Based in Carmel Valley, Tatiana Cabrera is a first-gen American artist whose work is a way of making sense of the world. Her journey is defined by two distinct styles.

Her landscapes are about finding a sense of "home." Growing up on the Monterey Peninsula as a Mexican American, she often felt caught between two worlds. So she created a home for herself within her paintings. There she merges the known: the bright skies and seas representing the clarity of her California upbringing, and the dark mountain silhouettes paying homage to the undiscovered beauty of her parents' natal home, Guanajuato. Her ethereal creations are not just landscapes; they are a depiction of her dual heritage, inviting the viewer into a space where the bright coast meets the mysterious mountains of her ancestral past.

Once she found a "home" in her landscapes, Tatiana felt free to focus on other questions. This led to her “Visual Monologues”. Unlike her calm landscapes, these are where she lets her subconscious run wild with questions. Her process is intuitive, treating each piece like a puzzle that she must solve to obtain an answer." As I paint, I often focus on a specific topic to resolve," Tatiana says. "With every shape, line, and dab of color, I’m subconsciously working to solve a question.

The painting communicates its needs to me, and in turn, I gain clarity. When I step back, it’s like a Rorschach test or maybe Tarot Cards—what I see in the piece is the answer to the question.”