Ventura native Gina Niebergall has been an artist for as long as she can remember. She has loved nature for equally as long. “It’s so much fun being a painter in California,” she says. Ventura County holds a special place in her art. The local terrain offers everything a landscape artist like Gina could dream of: the beach, the mountains, and the desert. Recently, Niebergall has traveled to sites like the Eastern Sierra, the Carrizo Plain, and the Antelope Valley for inspiration. The artist’s latest works will culminate in a stunning new solo exhibition at the Santa Paula Art Museum entitled The Natural World: Variations on a Theme. The show opens with a premiere party on Saturday, June 23, 2018, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission to the premiere is $10.00 for museum members and $15.00 for non-members. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

When deciding on the theme of her exhibition, Gina was careful to include the notion of “variation.” Not only does the subject matter of her paintings vary, but so too does her treatment of light, color, shadow, and composition. Niebergall is quick to confess that she “finds inspiration everywhere,” which makes her art all the more inspiring to viewers. Exhibition visitors will also be able to hear Niebergall describe her work in her own words by means of a video interview that was filmed inside the artist’s studio. Particularly moving is her account of the aftermath of the Thomas Fire on her family’s property and how she has portrayed both the wildfire’s destruction and the gradual renewal of the local landscape in her paintings. The Natural World: Variations on a Theme will be on view through October 14, 2018.

IMAGE CREDIT: "Spring in the Camp" by Gina Niebergall, oil on canvas, Private Collection © Gina Niebergall.