Artworks by MaryAnne McKernie

A Mill Valley resident since 1981, I am inspired by both the natural and built environments of the Bay Area. I often use a palette knife to replicate the beauty of un-refurbished industrial buildings—the grittiness of unpainted concrete, exposed pipes and peeling paint.

My palettes can be traced to years of interior design and color consulting when I noticed that many paints looked dull and lifeless no matter what the hue. Only a few seemed rich and complex, as if they glowed from within. To achieve such luminosity, I often mix eye-pleasing full-spectrum hues, and I use intense color sparingly.

My studio is right off the living room of my home, ready when inspiration strikes, where a bank of greenhouse windows provides natural light and offers an expansive view of the ever-changing colors of the wetlands bordering Richardson Bay.