Patrice Wachs is a contemporary realist painter residing in rural Sonoma County. Her work explores the interplay of light, shadow, color and form in landscapes and architectural structures, often with the subtext of isolation. Balancing a modern approach to composition while minimizing nostalgia, she uses her graphic art experience and photographic skills to reimagine her subjects with a strong structural sense of place, omitting and altering details to achieve clean, flat planes of color. After college graduation, Wachs left the grey Pacific Northwest with her husband for sunny Santa Monica, where she continued her art education at Otis Art Institute. She started her career as an artist and art director for magazines, film and animation companies, as well as book, record album and product design for private clients. While working on a documentary, she enrolled in the film program at UCLA, expanding her experience with work on the Eye on LA TV show, designing film graphics and storyboards for multiple films and commercials. After raising their two children, she was hired to create an art curriculum for a Malibu private middle school where she taught painting, drawing, ceramics, and photography, with her students winning multiple awards. Moving to the North Bay in 2019, Wachs returned to painting full time, gaining recognition for her contemporary depiction of barns and iconic structures. Her paintings are in numerous private collections across the country. EDUCATION UCLA, Film Director Program, Los Angeles, CA Otis Art Institute, Painting/Illustration/Graphic Design, Los Angeles, CAPortland State University, Painting/Ceramics, BFA, Portland, OR SELECTED EXHIBITIONS 2025Juried Group Show, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Healdsburg, CA Food Bank Auction, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CADart for Art, Juried Auction for Lymelight Foundation, San Francisco, CADelicious, Juried Group Show, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CA Solo Show, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CA August 2025 2024Tiny, Juried Group Show, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CAThe Art of Food, Juried Group Show, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA​Stewards of the Redwoods, Auction & Fundraiser, Santa Rosa, CAOnline Trunk Show, Juried Group Fundraiser, Stephanie Breitbard Fine Arts, SF, CASonoma County Art Trails, Juried Open Studios, Cotati, CASmall Wonders, Juried Group Show, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Healdsburg, CA3 Artists, Invitational Show, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CADelicious, Juried Group Show, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CACity Streets, Juried Group Show, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CASonoma County Landscape, Juried Show Trentadue Winery, Healdsburg, CABeaches, Juried Group Show, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CADart for Art, Juried Auction for Lymelight Foundation, San Francisco, CAFood Bank Auction, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CA40th Annual Art From the Heart, Sonoma State Juried Art Auction, Rohnert Park, CA 2023DeYoung Open 2023, Juried Bay Area Group Show, DeYoung Museum, San Francisco, CATiny, Juried Group Show, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CA12th Annual Small Works Juried Show", Graton Gallery, Graton, CA Sonoma County Art Trails 2023", Juried Open Studios, Sonoma County, CA6 Women, Invitational Group Show, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CAOn The Road, Juried Group Show, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CAArt @ Sonoma Clean Power, Juried Group Show, SCP, Santa Rosa, CAShadows and Light, Juried Group Show, Healdsburg Art Center, CATerrain, Juried Group Show, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CAFood Bank Auction, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CAColor of Water, Juried Group Show, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CAFavorite Things, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA 2022New Paintings, Solo Show, First Gallery, Santa Rosa, CA11th Annual Small Works Juried Show, Awarded Best of Show, Graton Gallery, Graton, CATiny, Juried Group Show, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CAAgri-CULTURED, Juried Group Show, Petaluma Arts Center, Petaluma, CADelicious, Juried Group Show, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CAArt at the Source, Open Art Studios, Sonoma County, CALight & Shade, Las Laguna Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, CALandscapes & Seascapes, Las Laguna Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, CAFavorite Things: Portraits, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA 2021Juried Group Show, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Healdsburg, CAJuried Group Show, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA​AWARDS/RECOGNITION 2024The Art of Food, Poster Art “Piece of Cake”, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA 2023 deYoung Open 2023, deYoung Fine Art Museum, San Francisco, CAArt @ Sonoma Clean Power, Purchase Public Art Collection, SCP, Santa Rosa, CA12th Annual Small Works Show, Best of Show Award, "Schellville Station", Graton Gallery, Graton, CA