Born to an art gallerist and a journalist, Micaela Marsden grew up in the various art colonies along the fog belt: Carmel, Sausalito, Mendocino—these destinations chosen by her parents for their abundance of artists, writers, poets. Now she chooses Berkeley as her home, and visits the coast to paint. 

 

"When on location, I hope to have a ‘dialogue’ with the place to create an image imbued with my own feelings and interpretations, rather than a strict reproduction of what is before me. Letting in the accidental discoveries while in the process is freeing. I am dazzled by the rugged drama of the coastline, the craggy rocks, storms, dense fogs and pounding waves. The shapes of the coast are the infrastructure on which I build, next I want to learn the inland valleys, hills, and waterways—there is much to discover there as well. I love connecting with this beauty by being right out in the midst of it. The brilliant light and soft mists of this place we are so fortunate to live in provide lovely days of surprise and inspiration, which I hope to share with you. 

 

I am a plein-air as well as studio painter. I frequently start my paintings in acrylics for speed of reworking, this helps me respond to changing light conditions, if I choose, and keeps my painting fresh. "

 

Micaela is a member of the the Benicia Plein Air Painters, ProArts, Arts Benicia, the Plein Air Painters of Mendocino, and Urban Sketchers International.