Sandi Maurer

Artist statement

Making art is a meaningful process inspired by everyday life.  I love to draw from the inner realms and bring the unseen into form using color, shape, texture, narrative, and whimsy.

About

Sandi Maurer (Woodbury) was born in 1960 in Stockton California.  Her parents moved from Massachusetts to California in the 1940's.  As a young child her favorite pastime was coloring.  In kindergarten she learned about painting with tempera paints on an easel and loved it.  When she asked to paint at home her mother said "No, it's too messy". This was very disappointing, but school continued to be a big support for making art. Teachers encouraged and appreciated her art, which was her favorite subject. Her mother was also appreciative and would hang her drawings on the fridge or sometimes on the wall.

Sandi studied art at Sonoma State University and earned her degree in Art Studio with an emphasis in drawing in 1984.  She was influenced by classes in ceramics with Kay Armstrong, and mixed media and monoprints with Inez Storer.  Between 1984 and 1989 Sandi (under the name "DruBy Woo") created and sold whimsical ceramic figures in art galleries in Sonoma County, and at Virginia Brier Gallery in San Francisco. 

In 1989 Sandi created "Lightstones", which are hand sculpted and hand painted ceramic stones, each representing a different spiritual quality.  She made and sold over 100,000 stones in stores throughout the United States and beyond from 1989 to 2007.

In 2006 Sandi learned she had been injured by electromagnetic fields (EMF's). She had her house tested, and by practicing prudent avoidance of EMF's was able to restore her health and immune system. She became an activist on the health and safety risks of EMF's and founded the EMF Safety Network in 2009.

In 2010 Sandi returned to her love of making art and began to slowly dabble in painting acrylics on canvas. In the summer of 2021 she she joined the Art Workshop of Western Sonoma County (AWS) which has been a source of inspiration, support and learning. She also loves photography and plans to do more ceramic sculpting.

Artist Resume

Education
Solano Community College, Associate of Arts degree general studies, 1981;  University of South Carolina, at Columbia student exchange program, 1982; Sonoma State University (SSU), Bachelor of Arts degree Art studio, emphasis drawing, 1984;  Santa Rosa Junior College classes in monotype, etching 1995-1998.

Art Related Experience
University banner designer 1981-1983;  SSU Art gallery assistant 1982-1983; SSU ceramic assistant (Kay Armstrong) 1983-1984; Various commercial work: window painting, murals and display work;   Artist in Residence: Analy High School, Sebastopol California ceramic parade project 1994; Created and marketed handmade, hand painted ceramic Lightstones to stores across the United States and Australia, 1989 to 2007.

Exhibitions
"The Female Figure" Student Union Gallery 1983; " Drawings and Paintings" Rohnert Park 1983; "Beginnings" juried SSU Art Gallery 1983; "Mixed Media" with K. Wagner, Student Union Gallery 1984; "Monoprints" Annies Art Gallery Bodega, CA. 1985; Figurative ceramic sculptures (aka Druby Woo) shown at Valley Ford Viewfinder, Quicksilver Mine company, Bodega Landmark Studios, and Virginia Brier 1985-1989;  "Artists at Play" Santa Rosa City Hall 1989; "Artists at Play" Mill Gallery, Petaluma, CA. 1990; " DruBy Woo and Lynn Rockhold" Gallery Cafe Sebastopol 1990; "Art from the Start" Sebastopol Center for the Arts 1998; "Food Glorious Food" juried Sebastopol Center for the Arts. 1998 (people’s choice award); "Reclaiming the Artist" Studios on South A#4 Santa Rosa CA 2016, Sebastopol Center for the Arts Member Show: 2015, 2016, 2021.