2023/24 Artist Alliance Biennial at Oceanside Museum of Art

My mixed media painting titled Crescent Moon with Venus and Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms is one of 75 artworks selected by juror Jonathon Glus, executive director of the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, from 1,149 submissions for inclusion in the 2023/24 Artist Alliance Biennial at Oceanside Museum of Art. The exhibition will be on display November 18th, 2023 through March 31st, 2024. The reception is Saturday, November 18th from 5:00 to 7:00pm at the museum which is located at 704 Pier View Way in Oceanside, California.

Robin Street-Morris. Crescent Moon with Venus and Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb cold press paper. 14" x 21" (36 x 53cm).

Passage series

Passage XIII (San Diego to San Francisco) has been selected for inclusion in Maryland Federation of Art's American Landscapes: Scenes from the Americas exhibition.

My long-running Passage series is a reflection on trips through storms, over mountains, deserts and water. Once twilight falls, humanity is represented by points of light that emanate from our homes, headlights and other anthropogenic beacons.

Robin Street-Morris. Passage XIII (San Diego to San Francisco). Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb cold press paper. 14” x 20” (36 x 51cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Passage I (Detroit to St. Louis). Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 11” x 14” (28 x 36cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Passage II. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 9" x 13" (22 x 33cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Passage III. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 12” x 19” (30 x 48cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Passage IV. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 12” x 20” (30 x 51cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Passage V. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 14” x 20” (36 x 51cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Passage VI. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 14” x 20” (36 x 51cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Passage VII. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 15” x 19” (38 x 42cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Passage VIII. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 16" x 20" (41 x 51cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Passage IX (Victoria to Vancouver). Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 12" x 19" (30 x 48cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Passage X (Homeward Through Mojave Wilderness). Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 15" x 19" (38 x 48cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Passage XI (Comet with Venus). Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb cold press paper. 15" x 20" (38 x 51cm).

San Diego Comic-Con 2023

San Diego Comic-Con 2023 is here and my display in the Art Show is up. This is my ninth year participating counting the online pandemic versions. Much of my favorite art hanging in my own studio and home was purchased there. Artists from all over can participate in person or by mailing their work in. Our inspirations extend far beyond superheroes and our personal styles are varied. This is a really good thing in my opinion as only we can make our own work. What I create is simultaneously a reflection of and a piece of myself.

92nd Annual Statewide California Landscape Exhibition

​I'm pleased one of my mixed media paintings inspired by a place that's dear to me has been selected for inclusion ​in the 92nd Annual Statewide California Landscape Exhibition at the Santa Cruz Art League.

The exhibition runs July 12th through September 9th, 2023. The gallery's location is 526 Broadway, Santa Cruz, California 95060. The reception is Friday, August 4th from 5-8PM.

Robin Street-Morris. “Trail to the Clouds (Catalina Island).” Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb cold press paper. 14" x 20" (36 x 51cm).

An Angraecum sesquipedale-inspired painting

This painting was inspired by one of my own orchids that blooms faithfully every winter. I'm a huge fan of Angraecoids for both their flowers' celestial appearances and their incredible evening fragrances.

Please send me a message if you’re interested in the original painting or tap on the image if you’d like to support a living artist through a print purchase, always much appreciated.

Robin Street-Morris. Darwin's Star Orchid (Angraecum sesquipedale). Transparent watercolor on 300lb hot press paper. 12.5" x 19.5" (32 x 50cm).

A trip northward

Looking toward Point Pinos Lighthouse—it’s been operating in Pacific Grove since 1855.

Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus)

Two eastern North Pacific gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) on their impressive annual southbound migration

I’d like to go back in time and bump my shutter speed for this one, but I can’t pass up including a shot of the Monterey Bay celebrity known as Casper. This was my second time seeing said albino Risso’s dolphin.

northern kelp crab (Pugettia producta)

shells at Asilomar State Beach

Menzies' wallflower (Erysimum menziesii)

northern snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus ssp. nivosus)

black oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmanister)

​Monterey cypress grove​ at ​Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Morning in Big Sur

Big Sur River

coast redwood fire survivor (Sequoia sempervirens)

western sycamore leaf (Platanus racemosa) with charred coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

Rio Grande turkey (Meleagris gallopavo ssp. intermedia) is a subspecies of wild turkey introduced to the state in the 1950s by the California Fish and Game Commission (now the California Department of Fish and Wildlife).

Cypress Cove at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

North American osprey (Pandion haliaetus ssp. carolinensis)

I watched this southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) hunting for awhile in Cypress Cove. Despite the churning waves, it made an easy snack of a decidedly overabundant purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus). The high urchin numbers are decimating kelp forests on California’s Central Coast.

Here’s a magnificent wall of Dudleya farinosa. My farinose form (powdery white) was purchased from Annie’s Annuals in Richmond. I also scored a green one at CNL Native Plant Nursery in Marin last year. My point is there’s no need to poach members of this genus with so many specialty nurseries propagating them responsibly.

Recent memories of Agua Caliente County Park

Costa's hummingbird (Calypte costae) working chuparosa (Justicia californica) 

ghost flower (Mohavea confertiflora) and Emory's rock daisy (Perityle emoryi)

narrow-leaved cryptantha (Johnstonella angustifolia)

Bigelow's monkeyflower (Diplacus bigelovii)

brown-eyed primrose (Camissonia claviformis)

Arizona lupine (Lupinus arizonicus)

turtleback (Psathyrotes ramosissima)

Costa's hummingbird (Calypte costae) working Fremont's desert-thorn (Lycium fremontii)

brittlebush (Encelia farinosa)

California's only native palm (Washingtonia filifera) viewed through an oasis window of red willow (Salix laevigata)

California fagonbush (Fagonia laevis)

California barrel cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus) and Emory's rock daisy (Perityle emoryi)

phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens)

desert needles (Palafoxia arida var. arida)

Carrizo Mountain sandmat (Euphorbia pediculifera)

black-tailed gnatcatcher (Polioptila melanura) in creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) 

teddy-bear cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii)

Chaparral denizen

We may be off to a cold start in San Diego, but it's spring as far as I'm concerned. Patience was required to catch this shot of an Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) working a grove of mission manzanitas (Xylococcus bicolor) today. Look at how tight that range map is for the mission manzanita, the only member of its genus (the fancy word for that is "monotypic").

Surfing Madonna Oceans Project "Save the Ocean" Exhibition

A trio of board members of the Surfing Madonna Oceans Project selected a mixed media painting of mine for inclusion in the second annual “Save the Ocean” exhibition. This group show of California artists will be on display at the Escondido Municipal Gallery from October 7th through November 4th, 2022. The reception is October 8th from 4 - 7PM at 262 E. Grand Ave. in Escondido. Gallery hours are Tuesday 11:00 - 6:00PM and Thursday-Saturday 11:00AM - 4:00PM.

Robin Street-Morris. Crescent Moon with Venus and Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb cold press paper. 14" x 21" (36 x 53cm).

Nighthawks with Waxing Gibbous

This mixed media painting is loosely inspired by watching lesser nighthawks hunting for insects near an oasis in Twentynine Palms, California.

Robin Street-Morris. "Nighthawks with Waxing Gibbous." Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb cold press paper. 14” x 19” (36 x 48cm).

Please tap on the image of the painting above if you’re interested in a print or contact me directly if you’d like to inquire about the original art.

Comic-Con Art Show 2022

Here are the eight pieces of original art I framed with archival materials for the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con Art Show. It’s taking place July 21st through July 24th. I'll have two panels of work for sale in auction format. The Art Show is located in the lobby level of the Manchester Grand Hyatt in Grand Hall CD along with this year's Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. Doors will be open Thursday & Friday: 9:00 AM–9:00 PM, Saturday: 9:00 AM–6:00 PM and Sunday: 9:00 AM–7:00 PM. Silent auction final bidding closes Saturday at 6:00 PM. Winning bids are posted at 9:00 AM Sunday morning. All purchased art must be picked up Sunday by 6:30 PM. You don’t have to have a Comic-Con badge to visit the art show.

If you see a piece you’re interested in owning, please send me a message, as I have other work I can hang. Prints may be ordered by tapping on the images of the art below. Thanks for supporting living artists!

-Robin Street-Morris

Robin Street-Morris. Puma. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb incised hot press paper. 10" x 17.5" (25 x 44cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Sleeping Volcanoes with Evening Star. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 14" x 19" (36 x 48cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Phantasm (White Whale). Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 13” x 21” (33 x 53cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Empyreal Brume. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 14" x 21" (36 x 53cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Storm. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb hot press paper. 8” x 8” (20 x 20cm).

Robin Street-Morris Celebrant (Raven at Skull Rock). Transparent watercolor on 300lb cold press paper. 14” x 19” (36 x 48cm).

Robin Street-Morris. The Stare (Owl Moon VI). Transparent watercolor, colored pencil and soft pastel on 300lb cold press paper. 13” x 13” (33 x 33cm).

Robin Street-Morris. Black Widow Moon. Transparent watercolor and powdered soft pastel on 140lb hot press paper. 12" x 18" (30 x 46cm).

Celebrant (Raven at Skull Rock)

This mixed media painting screams “every day is Halloween.” It’s loosely inspired by Skull Rock in Joshua Tree National Park. Truth be told, there was a much smaller scrub jay perched on said rock formation, the raven was near a campground and the sky didn’t suggest the 15 was on fire. Combining imagery, simplifying some elements and adding others where they are not is part of what makes art art in my opinion.

I'm planning on framing this piece for my display in the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con Art Show running July 21st-July 24th. I'll have two panels of my original work for sale in auction format. The Art Show is located in the lobby level of the Manchester Grand Hyatt in Grand Hall CD along with this year's Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. Doors will be open Thursday & Friday: 9:00 AM–9:00 PM, Saturday: 9:00 AM–6:00 PM and Sunday: 9:00 AM–7:00 PM. Silent auction final bidding closes Saturday at 6:00 PM. Winning bids are posted at 9:00 AM Sunday morning. All purchased art must be picked up Sunday by 6:30 PM.

Much of the diverse work in my own studio was purchased at this annual event. If you’re local or in town for the con, please consider dropping into the art show and supporting living artists. You don’t need a badge to enter the Manchester Grand Hyatt to check it out.

Robin Street-Morris Celebrant (Raven at Skull Rock). Transparent watercolor on 300lb cold press paper. 14” x 19” (36 x 48cm).

Please tap on the image of the art if you’d like to view print options. Select the Purchase Original Art tab in the navigation bar if you’re interested in owning the original.

Owl Moon VI (Barn Owl)

This is the latest in my Owl Moon series. As always, it was inspired by an actual owl encounter. This barn owl was perched in a palm and peeking around the corner at me, no doubt hoping I’d leave and stop scaring any nearby mice and rats away. Their eyesight is keen, but they hunt primarily by listening.

Robin Street-Morris. Owl Moon VI (Barn Owl with Crescent Moon). Transparent watercolor on 300lb cold press paper. 9.5” x 9.5” (24 x 24cm).

If you’d like to purchase a print, please tap on the image of the art. Contact me directly if you’re interested in owning the original painting. As always, thanks for supporting living artists.

Hummingbird flight

The Cedros Island bush snapdragon (Gambelia juncea) being worked by this Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna) in our backyard is native to nearby Baja, California, Mexico. Hummingbird flight is truly remarkable and you can read about it here if you’re interested.

Formations

I've been sluicing ore for a few years from a local mine here in San Diego County located along the way to Palomar Mountain State Park and I made a friend. She wants to see more of the gem etc.-inspired work I created back in the day and I made this blog post for her. The pink tourmaline piece was made in response to an image of "Pala pink" long before San Diego was on my radar when I was working at the Exhibit Museum of Natural History (now the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History) in Ann, Arbor Michigan. I could see revisiting this source of inspiration based upon specimens I've found myself, but I'm mostly personal landscape-driven these days. Who knows, though? I enjoy having an arsenal of overlapping interests that continues to inspire me. They are all rooted in natural history.

Please tap on the images of the art below if you’re interested in purchasing a print of one of these. Contact me via the “purchase original art” tab in the navigation bar above if you’d like to inquire about original art.

Tourmaline. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb hot press paper. 18” x 28” (46 x 71cm).

Chrysocolla I. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb hot press paper. 20” x 20” (51 x 51cm).

The above piece was juried into a group show at the Ford Center in Dearborn, Michigan. I never submitted the rest of this art for anything.

Smithsonite I. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb hot press paper. 8” x 10” (20 x 25cm).

Smithsonite II. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb hot press paper. 11” x 15” (28 x 38cm).

Dispersion. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb hot press paper. 8” x 11” (20 x 28cm).

Glacial I. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb hot press paper. 8” x 10” (20 x 25cm).

Glacial II. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 140lb hot press paper. 12.75” x 20” (32 x 51cm).

Emerald. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb hot press paper. 18” x 28” (46 x 71cm).

Flourite. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb hot press paper. 18” x 28” (46 x 71cm).

Ruby. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb hot press paper. 10” x 16” (25 x 41cm).

Nebulous. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb hot press paper. 8” x 11” (20 x 28cm).

Opal. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb hot press paper. 18” x 28” (46 x 71cm).

Fossil I. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 140lb hot press paper. 14.25” x 22” (36 x 56cm).

Fossil II. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 140lb hot press paper. 14.25” x 22” (36 x 56cm).

Fossil III. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 140lb hot press paper. 14.25” x 22” (36 x 56cm).

Fossil IV. Transparent watercolor and colored pastel on 140lb press paper. 14.25” x 22” (36 x 56cm).

Ammolite. Transparent watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb hot press paper. 14.25” x 22” (36 x 56cm).

A March visit to San Diego's desert

On the other side of the mountains from coastal San Diego lies the Sonoran Desert, an ecoregion that spans multiple states in two countries. As Earth’s most biologically diverse desert, its intrinsic and aesthetic value is immeasurable.

ccotillos (Fouquieria splendens) at dawn

ghost flower (Mohavea confertiflora)

Bigelow's monkeyflower (Mimulus bigelovii)

This California barrel cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus) is beautiful even in death.

Gander's cholla (Cylindropuntia ganderi) backlit at dawn

A male Costa's hummingbird (Calypte costae) perched on a creosote bush (Larrea tridentata)

As with many areas of the desert where human activity has disturbed the cryptobiotic crusts, invasive, highly flammable grasses and other weeds from overseas have set up shop in Galleta Meadows. It’s an impressive sculpture park that gets a lot of foot traffic—and car traffic despite the signs asking people to park along the road and walk a bit. There is, or was, a particularly grand desert lily I make a point of visiting there and it was nowhere to be found this spring. Its emergence may have been impacted by the mechanical method used to clear weeds from around the creosote shrubs; it shredded desert lily leaves and unearthed the bulbs of very young plants that were still close to the surface (they sink lower as the plants mature). I wish I'd documented the tiny, unearthed bulbs before frantically replanting them as best I could with my hands, but it didn’t cross my mind in the moment.

Desert lilies (Hesperocallis undulata) have a fragrance that matches the beauty of their blossoms and leaves. The leaf damage is apparent here.

This is the mature desert lily I was unable to find this year.

A male phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens)

A queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) working Hartweg's climbing milkweed (Funastrum heterophyllum)

This Coquillettapis sp. bee was curled up for the evening in a desert globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua) blossom.

dune scorpion (Smeringurus mesaensis)

There are eight desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis ssp. nelsoni), including two lambs, blending into the pale rocks here. I heard them charging up the mountain before I saw them.

After talking to the rangers about doing so, I set up my camera trap to see who might visit the spring running through the campground during our stay. This coyote walked off with an early morning snack of what was most likely a Baja California treefrog. I hope to “catch” a fox here someday.

Robin Street-Morris. Desert Star Rise. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb cold press paper. 14" x 19" (36 x 48cm).

NightVisions 2022

My mixed media painting titled Oasis was selected by a panel of four jurors for inclusion in NightVisions 2022 at the Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff, Arizona. The exhibition is being produced by Creative Flagstaff in collaboration with Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition. The exhibition dates are May 21st – August 27th, 2022. The opening reception is Saturday, May 21st with a members and special guests preview from 5-6 pm. There will be a keynote lecture at 6 pm by astronomer David Levy who co-discovered Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 in 1993. The public reception is from 6-8 pm.

My inspiration for this piece was spending a late evening looking up outside our tiny cabin at Twentynine Palms Inn near Joshua Tree National Park. We’d just gotten to see Saturn’s rings through a volunteer’s telescope at Sky’s the Limit Observatory and Nature Center.

Oasis. Watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 14" x 20" (36 x 51cm).

(Please tap on the art if you’re interested in a print.)

Desert View with Starlight and Cactus (at Anza Borrego). Watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 14" x 19" (36 x 48cm).

The above is a companion piece to Oasis that I didn’t submit to the call for entry. I’m not intent on selling the original due to its sentimental value, but prints are available if you tap on the art.

Asterism over Black Mountain. Watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 14" x 21" (36 x 53cm).

Cypripedium montanum

I made this Cypripedium montanum-inspired painting in celebration of the two plants I found during my visit to Yosemite National Park. It was a dream of mine to see them growing in situ. When nature is in balance, the giant sequoias’ shaded understories can be full of incredible plant life which in turn supports diverse wildlife.

Understory Jewel (Cypripedium montanum). Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 14” x 19” (36 x 48cm).

If you’re interested in purchasing a print of this piece, please tap on the image of the painting.

I will have this mixed media painting and a few others on display in the San Diego County Orchid Society’s spring show next week at the Scottish Rite Center. Details may be found here.

Sea dahlias

It’s sea dahlia time, both in our garden and what’s been preserved of San Diego’s coastal strand and coastal sage scrub. Once these perennials finish flowering for the year, they’ll enter summer dormancy and receive very little garden water. I trim the leaves once they’re brown and accept that having some “dead” sticks in the yard is worth it for the show they put on in the spring. They reseed easily if you let them—I’ve even got some popping up in my giant pot of spare coastal cholla pieces which is somehow a thing I have.

View from the Guy Fleming Trail at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.

Backlit beauty

I watched this California ground squirrel inhale blossom after blossom after snacking on Phacelia leaves.

Katydid nymph in our garden. Visit the California Native Plant Society-San Diego Chapter’s seed shop if you’d like to grow this plant yourself.

Great white sharks!

The water has been calm around here as of late and I knew the conditions were perfect for spotting sharks and other ocean life from the cliffs at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. I was super excited to see three juvenile great white sharks as well as harbor seals and nearshore bottlenose dolphins.

It might be tough to see them on a smartphone screen, but there’re two sharks here—one at the far left and one on the right.

It’s pretty easy to tell the dolphins and sharks apart even at a distance.

It’s a delight having harbor seals whiz past me when I’m snorkeling.