Patrons walking inside the Firehouse Arts Center can now see the colorful and emotional nature scenes emblematic of the work of Chilean-born San Francisco artist Angélica Turner.

"After the Storm", a solo exhibition of Turner's paintings, opened in the lobby of the downtown Pleasanton theater last week and will welcome an opening reception this weekend amid its six-week run.

"My work is an exercise of self-awareness that starts in the presence of nature and unfolds through the act of painting," Turner said in her artist's statement for the exhibit. "Comparing natural landscapes and their fragile ecosystems to how people cope with mental health, I interpret visual vegetation patterns by attributing them to the ongoing and undulating experience of emotions."

"For this exhibition I compiled pieces of previous bodies of work with new ones, to generate a line in time which has in common a need to express moods that are felt only when seasons change," she said, adding:

"Those moments when shades of greenery appear after a shower of rain come as a gift covering every outdoor surface in the form of grass, weeds and moss. The atmosphere of winter that is not a cliche, unlike the cold, fog or wetness, but the growth."

Turner, who studied art and worked for years as an art teacher in her native Chile, moved to California in 2018 and now works as a full-time artist based in San Francisco. Her art has been displayed in galleries in Chile and the U.S., including as part of the Root Division's Studio Program.

"She creates paintings that address her own emotional path related to her personal story by utilizing a metaphorical forest visual and other symbolic elements," Firehouse officials said. "This presentation features nine of the artist's representative works, including the lush botanical motifs for which Turner is known."

"After the Storm" officially opened on Feb. 22 and runs through April 8 in the Firehouse lobby. An opening reception is set for Saturday (March 4) from 1-3 p.m. at the venue at 4444 Railroad Ave. To learn more, visit firehousearts.org.