Tomi Kielley Matthews

A native of the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan area, I studied fine art at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, before becoming an emerging artist of the D.C. art scene with shows associated with the NEA and The Washington Women's Art Center. After relocating to the East Bay, I found representation through the Miller Brown Gallery in Hayes Valley in San Francisco until I withdrew from active participation to devote myself to my family. Far from abandoning my work, I continued creating, and after a long hiatus, I am resurfacing here on the North Coast. My work consists of paintings, mainly oils, that show the influence of photo-realism and colored pencil paintings, i.e., typically densely applied in the manner of 1000 psi. I also recently started working in ceramics, producing low-fire vessels designed for growing epiphytic orchids, which I grow in a greenhouse attached to my studio.