Artist Katie Stubblefield Explores California Coastal Fragility in New Exhibition

When the siren wails: Mapping the invisible energies of the California coast through marks that hover between drawing and memory.

For artist Katie Stubblefield, the inspiration for her latest body of work began with a sound that most Californians hope to never hear: the “hair-raising” wail of twin tsunami test sirens. While gallery-sitting in Newport Beach, the haunting noise reframed her entire perspective on the surrounding landscape. As she drove home along the Pacific Coast Highway, she didn’t just see a bucolic shoreline; she saw a coastline vulnerable to “collateral damage”.

This July, Matter Studio Gallery in Los Angeles presents Stubblefield’s solo exhibition, Marking Matter, a collection that explores the precarious intersection of California’s industrial infrastructure and the volatile power of the natural world.

The Sound of Imminent Disaster

That initial moment in Newport Beach sparked an investigation into what lay in the path of an “imagined disaster”. Stubblefield’s drive home became a survey of the low-lying highway, where she noted not just houses, but massive industrial sites. She began documenting the “impressive desalination plants, aging electrical plants, and fixed and mobile oil derricks” that sit directly on the beach. Her work highlights how this heavy industry “adulterates” the natural landscape, sitting precariously at the mercy of the elements.

A Forensic Mapping of Coastal Fragility

To translate these “invisible energies” onto her canvas, Stubblefield treats her art as a “forensic study”. She incorporates data from past flood and fire zones, earthquake fault lines, and global warming projections. These scientific marks intersect with her imagery of current, abandoned, or reclaimed infrastructure. The result is a body of work that questions the “interplay of natural phenomena and man-made structures” and how much we can truly improve our safety without leaving these vulnerable environments.

Layering Shadows on Discarded Surfaces

The medium of the exhibition is as industrial as its subject matter. Stubblefield utilizes “discarded and basically indestructible” reclaimed Plexiglas panels. What began as a simple plein air tool—using the scratched-up plastic as a viewfinder and sighting device—evolved into her permanent support.

She builds density and shadow by layering Sharpie marker drawings on both the front and back of the transparent panels. Because the architecture of the support is part of the image, the compositions shift with the light and the viewer’s perspective. This technique allows her to achieve the “immediacy of a drawn gesture” while maintaining the precision required for mapping.

Challenging the Natural Order

In Marking Matter, traditional rules of art are intentionally subverted to describe “chaos and multiplicity of time”. Stubblefield deliberately misaligns horizon lines and misuses perspective, blurring the boundary between organic and architectural elements. This visual instability mirrors the central theme of the exhibition: the “stubborn refusal to quit” living in a landscape governed by an “all-powerful and capricious mother nature”. Ultimately, the work invites viewers to navigate these elusive landscapes and consider how we continue to imprint ourselves upon the world we create.

Exhibition Details:

• Artist: Katie Stubblefield
• Title: Marking Matter
• Dates: July 12 – August 9, 2026
• Opening Reception: Sunday, July 12, 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
• Location: Matter Studio Gallery, 5080 West Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019
• For more information contact: Karla Funderburk at MatterStudioGallery.com or MemorialCraneProject.org