Art for Carrizo presents an online show and sale in support of the Carrizo Plain National Monument, a nature preserve in San Luis Obispo County, California. The Madre wildfire recently swept through a huge portion of the plain, causing serious damage to the ecosystem.
The Caliente Ridge includes the highest elevation in San Luis Obispo County at 5,106 feet, which was vegetated with a thick cover of oak and juniper trees. Damage to woodlands and to the surrounding areas is still being assessed, but it is clear that some large-scale restoration efforts including erosion control and possible seeding will be needed over much of the area.
To financially support the restoration efforts, some members of the well-known groups, SLOPE (San Luis Obispo Painters for the Environment), The Oak Group of Santa Barbara, and others are partnering with the Carrizo Plain Conservancy to host this online sale of beautiful landscape paintings of the CARRIZO PLAIN and will donate 50% of the sale prices to Carrizo Plain Conservancy.
This fundraiser takes place through October 15, 2025.
“When the very recent Madre Fire swept through the Caliente Range and the surrounding heart of the Carrizo Plain National Monument, it left behind a stark and haunting landscape—over 80,000 acres of grasslands, wildflower fields, and wildlife habitat reduced to ash,” says local painter Laurel Sherrie. “The Carrizo, a rare remnant of California’s historic grasslands, is a place where pronghorn roam, tule elk graze, and each spring a spectacular sea of wildflowers paints the hills. Now, its recovery depends on swift, dedicated action. The Carrizo Plain Conservancy is working urgently to restore what was lost—repairing damaged roads and trails, stabilizing eroded slopes, reseeding burned areas with native plants, and nurturing the land back to life.
“I am answering this call by coordinating with the Carrizo Plain Conservancy and bringing together many of our best artists who have created original paintings and fine art prints celebrating the Carrizo’s beauty—its sweeping vistas, delicate wildflowers, and resilient wildlife. Half of every sale will go directly to the Conservancy to fuel restoration efforts. For me, this isn’t just a cause—it’s very personal. I have gone out and painted plein air these plains and ranges innumerable times: in golden light, watched the storms roll over their hills, and felt the quiet magic that makes this place unlike anywhere else. It is my hope to help the Carrizo heal—and to ensure its beauty endures for generations to come.”
How to Help Restore the Beauty of the Carrizo
Visit www.ArtForCarrizo.com to view and purchase artwork. Purchases are directly through the artists. Enjoy browsing through the artwork and when you make your purchases, know that you are also supporting environmental restoration efforts in the Carrizo Plain National Monument.
Artists include: Chris Chapman, Dennis Curry, Jan French, Dotty Hawthorne, Sandi Heller, John Iwerks, Anne Laddon, Laurel Sherrie, and Gisele D. Thompson.
Additional Paintings in the Sale:
