Christine Beirne

On view at Integrity Wealth in Ojai through April 24, this exhibition brings together landscape drawings rooted in Ojai and selected works from my Dreamscape series. Together, they reflect two ways I move through place — direct observation and slow excavation — both shaped by the land that surrounds us. The drawings are grounded in observation. Many are based in and around Ojai — places I return to repeatedly because they continue to shift, subtly, with light, season, and memory. The Dreamscape paintings move in a different direction. They are less about a specific site and more about the felt experience of terrain — erosion, atmosphere, distance, and time. Supporting the Land That Shapes the Work Integrity Wealth does not take a commission on artwork sales. Because of that generosity, a portion of each sale from this exhibition — 20% — will be contributed to the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy. I’ve chosen to extend that same commitment to my studio practice as a whole: 20% of all original artwork sold directly through my website also supports the Conservancy. As a plein air and landscape artist — and simply as someone who loves being outdoors — I’m deeply aware that the places I paint are not guaranteed. They exist because people protect them. One place especially close to me is La Cañada Larga Road. There was a time when development felt imminent there. I remember hearing that and feeling physically unsettled — the thought that this open stretch of land, this quiet geometry of road cutting through hills, might disappear. That I might not be able to stand there again and look out across that space. The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy raised the funds to purchase and preserve it. Now, as with so many protected landscapes, the need is ongoing — stewardship, maintenance, care. Preservation isn’t a single act. It’s a long-term promise. If my work is rooted in landscape, it feels only right that the work also gives back to it. Additional Exhibitions I’ll also have work included in the Member Show at Studio Channel Islands Art Center, on view March 7 – March 20, with an opening reception at 4:00 pm on Saturday, March 7 at the Blackboard Gallery in Camarillo. And I’m part of a curated group of present and past Artists in Residence at SCIART, now featured on the Artsy platform. The collection highlights regional artists exploring a range of mediums and approaches, expanding visibility beyond our immediate area. Closing Thoughts When I think about this season of work — drawings made from walking the edges of Ojai, paintings built slowly in the studio, conversations happening in galleries and offices — it all comes back to one thing: attention. Attention to place. Attention to memory. Attention to what could be lost — and what can still be protected. La Cañada Larga Road is more than a subject to me. It’s a reminder that landscapes are not permanent unless we choose to care for them. The fact that it remains open — that I can return again and again to draw it — is not accidental. It’s because people acted. The work currently hangs in a space devoted to planning for the future. In a small way, this is my version of that — reinvesting in the land that shapes the work. If you’ve ever felt relief stepping into open land… If you’ve ever had a place you hoped would still be there tomorrow… Then you understand why this matters to me. I hope you’ll stop by before April 24.