THE BACKSTORY

In Summertime Again, Donna Morin distills the essence of Southern California living into a vibrant geometric meditation. Drawing from eight decades of life in the region, Morin captures the interplay of light and shadow that defines lazy summer afternoons—the dappled patterns beneath a poolside umbrella, the brilliant blue of both sky and chlorinated water, and the golden warmth that permeates the Inland Empire.

The work emerged from Morin's deep connection to her adopted home. Having moved from Michigan to Northern California at age five for health reasons, she has spent a lifetime absorbing the stark, beautiful light of the region. Her frequent drives along the sprawling freeway system between teaching commitments became moving studies in color and form, while quiet moments poolside offered respite and reflection.

True to her modernist sensibility, Morin builds this memory of summer from her signature vocabulary: bold squares and blocks of abstraction. The composition suggests venetian blinds filtering afternoon sun, the geometric tiles surrounding a swimming pool, or perhaps the fragmented way memory itself reconstructs a perfect 72-degree day. In Morin's hands, these simple building blocks become a love letter to California—a place where summer is both a season and a state of mind, where the blue of ocean and sky blend into one endless invitation to bask in "gorgeous sunshine."

Summertime Again is both nostalgic and immediate, capturing not just what California looks like, but what it feels like to call it home.