California Dreaming Exhibition at Dorado 806 Projects

I was delighted to participate in Dorado 806’s 4th Annual California Dreaming Show in March 2026! Like so many transplants, California’s magic has found it’s way into my artwork over the years again and again. The variations on the theme were terrific and the whole environment of the exhibition was so fun and community oriented thanks to the wonderful folks at Dorado 806 Projects in Santa Monica.

I created this image Town Totem: Desert Spell while caring for a loved one and unable to travel. I turned to an old atlas, cutting out town names that stirred memories or made me smile. The towns came alive, connecting me to real and imagined places, forming fictional monuments on my Joshua Tree photographs.

Whether through physical places or fleeting impressions. California often embodies the spirit of my work as I move through my daily life perfectly. I moved here over twenty-five years ago from the East Coast, and though friends said, “You’ll be back,” I never left. California’s rhythm of renewal—the contrast between wild landscapes and urban sprawl—feels like it has become part of my bones. Observing and recording the impact of Southern California’s environment—through sight and sound, driving, walking and swimming has become central to my practice.

Town Totem | Desert Spell. Photograph with map collage