Don't miss our March First Friday!
Join us in welcoming three local artists to the Lille gallery. Ü & Kumquat, and Beachcombers Booty with photography jewelry and clothing by A.J Melvin.

Samosa happy hour menu. Mango lassi, chai, and local wines. Friday 3/5 5-9 pm.

Gallery hours will be Friday 5-9 pm, Saturday 11-5 pm, Sunday 11-3 pm.

BIOS

Cheyanne Donald Valera

"Co owner of ü and Kumquat. Designer and artist of Cheyanne DonValera Designs.

There’s nothing I won’t draw. Also, there’s not many inanimate objects I don’t talk to. So, it seems appropriate that the new art vision obsession would be personification of areas that I love.

I know I’m not the only one that asks, what would this place be like, if it were a person? I am trying to answer those questions, and so much more.

I seem to have two versions of art, simple and straightforward, or an acid trip from the 90s full of bubble gum pop and Madonna inspired bustiers.

I dream of my art, sometimes it consumes me, it grabs ahold, and it’s all I think about. I think I’m driving in the car, but I’m thinking about hair colors, and hand placement. I think I’m talking to someone at the grocery store, but I’m visualizing colors, and deep sea adventures.

I HAVE to put things on paper, or into the digital world. If I don’t, I will possibly implode.

I don’t hold back from any media, because everything has equality in the creative space. But, if I had to choose something that set my world on fire, it’s pen and ink. There’s something so satisfying about how the pen scrapes the paper, the ink seeps into the porous spaces, the smell of the pigments as you open the jars.

It’s inspiring all in its own world.

I create art for arts sake. It’s pure, and satisfying."
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A.J Melvin

Co founder and co creator for ü and kumquat, and sole owner and created for Extra Salt.

A Jill of all art trades, A.J is currently focusing on photography and video production, along with clothing design for ü and Kumquat.

Her part of the show will be showcasing black and white photography encompassing her viewpoint of Santa Cruz.

You will see some familiar spaces and some haunting scenes as she shares her journey from mountains to downtown and everything in between.

These pieces are sweet with some extra salt. It’s an experience that you needed, and never knew existed.
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"Dianne O’Dell

Dianne owns, creates and spends hours sourcing the items for Beachcombers Booty.

She is a created, if it can be made, she will make it. Embody it. And then know everything there is to know about it, until it is time to move on to the next creation.

Take these amazing sea glass beauties that she hand wraps. She chooses each piece of glass carefully. As she has spent years, decades even, collecting the glass from all over California.

Each piece has a story, a timeline and she knows them. Ask her about the pieces and she can tell you that glass’ journey and how it made its home into the one of a kind wall hanging or pendant that you are connecting to.

She sees faces and animals and incredible scenes in everything she looks at, and will then proceed to embellish and bring to life something only she had once seen.

Her creativity and constant imaginative genius has no bounds, and she is excited to share some of these pieces with the community for the first time since their creation.

Not only are they one of a kind, but they have only been seen by a select few, until now.

Macrame is so in the past. These wall hangings shine, like diamonds in your windows, bring the beach into your home as they grace your walls, and will only become more loved as you see new things in them every day."