A CLASS IN WHICH STUDENTS CAN LEARN to make miniature mixed-media art they can wear in the form of jewelry begins today and continues Tuesdays through July 22.

The class meets at 6:30 p.m. at Studio 22, 940 Tyler St. Cost is $65 for Arts Benicia members and $80 for nonmembers, and students also will pay an additional $15 for materials.

Peg Jackson will show students how they can start with scrap mat board, then add layers of paper, paint, gold leaf, thread and other items, including found and recycled materials, to make pins, pendants and lightweight earrings.

The studio gallery’s “fire sale,” in which all artwork is $99 or less, will take place Saturday and Sunday at Arts Benicia, Suite 114, 991 Tyler St., in the historic Arsenal district.

Doors open both days at 10 a.m. for Arts Benicia members only, and to the nonmember public at 11 a.m. The sales last until 4 p.m. both days.

Those who want to create larger mixed-media works can take Arts Benicia classes with LorriMarie Jenkins, who will teach advanced students at 6:30 p.m. Mondays, July 7 to Aug. 11.

Beginner classes will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays from July 17 to Aug. 21 in the classroom at Arts Benicia. Cost of these classes is $75 for Arts Benicia members and $90 for nonmembers, plus a $10 materials fee.

Students will learn new techniques in their use of paper, fabric, pencils and other media, and Jenkins will encourage them to play with their various materials as they create mix-media art.

Other classes are:

• Tapin Alilin will teach handcrafted paper flower making in three sessions at Arts Benicia. The first, focusing on roses, will be at 4:30 p.m. July 11; the second, on hydrangeas, will be at the same time Aug. 22; and the third, on poinsettias, will be at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 26. Cost is $65 for members and $80 for nonmembers.

• Those interested in sculpting figures in clay may do so in two classes taught by Jean Cherie at Artcentric Pottery and Glass Fusing Studio, 733 First St. The first session is at 2:30 p.m. July 13, and the second is at the same time July 20. Cost is $80 for members and $95 for nonmembers for each session. Those wanting to tak both sessions may do so at $140 for members and $155 for nonmembers. A materials fee of $15 per session also will be charged.

• Aline Karpoyan will introduce students to mosaics in a two-day class at 11 a.m. Aug. 23-24. Cost is $55 for Arts Benicia members and $70 for nonmembers, plus a $75 materials fee. This class will meet at Artcentric.

• Karpoyan will also teach a class at Artcentric in dichroic glass jewelry at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 2. Cost is $50 for members and $75 for nonmembers. Materials are an additional $40.

• Her Pique Assiette mosaic class will meet at 11 a.m. Sept. 20-21 at Artcentric. Cost is $65 for members and $80 for nonmembers, plus a $75 materials fee.

• Judi Morales Gibson will teach a class she calls Guerilla Upcycled Sewing at 5 p.m. July 13 at Arts Benicia. Cost is $50 for members and $65 or nonmembers.

• Photographers who want to focus on sunsets and landscapes may learn with Erin Lewis, who will teach classes at various Benicia waterfronts at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays from July 16 to Aug. 13. Cost is $100 for members and $115 for nonmembers.

• Cindy Baker will teach Making Books with Structure at 6 p.m. July 19 at Arts Benicia. Cost is $50 for members and $65 for nonmembers, plus a $10 materials fee.

• Robert Ray will give a three-hour class on collage beginning at 1 p.m. July 20. Cost of his class, at Arts Benicia, is $45 for members and $60 for nonmembers.

• Prospective watercolor artists can learn more about that medium from Stephen Schumm, whose classes will be at 1 p.m. July 28 and Aug. 3 at Arts Benicia. Cost is $85 for members and $100 for nonmembers.

• Mary Shaw and Pat Hall will teach Drawing for the Bold and Adventurous at 1 p.m. Sundays, Aug. 10 to Sept. 14, at Arts Benicia. Cost is $125 for members and $140 for nonmembers.

• Giovanna Sensi-Isolani will guide students in experiments with nuno felting at a workshop that starts at 10 a.m. Aug. 17. Cost is $84 for members, and $100 for nonmembers. Materials are $15 extra. Those who want to continue nuno felting may study with her at 10 a.m. Aug. 24 at an open studio. Cost for the workshop and open studio is $110 for members and $125 for nonmembers.

• Those interested in floral design may study with Joy Alberts in her Thursday classes that meet at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 28 to Sept. 18 at Joyous Spaces, 301 First St. Cost is $99 for Arts Benicia members and $114 for nonmembers, with an $89 materials fee in addition.

• Mernie Buchanan will teach Making Acrylics Glow at noon Sept. 21 at Arts Benicia. Cost is $75 for members and $90 for nonmembers, plus $5 for materials.

• Denise Doyle will teach her class Sacred Creative Mask: Animal Wisdom at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 7 and 10 a.m. Sept. 7. Cost is $120 for members and $135 for nonmembers, plus $15 for materials.

• Ronna Leon’s continuing printmaking exploration sessions, meeting at Arts Benicia at 9 a.m. Saturdays, is for all levels. Cost for six sessions is $180 for members and $195 for nonmembers, plus a $20 materials fee for those who need them.

• Also ongoing are figure drawing classes that meet at 7 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of the month at Arts Benicia. Cost is $50 a month or $30 for a drop in to a single class, and artists bring their own materials.

Students may register for any of the classes listed above through the Arts Benicia website, www.artsbenicia.org, by emailing info@artsbenicia.org or by calling the studio at 707-747-0131.

Randy’s Mexican Grill changes name to Elviarita

Randy’s Mexican Grill, 727 First St., has a new name, Elviarita, taken from the first name of one of its owners Elvia, and one of the margaritas on the restaurant’s menu.

The restaurant’s staff and original recipes will remain the same, and the restaurant also will cater parties and events, though new menu items will be added.

Business hours also are the same, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays for lunch, and dinner hours 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 5-9:30 p.m. Thursdays, 5-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 8 p.m. Saturdays.
The restaurant is closed Mondays.

The restaurant’s phone number, 707-751-1705, also remains the same.

The Benicia Herald’s weekly Benicia Business Beat column is an opportunity for local businesses and companies to tell our readers about such news as moves, grand openings, awards, promotion of employees, staff changes and changes in goods and services.

Submissions need to answer the questions who, what, when, where, why and how, preferably in the body of an email, and provide contact information.

Deadline is 3 p.m. Friday for news items that will appear in the next Tuesday edition’s Benicia Business Beat. Please email news releases and accompanying high-resolution photographs and logos to beniciaherald@gmail.com, and put “Attn. Business Beat” in the subject line, as well as the name of the business.

The Benicia Herald also appreciates area companies’ advertising patronage. For advertising services, call 707-745-0733 or email adsbenicia@yahoo.com.