My Story
“Andrea, come and look at this!”
said my mother as she opened the old cedar chest. I was 10 years old and watched in awe as she unrolled sheet after sheet of her paintings and drawings and then those of my grandmother. I wondered, “Could I ever make such amazing pictures?”
An excerpt from “SACRED POOLS”, a painting by Andrea Oreck, inspired by the natural beauty she found while traveling through Maui, Hawaii.
As a child growing up in the Los Angeles area among concrete sidewalks, blacktop roadways, and billboards advertising the next thing we should buy, I craved being in nature. I sought refuge from the city bustle by taking long walks in the few wild places that remained undeveloped. I learned to look at the light falling on the yellowing leaves of the Plain Sycamores. I sat mesmerized, watching the flow of water over the stones in a canyon creek. All this was preliminary practice in learning to see. Gradually I was moved to paint pictures of that amazing experience of tranquility that I felt while being in Nature.
MEET ANDREA ORECK
Andrea Oreck is a jewel in the crown of Sonoma County with her unique type of interior mural art, or trompe l’oeil. For over 30 years, she has been Sonoma County’s premier artist of interior murals, creating environments for some of the most prestigious homes in the area. Her name is synonymous with beautiful, realistic, magical murals.
Andrea Oreck was born into a family of artists in Burbank, California. Her mother and grandmother were both accomplished artists who guided her to an understanding of aesthetics. Her father was an outdoorsman who taught her to appreciate the wonders of nature.
Her background includes years of education and experience.
She is a fine art expert with many credentials. An artist from childhood, Andrea completed a BA in art with honors and has received a number of awards over the years. (See her biography for details.) She later went on to become Art Director at Sonoma Business Magazine in Santa Rosa, California. There she expanded her ability to use the latest computer graphics skills, which she now applies in her mural design work.
Through her rare combination of both left and right brain abilities, Andrea has been able to develop successful, practical, cutting edge methods that are all her own for producing fine art interior murals. Andrea’s murals take you beyond the four walls of everyday experience to a special place chosen by you, designed by you, and just for you. Unsurpassed and unusual, they are fine art with a twist, as they beckon you to walk right into them.
Artist’s Biography
Andrea Oreck received formal training at the California College of Arts where she earned a BFA with honors.
After graduating, she traveled extensively in New Zealand, Australia, Japan and the Pacific Islands. Since then she has exhibited her work in many solo and group shows, and now owns a thriving mural painting business.
Some clients include the former CEOs of ABC television and British Petroleum, Canada. Andrea lives near Sebastopol, California with her husband, Bill, and their two Border Collies.
Education
California College of Arts BFA with honors 1986
Oakland, California
Santa Rosa Junior College AS with honors 1982
Santa Rosa, California
CSU Northridge Art Class for Exceptional High School Students 1970
Scholarships
Helen Jacott Portraiture Scholarship- 1985
Doyle Scholarship 1980
CSU Northridge Art Scholarship 1970
Exhibitions
Mural Exhibition
Marin Home and Garden Expo
Marin Civic Center
San Rafael, CA 2007 to Present
Mural Exhibition
Sonoma County Home and Garden Show
Santa Rosa Fairgrounds
Santa Rosa, CA 2005 to Present
One person show of oil paintings and oil pastels,
Ebeauty Salon, Windsor CA 2005
One person show of oil paintings and oil pastels,
WestAmerica Bank, Santa Rosa, CA 2005
One person show of oil paintings and oil pastels,
Elle Lui Salon, Santa Rosa, CA 2000
“Paintings by Andrea Oreck”,
Millennium Arts Gallery, Sebastopol, CA 1999
Oreck began painting interior murals 1998
“Almost Edible Art”,
Oakville Gourmet Grocery, Healdsburg, CA 1998
“Sonoma Landscape Series”,
National Bank of the Redwoods, Santa Rosa, CA 1997