Theresa Vandenberg Donche grew up in Central California. She attributes a lot of her artistic inspiration to the environment in which she lived: the cultivated landscapes, overwhelming skies and constant variations of the seasons. Her formative years were spent in Southern California, where, in addition to painting, she also trained as a designer, where discipline is a requirement. It complemented her work as a painter where the tension between creative precision and experimental abstract painting met. On Saturday, May 16, host Nicole Hadfield presents “We’re Not in Kansas Anymore,” an exhibit of Donche’s work, at 1210gallery, 5745 La Jolla Blvd. Donche’s work is a subconscious story of her impressions of life, which determine the direction of her paintings, each creating a story within a story. There is a very physical approach to her work, and she wants viewers to constantly see something new in it. Her inspiration also comes from travel and artists Hans Hofmann, Nicolas de Stael, Richard Diebenkorn and Wassily Kandinsky, who favor vibrant colors and saturated canvases. For more information, email [email protected].