Artist Jami Tobey loves to paint Temecula's trees. Now, she's taking her paintings to Palm Springs.

Her work will go on display at Adiago Galleries Jan. 8-Feb. 5. Tobey will be there from 4-7 p.m. on January 8th for a reception.

Tobey's works depict landscapes, focusing on trees, with bold lines and colors that twirl up the trunk and swirl through the clouds.

Nature is a strong muse in her creative life, she said. "I draw everything from the landscape around me," she sad. "Clouds are the most amazing things, and I'm really drawn to the dark and light of skies and hills."

In her paintings, the artist tries to capture the sense of awe nature gave her as a child.

"It's about the nature we knew as children. It's vivid, new and scary sometimes. It's about answering a distinct longing to be connected to nature in some way," she said.

To her, nature is a holy land. When she paints, she feels she's trying to depict something greater.

"Like a religious stained glass window, it's about the sacredness of nature," she said. "They simply mean something big and powerful to me. They are a symbol I cannot stop painting."

Growing up in an artistic household near Santa Fe, N.M., she began creating art as a young girl.

Her father was a professional artist, so she was surrounded by art and the creative process early on.

"My father did art for a living, so I think you emulate what is around you," she said. "Both of my children love to draw and create, and I believe they do that because it's what they know."

Her art took a central role in her life when her oldest child, Tobey, then 2, was diagnosed with autism. 

She quit her teaching job to care for him. She found she had some free time while her son was in school, so she took to her art studio.

Her creative outlet transformed into her career, which was a dream before, she said. "Now, I am moved by my peers who I show with in galleries. When you know a person, art takes on a bigger and more personal meaning."

Tobey paints for non-profit organizations, fundraising efforts and commsissions for private homes, and she was named Artist to Watch in 2006 by Southwest Art Magazine.

She had four shows here in Temecula, including several paintings currently on display at Mount Palomar Winery. 

She also does about eight shows across the United States each year, most frequently in Sedona, Ariz., Palm Desert, Calif., Durango, Colo., Jackson Hole, Wyo. and the city of her birth, Santa Fe.

For more information, visit www.jamitobeystudios.com.