Coronado artist and award-winning photographer Spring Dyer might not be a household name (yet), but chances are that you have seen her work. That is if you have visited Maretalia, Leroy’s, the Coronado History Museum store, or the Coronado Recreation Center, to name just a few of the public venues that have featured Dyer’s artworks. Qualcraft Homes also commissioned Spring for her visionary talents, and her successful photography business is responsible for family portraits adorning the walls of the Crown City and well-beyond.
Spring describes herself as a self-taught visual artist whose greatest inspiration comes from her surroundings. Having grown up in Santa Cruz, Dyer was immersed in a community of artists and counted successful painters among her first friends and mentors.
“Art has always been a part of my life,” explains Spring. “Santa Cruz is a creative community, so I had friends that were oil painters and musicians. I tried a lot of different things along the way. Art is my therapy.”
From Santa Cruz, Spring moved to Washington state where she met her husband, a Naval Nuclear Reactor Officer. Together they moved to South Carolina, a place Spring likens to Coronado.
“Daniel Island (South Carolina) is a lot like Coronado,” says Spring. “It’s a small beach community that attracts people from all different backgrounds. One of my first clients there was a hip hop instructor from LA who needed to expand her business. I learned a lot about making art into a business from that relationship.”
In 2012, Dyer and her family moved to Oahu, Hawaii which she credits as having a transformative impact on her art. “Hawaii is just so beautiful and natural,” muses Spring. “The outdoors, the ocean, the earth, the lifestyle… it’s really inspiring.”
The elements are an obvious feature of Dyer’s works, with the ocean taking prime position. Her first solo art exhibition in Coronado, held at Leroy’s Kitchen + Lounge in February was entitled “Coastline” as a nod to her muse.
“It took me a couple of years to find my niche,” says Dyer. “Photography got me back into painting and then I started experimenting with epoxy resin and acrylic paint. It wasn’t anything I had seen before or worked with, so it was really rewarding when things began to take shape.”
One of the greatest challenges Spring faced when she sought to share her new art form was finding a place to display it, as few venues could accommodate the large-scale pieces. Thankfully, Dyer’s trademark resin art was well-received by business owners in Coronado, which resulted in Spring’s work featuring in several restaurants along Orange Avenue this year.
“David Spatafore has been so supportive,” says Spring. “He is really committed to the local community and providing a venue to showcase local art and talent. The first place I installed my work was at Leroy’s and now I have a quarterly rotation of work at Maretalia. I am just so grateful to have my art on display for people to see and enjoy.”
Spring’s work is currently on display at the Coronado Recreation Center and Maretalia Restaurant. One-of-a-kind resin and acrylic gifts are available for purchase at the Coronado Historical Museum gift shop.
