Point Reyes National Seashore Association is happy to partner with Wendy Schwartz, an artist who has lived and worked along a marsh on Tomales Bay near Inverness, and who has offered this charming 6" x 6" oil painting of the iconic Bear Valley Trail.

Wendy has lived and worked along a marsh on Tomales Bay near Inverness, where her studio looks across to Black Mountain, since 1983. Most of her oil paintings are of solitary landscapes, which sometimes include buildings.  The palette is mostly subdued, vivid colors are used sparingly.    

Wendy says, "I am drawn to a spare but emotionally powerful landscape-- long fields, shadows, tidelands, the edge of a town, its back alleys, a simple shed or cottage, the not-quite empty room, or places that appear no longer lived in but suggest a past story. The western landscape possesses a certain majestic solitude that I try to capture in my paintings."

Wendy continues, "Once begun, the painting takes on a life of its own. I try to focus on light and form and composition, and welcome whatever lucky surprises might occur. I strive for a sense of authenticity; the painting has to feel true, free of artifice. In referring to a particular painting, people sometimes ask me "where is that?" My answer: the place depicted may really exist, or it may not. What is most interesting to me is the integrity of the painting and the relationship between it and the viewer."

Walk Bear Valley Trail every day from home or office, bid today!