Joan Rhine
Handmade paper, mixed media, and jewelry
Active hand papermaking studio, workshops; colorful abstract artwork combines handmade paper and mixed media; contemporary hand fabricated sterling silver jewelry
Directions to Studio #18 at 46400 Bourns Gulch Road, Gualala:
From Hwy 1 at mile marker 2.81, turn east on Glennen. At 0.18 miles turn right on Bourns Gulch Road, go 0.5 miles uphill. Studio is on the left, turn left at driveway.
Studio Tour Hours
Aug. 23-24 & Aug. 30-Sept. 1
11 am to 5 pm
My studio is also open year-round by appointment.
No pets please.
I fell in love with paper at Cooper Union Art School. Now making handmade paper and passing on my knowledge to others through workshops is my passion. My husband Jim Meilander and I originally co-founded our studio Submarine Paperworks In 1984 at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, then re-established it when we moved to Gualala in 2000. In addition to hand papermaking facilities, our studio also has a dedicated area for me to create my other obsession, jewelry.
I consider myself a mixed media artist. I enjoy playing with a range of materials, especially handmade paper, metal and fabrics. My imagery is abstract or symbolic in all of my work: wall pieces, sculpture and my jewelry collection Joan Rhine Designs…jewelry. I like to contrast simple shapes with rich texture, controlled forms with random elements, shiny surfaces with matte, and geometric elements with organic forms.
There is a symbiotic exchange of ideas and materials between my different expressions of art. The elements of color and texture found in my jewelry are influenced by my mixed media art. Jewelry materials, metal, wire, gold leaf, and beads have migrated into my wall pieces and sculpture.
Much of my work is inspired by my surroundings. When I walk on the beach or in the forest, I absorb natural forms, textures, and colors. Landscapes, skies, even man-made structures along the coast and through the countryside stimulate my imagination.
Active Member: North American Hand Papermakers
Education:
BFA. The Cooper Union, New York, NY
MFA in painting, printmaking. Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
Papermaking. Dieu Donne Paper Mill, New York, NY
Jewelry with Charlene Modena. Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA
Recent Awards from Gualala Arts:
First Place in Jewelry and Ornamentation at Art in the Redwoods (2019, 2015, 2012)
Recent Exhibitions:
Joan Rhine & Jim Meilander Together: Individual & Collaborative Art at Coast Highway Art Collective, Point Arena, CA
Gualala Salon at Gualala Arts, Gualala, CA
The Art of Paper at Art Center, Ukiah, CA
Expressions in Handmade Paper 3 at the Morris Graves Museum of Art, Eureka, CA
Where to Find My Jewelry and Art:
Discovery Gallery, Gualala
Mendocino Gems, Mendocino
The Ren Brown Collection, Bodega Bay