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Dana Petersen

Acrylic and oil on canvas,
Watercolor on Paper


My paintings emanate a dreamlike joy and peace, and reveal an admiration for the natural world. Whether in Mendocino County, San Francisco, or on my travels around the globe, I always seek out nature as it's a powerful source of inspiration, wonder, and beauty. In addition to my paintings, I am a photographer. 

Dana in art studio 2025 (1).jpeg

Directions to Studio #17 at 37920 Old Coast Hwy, Gualala. From Hwy 1, turn west onto Old Coast Hwy. After 200 ft, turn left onto Old Coast Hwy. After 350 ft, destination is on your right.

Studio Tour Hours:

August 23-24
11 am to 5 pm

Studio closed on Labor Day Weekend

No public restrooms

San Francisco-based artist Dana Arden Petersen was born in Monterey, California, and grew up in Contra Costa County. She spent summers in Gualala and Lake Tahoe’s North Shore. Her fondest childhood memories are of exploring the streams, creeks, abandoned barns, and heritage apricot orchards that proliferated the hills near her home. She has always liked to draw and won her first juried art competition in fourth grade. 

Dana earned her BA in the Practice of Art from UC Berkeley, and upon graduating, she moved to San Francisco to work in the business end of the art world.  She honed her skills as a publicist while working for Circle Gallery on Maiden Lane, housed in the only S.F. building designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. She promoted shows for Time/Life photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt and painters Robert Heindel, Sandro Chia, and Peter Max, to name a few. Later, Dana worked for Butterfield & Butterfield Auctioneers, organizing collaborative events with SFMOMA, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Oakland Museum, The Palm Springs Desert Museum, and the Bridgehampton Historical Society.

In 2008, Dana decided to pursue her passion for painting full-time.  Her watercolors have been selected for many juried shows hosted by judges such as Maria Medua, SFMOMA Artists Gallery, Svea Lin Vezzone, Swarm Gallery, Suzane Baizerman, Crafts and Decorative Arts, Oakland Museum, Kate Eilertsen, Director of Visual Arts, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and Barbara Morris, Contributing Editor of Art Week.   Commercially, Dana has been invited to do pop-up exhibits with West Elm, Kiehl’s, and Starbucks. 

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