About
Forces of
Nature

From Charles Reiffel and the California plein air painters, to mid-century Land Art, artists have long been drawn to San Diego’s unique natural environs as a source of inspiration. San Diego County encompasses 4,500 square miles — larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined — and encompasses four distinct geographical regions: the coast, valleys, mountains and desert. The four geographies that make up our county can be aligned to the four classical elements: the 70 miles of coastline and our vast beaches represent water, the fertile inland valleys embody earth, the mountains that tower over our urban centers provide us with clean, crisp air, and the dry, sweltering deserts whose wildflowers spark to life each spring symbolize fire.

Forces of Nature features sixteen distinct exhibitors whose artwork and collections explore the complexity, fragility, and beauty of our natural landscape. Selected by a jury of art professionals, the participants were chosen based on their creativity, unique use of media and relevance to the exhibition theme.