After working on The River’s Journey project for several years, figures started to return to my landscapes.  Borrowing from tradition, the Santa Ynez River morphed into several female figures starting with three small gouaches, creating a miniseries called “The Last Straw”.  These bathing beauties each represented one of the 3 dams we have built to contain water for the southern part of Santa Barbara County.  

As I continued to play with the river as a female muse, more paintings developed relating to our water relationship in California.  These paintings became the foundation for my new Califia Series.   As I explore the many cultural influences that create our multi-faceted State, small narratives get layered and uncovered.  Each painting has a strong female lead, that stands as our State’s namesake, the mythical Califia.

I will unveil the entire series at my upcoming show at Sullivan Goss this summer. You can follow along on instagram and facebook to see the work in progress.