MARKETA Fourmeau x Busy winemaker encourages bicycle use ▲It’s all about the eyes,” said Sheri Debow, who has been making whimsical dolls for the past seven years. With a background in ceramics, Debow said she was tired of the same-old and went into porcelain doll making. “I was a big collector of dolls as a kid, and for some reason it stuck,” said Debow. But her dolls are not the regular, fine-featured dolls you may see in shops. Her style is inspired from her love of reading, and in particular Anne Rice novels and childhood stories like Narnia, the Little Women books, Dracula, Jane Austin and Dickens. She is a self-proclaimed freak for musicals as well. intriguing artist Sheri Debow creates dolls of wonder “A piece of fabric can even inspire me,” said the bubbly Debow, who is also a mom to four boys and one girl. Her 18-year-old daughter often attends doll shows with her mom. “There is a sense of wonderment about my dolls,” said Debow proudly. “They are whimsical and innocent. I like to create fantastical images of dolls.” Debow said her dolls took off in popularity after a woman in Los Angeles asked her to do a show in Nashville. That led to shows in San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia and Germany. She also now has 10,000 followers on Instagram. Her dolls are now sold worldwide, and she been featured in Art Doll Quarterly and Beautiful Bizarre magazine, to name a couple, as well as major galleries. “My kids joke that I’m a freak,” said Debow, “but that just inspires me more to be more creative. The eyes have it.” sheridebow@sbcglobal.net –Kari Ruel ▲ JANUARY- F E B R UARY 2 0 1 5 21 photo by Mariana Aponte ▲ Options, values and goals change through out one’s life, according to winemaker Marketta Fourmeaux, who is now on her third winery. The Finnish-born vintner studied winemaking in France and came to the United States in the 1980s. She was the founder/winemaker at Chateau Potelle on Mt. Veeder for twenty years, and produced 25,000 cases a year. She was awarded the prestigious Medaille de Chevalier de L’Ordre du Merite Agricole (past recipients include Louis Pasteur) by the French President and Government for outstanding achievement in her profession both in America and in France. A few years ago, wanting to build a small production Burgundy-style winery, she purchased an 1887 Victorian in downtown Napa and excavated under the house for her new winery. Every part of her winery has a story. Marketta believes the quality of wine comes from the people who make the wine and not the winery. Her heart in the wine business is in her talent and passion to educate people and share her knowledge of winemaking through her experiences in Europe, the U.S., Chile, and being a “hillside girl.” She is starting a winemaking program for individuals who want to learn everything from harvest to wine. Another unique characteristic about Marketta is her mode of transportation. She grew up riding bicycles. Bikes were not only for sport and recreation, but a mode of transportation while living in Europe. She says that if she is not carrying anything too heavy she will almost always take her bike to deliver wine to restaurants or to do errands. “Biking is part of my life and my lifestyle. I want to encourage others to use bikes more,” she says. “It’s what helps keep me eternally young.” Marketta is a big supporter of the Napa Valley Vine Trail and was the first person to donate $10,000 as part of the Founders Circle. –Kari Ruel photo by ART & CLARITY
NVLife_JanFeb_2015
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