We are officially in summer and I have lots of work to do. Deadlines have kept me in my studio, nose to the easel and developing cyanotypes on these sunny days.

SAVE THE DATE

for my solo show

To Feast on Clouds

Sullivan Goss Gallery, Santa Barbara

JULY 28TH THROUGH SEPTEMBER 25TH

1st Thursday reception August 3rd

Get to see the work first and claim your piece before the show opens!

Sneak preview sign up here.

Many of you know exactly what piece you want so PLEASE be sure to sign up.

First come, first serve basis!

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If you have visited the studio in the past year, you have witnessed the massing collection of cloudscapes and perhaps you  flipped through my sketchbooks from the White Buffalo Land Trust residency. The day of the big reveal is almost here. The culmination of all my efforts will soon be on the wall at Sullivan Goss in Santa Barbara.

“59. November is National Cloud month”, oil on silver, 15x 22.5”

This is the biggest piece in the collection. Each piece is named after a line from the poem, 89 Clouds by Mark Strand.

This collection of cloudscapes encourage conversations about water, whether there is drought or flood and its impact on our survival. Many of the cloudscapes are painted on silverware, a substrate with a history of food service. Reimagined as a cloudscape painting, these pieces remind us that water is essential for growing the food we consume.

“25. A cloud with out you is only a clod”, oil on glass, 2.5 x 2.5 “

This is the smallest piece in the collection

The Farmer’s Almanac Series, ready to get framed for the show!

This series is shaped by my time as resident artist on the White Buffalo Land Trust's Jalama Canyon Ranch. The organization practices and fosters regenerative farming methods, many of which can be traced to practices before the advent of corporate farming. 

The gouache vignettes are painted on 1866 Farmer's Almanac pages that were reproduced on water color paper. The almanac page floats on top of a cyanotype with botanicals sourced from the ranch and photographs that appear to be from another time.

I look forward to seeing you at my opening,

With gratitude,

Holli Harmon

All of my projects flow together. Some bodies of work will never end and others can begin in the middle of something else. We are at the 5 year anniversary of The River’s Journey project. The story of the Santa Ynez River has come full circle, from a historical drought to a historical rain fall. Our Lake Cachuma is full and our spring is lush. And now we wait… will rain return next year?

Currently, there is a small anniversary exhibition at the Wildling Museum in Solvang

where we launched the project in 2018.

This exploration of the Santa Ynez river and Santa Barbara’s watershed kindled my fascination with clouds. I have explored our water cycle from it’s highest point in the atmosphere to my current artist residency at the White Bufflalo Land Trust at Jalama Canyon Ranch. On the ranch I am learning about watersheds, regenerative farming practices, roots and soil. Of course, water remains essential in all conversations regarding agriculture. This will fuel my work for an upcoming show at Sullivan Goss, Santa Barbara in August and September, 2023.

Gouache study with silver spoons. Holli Harmon

Hind sight always reveals connections and it is fun for me to see the trajectory of my work. I can see how time and current events shape how I respond to my creative drive. Drought propelled the River’s Journey project, clouds became tangible objects and hung from the ceiling in Santa Barbara City Hall, and the pandemic inspired an installation of kokedama balls and clouds. Of course it is easier to share this creative journey with images rather than words! Here are a few images… and not in chronological order!

Follow along and see what is coming next this summer at

Sullivan Goss, An American Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA.