Christy Wilkins has been making art her whole life, from crayons on the backyard deck as a kid to acrylics on canvas today. Mostly self-taught, she’s pulled from a wide range of influences over the years, including her mother, a high school art teacher, community classes, a year at California College of Arts and Crafts, and decades of painting alongside friends.

Her work is whimsical and color-forward, full of movement and emotion. She paints largely from imagination. A lot of her pieces circle back to the ocean, shaped by a childhood in Moss Beach, years of scuba diving along the Northern California coast and abroad, and a decade of living in Atascadero. You can find her original paintings and catch her at work at the Studios on the Park Gallery in downtown Paso Robles.