Working with a significant other is a risky move for any relationship, but San Francisco husband-and-wife artist duo David and Ana Carolina Imlay made an art—or an art show, actually—out of compromise.

“Let’s Meet in the Middle,” named for the Imlays’ approach to working together, is on view this month at Seeing Things Gallery in downtown San Jose.

Meeting in the middle for the purposes of the show meant bringing together pieces by each artist, showing David’s hazily nostalgic renderings of parking garages and mid-century motels side by side with Ana’s whimsical paintings of birds and flowers—and birds on skateboards.

In 2009, Ana’s sister brought her to one of David’s shows to network with other artists, and she met the man that she would one day marry.

She eventually moved from Brazil to be with David and now they spend most of their time creating art.

The couple works out of the same household and say it’s been wonderful. “We balance each other out,” David said. “She’s great at coming up with off-the-cuff ideas and I’m good with meeting deadlines and time management.”

Ana says that they provide constant feedback and inspire each other, even though their artistic styles are different.

Ana has a deep affection for birds, as seen in many of the pieces included in the show—an inspiration which she says comes from her childhood and living on a farm in Brazil.

David, whose father is a landscape architect, likes to draw everyday things such as parking garages and other pedestrian subjects that the world may take for granted.

He lived in San Jose for 9 years and bases his work on old photos he’s taken.

Both Ana and David credit their families for helping them become artists because they were encouraged to pursue their passions. It’s rare that a family encourages their kids to chase the dream of becoming an artist because it’s such a hard field to be successful in, David says.

Although the couple didn’t team up on any pieces for the show, they exert such a huge influence over each other that their work can be seen as a collaboration.

The Imlays say they hope “Let’s Meet in the Middle” will inspire viewers. “When I go to art shows, it makes me want to create something new,” Ana said. “I hope that people see our stuff and decide to do something themselves.”