sullivan goss
Strasburg Studio Archives: Sparks of Joy
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
S P A R K S O F J O Y
MAY SPOTLIGHT : "Channel Gazing"
14 x 14", oil on birch panel, 2023.
Ask me about price, delivery and install
Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio.
I was recently reminded of the idea that happiness and sadness cannot fully occupy the same moment. And yet, even in our deepest despair, joy exists - small sparks flickering against the darkness reminding us that whatever weighs on us will not last forever.
With the steady stream of troubling news, the rising cost of living, or the quiet ache of watching loved ones struggle, joy is an imperative. The act of choosing joy feels less like a luxury and more like a necessity, a call to hope.
Amid the rush to meet show deadlines, I’ve found myself reflecting on the small, sustaining moments in my day, signposts that gently steer me away from lingering too long in the shadows.
Channel Gazing reflects one such moment, time spent with friends after a long beach walk, when we paused to admire the magnificent spray of colors from the sun as it slipped behind the purple marine layer.
Wherever life finds you at the moment, may joy always meet you on your path, whispering "look at that" and "it's all going to be okay".
Borrowing from a familiar refrain “these are a few (more) of my favorite things”:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Channel Gazing was created in 2023 for the exhibition Surfacing at Sullivan Goss.It featured in the catalog produced for the show then journeyed up to Carmel where it was included in two exhibits before returning home to the studio.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
One treasure. One story. Once a month.
I look forward to sharing the hidden gems in my studio in this monthly series.
Feel free to forward to other treasure seekers and art lovers.
Strasburg Studio Archives: Spellbound
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
S P E L L B O U N D
April SPOTLIGHT : "Spellbound"
48 x 24", oil on birch panel, 2023.
Ask me about price, delivery and install
Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio.
Despite the fact we’ve had some early and epic warm weather on the west coast, I lingered long in my hibernation this winter, not wanting to poke my head out too far.
Quietly and diligently I have been working in my studio building a new show which will debut at Sullivan Goss in Santa Barbara this summer. The impending exhibition has been yet another good “reason” not to venture far from home.
There are still the distractions swirling outside the studio door but inside spring is blossoming, sun is shining, the sea sparkles and trees tower overhead.
This month’s spotlight brings us back to beauty for beauty’s sake. Spellbound is the perfect launch back into the archives. It is a painting celebrating the singular weather along the shore of the Santa Barbara channel. The marine layer hugging the coastline creates a luminous ethereal quality, radiating diffuse light and color.
It is a place between presence and disappearance, where time loosens its grip and the ordinary becomes quietly enchanted—a reminder that beauty often arrives not in clarity, but in the tender blur of what cannot quite be held.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Spellbound was created in 2023 for the exhibition Surfacing at Sullivan Goss. It featured in the catalog produced for the show, but in my opinion it hasn’t gotten enough attention, spending only a few weeks on the wall before coming home to the studio. It happens to be a favorite and currently hangs in my home where I get to enjoy it until the time comes for it to live abroad.
Currently on the wall in the Sullivan Goss Spring Salon is Cloud Spotting, 21.5 x 48", oil on birch panel. Also created for the exhibition Surfacing in 2023, the painting is on view through April 15, 2026.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
One treasure. One story. Once a month.
I look forward to sharing the hidden gems in my studio in this monthly series.
Feel free to forward to other treasure seekers and art lovers.
Strasburg Studio Archives: Noise Reduction
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
N O I S E R E D U C T I O N
Oct/Nov SPOTLIGHT : "SURGE"
35.5 x 35.5", oil on birch panel, 2021.
Ask me about price, delivery and install
Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio.
Here we are, approaching the eleventh month of the year twenty twenty-five, and I’m still in something of a muddle. It’s been one of the biggest challenges this year, navigating the news of our threatened democracy while keeping focus on my own sphere of influence and working towards shedding the rest. It doesn’t feel like I’m succeeding. Most days I can feel the low ebb of my spirits, a quiet fatigue that hums beneath the surface.
So how do we tune out the noise, calm our system and decipher what is important?
When I thought about it, this is exactly what I’m thinking when composing a new image. What in this subject compels me—what pulse or shimmer insists on being seen? How much, or how little, information is needed to carry that emotion to the viewer? It’s an act of distillation, a practice of clarity, and perhaps that’s the work—at the easel and in life alike.
This month’s spotlight, Surge, was a painting made for SEA CHANGE, my first post-Covid exhibition at Sullivan Goss in Santa Barbara. The long quiet of quarantine offered opportunity to look deeper into my subject - the sea, the sky, the horizon. Surge was one of the last pieces in that series, a study in restraint and presence: the pared-down rhythm of wave and shoreline, the subtle shifts in color held against hard edges. Sitting somewhere between impressionism and abstraction, it captures both the movement and stillness of the tide itself.
Perhaps, in the end, my muddle isn’t something to escape but to inhabit—the inevitable part of the process of finding my way. Like paint layered and reworked, meaning emerges slowly, in its own time, through patience and persistence. Pentimento traces the journey itself—revealing what endures and quietly concealing what no longer serves.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Something you may not know about this painting just by looking at it- it has had a rich life and logged many travel miles during its four year life span. Starting in Santa Barbara with the debut in Sea Change, Surge then spent several months in 2023 living in Carmel before being included in three Art Fairs this year-one in Arizona, then San Francisco and lastly Seattle- before returning home to the studio.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
One treasure. One story. Once a month.
I look forward to sharing the hidden gems in my studio in this monthly series.
Feel free to forward to other treasure seekers and art lovers.
Strasburg Studio Archives: Studying
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
S T U D Y I N G
AUG/SEPT SPOTLIGHT : Guoache Sketchbook Pages
"Oakleaf Hydrangea", 4 x 6" - "Treetops", 5 x 3"
"High Sierra", 5 x 3" - "Lacecap Hydrangea", 5 x 3.75"
Ask me about price, delivery and install
Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio.
This summer has been one long, unhurried exhale—the richest kind of lazy. Days unspooling without urgency, sketchbooks filling themselves as if by accident, untouched by ambition, untouched by that insistent hum of do more, be more. Even writing these words feels like a small betrayal, a gesture toward lists and momentum, when August has been so blissfully free of both.
The heat finally settled on the south coast with barely a month left before the fall equinox. I tried, halfheartedly, to rally for work, but the month had other plans. I spent my days steeped in gouache, coaxing out miniature landscapes while audiobooks played endlessly in the background. It felt almost European to claim August as a holiday, to let the warmth grant permission to sit still, to linger, to look closer.
From this quiet harvest are four of my small paintings—a portable exhibit drawn not from striving but from stillness.
This was no idleness, no apathy, but something restorative: a deliberate pause after a year of ceaseless care-taking and doing, of pouring out until even the smallest task felt heavy. August refilled the well. It reminded me that stepping away is not neglect, but nourishment—that rest is its own quiet form of creation.
These sketchbook images are just 4 of over 50 pages of intimate gouache studies ranging from flowers in my back yard, western sierra hikes and local shorelines.
The first image is an Oak Leaf Hydrangea, 4 x 6" which lives outside my studio in the backyard. Second image is Treetops, 5 x 3", then, High Sierra, 5 x 3", and lastly, bottom image, Lacecap Hydrangea, 5 x 3.75".
These little gems are more lovely in person. The depth of paint, the rich chalkiness of the gouache and the finer detail in the brushwork is muted by the camera. Studio visits are always a pleasure and I would be happy to share the whole collection to those who wish it. You will find me, still, at my desk, filling another book with images.
Currently on the wall at Sullivan Goss in Santa Barbara through September 22, 2025 -
Smiling Skies (left) and Evening Star (right) both 14x14".
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
One treasure. One story. Once a month.
I look forward to sharing the hidden gems in my studio in this monthly series.
Feel free to forward to other treasure seekers and art lovers.
Strasburg Studio Archives: Island Fever
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I S L A N D F E V E R
JULY SPOTLIGHT : Santa Cruz Island Trio
"Winter, SCI", 10 x 48", Oil on Birch Panel, 2011.
"Fog Bank near Willows", 10 x 48", Oil on Birch Panel, 2011.
"Valley Floor, SCI ", 16 x 72", Oil on Birch Panel, 2011.
Ask me about price, delivery and install
Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio.
Even in the height of summer, with its long golden days and warm, embracing light, the world remains shadowed by sorrow, anxiety, and an overwhelming sense of uncertainty. I am not immune. Some days I find myself holding my breath, waiting—wondering what will unfold next and how we’ll navigate it all. There are moments when I long to run, to disappear from the noise and the endless stream of news, to find shelter in a quieter, gentler place.
Our nearby islands offer just such a refuge. A day—or a few—spent on their rugged shores feels like stepping back in time, to an era when life was simpler and more rooted in the rhythms of nature. Untouched by technology and modern distractions, they provide the space to breathe, to reflect, and to remember what truly matters.
This month, I’m sharing a suite of panoramic paintings inspired by Santa Cruz Island, the largest of the five that make up the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. These works capture moments from sea to ridge to quiet inland valley—scenes of serenity and resilience amidst the chaos. For me, they evoke a timeless sense of calm, a reminder of what it means to live in harmony with the land, to care deeply for your family, and to find joy in the essentials.
Nature has always been my medicine—the salve for a soul worn thin by the world. Recently, I had the chance to retreat to a pine-covered mountainside, the air thick with the sweet, unexpected scent of butterscotch. A variety of birds were in residence while ravens swooped in and out of the canopies, their calls carrying on the wind like old stories being retold. Whether perched on a mountain or standing at the ocean’s edge, nature whispers to us—offering comfort, perspective, and a path back to ourselves.
Wherever this summer takes you, I hope you discover a moment of peace. A chance to remember the carefree magic of childhood, or simply the joy of a shared picnic in the company of those you love. May you find, if only briefly, the hope that summer promises—and the quiet strength to carry it forward.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
This trio of island images were created for the exhibition Island I Valleys I Home hosted by Sullivan Goss in Santa Barbara, Fall 2011. The video brochure is still available on the Sullivan Goss YouTube channel. Although Fog Bank migrated back to my studio after the closing of the exhibit, Valley Floor spent a year in San Diego at Susan Street Fine Art and Winter, Santa Cruz participated in the National Park juried exhibition at the Wildling Museum in 2016; both returning home in early 2017.
Revisit July 2024 Spotlight: Island Hike, another view from Santa Cruz Island.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DID YOU KNOW?
Santa Cruz Island is largest in the chain of five islands making up the Channel Island National Park. The trusty guides at Island Packers, out of Ventura Harbor, take multitudes of interested adventurers out daily on the short boat ride to Scorpion Anchorage on the north side of the island. Stay for the day or pack your gear to camp, hike, and kayak for several days in this idyllic environment.
Find me this July in Lotusland Celebrates: Jardin des Rêves at Sullivan Goss, June 27-July 28. Also look for me at the Seattle Art Fair showing with Ocotillo, July 17-20.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
One treasure. One story. Once a month.
I look forward to sharing the hidden gems in my studio in this monthly series.
Feel free to forward to other treasure seekers and art lovers.
Strasburg Studio Archives: You're Swell
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Y O U ’ R E S W E L L
JUNE SPOTLIGHT : "You’re Swell"
30 x 48", oil on birch panel, 2023.
Ask me about price, delivery and install
Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio.
It’s June and summer is just around the corner, bringing with it a familiar pull—those sweet, restless memories of wanting to break free. The final stretch of school, the rush of last exams, and then at last, release—into the warmth of endless days. Sunbaked skin, ocean salt lingering in your hair and on your lips, time stretching out like a shimmering ribbon. Days spent outside, unburdened by homework or deadlines, filled instead with the laughter of friends and quiet hours lost in books in the shade of trees. Everything felt open. Anything felt possible.
This month’s spotlight, You’re Swell, calls the viewer into the cool foam of the sea, evoking a sense of freedom and lightness that so often accompanies the summer months. The colors, textures, and movements of the ocean serve as a reminder of the carefree days of our youth, when time seemed to stretch on endlessly and the demands of adulthood hadn’t yet taken hold.
But how can we, as adults, bring more of that feeling into our daily lives? How can we tap into the same sense of joy and ease that summer once provided, even when the hustle and bustle of work, responsibilities, and constant connectivity threaten to overwhelm us? Is it possible to let go of the never-ending list of tasks and obligations?
Perhaps now, it takes intention—a conscious choice to create space for joy. To deliberately carve out time for rest, for play, for those unexpected moments that become lasting memories.
Let’s bring more of that summer spirit into adulthood, making the space for adventure, spontaneity, and simple pleasures. Why not? And why not now-infuse our lives with the same joy and freedom that summer so effortlessly provides.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
You’re Swell was created in 2023 for the solo exhibition SURFacing at Sullivan Goss. This piece was part of a broader dialogue—one that began with my 2021 show SEA CHANGE. Both exhibitions explored the local shoreline — the places where land meets sky and sea, where boundaries blur and freedom feels just within reach. The painting was again exhibited in the Spring Salon of 2024 and can still be viewed at Sullivan Goss in Santa Barbara, you need only ask to see it.
Did you know?
I happen to be one of two creatives in my current household – and I’m not talking about the dog! While I spend most days in my studio painting, my husband, Bill, is busy in his own shop creating amazing, one-of-a-kind chairs. When the house began to fill with furniture, Bill decided to learn photography and web design, building a website to share his growing collection, as well as how these wonderful, bespoke objects are constructed.
You can peruse all the different versions of the chair at Santa Barbara Woodworker dot com.
Make sure to check out the construction page! You can watch Bill make a chair from start to finish in under 30 minutes.
The chairs can be be seen, touched, sat in by private showing with the artist.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
One treasure. One story. Once a month.
I look forward to sharing the hidden gems in my studio in this monthly series.
Feel free to forward to other treasure seekers and art lovers.
Strasburg Studio Archives: Patterns
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
P A T T E R N S
MAY SPOTLIGHT : "Shore Patterns"
48 x 24", oil on birch panel, 2009.
Ask me about price, delivery and install
Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio.
When thinking of my favorite times of year, it is most often the quieter seasons that call to me—the hush of winter, when cold, snowy, or rain-soaked days invite a slower pace, and the world turns inward. Autumn, too, leaves its imprint: September and October stir the spirit with the thrill of travel and the vivid shift from warmth to crisp, golden air.
May, however, was always an afterthought—noticed only in childhood as a sign that summer, and the end of school, was near. It was a month of waiting, not wonder.
It is only through slowing down—through the habit of writing these newsletters and truly reflecting on each passing month—that I have begun to see May differently. There is something quietly luminous about it. May carries the first real promise of summer, wrapped not in urgency but in hope. The days stretch longer, and there is the gift of time: time enough to be productive, and still time to be joyful.
The light shifts, softening the world. The sun warms but has not yet hardened the earth. Flowers bloom with bright defiance, bees hum steadily from blossom to blossom, and the air is filled with the earnest songs of birds, grateful for cool mornings and the slow-warming afternoons. Everything feels poised—alive, but not hurried.
At the shoreline, winter's memory is still etched into the land. Long shadows stretch across the sand, and the water glistens with new life. The waves begin their slow, steady work of smoothing the landscape, replacing the sand over the rugged shale laid bare by winter’s storms.
This month’s spotlight, Shore Patterns, captures such a moment at UCSB’s Campus Point—a late spring day just after the season’s final rain. The deep tidepools, once carved sharp by winter storms, are beginning to soften and fill again, their surfaces holding the drifting reflections of passing clouds. It is a place—and a season—where the last traces of winter surrender to warmth, and the world leans gently toward the unfolding promise of summer.
Shore Patterns was created in 2009 for the exhibit AIR I EARTH I FIRE I WATER in Santa Barbara. It then travelled to Solana Beach in 2011 where it resided with Susan Street Fine Art while being considered for a corporate collection. Returning home, it now hangs on the wall in the Spring Salon - once again - at Sullivan Goss. The exhibition runs through May 26, 2025.
There will be a second reception on First Thursday, May 1st from 5-8pm.
I will be in attendance for the first half of the opening - hope to see you at the gallery.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
One treasure. One story. Once a month.
I look forward to sharing the hidden gems in my studio in this monthly series.
Feel free to forward to other treasure seekers and art lovers.
Strasburg Studio Archives: New Beginnings
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
N E W B E G I N N I N G S
APRIL SPOTLIGHT : "Shape of a Pocket"
48 x 24", oil on birch panel, 2023.
Ask me about price, delivery and install
Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio.
With the arrival of spring comes a flurry of energy—windows flung open, the stale quiet of winter finally breaking as light and air rush back in. There’s a particular kind of magic that only spring can bring. It’s more than just a change of season; it’s a shift in the spirit. Possibility lingers in the air like the scent of blossoms. Trees stretch out tentative green fingers, new buds unfurling after months of hibernation. Grasses, in our typically semi-arid landscape, glow with a sudden and unexpected green, a color so vivid it startles the eye. It’s a reminder that even the driest seasons give way to growth. The transformation is powerful enough to lift even the heaviest hearts, striking a match of joy in even the most steadfast pessimist.
This month’s spotlight painting, Shape of a Pocket, which is now on view in the Spring Salon at Sullivan Goss, seems to belong to that spirit of renewal. Though not an older work, it’s one that, perhaps did not get the time it deserved in the spotlight. Created in 2023 for the solo exhibition SURFacing at Sullivan Goss, this piece was part of a broader dialogue—one that began with my 2021 show SEA CHANGE. Both exhibitions explored the local shoreline — the places where land meets sky and sea, where boundaries blur and freedom feels just within reach.
In these works, the horizon became both metaphor and invitation. At the time, we were all still processing the claustrophobia of Covid-era isolation, yearning for openness, for expanse, for breath. The ocean became my muse and mirror—offering reflection, rhythm, and the reminder that change, like the tide, is constant and inevitable.
Through it all—pandemic, political unrest, climate anxiety, personal highs and lows—there’s always been one reliable anchor: gratitude. I’m endlessly thankful for my health, for the work I’m privileged to create, for the love that surrounds me in countless forms. And always, always, for the land. It continues to speak to me, to inspire me, to center me. The muse doesn’t need to shout; often, it just quietly waits, like a tidepool at low tide, full of treasures if we only pause and look closely enough.
Shape of a Pocket, in many ways, captures that. It’s a small gesture, a held space, a gentle offering of beauty and hope—something we can all carry with us into this new season of light.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
You can find my work with gallery Ocotillo at the San Francisco Art Fair next week.
The show runs Thursday evening April 17 through Sunday April 20, 2025
at the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion.
SURGE, 35.5 x 35.5", oil on birch panel, 2021
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
One treasure. One story. Once a month.
I look forward to sharing the hidden gems in my studio in this monthly series.
Feel free to forward to other treasure seekers and art lovers.
Second Chances on First Thursday
SURFACING @Sullivan Goss
Second Reception: THURSDAY, September 7th from 5-8pm
September is widely recognized as the official kickoff of the art season. Some galleries, reopening after a summer hiatus, offer up fresh exhibitions curated during the period of August's scorching hot days. Artists and galleries alike, eagerly await the return of art enthusiasts who have been away on their summer sojourns.
And, as we transition from one season to the next, while children settle back into the routine of a fresh school term, it is an ideal moment to reunite with friends and explore the vast array of exciting new exhibitions on display.
September First Thursday events mark the launch of Santa Barbara’s own art season. SULLIVAN GOSS at 11 East Anapamu will host a brand new show in the main gallery titled SPACE while in the back and front gallery is the second chance to see my show SURFACING and Holli Harmon’s exhibit To Feast on Clouds. Most of the artists will be in attendance, myself included.
If you need some enticing JOE WOODARD has written a fabulous review of SURFACING in the Independent.
Another reason to visit the gallery - the catalogs are in!
This catalog was published on the occasion of the Sullivan Goss exhibition: Nicole Strasburg: SURFACING, July 28 – September 25, 2023. Featured essays by Jocelyn Webb-Pederson and Jeremy Tessmer. Plus, artist statement and curriculum vitae included in back. Featuring 43 color plates. 40 pages total. Measures 8.5 x 11 inches, softbound.
Available in my SHOP, at the gallery and online at Sullivan Goss.
Special thanks to Jeremy Tessmer for all the help making this catalog beautiful and such a fantastic complement to the SEA CHANGE companion.
Rick Rubin: The Creative Act
There’s a reason we are drawn
to gazing at the ocean.
It is said the ocean provides
a closer reflection of who
we are than any mirror.
It's finally here! THIS week opening reception at Sullivan Goss
First Thursday, August 3rd from 5-8pm
S U R F A C I N G
at Sullivan Goss, 11 East Anapumu, Santa Barbara
Save the date: August 3rd 2023
As many of you have guessed, from the image campaign on instagram/facebook, I have a show opening at Sullivan Goss in a few weeks. I’m busy in the studio getting the last of the paintings done and starting to turn my attention to letting people know that the work will be on the walls in August and September here in Santa Barbara. The reception will be during First Thursday openings August 3rd from 5-8 pm. The show officially opens on the Friday before, July 28th, 2023. It will feel good to emerge from the studio, see everyone and share what I’m working on.
Five year Anniversary of The River's Journey Exhibit at the Wildling Museum of Art Nature
Is it possible? Five years ago this month the Wildling Museum in Solvang, California celebrated the opening of the exhibition The River’s Journey. The show focused on the 92-mile long Santa Ynez River watershed. Six artists spent over a year translating the largess of Santa Barbara County’s water source into small intimate gouache paintings (and a few large oils!).
The artists, myself, Holli Harmon, Nina Warner, Connie Connelly, Libby Smith and Pamela Zwehl-Burke, embarked on this project in August of 2016 working steadily through drought and rainy seasons leading up to the exhibit. A catalog was created to document the project and three further venues in the city of Santa Barbara followed the success at the Wildling.
I’m still in awe of the trajectory of the exhibit and the wonderful experience of sharing the journey through these images, for more than a year, in four locations. What a ride! Thanks to the Wildling Musueum, Santa Barbara City Hall Gallery, Sullivan Goss and The Ridley-Tree Museum of Art for hosting this project.
Thank you to the artists who came along for the ride and made gorgeous paintings honoring the river. We appreciate the contributors who wrote essays for the beautiful catalog designed by Leslie Lewis Sigler. I’m still smiling and in awe five years later.
*catalogs can still be found through the Wildling and in my online shop.
Summer and the longest day of the year
Summer is closing in and the longest day of the year is on the horizon. Sullivan Goss is launching new shows at the gallery with an opening reception happening this week for First Thursday events. I have a brand new painting fresh off the easel being shown in the Summer Salon in their back gallery. I’m so honored to be hanging with artists John Nava, Hank Pitcher, Nathan Huff and Susan McDonnell, to name just a few. AND I get to be on the wall next two lovely Lockwood DeForest paintings.
Patricia Chidlaw is in the front gallery with a beautiful show celebrating the swimming pool and the in main gallery FORMALIZE: Strategies for Abstraction, an exhibition that emphasizes the formalist view of abstract art.
So much to see and enjoy as we slide into the new season.
SEA CHANGE catalog
We are about ready to send the catalog to press. Sullivan Goss has put up a digital preview HERE and Beth Taylor-Schott has outdone herself with an exceptional essay about the work. I’m speechless and grateful. Thank you Beth for the poetic expression of my visual experience.
Catalogs should be in the gallery by mid month.
SEA CHANGE @ Sullivan Goss
Palette to Panel
Every day alchemy
Summer Salon at Sullivan Goss
I love to be hanging with friends and beloved colleagues.
Coastal Fog can be viewed now at Sullivan Goss through July 26, 2021 beside the works of John Nava, Nathan Huff, Patricia Chidlaw, Phoebe Brunner, Angela Perko, Colin Campbell Cooper, Lockwood DeForest and many more.