58 NOVEMBER 2015 MARIN
WALK IN TO ZIO Ziegler’s studio — a Mill Valley hillside house that could most politely be described as a “fixer”— and your first thought is, “Why is this guy here and not in some loft in Williamsburg, Brooklyn?” Huge, colorful canvases populate the home like dinner guests. Sayings scribbled in pencil and crayon —“Sight is a museum of things een” — adorn the walls. An empty pool in the backyard has been turned into a black-
and-white mural of an angst-ridden humanoid.
It’s all so edgy that you wonder, for a moment, if you’re still in Marin, a county better known for land-
scape artists than for any kind of street cred. But Ziegler is one of several emerging artists more urban in
style who are currently residing in Marin. “They’re the new guard of artists,” says Tara Schon, co-owner
of the Zener Schon Gallery in Mill Valley. “Urban art is coming to the forefront now, and these artists are
young and gaining visibility.”
They’re also finding sanctuary in Marin as a place where they can pursue their own visions, far from
the influences of the “scene” in New York and Los Angeles. “The peace of Marin,” says Schon, “gives them
the space to dig into their creative energy and come out with clarity as to what they want to manifest.”
