Local Bay Area Artists With Perspective Make Their Mark

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — When school services end at age 22, many adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities face a sudden and disorienting loss of structure and support.

Becoming Independent steps into that gap — and its artists are turning that support into thriving creative careers.

Affiliated with North Bay Regional Center, Becoming Independent delivers support for independent living. Its Professional Art Program pushes further, giving participants tools, studio access, and public platforms to create and sell work across Sonoma County.

Participants produce paintings, fiber art, photography, and jewelry. They exhibit in galleries, cafés, and tasting rooms — and they earn income. Artists keep half of every sale, while the program reinvests the rest into supplies.

Licensing deals place their images on mugs, greeting cards, and blankets, turning artwork into steady revenue streams. Aging out of school, they age into the art world and are creating an unexpected economy.

Artist Mark Thomas began painting at age 8. Now 42, he fills canvases with bold reds and whimsical subjects like sheep, pigs, and flamingos. His piece “Happy Flamingos” captures his style — vivid, playful, and immediate. “I see it and I do it. I make things come alive,” Thomas said during a reception for the National Arts Program exhibition at Finley Community Center in Santa Rosa.

Thirteen artists are currently showing work in the competitive citywide show open to all residents.

Thomas said his work also appears permanently at a Mauritson Wines tasting room. He has also sold pieces at the Project Zin auction, led by Chef Charlie Palmer and winemaker Clay Mauritson, which benefits the Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area.

On Thursdays, instructors lead photography outings using iPads and cameras. Alicia Holley, 33, captures stark, geometric images of barns across Sonoma County. Her photograph “Behind the Window” highlights her precision.

“She is quite the perfectionist,” said her mother, Jennifer H. Angel. “She can see the slightest detail.”

Other artists bring decades of experience. Bob Best has been painting for more than half of his life, including a class at the Santa Rosa Junior College when he was 20.

Best works primarily in acrylic and watercolor, drawing inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci and Claude Monet. His landscapes, like “Trees By A Stream,” blend impressionistic mood with intuitive technique.

“He’ll just start painting and go for it,” educational specialist Dalton Wiley said.

Travis Kenzy, 40, moves fluidly between mediums. “Anything he wants to sketch, he can do it,” his mother said. Anything he finds, he turns to art, including the bracelets he made from discarded plastic.

The program, now in its second decade, builds more than portfolios. It builds confidence, defines artistic voice, and earns the creators commissions. Sonoma County and Sutter Health have displayed pieces in their buildings, while cafés like Coffee & Moore in Sebastopol display collections.

“This is all about creative dignity, community integration, and the quiet, decade-long effort of a local nonprofit to make sure its artists are seen,” CEO Luana Vaetoe said.

For many participants, the impact goes beyond income. Families say the work creates a sense of belonging — and a visible place in the community.

“They forge their own way,” Wiley said.

The program will be switching gears with a talent show, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Friday at The Backdrop, 1455 Corporate Center Parkway, Santa Rosa.