SERENITY: Light
Marin Open Studios, now in its 32nd year, is a non-profit visual arts organization dedicated to supporting Marin County’s diverse artists and engaging the public in arts and culture through events, programs and services that promote and celebrate art and artists in our community.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health and the Mount Zion Health Fund for their generosity in creating and hosting this SERENITY Art Exhibition. We admire their mission to promote healing through art and are grateful for their support of local artists and arts organizations like ours.
Marin Open Studios puts on Marin County’s annual Open Studios event, enabling more that 280 local visual artists to open their working studios to the public over two weekends each May. We also produce many community art exhibits throughout the year and partner with other non-profit organizations, hosting a shared exhibit space program for artists without studios.
Anne Gufstafson
My paintings explore universal feelings of longing, connection, and hope. Through abstraction, I invite an inward dialogue, drawing inspiration from the natural world: misty skies, shifting clouds, and fleeting light that evoke an expansive, ephemeral state. I relish the tactile, fluid beauty of oils as it flicks across the canvas as well as softly blending in subtle harmonies. My work is quiet and contemplative, offering viewers a sense of peace and wonderment that I hope brings joy.
Pat Doerty
People say my paintings make them smile, and I’m delighted they have that effect. Much of my work takes food as the subject matter for contemporary paintings. I am drawn to simple objects, most notably desserts, and like to establish good color relationships between light and shadow. My style is inspired by my previous work in the graphic design industry. After graduating from Gonzaga University, my career path included art director of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, art director of San Francisco magazine, and senior art director at a private design firm. I have since transitioned from the commercial arena into the fine arts.
Donna Luftus
I am a native San Franciscan raised in Marin County. In retirement, I have enjoyed exploring my true passion, which includes painting and art. I love exploring with different mediums and subject matters. I paint mostly abstract, landscapes, and still life. I have a strong connection with nature and often use what I see in my artworks. My art can also be seen at Fez in Mill Valley and Locali Visitor Center in North Beach, San Francisco.
Janey Fritsche
Janey Fritsche was born in Beaumont, Texas, where family vacations on the Gulf Coast awakened her lifelong connection to the sea. While earning a degree in mathematics at Lamar University, she also studied art and sociology, balancing creative passion with practical concerns. Six months living in Hawai‘i deepened her relationship with the ocean as both subject and muse. Widely exhibited and the recipient of numerous awards, her paintings reflect the power and mystery of water as well as the spacious awareness cultivated through meditation, inviting viewers into a timeless, contemplative encounter with nature. She works from her studio in San Rafael, California.
Wendy Goldgerg
Wendy Goldberg graduated from Cornell University and her work is in the Achenbach Collection of Prints and Drawings of the Legion of Honor Museum, Stanford Hospital Medical Center, Haas Collection, Genentech Corp, Loyola Marymount Health and many other private collections throughout the country and abroad.
Stephanie Thwaites
Stephanie is a graduate of the Yale University Fine Arts program, studying painting, graphic design, and photography. Here she developed a strong understanding of composition and an eye for color and harmony. After a 20-year career as a creative director and brand manager in Connecticut, she returned to her fine arts background in 2009. She moved to the Bay Area in 2014. Stephanie enjoys exploring different techniques and materials, using the medium to uncover something unseen or unexpected. Often her work is created over time, as she adds and removes layers until the piece feels complete. An award-winning artist, she has shown her work through solo exhibitions and in many national and local juried shows and galleries. Stephanie's paintings are included in collections around the country and internationally. She works out of her studio at Novato Arts Center in Novato, CA.