Now through December 30, 2026, the Aptos Branch Library is home to California Landscape Oil Paintings, an exhibition of new work by local artist Mary Alice Copp, presented with the Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Aptos.
Mary Alice describes her paintings as painted memories of places she has been and loved. Over the past year she has returned to some of her favorites: the towering granite and falling water of Yosemite, the rust-red rock spires of the Pinnacles, the golden hills behind Danville, and the native trees that anchor these landscapes. Having grown up in this region, she says her eyes and heart have been shaped by it, and the work reflects that closeness. Her bold color and simplified, rhythmic forms capture the feeling of these places as much as their appearance, making each canvas an expression of wonder and gratitude for the beauty of California.
Mary Alice brings decades of experience to this exhibit. Her work has been shown in one-person exhibitions at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, The Newark Museum, the Morris Museum, and the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery at UC Santa Cruz, and more recently at the Robert Blitzer Gallery and m.k. Contemporary Art Gallery in Santa Cruz. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at Lowell House, Harvard College, and a Fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Her paintings are held in collections including the Fogg Museum at Harvard, Stanford University, UC Santa Cruz, The Newark Museum, and Dignity Health Dominican Hospital.
Join us for the Artist’s Reception
Meet Mary Alice and see the paintings in person at the Artist’s Reception on Saturday, November 14, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm in the Community Room of the Aptos Branch Library. It’s a wonderful chance to hear about the places behind the paintings and to celebrate a local artist.
Exhibit details
Aptos Branch Library, 7695 Soquel Drive, Aptos
On view now through December 30, 2026, during regular library hours
Artist’s Reception: Saturday, November 14, 2:00–4:00 pm, Community Room
See more of Mary Alice’s work at maryalicecopp.com
