My lips said yes but the voice in my head said "Oh, crap, I don't do nature...or landscapes or goats...wait goats are kind of cute." Back in January I decided the mantra for 2015 should be "the answer is yes, now what's the question?" You know, in an effort to get out of my comfort zone. So, when a contemporary gallery in Sebastopol, a rural bohemian enclave in western Sonoma county, asked me to do a show with a local theme I, of course, said yes.

Don't get me wrong, nature is awesome. I love hiking, I bike along the bay all the time but when it comes to inspiration for my art I'm a city girl. This project would be a challenge. With months to prepare I hit the winding back roads of Sonoma. Dotted with collapsed barns, rusted farm equipment and an occasional remnant from the area's hippie heydays, I found plenty of inspiration in quirky towns like Monte Rio and Guerneville. Even the gravenstein apple orchards with their rows of craggily tree branches made great graphic imagery.

I worried that my style would be too edgy for the subject matter, but once I got in the studio and started painting backgrounds and layering images I was thrilled with the results. The North Bay series will be exhibited through the month of June at The Passdoor (you will love owner Jennifer Edwards' great modern design sense!) located at The Barlow (a fun, hip Sonoma county destination...try the beer at Woodfour) in Sebastopol.

The Passdoor is located at 6780 McKinley St., Sebastopol, CA 95472
Showing through the month of June
Reception on June 25th from 5 - 8 PM