Growing up in Southern California, Sue Averell spent much of her time drawing and knew early in life that she was going to be an artist. In the mid 90’s her style began to emerge. Her intent is to enable the viewer to feel the energy she puts forth in the creation of her works through the use of expressive paint and color application. All of her paintings are made by applying thick, juicy layers of paint, allowing the color on top to almost melt into the layer below.

Carmen Barefield’s paintings use loud colors and varied textures to create beauty and evoke response. Her pieces represent a memorable person or place in her life, as her memory is often linked to a certain color or palette. In her current series, We the Stripes, she uses a layering process to apply lines of acrylic paint and varied texture media, beginning with a specific color palette and mood to be communicated. Initially the patterns evolve organically, but the subsequent layering is guided by observing the relationships of the lines. Textures are then applied to the bright foundation, enriching the individuality of each piece while deepening the cohesion within the series. The completed painting has colors and textures in balance, communicates the intended mood, and stimulates her memory.

Marianne Bland paints urban landscapes that document stages in an ever-changing tapestry. Her favorite subject is San Francisco, a romantic metropolis with concurrent diverse individual experiences that form an intricate, layered composition like brightly colored threads on a loom. Her style reflects this harmony of contradictions, with color schemes both dark and bright and images in flux between the sharp renderings of architectural detail and the soft blurs of movement.