Cleo Vilett

"I hope you recognize something of yourselves in this work. Some of my favorite song lyrics do this for me, they tell a larger story with minimal “brush strokes” and ignite the imagination and place me in the scene. And in this way, I am having a conversation with the subject while painting it and, hopefully, a conversation with you while you are looking at it. These are big aspirations! When it happens, it’s magic.”

Cleo is an east bay native who brings her passion for the natural world into her paintings. She works outside and from life as much as possible and is drawn to just about any subject if the light is hitting it right. Cleo is particularly interested in representing how people use outdoor spaces and the intersection of urban and wild landscapes. With degrees in marine biology and science illustration, she has worked on many large scale murals, illustrations and sculptures for natural science institutions.