Patricia Qualls' enormous colorful abstracts breathe life into otherwise stifled spaces. A former clinical psychologist turned contemporary painter, Qualls sees her work as a therapeutic, spontaneous passageway to curiosity and self-acceptance. She hopes that through each piece, and without judgement, one may find wonder:
"Through my paintings, I'd like the viewer to see their own creative genius and set it free, whether it's art, poetry, math or birdwatching. I'd like people to stop getting somewhere and get to play in their imagination, run wild experiments where nothing can go wrong."
Qualls is guided by her intuition, trusting her tools, color and canvas to prompt inspiration. Based out of Carmel Valley, her studio is open to the public, a 1200 square foot gem with 15-foot ceilings and a half dozen skylights bringing sunshine to each high-impact painting. Qualls can be found there most days, either at work or entertaining friends, both old and new. Her work is also part of the George Blair permanent collection at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento.
