Sara Lisch and Mary Curtis Ratcliff: Emotional Landscapes/Internal Atmospheres

Emotional Landscapes / Internal Atmospheres brings together the figurative collage work of artists Sara Lisch and Mary Curtis Ratcliff, whose distinct yet complementary practices explore their inner worlds. Lisch’s work delves into intimacy, identity, and layered emotional landscapes and spiritual currents held in the body. Through vibrant fragments of paper and color, her figures emerge as expressive forms that speak to vulnerability and strength. Ratcliff’s pieces blend delicate figure drawings with photographic backgrounds, placing the human form in surreal, atmospheric settings. Her work evokes a sense of movement, reflection, and internal atmosphere—bridging the physical and ephemeral. Though stylistically different, both artists explore how memory, feeling, and physical presence shape the stories they tell through the figure. Together, their work creates a dynamic visual conversation, offering viewers an invitation to engage with the poetic, personal, and layered experience of being human.

Gallery Hours: Friday and Saturday, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 19, 3 – 5 pm
Oakland Art Murmur / First Friday: August 1, 5 – 9 pm

Image:
left: Mary Curtis Ratcliff, Mt. Hood Nude, 2025, 16″ x 12″, Colored pencil on digital print, photo credit: Tony Maltose
right: Sara Lisch, The Shape of a Prayer, 2025, 30″ x 40″, mixed media, photo credit Sara Lisch