TRUCKEE, Calif. – In describing the inspiration for her pieces, Sheri Howe pointed out, “Sometimes I picture my muse kicking back in a red velvet chair wearing striped tights, a tutu and cowgirl boots drinking too much wine and saying, ‘go for it girlfriend pick up anything you want and see what happens, have fun!’ Other times she’s an otherworldly wisp of an ancient mother who is urging me to visually translate the stories of my heart, the ones that directly tie me to the Earth and the truth of our interconnectedness.”

Howe and long-time colleague, friend, and soul-sister Alison Lee will be featured artists at the Sierra College, Tahoe-Truckee Campus from Feb. 4 through March 24. Their show will include an eclectic mix of 2-D and 3-D media inspired by Mother Nature. The opening reception is slated for Thursday, Feb. 7, 5-7 p.m. at 11001 College Trail in Truckee.

Howe and Lee enjoy many connections in the Tahoe-Truckee area. They both graduated from Sierra Nevada College, and have taught art in multiple venues. Howe served as an artist in residence in the Tahoe-Truckee schools for 10 years through Arts for the Schools, taught classes at the North Lake Tahoe Art Center and the Lake Forest Creative Center. Lee teaches at the Lake Tahoe School. She said, “I have lived and played in the Lake Tahoe region for 20-plus years and have paddled, skied, hiked, biked and climbed my way through the Sierra Nevada,” and considers this area food for her creative endeavors.

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As art teachers, Howe and Lee have strived to connect students to art through play and humor, while also giving them the skills to effectively tell their stories. Howe reflected, “So we struggle through, we take chances, we listen to our hearts, we fall down, get up, start over, create masterpieces, spill, wipe, fingerpaint, make mistakes, laugh, cry, fix the mistakes with stunning results, create more masterpieces, have constant revelations and discover our voices, ourselves, and make magic.”

The soul-sisters bring the same sensibilities to their own work. Dr. Kim Bateman, executive dean remarked, “It will be a stunning show.”

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Sierra College, Tahoe-Truckee offers general education as well as career and technical training. Spring classes begin the week of Jan. 28. For more information visit 11001 College Trail in Truckee, go to sierracollege.edu or call 530-550-2225.