Bay Area artist Hilary Gomes creates classical renditions of flowers in gardens. “I paint ephemeral images of blooming roses as a vessel for the nature of impermanence,” says Hilary. "My alluring contemporary garden compositions dream into the beauty of floral painting traditions. Painting is in flux and alive similar to observing nature." Hilary studied at Ruth Aswawa School of the Arts High School in San Francisco and then earned her BFA from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Art and Science in New York City. She received her MFA in Painting from The University of Iowa. While in New York, a defining moment for her came from viewing Henri Fantin-Latour's paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Teaching informs Hilary's art practice. She has been a full-time tenured female faculty at Foothill College in Los Altos, CA from 2001 to the present and chairs the department of art. Hilary's art studio is on the first floor of her home looking out into her garden. “My clean and environmentally solvent-free studio is filled with light, house plants, a large standing easel, and a small table easel. I also paint outdoors in my backyard with the sounds of nature and fresh air.”