A Love Letter to San Diego
sketching on Mission Bay
Closing a Chapter
My ancestors come from Europe—mostly Ireland and France, with strong hints of Norway, Lithuania, England, and Italy. But my family found its way to the West Coast of California, settling in sunny San Diego around 1954. My paternal Niçoise grandmother fell in love with a Yankee, a Marine from upstate New York, while on a European tour. He didn’t speak French, nor she English, but you know what they say about love—it doesn’t always need words. Within a year, she moved to the East Coast of the United States, embracing the land of movie stars and freedom, yet struggling with the cold and pastoral life of Utica.
my grandma and her sister enjoying champagne on Mission Bay
One day, by way of fate, she saw a commercial for San Diego, CA on television. She may not have understood the messaging, but she understood palm trees and beach life. She turned to my grandfather and said, ‘That’s where I want to live!’ Long story short, they packed up and moved out west. Eventually, they raised a family in Pacific Beach, beginning with my father—and then, in 1989, I arrived.
My DNA may not be of this land, but my heart is. San Diego is my home, and the shorelines of Mission Bay and Pacific Beach are ingrained in my soul. I will always make art of San Diego because I will always be San Diegan. This city is special, and my art is a reflection of that admiration, a tribute to childhood memories of growing up in America’s Finest City.
That said, I have exciting projects on the horizon that require my full focus, and for the next several months—perhaps even the next year—my work will be shifting away from San Diego-centric pieces. To give these new projects my all, I will be closing my online gallery temporarily, allowing the galleries that represent my work to usher it into the world.
If you’ve been considering adding a San Diego piece to your collection, now is the time. My online gallery will be closing this Friday, and these will be the last available works until further notice. Thank you for being part of my journey, and for sharing in my love for this beautiful city.
Explore the remaining pieces before the gallery closes.
Sending you love and seashells,
Michaela
little me at Bird Rock with the birds