Cleo Vilett
December 2 & 3, 11am-5pm
About the artist…
Cleo is an east bay native who brings her passion for the natural world into her paintings. She works outside and from life as much as possible and is drawn to just about any subject if the light is hitting it right. Cleo is particularly interested in representing how people use outdoor spaces and the intersection of urban and wild landscapes. With degrees in marine biology and science illustration, she has worked on many large scale murals, illustrations and sculptures for natural science institutions.
A Message from Cleo…
“My favorite compliment is some variation of: “Hey, I was driving home and saw the sunlight on this building and, I don’t know, it just like totally made me think of one of your paintings.” I doubt this is meant to be a compliment, but I always feel like I’ve won somehow. I’ve succeeded in making someone notice something in their everyday life in a new way. Maybe they are seeing something mundane as something beautiful? If life is what happens when we are making other plans, then my message is that our lives are made up of thousands of fleeting moments rather than big ticket events. We can’t stop time, but I hope to slow it down a little. This is what happens to me while I’m painting, especially outside. I’m desperately trying to grab on to a moment before it changes, and through my process I’m studying it, sitting with it and absorbing it. If some of that can transfer to the viewer, then I feel I have succeeded."