It’s with abundant delight that I launch my new fine art website. It’s been a long journey from Los Angeles to Northern California and took 2½ years to finally feel settled in Mill Valley, Marin County. During the disruptions of transitioning from one home to another, I stopped painting. In planning the move, I had imagined that I would have sought the respite of art but instead I had no residual energy for creativity.
Marin is spectacular and remarkable with more abundant natural beauty than I expected when choosing it as a new home. The sky is vast and ever-changing and summer sunsets go on forever, continually evolving into something more beautiful than seen in the glance before. Nearby weekend jaunts present new delights with each new beach, hike and vista. As is apparent from this photo of Drake’s Beach in Pt Reyes National Seashore, the light is more muted than garish Southern California and the visual palette full of neutrals and gentle earth tones while simultaneously dazzling.
When I began painting again in my new home studio, I haltingly rediscovered my voice. Both my physical environment and my personal journey through the transition influenced my work. While I continue to evolve abstract landscapes pieces initially inspired by the Eastern Sierra, I now find inspiration in my everyday surroundings. My color palette, even when painting scenes from the East Side, incorporates far more blues and neutrals than in the past. I’ve gained confidence in my artistic capabilities through this transition. As I plan a new series of paintings, I am enthused to discover what will emerge, feeling no longer itinerant but settled in my new home.