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Arts & Entertainment

Photography is Her Kaleidoscopic Muse

A camera and an imagination take this artist in surprising and useful directions.

Our column "El Cerrito Art Seen" features a glimpse of the art that can be seen in galleries and other venues in the city. Let us know if you have suggestions on what to include. This week we feature Heidi Rand of Garden Delights Arts & Crafts. 

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I never question what to do, it tells me what to do. The photographs make themselves without my help. — Ruth Bernhard, U.S. photographer

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For artist Heidi Rand, the wellspring of her art is photography, fueled by two passions: making art useful and nature's beauty, which is dependent on conserving wildlife. 

That's a tall order to fill, but Rand's studio is chock-a-block full of art pieces and crafts that all bear the stamp of her passion and her unique mixed-media approach to art.

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All her creations start with photography. Given a camera 30 years ago after college, she stayed with photography for a while in the dark-room days, then put it aside for law school. When digital cameras appeared (the light-room days), Rand came into her own. 

She describes her work as using her nature photos and the designs she creates from them in her handmade mixed-media arts and crafts pieces. To accomplish this, she doesn't hesitate to experiment with new materials and techniques, the most recent being to print — using her inkjet printer — on a roofing material called lutradur, which is spun-web polyester (not unlike some kinds of sewing interface, but much stronger). Rand also prints on paper, cloth, metal, wood and ceramic tile, although the latter she has to send out. Fascinated by boxes, she prints covers of varying materials, and orders the wooden boxes from aftosa.com, a Richmond company. 

She says she uses "transfer techniques to get her images onto any surface that won't fit through her printer!"  Teaching classes at the on inkjet printing on fabric and other materials, she also teaches online classes. She has written an ebook, Inkjet Printing on Fabric. For Rand, art is definitely thinking outside the box — literally and figuratively. If she can figure out how to take her art off the wall for another use, she does. As a result, Rand uses her designs for pet collars, home decor, ties, scarves, tote bags, and myriad other objects — even shoes! 

The second aspect that drives her work is her appreciation and deep love of nature, for which she credits her husband, George McRae, an orchid expert. The National Wildlife Federation has certified their home as "a Backyard Wildlife Habitat." Monarch butterflies are one of the creatures that find a home here. Rand says they lay their eggs on milkweed pods, while anise swallowtail butterflies lay eggs on fennel plants. McRae and Rand take the eggs into their home, where they watch them hatch and then send the young ones off into the world. Rand photographs them, then creates framed photos, collages, fabric designs, jewelry  — however the images strike her. 

Besides teaching art and working full-time as a lawyer, Rand is a member of the , and for the past two years designed the colorful mandala print banners that hung on the main stage at El Cerrito's July 4 celebration. Call her for an appointment to check out her studio. I doubt you'll leave empty-handed!

Garden Delights Arts & Crafts, 5810 Barrett Ave., El Cerrito; 510-919-4652; heidirand@gmail.com; call for an appointment; free parking.

Web site: http://GardenDelightsArts.com

Etsy Shop: http://GardenDelightsArts.etsy.com

Galleries: http://Garden-Delights-Arts.smugmug.com

Corrections: The originally published version of this article omitted part of the name of Rand's business. Its correct name is Garden Delights Arts & Crafts. It also misspelled her husband's last name. The correct name is McRae. It also listed an incorrect email address for Rand. It should be heidirand@gmail.com. All these errors have been corrected.

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