Past Exhibitions 2025

Exhibition Statement

The concept of landscape often conjures images of sweeping hills, tranquil streams, or ocean vistas with rolling waves. Yet during a recent visit to the Alameda Naval Station in my husband’s hometown of Alameda, I was captivated by a different kind of landscape—one defined by the quiet grandeur and haunting presence of abandoned structures standing alongside spaces alive with new purpose. This unique intersection of decay and renewal inspired me to paint a series that gives voice to the past through the weathered, rusting warehouses, while celebrating the spirit of revitalization that breathes new life into the area. Through these paintings, I hope to honor this evolving story and invite viewers to reflect on the layers of history embedded in this remarkable place.

Artist Bio

Laura Heinrich is an artist based in Lafayette, CA, whose vibrant body of work explores the interplay of nature, industrial structures, and human presence through striking compositional fragments. After a successful career in high-tech marketing, she now devotes her creative energy to painting, studying with accomplished instructors and drawing inspiration from everyday life. Her distinctive approach deconstructs familiar subjects into thoughtful visual narratives, as can be seen on her website (heinrichartworks.com) in works like Bridge, Tree Deconstructed, Succulents, and Kites. Laura’s paintings invite viewers to pause, reflect, and reconnect with moments of quiet beauty.

Artist Statement

My artwork unveils the hidden geometry that exists in the environment. I reveal this geometry by painting invisible ‘plumb lines’ between objects, and geometric shapes between overlapping lines. My artwork has often been in the style of depiction or abstraction, and I have been working to hybridize my development as a painter in both of these styles. In my pieces, I blend geometric abstraction with representation in order to display an intersection between the two. Humans have been inspired to organize our environments using geometry: in architecture, in engineering, and in machinery. To make this geometry visible in natural landscapes shows how it quietly and elegantly exists without human interference.

Nature has always been the source of inspiration for my artwork. In 2017, I started to catch glimpses of how geometry lies invisibly and inherently in any scene I encounter. A triangle can be found in the crook of a tree, or the summit of a mountain peak; a diamond shape might reveal itself in the intersection of grasses or in foliage. These invisible threads form the geometry that I paint.

When I paint, I make both intentional and also spontaneous decisions about where to incorporate geometry, as well as how I can use colors that stray from reality. I place the colors and brushstrokes as a process of exploring my sub-consciousness as a painter. There is a constant push and pull, a tension created when painting in an observational and simultaneously abstract style. This has allowed me to discover that these two forms of art can coexist in one painting. I have found freedom from traditionally 'abstract' art or 'realistic' art by synthesizing the two in my work.

Exhibition Statement

Let's take a fun trip down memory lane to explore five amazing inventions from the past. It's easy to overlook just how much we've come to rely on these devices and the impact they had on our lives. Before the internet took over, we had groundbreaking tools like the Radio and TV, which kept us entertained and informed. I encourage you to dive into the history of these early inventions and appreciate how they shaped the world we live in today! 

Artist Bio

Aaron Argandona has been a creator his whole life, shaping his artistic vision through various media. For the past 15 years, he has focused on developing travel-style posters inspired by historical events, capturing the essence of significant moments in time. Recently, he has turned his attention to a fascinating theme: inventions of the past. These new posters highlight groundbreaking devices that have shaped our world, celebrating the innovation and creativity that paved the way for our modern conveniences. Through his artwork, Aaron invites viewers to appreciate the historical significance of these inventions and their impact on our daily lives. All artwork is hand drawn, ink on paper.

Exhibition Statement

When we began the shelter-in-place in March 2020, I was extremely vigilant and afraid to go anywhere. Because I was not receiving much stimulation from the outside world, I looked around my home. I began by painting pandemic items such as a mask and hand sanitizer. When I painted the first box from an online delivery, I realized that this was a subject that I wanted to explore further.

Boxes and packages arrived almost daily with everything from books to medications and household supplies. The boxes piled up and I felt as if they were one of my connections to the world outside.

I became interested in the boxes themselves as still life. In a formal sense, I am fascinated by all the information such as rules and regulations displayed on them, as well as stickers and tape and the occasional pop of color. I only paint boxes that have traveled and show wear from the journey. The fact that they are all empty was not important because my focus is the packaging and not the contents.

Despite the mundane nature of the items, I see beauty. As I paint, I am discovering new ways to portray the subject. I am continuing this exploration and find it gets more interesting with each unique package that I paint.

Artist Bio

Marianne McCraney is a Bay Area studio artist who works in mixed media as well as drawing and painting. Her preferred mediums are oil paint and watercolor as well as drawing. Subjects include elders, ancestry, pandemic still lives, contemporary life, and our connection to nature.

Marianne worked as a public-school art teacher for over twenty years. She is a native Californian, and currently resides in Walnut Creek, CA. Marianne received her BFA at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA in 1980 and her MFA from John F Kennedy University in Berkeley, CA in 2013.