Rainbow Bridge, Donner Summit

On display at Massa, downtown Truckee

High above Donner Lake, Rainbow Bridge arches across the granite on old Highway 40. Romi painted it from the rocks below the road, looking past the bridge to the lake and the mountains beyond: warm granite, tall Sierra pines, and the lake far below. It’s one of her favorite views around Truckee.

THE DETAILS

Museum-quality giclée on watercolor paper, enlarged from Romi’s 9 × 12 original. See the original at Riverside Studios, a few doors down.

ROMINA BRANJE
Romi grew up on Chiloé, an island in southern Chile, in a family where nearly everyone makes art of some kind. Her father painted watercolors. She never picked up a brush herself until COVID.

During the pandemic, going stir-crazy at home on Sundays while her husband and son went skiing, she picked up a $20 watercolor kit from a big-box store: paper, brushes, a few paints, just to try. She started by copying artists whose bright, colorful work made her happy. Before long her copies were hard to tell from the originals, so she began painting her own: animals first, then the places she loves around Truckee and Lake Tahoe, where she’s been a longtime local.

Her friends like to joke that she woke up one day and decided to be an artist. Ask them about Romi herself and you’ll hear that she’s fun, sharp, and always knows just the right thing to say. The paintings just caught up with her.

 

TAKE IT HOME TODAY
Framed giclée print on watercolor paper, 25 × 31 in, signed by the artist.

Ask your server — you can take it home today

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Enjoy your meal, and the view.