This article spotlights two longtime Marin friends, Shaney Fago and Teal Collins. They’re bringing their wildlife, landscape, and representational paintings to Marin Open Studios, and they’re also gearing up for a joint show in Petaluma.
Their story traces a line from a shared love of color and form to a thriving collaboration. That partnership now stretches from San Rafael and Greenbrae to well beyond Marin County.
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Two Marin Artists Team Up for Marin Open Studios
For the first time, Fago and Collins are teaming up for Marin Open Studios. They’re using Collins’ San Rafael studio as their creative base for the weekend.
Marin Open Studios has connected local artists with the public for 33 years. These two friends are jumping at the chance to welcome neighbors from all over—Novato, Mill Valley, Larkspur, Corte Madera—right into their creative process.
Their friendship started with music lessons; Collins taught Fago’s daughter. That spark led them to discover a shared passion for visual art, which soon grew into a creative partnership.
In recent years, Fago, who lives in Greenbrae, returned to oil painting. She’s gravitated toward Marin landscapes and city scenes, finding them a kind of mental refuge.
Collins, best known as the frontwoman of the Mother Truckers, shifted to painting during the pandemic. She started with dog portraits and then branched out into wildlife, using a mix of acrylics and oil glazes.
Spending time together in the studio, they’ve built a supportive, candid conversation about craft and career. That back-and-forth is now central to their Marin-based practice.
Meet the Artists: Shaney Fago and Teal Collins
Shaney Fago lives in Greenbrae and finds a lot of solace in painting Marin’s familiar horizons. After picking up oils again before the pandemic, she’s focused more and more on local landscapes and urban scenes around San Rafael, Tiburon, and Larkspur.
She uses color and light to create a sense of place that feels real for Marin residents. There’s something about the way she captures those scenes that just resonates.
Teal Collins keeps a packed schedule as the lead of the Mother Truckers. Still, she’s carved out time for painting, channeling her deep connection to animals and wildlife.
Collins’ path started with dog portraits, but she soon expanded to wildlife studies. She works in acrylics with subtle oil glazes, building a luminous, representational style that pairs naturally with Fago’s landscapes.
They’re both members of Art Works Downtown in San Rafael. That’s just one piece of a Marin arts career that also includes co-founding the Women’s Art Alliance, which supports female artists in the region.
Their collaborations have reached beyond Marin, helping them connect with a broader Bay Area creative community from Novato outward. They’re always looking for new ways to build that shared audience.
A Shared Vision: Color, Form and Representational Ground
Both artists put color and form at the heart of their work. Their representational style ties their individual pieces together into a pairing that feels cohesive—something visitors can experience firsthand in Collins’ studio.
Their mutual support, accountability, and honest feedback have helped them push through self-doubt. That kind of partnership is a big part of why they’ve kept moving forward in their art careers, even later in life.
Listening to the Wild: A New Show in Petaluma
Looking ahead, the duo will co-present a joint exhibit called “Listening to the Wild” at the Usher Gallery in Petaluma. The show runs from June 2 through July 5.
It’s another step in their ongoing collaboration, reaching into Sonoma County but still grounded in Marin imagery—from local landscapes to wildlife scenes. Should be worth a look, honestly.
What to Expect at Marin Open Studios
- Walk through Collins’ San Rafael studio. See a paired display of wildlife and landscape work, with Fago’s oil paintings sitting alongside Collins’ animal portraits.
- Experience a weekend program that connects you with two artists. Both grew their careers in Marin County towns like San Rafael, Greenbrae, and other nearby spots.
- Check out the artists’ ongoing collaboration with local organizations in the Marin art scene. They’ve both played roles at Art Works Downtown and the Women’s Art Alliance.
For more info about Marin Open Studios and the weekend lineup, visit marinopenstudios.org. If you’re passing through San Rafael or anywhere nearby this spring, keep an eye on Fago and Collins’ calendars—this duo is one to watch. Their partnership? It’s a pretty great example of Marin County artists lifting each other up, one brushstroke at a time.
Here is the source article for this story: Marin Open Studios: Marin friends venture back into art together
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