Main Street Artists Gallery announces Lucinda Wood as its featured artist for the month of October. The gallery will host an opening reception for Wood’s new show, “Wild Encounters,” Friday, Oct. 3, from 5 to 7 p.m. Organizers invite the public to enjoy an evening of wine and appetizers while viewing Wood’s dynamic watercolor paintings.
“Wild Encounters” is an abundant collection of Wood’s works, including seven new paintings completed during 2025. The exhibition showcases the artist’s adventures in nature, which provide the inspiration for her unique perspectives.
Each painting has a story behind its creation, and Wood said she hopes viewers will connect with these adventures.
For one piece, Wood recalls swimming her supplies across a creek to capture the perfect angle of Indian Falls. At another site high above the Yuba River, she observed dippers nesting near the waterfall she was painting. “Their songs echoed through the canyon, above the roar of the falls. Exhilarating!” she recounts.
The artist also shared a story about a recent “lesson from Mother Nature” while painting “Cascading Arches Ponderosa” in Quincy’s Gansner Park. “The wind picked up and played havoc with my large watercolor paper and paint. It dashed some clear water drops off my brush and onto my wet paint, making some pretty cool bleeds. They resemble the frilliness of sunlit pine needles. It was difficult to get myself to be as reckless with paint and water as the wind had been. But I have used that technique since! That upper left-hand corner is my favorite part of the painting.”
Asked if she has a favorite among her new pieces, Wood said, “Today it is ‘Through Blooming Mists.’ I think the soft color bleeds, and the hints of forest in the distant fog, give it a dream-like quality. There’s a wide range of focus, from very misty and blurry to crisp and clear. I have longed to paint one of those thousand-foot falls at the bottom of Feather River Canyon, and now I have, with that burst of orchid redbud that happened to be in the foreground. One friend said she changed her attitude about the morning fog we often get here in the winter, after seeing my paintings of fog.”
When possible, Wood likes to paint outside, on location. For pieces based on her photography, Wood notes that there is always a story behind the shot, such as capturing the “surprising beauty” of fall colors dancing on water or redbud blooming near waterfalls. Her friends believe she excels at noticing beauty that others might overlook. She says, “I like to reveal local wonders.”
Wood said she hopes her work allows others to experience the joy she feels while painting. “I believe the startling beauty of the natural world is meant to bring joy. Painting is my way of passing that joy on to you. I want people to know that somebody loved them enough to make this world beautiful! And I get to study that beauty, and get glimpses of the genius and generosity of that artist.”
In addition to Wood’s featured work, Main Street Artists Gallery members will display their own art throughout the space as well.
Main Street Artists Gallery is located at 436 Main St. in Quincy. More details are available by visiting the gallery website at https://mainstreetartists.net/ or contacting the gallery directly.