She works with the conviction that art should be free to the public and not walled off into elite, inaccessible spaces. Her artwork is both presented to the public and the gallery—and, with her collaboration on the dance film Finite and Infinite Games, she also brought her visual language to the setting of performing arts. Finley’s, often enormous, murals and her paintings on canvas, one as large as 48 feet long, are a riot of luscious, vibrant colors and patterns that tap into a primal aesthetic gratification. They merge sacred geometry, traditional quilt work, classical art references, and gem-like glimmer to saturated psychedelic landscapes.

In the colorful, experiential art of C. Finley, paintings designate sites for community, exhibitions are spaces to generate new work, art fairs are radically charged, and representational power is decentralized. Each thing she makes transforms into another—something alive and inviting that creates opportunity for community growth. Her art produces the conditions needed to change our world, encouraging other artists to create alongside her in spaces defined by vibratory beauty where all are welcome.