Fernanda Martinez, Erin McCluskey Wheeler, Gina Borg, and claire b cotts
October 26 – January 8, 2027
A sharp line appears when separate elements meet. They form boundaries to the building blocks of our world, be it a grouping of atoms, a river cutting through a forest floor or tectonic plates jostling for position. This show presents four artists’ quest to find the edges, shapes, and colors that explain how things fit together and, in turn, create a deeper, shared understanding of the world.
Fernanda Martinez, Erin McCluskey Wheeler, Gina Borg, and claire b cotts use form and color to explore the tension that exists when forces seek equilibrium. Fernanda Martinez draws on her memories and observations of nature to explore the emotional depths of color and form. Erin McCluskey Wheeler collects materials, grouping and sorting them by color, and considers how these discarded materials can tell stories about our past and future. Gina Borg’s compositions explore the relationship between color and light, creating a space where we can slow down and notice subtle relationships. The work of claire b cotts contemplates the precarious balance of contradictory elemental forces: heaviness vs weightless buoyancy, contraction vs unfurling.
Reception
Join us in celebrating the work of Fernanda Martinez, Erin McCluskey Wheeler, Gina Borg, and claire b cotts with wine, food, good conversation, and a brief talk with the artists.
Thursday, November 5, 2026
5:30 – 8 p.m.
1995 El Dorado Avenue, Berkeley
Bring friends. Share the word.
RSVP for November 5Many thanks to our event partners at Of All Places and Ann’s Catering.
Exhibit Gallery
About the Artists
Fernanda Martinez
Fernanda Martínez is an Oakland-based painter and muralist. She draws on her memories and observations of nature, blending an experimental, intuitive approach to her practice. Her vibrant, expressive works delve into the emotional depths of color and form. By incorporating intricate patterns and textures, she challenges the viewer, engaging both the eye and the mind, and encouraging them to appreciate the fleeting moments of life.
Born and raised in Mexico City, Fernanda moved to the Bay Area in 2015, where she has collaborated on numerous mural projects and public art pieces for private companies, commercial businesses, and nonprofit organizations. In addition to her commercial work, she has successfully contributed artwork to several community-focused and affordable housing developments.
Erin McCluskey Wheeler
Erin McCluskey Wheeler is a visual artist, writer, curator, and teacher based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Drawing on art history and her teaching practice, Erin makes abstract painted paper collages and found material constructions in conversation with women artists from the past. Erin has a BA in studio art and art history from Beloit College, and an MFA from California College of the Arts in writing. Erin is a faculty member of the 92NY School of the Arts in New York City. With other nonprofits and art centers, Erin teaches collage and mixed media classes and workshops throughout the Bay Area. Erin creates large-scale commissions for health care, hotels, and private homes, and her work is licensed and sold through Minted and other retailers.
Gina Borg
Gina Borg is a painter based in Oakland, California. Born in 1973 in Sacramento, California, she received her BA in Fine Art from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her work has been shown in solo shows in Los Angeles and San Francisco and has been included in many group exhibitions. Recently, her work was shown at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, Park Place Gallery and 1GAP Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, George Lawson Gallery in Emeryville, CA, and Sarah Shepard Gallery in Larkspur, CA. Borg’s work appears in the collections of the Alameda County Arts Commission, UCSF Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, and numerous private collections. In 2017, she was awarded a residency at Willapa Bay Artists Residency, and in 2020, she was awarded the Oakland CARES Fund for Artists Grant. Through her work, Borg engages with color and light relationships through the medium of paint.
claire b cotts
claire b cotts received her M.F.A. at UC Berkeley, and has a BFA in Fine Arts from Oberlin College. Through a Fulbright fellowship, she spent a year living and painting in Turkey. She has had work exhibited at the De Young Fine Art Museum of San Francisco as part of the Bay Area Open Exhibit, and her work is included in national and international collections, including the State of New Mexico Public Arts Program, Nordstroms, Pinnacle Bank, as well as numerous private collections.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, she lives in Berkeley, California, with her two small dogs.
Gallery Visits
1995 El Dorado Avenue, Berkeley, California
We welcome you to view the exhibit from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Please call 510.528.5820 to reserve a time to visit.
Questions:
For purchasing and additional information, please email us at [email protected]