Artist Dot Renshaw rises before dawn and usually paints  the dramatic shadows in the early morning or the last fleeing light of dusk on location.  She loves to capture the serenity and beauty when there are less people and nature is unfolding to the light. She chooses locations that the tourist usually misses; the small trails, the neighborhood canyons, and the juxtaposition of urban life against the delicacy of nature. Dramatic color and value range coupled with bold brush strokes reflect Dot's response to the moment. She likes making statements showing environmental concerns facing the decisions we make.

Dot also enjoys depicting scenes that remind her of her youth in slower times in coastal California. Her nature scenes are done either entirely on location, or finished in the studio.  People smile when they see her walking down a trail wearing surgical scrubs as paint garb, carting a huge canvas that is starting to get airborne.  By experiencing nature and people in the presence, she communicates an emotional response to the viewer.

Born and raised in Ventura and a Pacific Beach resident for 35 years, Dot is connected to the coastline and the hidden treasures she discovers while camping or traveling back roads on a lark that we miss in our fast-paced lives.