You’re invited to a new art exhibit at the Coast Highway Art Collective. “Catch the Image/Make the Cut” is a retrospective collection of works spanning the careers of photographer Geraldine LiaBraaten and wood artist Jim Docker.

LiaBraaten says “this year marks my golden anniversary as a photographer. I’ve done it all, media assignments, stock photography, outdoor art fairs, gallery exhibits, and nonprofit fundraisers. My style has remained consistent through it all: I like color, diagonals, pattern, and oddness. Over time, I’ve gotten closer and closer to my subjects, evolving from large panoramas to small semi-abstracts. I love to give my viewers that element of surprise, plus recognition and discovery, from ‘what the heck is that’ to ‘Aha!’” She says she doesn’t work in a dark room and doesn’t manipulate her images. What she sees through her viewfinder is what the viewer sees in her prints. She has worked with her photographs as framed works, mobiles, sculptures, transfers onto paper or clay, or collaged onto furniture and other household items.

Docker is a long-time resident of The Sea Ranch, and is well-known for his construction business, building custom homes, cabinets, and furniture for over 50 years. He earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree at San Francisco State University and briefly taught wood technology and fabrication in the Sculpture program. He also studied Art as an undergraduate at Pepperdine College. Docker lived and studied language, culture, arts, and architecture in Kyoto, Japan, from the late 1960s to the early ’70s. That influence is evident in the intricate wood pieces he creates. “As a music lover the discipline, structure, and freedom expressed in jazz and classical work enter into the dialogue I have with wood and fabric,” said Docker. His creative efforts are focused on knife blocks, serving boards, cabinetry, furniture fabrication, and working on fabric design and constructions, using printed fabric based on his woodwork. He continues to design custom homes. Docker describes his work as ‘quilting in wood.’ He says “Above all, I hope my work brings both visual delight and a certain usefulness!”