaud got his first paying job in seventh grade, doing a drawing for a school board event. Afterward, he said he was just “lucky to be in the right place at the right time, doing what he loves.”
He has created illustrations for commercial projects including books, magazines and newspapers, as well as artwork for various labels and t-shirts.
Ferchaud has illustrated more than 40 children’s books, including the Benjamin Franklin Award-winning The Carpenter’s Legacy. He has also received a Golden Quill Award for Best Illustrations for The Man Who Spoke to Cats and a CPA Award for Best Illustrations for Josh and Bigfoot.
He has written and illustrated five books of his own, which he says he will publish soon.
A survivor of the Camp Fire, Ferchaud wrote and illustrated “My Name is Haley and I Live in Paradise,” based on his and other people’s first-hand experiences of losing their town, homes and all their possessions, and donated it as a fundraiser for the Paradise Ridge Community Foundation.
He said it was therapy for him and he never gave up or stopped painting, even after losing all of his art. “My art meant everything to me,” Ferchaud said. “I’m so happy that I can do this. I enjoy it and I’m happy when other people feel the same way.”
He advises artists to continue to be creative.
“Don’t worry about how good you are. Be the best you can be. Even great artists have been frustrated with their art and have run out of color. Enjoy it and let the child in you have fun with it.”
The event is sponsored by the Tehama County Arts Council.
The gallery is open Fridays from 2-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Tehama Arts Gallery is located at 328 Oak Street in Red Bluff.
For more information, visit tehamaarts.org or call (530) 278-5691.
Originally published:
