My paintings express human emotion and engage themes of climate change and community. I paint figures, nature and animals and frequently vary my stylistic approach.

These paintings are strongly influenced by Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse and the Fauve movement in France combined with the colors, passion, and folklore of Latin America assimilated through my travels.

I reveal the mood, feelings and soul of my figurative subjects through their eyes and posture. I incorporate imaginary backgrounds with fabrics, rugs, or windows, to complete the ambience.

By contrast, my surrealist series draws from artists such as Dali and Rousseau. In these paintings my brush and my imagination run free. This freedom of spirit creates unexpected imagery through the sheer use of color.

In nature, I am inspired by the recent floods and storms in Marin County. I paint trees after heavy rains to capture the changing landscape, often with fallen or tangled limbs and their reflections in pooled water. Currently, I primarily explore landscape abstraction.

ARTIST STATEMENT: PAINTING THAT DEFINES PLACE
I am a contemporary landscape painter who uses rich colors to express a dramatic sense of light and space. As a child I celebrated coloring outside the lines. Those loose imperfect marks define my gestural painting style to this day. If painting were religion I would be praying to the saints: Matisse, Diebenkorn and Hockney. With a focus on abstract landscapes and architectural interiors, my art is influenced by the vibrant colors of my Northern California surroundings. Many of my landscapes use what I call an ƒ”invented color spaceƒ” where color is used to break up the composition and achieve a sense of depth and atmosphere that can be open to the interpretation of the viewer.

My paintings reflect the light and colors of my native country, Sweden. The range varies from the spare light of winter when colors are very subtle to the intense, long daylight of summer when colors are saturated. Color, shapes and lines are very important in the expression of my art that’s frequently minimalistic, which is another Scandinavian influence. Although my art has moved from representational towards abstraction, my inspiration is still influenced by nature and my love for the natural world. I find the painting process absorbing; it’s constantly changing during the process and the outcome is sometimes surprisingly different from my initial idea. This creative dynamic keeps the painting process dynamic and intriguing.

Making a tapestry is my passion. Given only working two elements; the warp and the weft, I am fascinated by all the design possibilities. Within this simple grid format, color, shape, line, and and especially texture, both dimensional and materials, come together to complete my artistic expression. As nature is often the inspiration for my ideas, I find the possibilities infinite and I continue to be mesmerized.

I started painting when I was getting my degree from Instituto Nacional de Bella’s Artes Mexico in 1994 in Fine Arts. I have continued my studies under the tutelage of Chester Arnold a well known Bay Area artist.

My work contains iconography from my indigenous Oaxaca culture, it’s vibrant colors and patterns. It also shows my beliefs in the regenerative power of women as seen in the depiction of flowers, plants, and trees springing up from the life force, painted in surrealistic Style.

I’m trying to express and share my passion for my culture which is life affirming and for the natural ability for women and nature to procreate.

We are interested in collaboration and as a married couple, are exploring the Divine through both abstract and figurative digital photography.

Beth Davila Waldman is a cross-disciplinary artist using photography, painting, assemblage and installation. Her work explores the impact of socio-political trends on cultural landscapes, often through imagery laden with indicators of economic and social status, presented in a manner that emulates the sheer stress of imposed change. Waldman’s constructed vistas re-conceive the notion of sanctuary amidst the realities of colonization, and invite meditations on civil access.

Each day as I step into my studio, I am entering a playground – a workout for taking risks, letting go of attachments, and experimenting with new ideas. The materials are guiding me. A letter to the tooth fairy, a One Way road sign, or a billboard scrap foraged in San Francisco all make their way into the work and are a reflection of my interior life. My spirit laughs out loud at the freedom of breaking the rules and drawing outside of the lines. I’m not sure who is in charge – my art or me. The process is alchemical, magical, and joyful. The maverick/rebel is encouraged while the perfectionist is given a time-out. The result is a pure reflection of my heart. In 2021, my work was chosen for the DeYoung Open at the DeYoung Museum. It is available through my studio, Sloan Miyasato Fine Art, through Slate Contemporary in Oakland and through the Portland Art Gallery in Portland, Maine.

As a fervent collector of both tangible and digital snapshots, I’m constantly amassing a treasure trove of images from the tapestry of everyday life. When it comes to my paintings, I kickstart the creative process by blending snapshots from my trusty iPhone with an eclectic array of materials: books, magazines, ads, you name it. It’s a cut-and-paste extravaganza, and before long, a blueprint for the composition begins to emerge.

My true passion lies in weaving together unexpected tales by fusing traditional art techniques with an eclectic mix of mass media imagery. Through the artful connection and deconstruction of these visuals, I revel in the opportunity to challenge conventional allegories, unearth hidden meanings, and spin captivating narratives.

At the heart of it all is my lifelong fascination with the dynamic interplay of shapes, lines, colors, and contexts within the boundless realm of art and media. Join me on a journey through the multiverse of creativity, where every stroke tells a story and every image sparks a new adventure.

Sausalito Artist Claudia Cohen has been creating since early years.

After studies at the Corcoran School of Art and George Washington University, in Washington, DC she obtained her Bachelor’s of art at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in conjunction with Tufts University.

At the time and for many years her focus was in sculpture. Now it’s figurative and narrative painting, with the help of studies with COM’s acclaimed teacher, Chester Arnold.

Her creations are multilayered and reflect her life and inspirations. Renaissance portraiture also underpins her work. Claudia takes her audience on a narrative journey filled with interpretative reflections and fantasies.

Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries across the US and internationally. She has received numerous grants and awards, including the George Sugarman Foundation, and several Marin Arts Council Grants. Her painting “Nevermore” was part of the 2024 DeYoung Museum Open.

Like Beauty, truth lies in the eye of the beholder – and in the mind of the artist. The bronze and ceramic creations of sculptor and painter, Claudia Cohen are not realistic in any strict sense of the term, but they are precise renditions of her imagination; engaging articulations of the ruminations of her subconscious. With her dazzling style of meticulous detail and feeling for form, the work brings to life a magical cast of characters – human, animal, and are a fantastical progeny from a different and inviting universe.

In the book Humor in Art, Nickolas Roulks described the work as Comic Surrealism which aptly sums up the artist’s feel for humor and pathos. Magic Realism is another term often used to characterize her narrative creations. There are few artists today who inhabit such an intriguing unified private world and have such an immediate gift in of inviting everyone else into it…

Self-taught mixed media and assemblage sculpture artist.