Orinda Art Scene – November 2025

TE+ND Rovers by Marnia Johnston, Illustrator Anne Goldmann, Painters Ania Lesela and Nicole Reader – Robotic Mixed Media Demo, Nov. 15, 3 p.m.
    Marnia Johnston’s mixed media sculpture, Anne Goldmann’s illustrations and paintings by Ania Lesela and Nicole Reader highlight the Lamorinda Arts Council exhibit in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library (from Nov. 1 to 29). On Nov. 15, the artists will meet with the public from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. followed by a demonstration of robotic mixed media sculpture at 3 p.m.
    Johnston has worked with clay since high school and explored ideas through paint, glass and electronics, yet always returns to clay.
    “I think of clay as ‘techne’ – the intersection of culture and technology. I use it in my mixed media sculptures on display from my TE+ND [Terrestrial Exploration + Nurture Designed] Rovers and Tendr Pods,” she said. They are an interactive art project that explores migratory ecology in an era of climate change. Learn more about this series at marniajohnston.com.
    She’s moved by the works of Phil Ross, Phoebe Cummings, George Gessart, Patricia Piccinini and the writings of Donna Haraway.
    “I’m inspired by thinkers who remind us that care can be a form of resistance – that craft is labor, and that making responsibly means acknowledging we’re part of nature, never outside it. My work grows from that shift: from making as production to making as care, collaboration and ecological kinship,” she said.
    Goldmann’s theme, “Illustrations From Unwritten Stories,” describes visual moments she has drawn and painted from her imagination. She says when she is with the work of luminaries such as Gustav Doré, Erté, Kay Nielsen and Edward Gorey “I never feel alone. I feel it in my body, as if I recognize their images from a dream,” she said. “I can only hope a piece I make resonates with someone in a similar way.”
    Passionately inspired by children’s books, she focuses on nature, landscapes, and creatures she imagines might be living in a spooky forest, a secret valley or faraway hills. The 40 works in her exhibit are small scale, 9” x 12” or less. See more of her work at tinyurl.com/y4czb855.
    Lesela has been drawing and painting all of her life, but began making mixed media figurative paintings in 2020. “I’m fascinated how different types of media interact with each other and allow for surprising effects. I delight in finding emerging human or animal figures in my abstract paintings and bringing them into focus through my process. Uncovering each character’s story is what I love.”
    Lesela’s artwork is purely intuitive.
    “I follow the muse, making spontaneous marks until a certain feeling of aliveness comes through in the work, indicating its completion,” she said.
    Marc Chagall’s surrealist work inspires her with its stories, characters and the dreamy, imaginative landscapes for which he is known. Visit 
tinyurl.com/mty2b2nw.
    Reader has been fascinated with creating realistic paintings done in acrylics on canvas for 15 years. She excels at interpreting snapshots as art. It’s the split second captured in the photo she starts with; then she explores the moment further as a painter.
    Her “Back/Light” show of 12 paintings examines this theme in many intriguing ways. When you view “Myrtle Beach Pier” a 30” x 40” acrylic on canvas, you may recall the last time you heard the tide lapping against the shore and feel the grit of wet sand between your toes.
    Visit the Gallery to view artwork from Nov. 1 to 29 at 26 Orinda Way. Hours are Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Sundays and Nov. 11, 26 and 27. Call 925.254.2184 for more Library information or visit ccclib.org/. Questions about the exhibit or need more information? Email gallery@LamorindaArts.org, visit LamorindaArts.org/galleries-2 or call 925.359.4490.