Creatives on Campus
“Art is the window to man’s soul,” as Lady Bird Johnson would say, and it’s also the creative outlet for many at Sonoma Hills Retirement Living. We offer studio and collaborative time for our residents to create and inspire one another with their artistic efforts and also allow for an assortment of mediums ranging from watercolor to textiles. The Sonoma Hills Art Gallery provides the opportunity for both our retirement community and the Sonoma community at large to enjoy the exuberant talent. Open to the public, each month we will feature a different art showing.
Sonoma Hills proudly announces the reopening of our Art Gallery with an exhibit by resident, Gerhard Weihl, that will run through April 16, 2023. Gerhard Weihl studied art and design at the Art Institute in Hamburg, the University of California, and City College of San Francisco. He became a commercial artist, working both in Germany and later in the United States. In recent years, Weihl’s favorite medium has been watercolor. He has traveled throughout Europe and South America, acknowledging the diversity of the cultures in his paintings. His work has been exhibited both abroad and in various art shows and galleries of the California Watercolor Society. Gerhard Weihl and his wife, Lilli, are new to the Sonoma Hills Retirement community, and we are so proud to present his amazing work at our Sonoma Hills Art Gallery.
Along with painting, photography, drawing, and other art mediums, many of our residents are accomplished in textile arts. As one of the oldest forms of art, the purpose of textile art first took on practical objectives whether it was clothing, blankets, or other logistical items. As humans, the need to create, beautify, or to tell a story, was inherited and the processes became more artistic in nature over thousands of years.
The Knit Wits is a group at Sonoma Hills Retirement Living that meet every week on Tuesdays from 1-4 pm in the Activities Room to create such artwork. Beautifully crocheted pieces, quilts, knitted goods, and other sewing endeavors are created with loving attention. In fact, these will be on display at an art exhibit at the Sonoma Hills Art Gallery in September. Something to look forward to when the summer comes to an end! Their efforts also have a charitable goal. The Knit Wits will be working on masterfully creating afghans, lap blankets and scarves to be donated to people in need, by the end of the year.
We are astonished by the massive amount of talent our residents possess, and feel lucky to be surrounded by it as well as have the capability to help them share it with the public. Visit us at Sonoma Hills Retirement Community Art Gallery.
