Are there more clouds this summer, or is it me?  I do have clouds on my radar.  They became a symbol for a conversation about water during The River’s Journey Project. 

There is a lot to talk about in regards to water these days. I’m doing my best to cut back on our water consumption. Meanwhile, I’m working away on my “89 Clouds” Series.

Based on Mark Strand’s poem, 89 cloudscapes are under construction. Stay tuned for more!

This summer we have avoided some of the record heat due to our cloud cover.  Hallelujah!  We may get some of that heat later in the year, but I am grateful for our cool temps considering I work in a barn with a metal roof.  And I don’t envy my friends and family who are experiencing those triple digits across the nation.

Low tide strolls have offered more inspiration.

As we circle around to our fall season, we arrive at Indigenous People’s Day on October 11th. I have learned so much from our native Chumash Bands. They have opened my heart and mind to learning more about all Indigenous populations and they continue to inspire my work.

To be native to a place we must learn to speak its language."
- Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom

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California On My Mind

A show of vintage and contemporary paintings, drawings, and prints that celebrate the history and the mythology of the Golden State.

Sullivan Goss

October 1- November 22, 2021

RECEPTION: 1ST THURSDAY, OCT 7TH | 5-8pm

Before They Came is from my Califia Series and is now on view at Sullivan Goss.

Before They Came, 48x48 oil and cold wax on wood panel rimmed with copper. By Holli Harmon

The bright bold colors invite you into a lush forest scene. The figures hidden within remind you that our State’s native population and Grizzly bears were devastated by the influx of Europeans and the Gold Rush of 1848.

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The Lone Woman

aka Juana Maria or Karana in The Island of the Blue Dolphins

I think she is one of the most significant women in our nation’s history. She lived for over 18 years by herself on San Nicolas Island. When she left the island, she only lived for 7 weeks in Santa Barbara before she died. Her story is a significant portal into our California Indiginous Peoples history starting in public schools 4th grade curriculum, where they read The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. Read more here…

This painting was created for the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum using descriptions of people who had seen The Lone Woman first hand in 1853. You can see it at the Chumash Hall at the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum. The larger mural was just finished for the new Chrisman California Island Center in Carpinteria, CA. You can see the canvas in my studio and then installed into the new space in Carpinteria. The diorama isn’t complete yet. They hope to open sometime soon in 2022.

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Portraits of the Central Coast

Our regional Chumash continue to inspire and inform my work. I did these paintings for my Portraits of the Central Coast project. I have included links so that you can hear and read their stories first hand and learn about what inspired their portraits. Just click on their image or name.

Ernestine DeSoto Kathleen Marshall Mike Lopez