One of the recurring pieces of feedback that I keep hearing about Nanny Goat Gallery is how Emily and Paul Eccles, the gallery owners, encourage their exhibiting artists to be genuine to themselves and their art. “I love the way they approach art, and I feel very aligned with it.” says one of their two current solo artists, Goksen Yuksek. “I think because of that, it turned into a group of pieces I’m really happy with. I think it’s important to feel free to be who you are while making art and to know that it’s appreciated. I’m very grateful for that.” “I know that there are people in the painting world who very much believe that there is a right way and a wrong way to paint, and I can’t express how great it feels to just reject that absolutism.” agrees debut solo artist Kate Balfe. “I have been using light wash layers, carving and scratching, heavy paint in places, and really enjoying texture. And people seem to be responding to the work in the way I’d intended – like recognizing their own unnamed feelings, which is my goal.”
If you are interested in celebrating freedom in art, now is the time to head to Nanny Goat Gallery in Downtown Petaluma to explore Goksen Yuksek and Kate Balfe’s latest works. Also running concurrently to the two main solo exhibitions is a small ceramics shop drop featuring a collection of beautiful, gilded ceramics courtesy of Oregon-based artist, Florentina Looper, and a group exhibition: Passport. Read more about these two events here!
Gokcen Yuksek + Kate Balfe solo exhibitions
Plus
Passport group exhibition and Florentina Looper solo exhibition
Nanny Goat Gallery
215 N Water St in Old Downtown, Petaluma, CA, USA
Tel: 707-329-6388
Exhibition Dates: April 17th – May 10th
Opening hours:
Thursday: 2-5 pm
Friday: 2-5 pm
Saturday: 12-5 pm
Please note: Nanny Goat will be closed Friday May 1st in observance of May Day Strong – but will be open again on Saturday May 2nd.
Email Emily and Paul at hello@nannygoatgallery.com with any questions or inquiries, or sign up for the collectors preview here.
Kate Balfe The Past is a Foreign Country
The theme of the show is about balancing nostalgia from the past with a fear of the future. About how we tend to mythologize and romanticize the events and people and places in our lives that are long gone, in a similar way to how we romanticize places we’ve never been. Yet we are (or at least, I am) perpetually afraid of the future. This isn’t the same thing as anxiety necessarily, I fear it in the way I’d fear large, indifferent animals who don’t care about me.
This exhibition relates more to my own past than I consciously like to admit. These [paintings] are feelings that I don’t have words for.
In her debut solo exhibition, Kate Balfe has delved deep into personal truths with a raw honesty that is not easily reached. Though working on this collection for over 18 months, it was only one month before the opening that Kate settled on her final title for the show. Taking the title from a book by David Lowenthal, discovering The Past is a Foreign Country “felt almost like fate,” she explains, “since that has been the theme all along.”
Creating these paintings has been a journey in itself. Celebrating her first ever solo exhibition, Nanny Goat Gallery has offered the perfect space for Kate to explore a new sense of freedom. “The process has been wonderful. I worked commercially as a concept artist for games for many, many years, so although I had a lot of technical training in terms of execution, I always had to adhere to not only someone else’s vision, but there are a LOT of rules. Sketch comes first, then value, then colour; there are certain ways you can use colour and certain ways you can’t. Everything must be perfectly and clearly rendered from all angles, or else a chorus of people will come and tell you how bad you are at drawing.
“In starting up a fine art practice, I have been able to handle colour in a way I want. I have been able to be messy in places and clean in places, use neon for an underpainting; I’m in charge. It’s the absolute best.”
The biggest challenge Kate had with this body of work came up in creating The Highway of Second Guesses. “I started that work without a clear idea of the composition, which is NOT typically how I approach things.” she admits. “It ended up being very painful. I had a sort of outstretched bird as the focal point for many, many months and every day I would work a little bit more on the bird and still hate it. It was a big move to get rid of it, and I’m really glad I did. I also like that the placement of the bird-person is off kilter. It’s not harmonious. That piece is also about all of the time and energy I spend wondering if I’m a bad parent, which is not a harmonious feeling.”
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Throughout the challenges, both Kate and Nanny Goat Gallery are extremely proud of this exhibition. Be sure not to miss both solo exhibitions at the Gallery before they end on May 10th, 2026.
Goksen Yuksek Symbiosis
My upcoming exhibition is called ‘Symbiosis’ and it’s basically about having a symbiotic relationship with nature. I wanted to show pieces that really embrace that feeling of being a part of this world full of really incredible (and weird) creatures.
This show is probably the one that feels closest to me emotionally so far. I hope that when people see it, they can feel a bit of that too.
In Symbiosis, London-based Goksen Yusek amalgamates her experiences accumulated over the last few years to absorb the natural world: “I’ve been taking every opportunity to go and see wildlife any time I can get away, and it’s really shifted my perspective about where to put my energy and focus. The importance of preserving it and how much we depend on it as well.” she shares. “I started diving a few years ago and fell in love (and a little obsessed) with discovering, filming and getting inspired by this alien world that exists right beside us. I feel like I’ve given myself permission to re-embrace that childlike curiosity and let it be part of my life again. A lot of my art is inspired by the things I see and encounter on my trips. A dreamy surreal world where maybe things work a little differently and these girls have evolved to feel more merged with it in some way.”
This collection of sculptures and paintings have taken her just over a year to create. Whilst her smaller works often come to fruition by “going with the flow” from sketch to canvas, some of her larger works even ended up with rough 3D sculpts being created in ZBrush, in order to ensure good references for the lighting and colour. Goksen admits that her process has definitely changed over time. “My technique has changed a lot since I first started painting. I used to paint refined details from the first layer without any underpainting. Now I start with a rough underpainting and build it up with more brushstrokes as the work gets refined by each layer, which also makes it more flexible for little changes. I have started being a lot more patient in between the layers, letting myself see how I feel about it in between and change anything if I need to. I’ve also included a few 3D printed sculptures I created in ZBrush and hand-painted afterwards. These are generally spontaneous ideas I have when I’m looking at something like a light bulb or a picture frame, and see what I can put together using those as a base.”
Viewers visiting Nanny Goat Gallery can keep their eyes open for some of the little stories accompanying Goksen’s works: “Cloudy with a chance of Luck was one of those surprise paintings that suddenly appeared while I was sitting in my studio. I dropped everything and grabbed a canvas to start painting it straight away. I was having a slightly weird period, where things just didn’t feel great (you know the transitional phase, just before something shifts) like a little cloud over my head, but there were a lot of good things happening and I felt very lucky at the same time… And this metaphor of a cloud dumping golden eggs on your head felt perfect.”
‘Red Shoes – Jelly’: so, this was interesting. I wanted to paint a jellyfish girl. Like a mermaid, but jelly. I kept thinking, it can’t be just that. Why is she a jellyfish? Then I thought, ah maybe she gave up her legs to be a jellyfish! I added some intestines and some dangling red shoes. The red shoes represent vanity and performance that has been given up to embrace nature and go with the flow.
However, a little later, I was reading some Grimms’ fairy tales (I sometimes do for inspiration) and came across the story ‘The red shoes’ After I’d already painted this, and it was basically about this idea of losing the legs to vanity. I felt like that was a pretty crazy coincidence.
For more details on any of the shows, please contact Nanny Goat Gallery at hello@nannygoatgallery.com.
About Nanny Goat Gallery //
Taking roots in the Petaluma arts scene, Nanny Goat Gallery celebrates new and contemporary representational art, predominantly in the pop surreal, narrative, and fantasy genres. Far from the minimalist white walls experience, Nanny Goat Gallery happily leans into its historical foundations. The gallery boasts a two-room space with rustic brick walls, across the street from the river in downtown Petaluma.
Read more about their roots and opening here.
Why “Nanny Goat” Gallery?
During the 1940s to the 1960s, spanning three generations, members of Emily Eccles’ family resided on a picturesque hill in San Francisco affectionately referred to as Nanny Goat Hill. Memories of her family home evoke tales of its humble beginnings; the transformations it underwent, and the countless cherished moments shared within its walls—abundant laughter mingled with the occasional challenge.
Fast forward to today, and Emily’s journey, with her husband and gallery co-owner Paul, continues with the establishment of their gallery in Petaluma, nestled just 20 miles north of the vibrant city. This endeavor is truly a family affair, with each member contributing their unique expertise: Emily’s husband brings his skills in technology and law to the table, and Emily’s mom lends her financial acumen as CPA.
Yet, even in this modern venture, the spirits of her beloved grandmother and great-grandmother seem to linger, weaving their legacy into every aspect of their endeavor – an element that fills Emily Eccles’ heart with profound joy.
