Art Exhibit: Sunshine and Shadows

RECEPTION: Saturday, January 4, 2025, 3pm – 5pm: Meet the artists, Linda Barretta and Carmen Sheldon. and celebrate the show. Refreshments will be served. Sonoma County artist, Linda Barretta, presents Sunlight and Shadows, a collection of impressionist oil paintings that capture the beauty of Sonoma. Working in the colorist tradition, Barretta explores the interplay among light, color and form to create vibrant eye-catching scenes. “Russian River Autumn” transports the viewer to the river’s shore with a focal point of red-orange foliage reflected in the darkened waters. Filtered light casts a magical presence in “Enchanted Stream,” a place that seems as if it could be hiding in any of our region’s wooded glens. Whether working in plein air or in the studio, Barretta strives to make each painting a tribute to her original inspiration – “My goal is to make the colors vibrate and sing,” she explained. Barretta lives and has her studio in Healdsburg. She developed her impressionist style and skills through numerous hours of plein air painting and studying with master artists. As Barretta paints her composition, she observes the play of light and colors that will express the quality of the scene. Creating the right color balance can be a challenge, but one the artist loves. From the rough sketch to the final brush stroke, the scene becomes her creation, a place to be lost in while the rest of the world falls away. Barretta participates in the Art Trails Open Studio program and her works are exhibited throughout the country. Meet the artist: Barretta will be hosting the Gallery January 4, 8, 27 from 11am – 2:30pm and January 20 from 2:30pm – 6pm.