Art Issue: Get to Know Our Local Artist

By Christianna Marks

Sally Lamas paints her mural on the side of the Monarch Behavior Solutions Building. Contributed Photo

Max Randolph

Max Randolph forges a sculpture. Photo by Bradical Photography

As a kid, Max Randolph was always up to something creative, whether it was sculpting with clay, drawing, or playing with Legos, but it was when he learned to weld at 14 that his creativity really exploded.

“Suddenly, I was able to make things out of metal, but what really started to happen was I knew I could get it hot and then I could move it, and that’s truly when, all of the sudden, I fell down the rabbit hole,” he said.

Though his dream is to one day create things directly from the source with untapped creativity, Randolph is currently working on commissioned projects.

He says that skewing his perception through someone else’s lens is a fun challenge.

“Someone needs something, and then I create it for them,” he added excitedly.

Randolph has a plethora of projects currently being molded or fresh out of his forge, including a massive sculpture of an oak tree with copper leaves that will be going to Mission San Antonio de Padua.

You can see Randolph’s art locally in The Alchemist’s Garden’s sign and the clock tower located in Tin City in Paso Robles, where he lives.

No stranger to paint, Sally Lamas is a muralist who’s had her work all over San Luis Obispo County, from Pismo Beach to her newest mural in Atascadero.

“There’s something special about a public mural because it’s almost ... I actually took a lot of solicited suggestions from people,” Lamas said. “When you’re working in your studio, it’s you and whoever might be your family doing that. But it’s not an integral thing with the community that then walks by and remembers how they talked to you about that piece of art.”

Lamas not only paints her art on public surfaces in the community, but she’s also been known to work on canvases, her own greeting card line, and many more artistic endeavors.

Lamas’s most recent mural, which was a part of Atascadero’s Equality Mural Project, can be found on the side of the Monarch Behavior Solutions Building.

Sally Lamas

An abstract are piece by Marie Ramey. Photo by Marie Ramey

Jordan Hockett grew up in the North County, left to get his art degree from San Francisco State, and returned to Paso Robles in 2015.

Initially, Hockett started his college journey wanting to study graphic design, but along the way, he switched over to studying the fine arts. To this day, graphic design still influences his work.

“I’ve always loved color and pattern,” Hockett said. “I also worked as an upholsterer for five years, so a lot of textiles influence my current work with the color and the pattern.”

Hockett has been a part of Studios on the Park for the last seven years after working for a handful of galleries in San Francisco. He says that, in addition to textiles and graphic design, human interaction plays a big role in his work.

“I like to look at how people are interacting with different people and sometimes present it in a humorous way,” Hockett said.

You can see Hockett’s art in Paso Robles at Studios on the Park, where he is also Studios on the Park’s curator.

Marie Ramey

Since the start of COVID, Marie Ramey’s art process has changed. Over the last couple of years, she has repainted over some of her older pieces that she was dissatisfied with, using them to create new paintings.

“I haven’t bought canvas since COVID started, and that’s been very fun to do, leaving a little bit of the history of the old painting. I know it’s there, and it contributes to the new painting,” Ramey said.

Ramey, who’s been a North County local for 21 years, is currently painting out of her home studio in her barn. where she also teaches classes to locals. She also taught art history and drawing part-time for 10 years at Cuesta College.

“I’m always experimenting,” Ramey said of her art process. “Trying to get looser and looser.”

For announcements on classes and upcoming events, check out Marie’s website at: marieramey.com.