my story

I grew up on the California Coast, a fourth generation Southern Californian accustomed to a color palette of bright blue hues, burnt sienna cliff hues, and turquoise waters. My fondest memories are of playing in the water on vacation on Catalina Island when I was four years old, which later guided my way back to the island to live and paint. 

In 2019, I returned with my husband and daughter to live and work on Catalina Island as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker between 2019-2022 - a dream come true. During those years, I fell in love with painting in plein air (outdoors) on the island, and painted in a studio inside a shipping container studio overlooking Pebbly Beach. I painted to cope with the demands of being a mental health director during the shut-down of the pandemic. I painted because I was starving for color and beauty. I painted live demos in the Catalina Art Association Gallery window facing front street and paddled out on my paddle board to take photos of boats and painted them in my studio.  I painted island bungalows in the streets, ocean sunsets from my balcony, and drove our Jeep to paint the protected island interior. 

In the Fall of 2022, my family and I made the decision to move back to our Nashville home for our daughter to start High School off the island. I became a bi-coastal artist working both from my Nashville studio and my studio in Dana Point, California. I continued painting images of the brilliant greens and blue skies in Nashville, and the color of the California water which helped restore me through a cancer diagnosis and treatment during 2022-2023. I am deeply committed to using coastal color and beauty to grow through pain, growth, and faith. I am active in the local Chestnut Group, the Southern California Plein Air Association, and many local shows in Nashville and California. My journey continues from here. 

Giribaldi Studios 2024