Aida Bartoletti
I tend to see the details whereas most miss like the tree rather than the forest, or in this case the fruit. Thus, I focus on fruits and vegetables to illustrate that a good environment will produce good fruit. “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Matthew 7: 16-18). In this case, obviously the natural environment affects the produce but the internal environment of the faith that makes us better people affects our actions in life — the other fruits of our being with others in this world! I’ve been creative and artistic all my life but did not pursue the arts seriously until my husband retired and we relocated to the Central Valley about 2 years ago from Los Angeles. Before that I worked in art museums and libraries for many years, often teaching arts and crafts as part of community programming. Since moving here, I have taken a few classes with Melinda Scott and Patti Humphrey, and I am seeking a mentor to advance my artistic career in my second life.
Alyson Cook
Painted for my personal home. Self-employed Nail Technician of 20+ years. Lived and worked in Visalia and Sacramento. Always enjoyed the arts, my job being based in creativity. Painted and sold pieces in the past.
Andrea Fischer
Experiencing the freedom of art. I’ve been painting for 12 years with instructional classes and self-taught.
Anisha Patel
One afternoon while on a walk I was physically assaulted in the streets of my hometown. After the assault, I didn’t leave my house for almost 3 months. I created this piece during my time locked in my house. In this piece I let out all of the emotions from that trauma. I feel like I put all my anger and sadness into this artwork so it could hold onto the trauma that I couldn’t deal with myself.
Carla Gerritsma
Catching a moment in time. Practicing the art of seeing is a lifelong process.
Dale Simmons
The intent of this photograph is to show that growing native plants (lupine in this case) in our yards can attract and support essential wildlife, such as this beautiful bumblebee. The name is borrowed with the permission of Jennifer Malone, who hosts the Go Native! event at the Kaweah Oaks Preserve each May.
David Comer
These photos all capture a scene of reaction or interaction between animal community and environment. In particular, the seal photo brings up feelings of community weathering a storm… I almost wish I could join them and trade my lonely jacket and heated car for their noisier, stinkier, yet more wonderful press of bodies.
Emily Prosser
This artwork draws inspiration from the profound words of Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hang, encapsulating the idea that a flower is not just a flower, but a manifestation of the entire universe including non-flower elements (sunshine, clouds, space, time, earth, minerals, etc.) This concept is translated visually through the representation of a family unit where optimal conditions of childhood are preserved and nurtured. This piece serves as a reminder that like a flower, children, when given the right opportunities and environment, can blossom into their most authentic selves, reflecting the boundless potential within them. Emily is a seasoned Speech-Language Pathologist, childhood development specialist, and dedicated home-educating mother with a lifelong passion for exploring various art forms. About a year and a half ago, she discovered her niche as a self-taught paper florist, focusing on botanical realism. Emily’s creative journey is deeply inspired by watching her children embrace their own natural curiosity and innovative spirit, which fuels her ongoing exploration and growth as an artist.
Ernestine Nunes
Preserving our planet is everyone’s responsibility–global warming is not a leftist tree-warmer’s concept or a political gambit. A member of the Arts Visalia WAG, Wednesday Art Group, I am growing as an artist with wonderful mentor-friends who share their love of watercolor with me.
Gail Bowman Fachia
Gail has been painting with watercolors for 2 years and is a lover of all art.
Gar Denton
To capture the beauty of landscapes and nature. Each piece has unique details that draws you into the environment. San Diego native with a passion for painting since grade school. Extended my love of art into designing restaurants and stores.
Hannah Rook
I love spending time outdoors and use what I find in nature to inspire my art in all mediums. I hope my work inspires others to go discover the natural world around them. While I have always enjoyed being creative, the pandemic reignited the passion of exploring the valley around me and turning it into a new form of art. I am currently employed by a environmental non-profit where my love and appreciation of both nature and art has been broadened and continues to do so.
Jack Irwin Bratcher
My intent is to show the incredible beauty of Sequoia National Park through photographs of the wildlife. At the same time show how fragile that environment truly is. I would like people to understand that with our last two fires we have lost approximately 20% of all giant Sequoias in the world with a diameter of 4 foot or greater and to fuel passion for protecting one of the most amazing places in the world.
Jacob Carson
I strive to bring the fantastical to life through vivid characters and immersive environments. My work is deeply rooted in the fantasy genre, where I explore a blend of mythical creatures, ancient landscapes, and magical realms. With each piece, I aim to capture the wonder and mystery of imagined worlds, infusing dynamic energy and intricate detail.
Jacob Carson is a freelance fantasy artist specializing in bringing imaginative characters and fantastical worlds to life. With a deep passion for the genre, Jacob has honed his craft over the years, working across various mediums, including comics, board games, children’s books, and concept art. His work is characterized by detailed, dynamic characters that capture the essence of adventure, mystery, and magic.
James Stark
The purpose of art is to expand the ways a person experiences the world around them, broaden the horizon so to speak. In our daily lives we are inundated with images most of which do little more than numb the brain. Looking and engaging with visuals which are
different exercise the visual muscle, the brain.
Jared Barbick
My works have been exhibited in over 50 shows, where most have been juried local, regional, national and international shows. Today, most of my works are inspired by socio-political issues, environmentalism and conservationism. Many of my works strive to raise awareness and consciousness of the animals who inhabit our world and who share their lives with our own. Many works address complicated animal rights issues as seen in works such as “Dangers to the North Atlantic Right Whale,” “A Howl, A Plead to the Moon,” “The Impact of Loss” and “No room for wildness.” Additionally, my woodblock prints address social/political issues as seen through prints such as “Who’s Next?”, “Justified Violence”, “United Against the Tide of Inhumanity”, “Inhibitory Control”, and “Coffin load of 9 left behind.” Most recently, I have also strived to address telling the stories of those who are often “invisible” in our society.
Jared M. Barbick, born in 1976, was raised in Palos Verdes, a picturesque seaside town in Southern California. Educated at both the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and self-taught, Barbick’s work has traversed various mediums and subjects over the years as he moved from Southern California to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and back where he has made a home for the last 15 years in the central valley – Fresno – with his wife and 2 cats.
Jazlin Mendoza
I’m a young artist who graduated from Fresno State with a BA in studio arts. Surviving this crazy world with one art piece at a time. “The American Dust storm” was created November 2024 when the valley had a serious dust storm. I was lucky enough to capture a man push his cart in a hazardous environment and didn’t stop him from pushing through it.
Ken Napp
Ken Napp tries to capture motion and emotions in his photography. He wants to show you the world through his eyes and show you the beauty
as he sees it. Ken Napp is a passionate photographer who loves capturing motion, loves flowers and his favorite thing is to shoot pretty.
Kenneth Huerta
This is a painting I made during a winter storm. This painting was created during a storm and reflects changes in the environment. I went to art school in Paris. I like expressing myself through my artwork.
Krista Fulbright
The painting, Summer Storm, depicts conflict between welcome rainstorms and the lightening that starts devastating fires as a result in California. Stewardship of our earth ecosystems are a top priority as we see natural disasters occurring more frequently. I am a realist artist who is interested in painting nature, and landscapes in acrylic and watercolor mediums. I am fascinated with things that go unnoticed and stop to capture them. Art is a stream of conscious thought for me and I strive to delight others with what I see.
Leela King-Sannyasin
“When I’m an old woman, I’ll paint again; watercolor is a patient passion.” That’s what I said for forty years. Finally, I got brave enough to join a watercolor class.
Sparking delight is always my aim. With environmental art, I want to inspire hope, empathy, and fierce compassion that opens a gateway to Environmental Justice for all creatures—including those human beings with whom I disagree.
Linda Allen
#1 Deer in Crescent Meadow – Environmental effect of wildfires in our nearby Crescent Meadow in Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park, CA.
#2 The Landing – Environmental Conservation success for previously endangered brown pelicans in Estero Bay State Park, Cayucos, CA.
#3 Along the Flume – Water’s effect on the environment in beautiful Sequoia National Park, CA.
I am a nature and wildlife photographer residing in the Central valley in Exeter, California. I have shown my photos in Exeter and Hanford Galleries and you can read more about me on my website Lsunshinephotography.com or type in a search engine LSunshine Fine Art Photography.
Mark Fischer
I’m trying to represent the joy of drawing. Drawing is the basic fundamental to all mediums in fine art. I completed 2 years of Graphic arts and two years of Studio art (painting) as well as completing successful commissions. I’m basically always using self-instructional or self-taught artistic methods.
Matthew Rangel
This visual expression came about through research within cartography, biology, geography, and environmental studies. The image depicts a aesthetically pleasing map of Tulare Lake, while upon close inspection, also expressing the trauma of the lake’s disappearance from the Central Valley. The accompanying piece depicting the salmon, tells the story of the indigenous salmon that inhabited Tulare Lake before agriculture came to the Central Valley.
Matthew Rangel is a printmaking artist whose works are centered on layering place-based stories and research. Matthew is a 2-D Professor of art at the College of the Sequoias.
Megan M
Paper bags take around 4-6 weeks to decompose in a landfill. Plastic bags take around 10-20 years to decompose in a landfill.
I am a multidisciplinary artist. To see more of my work follow me on Instagram @art.by.meganm check out my website www.artbymeganm.com
Miah De La Torre
My intent for these paintings is to capture the essence and beauty of nature that often tend to be taken away in an instance due to natural disasters or humanity’s lack of compassion for the environment. I intend for these works to make us really think about what we have, lost, and can have for future generations. Local mixed medium artist working in marker, paints, pen, and charcoal. Majoring and Graduate at College of the sequoias in Fine Arts.
Olivia Alison
Olivia Alison is a budding young artist. She has been creating masterpieces for 3 years. Making art makes her happy. This piece is inspired by Spring and her love of nature.
Olivia P Chavez
Three new art works, all inspired by the environment we live in. From the mightiest, our sun, to the seemingly fragile life forms of birds and butterflies, all count and must be valued for their contributions to our ecosystem, and we in turn must work hard to protect them. Self-taught artist, big on passion, short on formal art training and art education, and at 78, I remain highly motivated, curious and socially connected.
Pascual “Paco” Arriaga
Withered=to become weak and dry and decay: Major Disasters and Severe Weather Caused Over $21 Billion in Crop Losses in 2023 As the end of 2022 neared, California was still in the grips of a devastating three-year drought, then came the rain. 2023 brought the state a deluge including 31 atmospheric storms and 1 tropical storm. Statewide precipitation was 141% of normal. The Sierra Nevada snowpack peaked at 237% of normal in April. While suddenly blessed with ample water supplies for the season, farmers and ranchers faced starkly different challenges. The effects of climate change, now accelerating all over the world, include unpredictable changes in rainfall patterns bringing drought, heatwaves, and flooding. As extreme weather becomes more frequent, and destructive events hit farmers harder, the impact on farming will be more and more severe. The worst effects of climate change are now bringing significant risks to farming, including unpredictable changes in temperature (both averages, and extreme heat and cold), and availability of water (the volume of precipitation – too much destructive rain, and drought).
Robert Weibel
Past Catching Up I exploded gunpowder on paper to create images of figures in a marathon. I then added atmospheric color with pastels to change the story and reflect our past catching up. Carried Ashore/Another Cartography #3 and #7. I collaged vintage maps and charts to tell an important story about one person helping another transition through high water, ocean surf, and across borders real and imagined.
After a career in Public Mental Health, Weibel had his first solo show as a printmaker at the age of 50 and was a founding member of ArtHop in Fresno. He continues to explore new techniques and subjects from his home studio in Central California, and is best known for his gunpowder drawing, large public art, assemblage, collage, x-rays, and picture postcards.
Ron Turner
Celebrating the theme of Environment in this call for art, I created artwork that symbolizes our connections to nature. Self-taught artist and metal smith.
Ronnie Fischer
I’m capturing both cities and the moon reflecting the earth. Self-taught artist.
Ruth Soderlund
“Dam(n) Water” is a meditation on the struggle in California to maintain its water supply where it’s needed. As a southern San Joaquin Valley resident, I have been disturbed by the vitriol that surrounds this resource. I would love to see science and industry work together to maintain our agricultural businesses in a way that is respectful and beneficial to all.
“California 1857” represents a topographical map of California waterways before any industrial agricultural intervention. This is intended to be the first of a series that communicates the history of human intervention to relocate water in our state, including what future models are projected to be under various circumstances. Along with “Dam(n) Water,” I want to present work that comes from my research into the history of water use in California and current irrigation practices while playing with material and scale.
Ruth is a lifelong Central California resident whose creative work has spanned oil painting, fiber art, and custom sewing. She is a 2023 graduate of California State University, Fresno with a BA in Studio Art, has had two solo shows in 2024, is married to a Reedley College instructor, is mom to 3 young children, and is an active part of the Fresno artist community.
Samuel Mora
Last year I took pictures when I went to Three Rivers and the Prefumo Canyon in San Luis Obispo. I’ve been using these photos in scenic spots to create a new transformative artwork with photoshop tools.
Sarah Lucchesi
Some of my happiest moments in life are creating art and connecting with people. Creating and sharing this piece allows me to do both.
Sharon Moran
I wanted to show the beauty of the natural world. I have been painting watercolor for about 15 years taking community classes after I retired. It has become a passion!
Sharon Turner
The art world environment buzzes with debate over AI, yet no algorithm can truly replace the soul of the pencil or the essence of fine art. Surrealism weaves its way through AI-generated works, but its roots lie in the hands of visionaries who shaped the past. As a tribute to the pencil—an instrument of raw expression—and the artists who paved the way, I created these as a piece to honor their influence on me as an artist.
Formally trained in Graphic Design with a degree in Visual Communication from CSULB, I find myself in an endless dialogue with creativity. My artistic voice remains elusive—shifting, evolving—but the search itself is a canvas of exploration. Each stroke, each experiment, leads me deeper into the unknown, where discovery is as exciting as the journey. I currently teach Visual Arts at Summit High School in Porterville.
Sherrie Clark
My work reflects on the dread we tend to hold on this world by using a skeleton but then with an added twist. Putting skeletons in a playful, colorful background brings hope that we can contribute good to the world still. Sherrie C is a Central Valley artist that grew up struggling with mental health. They changed their perspective on life and now uses art to bring hope into this world.
Star Garcia
My artwork focuses on local establishments in the community. Through this work, I hope to evoke a deeper connection to the places that shape our everyday environment.
Steven Finney
Using found metal objects. And turning it into something more than waste Self-taught, industrial tradesman and welder.
Tanya J Miller
This theme, the environment, is perfect for the art I’m showcasing. We all enjoy the convenience of quick coffee on the go and have felt the summer heat with the Solar Flares, reminding us of we’re all affected in some way.
Valerie Estes
Morning walk- represents images I see on my morning walks that bring me joy. Happy place- a joyful place that I remember as a young teenager around my home in Woodlake Reality – the battle between earth and man, the trees are soldiers losing the battle. Valerie was born and raised in Tulare County. As a local artist, creating images around our local area brings me joy. I also teach watercolor, and I love inspiring others to enjoy all of the aspects of art from creation to the joy the artistic family brings to us all.
Verne Miniaci
Each image is of a recognized part of California’s natural environments.
I specialized in printmaking and lithography in college but as of late, I am hand etching images on glass and putting a stained glass frame each piece.
William Stewart
These family members are a very precious part of my environment. As such, I’ve tried to portray them as accurately as possible both externally and internally. I dabbled, not very seriously, in various art mediums until I retired in 2017. Then I concentrated on watercolors and eventually moved on to pastels.
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