"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures."

Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)

Sandy’s watercolor paintings capture a sense of serenity and peaceful contemplation, with the drama of rich color, texture, shadow and light.  Her scenes of California missions, mission benches, statuary and Spanish architecture remind viewers of less troubled times in a less complicated world.
 

Riverside’s “local color” paintings by Sandy Simmons have found homes in many law firms, courts, and professional offices in the Inland Empire.  Colorful florals, seascapes, lighthouses and landscapes by Sandy Simmons appear in many homes along the California coast and throughout the U.S.
 

In the early 1990s after moving to California, Sandy began painting the historic buildings and courthouses in Riverside, as well as the landmark historic Riverside Mission Inn.  A local art gallery offered her an exhibit if she could complete twenty paintings of the Mission Inn.  This began Sandy’s years of painting the Mission Inn, historic 1903 Courthouse, and other watercolors presented on the Riverside Mission Inn and Local Color web page.