The Masterpiece Life of Meredith Brooks Abbott

If you’ve ever wandered through a sun-drenched Santa Barbara garden or caught the golden light hitting the Mission from just the right angle, you’ve probably seen the work of Meredith Brooks Abbott without even knowing it. As the reigning matriarch of our local plein air painting scene, Abbott has spent decades capturing the Central Coast’s beauty with a brush, not a camera. According to the *Santa Barbara Independent*, her new exhibit, “Capturing Our Time,” is now on view at Sullivan Goss Gallery—and it’s a celebration of a life spent in love with this place.

What makes this show so special isn’t just the paintings themselves, but the story behind them. Abbott has been a quiet force in our arts community for years, mentoring younger artists and showing us that the magic of Santa Barbara isn’t just in its landmarks—it’s in the way the light hits a eucalyptus tree or how the fog rolls in over the Riviera. This exhibit feels like a love letter to that perspective, a reminder that slowing down and painting what you see is its own kind of masterpiece.

For anyone who’s ever felt a pang of gratitude for where we live, this is a must-see. Swing by Sullivan Goss on State Street, and let Abbott’s work remind you why we call this home.