Artist Hilary Gomes paints classical garden compositions with a focus on roses. “Painting roses is a metaphor for love. I aim to convey the poetic spiritual beauty and grace of nature,” says Hilary. As a native of the California Bay Area, she began her journey in drawing and painting at the Ruth Aswawa School of the Arts High School in San Francisco, CA. She then earned her B.F.A. from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Art and Science in New York City. While in New York, a defining moment for her came from viewing Henri Fantin-Latour's paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hilary then received her MFA in Painting from The University of Iowa. She stays active as a practicing painter and professor, stating that teaching informs her 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 teaches oil and watercolor painting, color and design, and life drawing. 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.”