Bio:
My artistic expression centers on themes of memory and color. Creating art has been a driving force in my life. After studying studio art at Humboldt State University, I moved to the Bay Area in 2000, and the region's creative energy has shaped my painting practice ever since.

What I love about painting is how it can bring form to the unknown. When I start a series of works, they read like a visual diary, each one capturing a feeling from a particular season of life. Abstract expressionism, design, and art history are my main influences; I use texture and color to tell stories.

My process is fairly simple: once an initial painting is established, I draw back into it and apply many layers of paint. What comes through is the memory of those layers: the finished piece still carries traces of everything underneath it. I work across mediums, mainly acrylic, and also including watercolor, encaustic, and oil.

Since 2017, I've shown my work with Visual Jill, whose design staging places original paintings at the center of her professionally styled interiors. That collaboration has accelerated over the past five years, giving collectors and fans a clear sense of how the pieces read in a real room, at full size.

My studio is based in the Bay Area. Email me to schedule a studio visit.

Exhibitions:
May 2000, Solo Exhibition, Foyer Gallery, Humboldt State University, 1 Harpst St, Arcata, CA
June 2000, Solo Exhibition, Hurricane Kate's, 511 2nd Street, Eureka, CA
2001, Emeryville 15th Annual Exhibit, Emeryville, CA
2002, Solo Exhibition, Cowboys & Angels, 207 Powell Street #400, San Francisco, CA
December 2003, Solo Exhibition, Marilyn Jaeger Skincare Studio, 415 Spruce Street, San Francisco, CA
February 2007, Broken Dolly Paintings, Solo Exhibition, Space Gallery, 1141 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA
May 2007, Broken Dolly, Group Exhibition, Globus Gallery, 13939 Main Street, Locke, CA
December 2009, Abstracts & More, Solo Exhibition, Knit-One-One, 3360 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA
April 2010, Group Exhibition, First Friday, Mama Buzz Café, 2318 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA
October 2010, Solo Exhibition, Barbarella Beauty Lounge, 2442 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA
March 2014, Abstracts by Mel O. & Yarra McClure, Jingletown Art Studios, 3001 Chapman Street, Oakland, CA
January 2016, Cause & Effect, Group Exhibition, Panorama Custom Framing, 3350 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA
February 2017, Colors Collide, Group Exhibition, Creative Framing & Gallery, 2700 Park Boulevard, Oakland, CA
February 2021, Dreamscape, Group Exhibition, Frank Bette Center for the Arts, 1601 Paru Street, Alameda, CA
2021, Select Works, The Gardner, 1836 Fourth St, Berkeley, CA
2022, Select Works, The Gardner, 1836 Fourth St, Berkeley, CA
June 2024, Ripples 2 Art Exhibit, UC Law, 200 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA
2017–Present, Ongoing Staging Collaboration, Visual Jill

Collections & Commissions:
My work is held in private and corporate collections throughout the Bay Area and beyond. I'm grateful to every collector who has welcomed my paintings into their homes and spaces over the years; thank you for encouraging my work.