Artist Ali Koehler An Inspiration to Others, Herself

"Ali Koehler is an artist and singer. Her paintings have earned her national honors and have been purchased for inclusion in private and corporate collections. One was selected to appear on the label of an Imagery Estate wine. Just last month, the 32-year-old Sebastopol woman was invited be an artist-in-residence at the prestigious Chalk Hill Artist Residency Program at the Warnecke Ranch in Healdsburg. Koehler is among the first developmentally disabled artists to be invited to be an Artist in Residence at the Warnecke Ranch on historic Chalk Hill. 'The great thing about Ali is that she had the self-confidence and perspective of herself as a professional artist,' said Alice Sutro, who oversees the Chalk Hill Artist Residency program and who also co-chairs the Collector's Circle for Becoming Independent."

-Meg McConahey, The Press Democrat

In the Make: Studio Visits with West Coast Artists

"We were invited by artist and Program Director Alice Warnecke to spend the night at Chalk Hill Artist Residency. This small and relatively new residency is near Healdsburg on the Warnecke Ranch and Vineyards, an impressive stretch of land that includes Russian River frontage, a lake, grassy meadows, and an 80-acre vineyard. Artists are selected to come one at a time to live in the 1920’s farmhouse and are given a studio space in a repurposed barn and are encouraged to explore the rambling property. Chalk Hill Residency also collaborates with local organizations to integrate artists with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges. This is an important and personal aspect to the residency, started in honor of Alice’s uncle Roger Warnecke who has been living and painting with schizophrenia since he was 20. Before starting the residency Alice had been living in San Francisco but after graduating from CCA she decided to move to her family’s ranch and help out with the vineyards. The inspiration for Chalk Hill Residency was based on her grandfather’s vision (John Carl Warnecke), a renowned architect who had dreamed that the land would someday be a resource for architects and artists. "

-Klea McKenna, In the Make