Mindful Art: Mental Health Illuminated

Julie Brooks (She/Her)

Zero and Refuse

Ceramic sculptor, Julie Brooks, MFA, creates and exhibits in Southern California. Her ceramic forms employ visual allegory and explore relationships. Frequent subjects are human emotion, human impact on the environment and the behavior of her feline muses. Find her work at NorthCoastalArtGallery.com and @juliebrooksclay

Wanda M. Brown (She/Her)

The Box

Wanda M. Brown is a resident of Oceanside and active in the San Diego County art scene for the last 14 years. She works mostly in oils on canvas. Her paintings have shown in 15 exhibitions around the county. WandaBrownArtist.com

Belen Islas (She/Her)

Serene Embrace

Belen Islas is a visual artist based in San Diego, whose creative journey is rooted in the intersection of art and community. She focuses on creating meaningful and community-oriented murals and fine art work, and her work can be found across California. Islas’ work has been showcased nationally and internationally. Isla’s artwork reflects her commitment to storytelling and cultural expression. BelenIslas.com

Chris Rogers (She/Her)

Tentative Balance

Chris Rogers’ work can be serious, but she has a sense of humor in her work as well. It’s filled with brilliant colors and deep thoughts expressed with humor. She uses a variety of mediums and techniques and brings her unique and colorful perspective to life. ChrisRogersStudio.com

Galina Marcus (She/Her)

We Grew Apart But I Love You Anyway

Galina Marcus is a self-taught artist, a mental wellness advocate, and an environmental enthusiast. She was born in Moscow in the mid-80s where she lived and worked until moving to San Diego, CA in 2015. Although she painted and drew since early childhood, she only began pursuing a career as a professional artist in 2018 when she decided to join San Dieguito Art Guild in North County San Diego. Her work varies from pure abstract to quite representational, but always with a spin of symbolism and surrealistic influences. GalinaMarcus.com

Diane O’Connell (She/Her)

Ups and Downs and Recovery

Diane O’Connell considers it a blessing to communicate her passion of art onto canvas to share with others the beauty that exists in our lives. She draws her inspiration from God’s creation in nature, especially flowers. Her paintings strive to capture all the beautiful colors she observes. She is constantly evolving and experimenting in new techniques, which pushes her out of her comfort zone and makes her grow as an artist. She enjoys painting on location, plein air, and also in her studio from photographs she takes. DianeOconnell.com

Krista Timberlake (She/Her)

Yayoi Kusama

Krista Timberlake is a fine artist and graphic designer, originally from Western Massachusetts. After attending UVM for premed and Savannah College of Art and Design, she earned her B.F.A. in painting from UMASS, Amherst. Regarding her drawings, mixed media pieces and paintings, she is intrigued by line, light, texture and color, and is most interested in using watercolor as she loves that it is unpredictable. By day she’s the Entertainment Designer for The Upper Deck Company.

Jamie Utter (She/Her)

What Just Happened

Jamie Utter is an utter artist. She lives and works in Oceanside. She likes exploring multiple mediums and techniques, but she really is interested in people and places. She teaches life drawing at Camp de Benneville Pines Artists Retreat. And she loves to help and inspire others to bring forward that artist that lives within us all.