Like many California painters, she is seduced by the pink light at sunset and the bold mid-day light that produces vibrant color. The theatricality of her idealized vision of beautiful people living in comfort is reminiscent of Alex Katz, who uses the good life to explore formal issues. In Palm Canyon two women in summer floppy hats and full dresses sit by the shore of a lake, one sitting casually in shallow water. They seem to be having a conversation, but the body language is not animated, and although one may wonder about the content of the exchange, the viewer is more fascinated with paint and color than narrative. Lavendar, blue, and pink swirls of water reflect the greens, yellows, and browns of tall grasses that surround the lake.
Light dances off water, illuminating the figures in clear afternoon sunshine.
A slight breeze brushes the woman's skirt, and the calm ocean reflects a strip of pink-orange sky. The step is so leisurely that the dog barely moves. The viewer feels a separation of time, placed outside, watching and remembering a personal experience. The coolness and distance coupled with the warmth of nostalgia separates the paintings from present tense and evaporates into a palimpset of memory. In this group of paintings, the water seems to move while the figures are almost motionless.