SPECIAL SERIES: EMERGING ARTISTS
Ariana Richards
California

Born: Healdsburg, CA, 1979

First Artwork: A Self-Portrait at 3 years old.

First art sale: "I sold a piece in 1995 in Japan. I'm best known as an actress, and I had traveled there to help promote Jurassic Park. I played Lex. While I was there a Japanese businessman saw some of my artwork and bought a painting."

Art education: Bachelor of science in fine arts and drama from Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY, the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA, and the California Art Club Mentor Program.

Style of Work: Poetic Realism.

Favorite Subjects to paint: The Pacific coast, nature, and figurative works because they have a story to tell.

Favorite Artists: Claude Monet, John Singer Sargent, and Joaquin Sorolla.

Creative spark: "When I see something beyond the ordinary, my heart takes flight and I want to create an image of what inspired me. It can be a color in the sky, the curve of someone's face or sparkles on the water."

Second-choice career: Acting.

Other passions: Acting and horseback riding. "I enjoy the thrill of jumping."

Fantasy art trip: To the northern Italian countryside.

Favorite studio music: Opera, classical, and sometimes Enya.

Best Advice Received: Three words by philosopher Joseph Campbell: "Follow your bliss."

Next big goal: "To develop a distinct voice that reflects who I am. And to continue developing my art as a craft by studying with my California Art Club mentors Peter Adams, David Gallup, Jeremy Lipking, Lynn Gertenbach, and Daniel Pinkham."

Price range: $600-$6,000.

Galleries: Morseburg Galleries, Los Angeles, CA; McLean Gallery, Malibu, CA.