Live classical music filled the Google Huddle building as Bay Area locals perused the “Preserving Beauty” art exhibition on Saturday. Organized by the Creative Mamas Collective, the exposition spotlighted visual art and musical talent of 12 Bay Area mothers through pieces inspired by the protection of nature. 

The Creative Mamas Collective started as a Facebook group in April 2024 to connect Bay Area mothers engaged in personal creative projects, according to exhibition organizer and floral artist Mandi Lin. Inspiration to start the group and organize the exhibit blossomed from a desire to encourage Bay Area mothers to continue artistic pursuits even after starting a family — a life event that often turns a mother’s attention away from art to caregiving. 

“I just want moms like me who like doing art to be proud of their hobby or what they used to like, and still have a stage for them to shine,” Lin said. 

Reshma Bhoopal: “Ebb & Flow” (fused glass)

Artist Reshma Bhoopal’s “Ebb & Flow” series emulated the waves and horizon of the ocean, a place where Bhoopal finds a sense of calm. The fused glass artist used “Ebb & Flow” to capture the comfort she feels when visiting the beach. 

Bhoopal also offers workshops of her own and sells fused glass artwork through her business, Arts From Glass. While creating art brings her the most joy, Bhoopal has also dedicated time to administrative tasks like marketing and website maintenance to grow her customer base. 

“I read somewhere that ‘the difference between an artist and a hobbyist is that a hobbyist only creates, while an artist stops and does all these other [business] things,’” Bhoopal said. “But art is for the soul, so you have to make time for that too.”

Annapurna Devagiri: “Sun Kissed Petals” (watercolor)

In her series of “Sun Kissed Petals,” artist Annapurna Devagiri depicted native California blooms with watercolor. Six flowers were featured during Saturday’s exhibition: hummingbird sage, golden currant, California poppy, bee plant, scarlet monkeyflower and California fuchsia. The illustrated plants often appear as ordinary shrubs during winter, but sprout vibrant blossoms during the spring and summer months. 

Devagiri chooses flowers to paint based on her discoveries during walks with her two sons. After collecting photographs on outdoor hikes, she returns home to catalog her floral sightings in watercolor. As an elementary school substitute teacher, Devagiri hopes that both her students and children appreciate the beauty she’s found in nature.  

“I think of [my students and children] as a new generation that needs to know about what is out there in nature for them,” Devagiri said. “And I really want us as an adult generation to preserve these things for coming generations.”

Shruti Gopinathan: “Once Upon a Redwood Grove” (mixed media)

Created with acrylic paint, soil, charcoal, pastel chalk and redwood bark, “Once Upon a Redwood Grove” honored the delicate balance of natural life observed in Californian redwood forests. Artist and climate technologist Shruti Gopinathan was inspired by the Redwood Grove Nature Preserve in Los Altos, a place where she seeks solitude and connects best with her young daughter. 

Visiting the nature preserve also makes Gopinathan aware of climate change and feel climate anxiety. 

“I know that all of [nature] could go away,” Gopinathan said. “So that was the emotional piece for me, to bring that emotion into life.”

Isabelle Ip: “Solace” (cotton, linen and natural fiber yarns)

Artist Isabelle Ip tried out crocheting for the first time in 2020. In the years since, she’s created her clothing series, “Solace.” All articles of clothing were created out of natural cotton yarns, aligning with the exhibition’s theme to preserve the beauty of nature. 

Ip also strove to create pieces in a simple “California style” that would highlight women’s natural feminine beauty. 

 “[The garments are] not very hard to wear and you don’t really need to be thinking too much about your body,” Ip said. 

Elaine Jek: “Almost…” (ceramics and mixed media)

Ceramics artist Elaine Jek brought her ceramics to life by adding narrative to her display, “Almost…”. Jek incorporated objects that symbolize key memories from her daughter’s childhood, inspired by her daughter’s recent move to college. 

Tucked into the depths of a stoneware vessel was a tuft of her daughter’s hair; a photograph that brings Jek back to the moment her daughter learned to read Jek’s name on a Legoland mug. 

“In their childhood, you see your kid almost everyday. It’s just like nature: you see it everyday and you can take it for granted,” Jek said. “You see it now but you don’t realize that it’s ‘Almost…’ gone.”

Jek’s theme stood out to Roland Hsu, exhibit attendee and director of research for the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford, who found her story to be “lovely.”

“I liked the narrative about sending her daughter to college and planting the seed while her daughter blossoms,” Hsu said. “There’s creating a new life, but then letting go — the same way you would with a seed, and then that tree has to grow its own life.”

Elena Kadyrova: “Camellias of Palo Alto” (acrylic paint on canvas)

For Elena Kadyrova, Saturday’s exhibition represented a step toward working with new media. The cartographic artist usually uses ink and calligraphy to create maps of local areas, but experimented with acrylic on canvas to paint “Camellias of Palo Alto.” 

Kadyrova had the idea to create a painting of flowers out of just circles for a long time. She finally sat down and started the piece in February 2024, working during small snippets of time when she could step away from her three kids. Though titled “Camellias of Palo Alto,” the painting inspired exhibit attendees to see different flowers beyond camellias, too. 

“Somebody came and said it’s roses. Somebody said it’s a bouquet of different flowers, and the kids are just happy because it’s bubbles,” Kadyrova said. “For me, it’s camellias, but I’m so happy that different people see different things.”

Mandi Lin: “Rooted in Bloom: A Bay Area Map” (preserved flowers and acrylic paint)

The Bay Area’s cities sprung to life as various preserved flowers and leaves in Mandi Lin’s “Rooted in Bloom: A Bay Area Map.” Vibrant florals represented the energy of different Bay Area locations: pink roses marked big cities like San Francisco and Palo Alto, while yellow daisies symbolized the tech energy of Silicon Valley. The Golden Gate Bridge stood out in red and gold buds on an acrylic blue San Francisco Bay, painted by Lin and her 11-year-old son. 

A former advertisement graphic designer, Lin began floral arranging as a way to continue pursuing her passion for design after transitioning her attention to family. She has since started her own business, Studio Lorax, which offers custom event decor, tailored floral art and flower arrangement workshops. 

As for involving her son in the art-making process: “I always spend time with him, but I also show him how I do what I love, so he gives me the time I need when I am working on my [art],” Lin said. “There are a lot of memories for me and my son when we work on [pieces] and we talk about them.”

Lin also organized an interactive station for exhibit-goers to create Californian poppies out of paper and wire. Final products were added to the exhibit, stuck onto a patch of fake grass near the center of the room. 

Lucy Yang: “The Language of Spring (oil on canvas), “The Salt of November” (watercolor on paper), “Salt-Pond A8” (oil on canvas)

Artist Lucy Yang shared two oil paintings and one watercolor piece depicting nature near her home in the Bay Area. After her two children were born, Yang rediscovered painting as a hobby, using art to convey the feelings of different seasons. 

Yang has found more time for art as her son and daughter grow older, but reminisces upon the times when she created pieces with her children. 

 “Some of my house paintings are created by me and my children and I really like that because that time can literally never come back,” Yang said. 

Four other Bay Area mothers also shared their work at the exhibition. Nina Chen displayed indigo and natural dye projects, Wen Lan Lu presented her oil painting, Chingju Tsai shared wax paintings and Stephanie Wu performed the cello in multiple ensembles.