 Belmont — In her self-portrait, bursts of pink and magenta magnolias frame Julie Tsang Kavanagh as she stares into her future, strong hands clasping two paint brushes.
“My creativity went through a dormant phase, much like the magnolia, patiently waiting for the right time to bloom again,” she said. “As many know, women carry much of the ‘mental load’ of family life. This piece is about celebrating that balancing act — navigating seasons of care, sacrifice and personal renewal.”
Kavanagh’s oil-on-panel is among 61 works featured at Women’s View 2025, an exhibition celebrating Women’s History Month sponsored by the San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture, Arts Commission and the Commission on the Status of Women.
At first glance, many of the works on the walls at the Twin Pines Art Center in the Manor House in Belmont’s Twin Pines Park could be mistaken for a common showing by local artists: landscapes, abstracts, portraits, photographs, textiles.
But step back to take in the full perspective of a piece, then step forward to notice the details and read the text on the walls. Layers of depth and meaning shine a light on what women artists view – and how they perceive they are viewed – in 2025.
We interviewed four of the artists, all of whom live in San Mateo County.
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