Vast and varied, the state of California has an abundance to offer when it comes to the fine arts. There are flourishing metropolises that have dedicated themselves to their cultural districts, while other smaller towns have local art scenes that are not to miss. Museums and annual events also keep visitors flocking to the state, and the multitude of terrains—mountains and beaches—inspire the artists who call it home.
San Francisco has a bounty of public arts and museums. Courtesy San Francisco Travel Association.
Los Angeles is one of the most dynamic spots in California, having established itself as a go-to city for events, museums and galleries. One of the longest running events is LA Art Show, a contemporary and modern art fair that brings together dealers from around the world for a weekend of art. This year’s event, taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, moves to February as a kick off to the city’s art season. LA Art Show opens with its preview to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital on the night of February 5 to VIP card holders, and then has its public ticketed hours February 6 to 9.
Frieze Los Angeles will return for its second outing February 14 to 16 with an invitation-only preview on February 13 that allows select patrons the first chance to view the fair and purchase artwork. The fair, happening at the Paramount Pictures Studios, has pieces by emerging and established artists on view as well as a program of talks, films and artists’ projects in the backlot movie set at the studio. Tickets to the fair are limited and can only be purchased online.
Carmel, California, has a number of fine art galleries that attract visitors year-round. Courtesy CarmelCalifornia.com.
February is also a big month for the arts in the Coachella Valley, when hubs such as Palm Springs and Palm Desert host an array of events. In Palm Springs, the annual Modernism Week is the largest draw with the fine art fair Art Palm Springs happening concurrently. Taking place in 2020 from February 13 through 17, the fair features postwar and contemporary artwork from approximately 60 dealers from around the U.S. and abroad.
In the early 20th century, plein air painters settled in Laguna Beach because of its picturesque destinations. Today the tradition continues with seasonal events that captivate collectors of all types. The Laguna Plein Air Painters Association hosts their annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational in October, with 50 painters setting up easels around the town and then discussing their works with passersby and selling pieces as part of their annual exhibition. The 22nd edition of this esteemed event will happen October 3 to 11, with the Collectors’ Gala on October 10.
Arts District Liberty Station in San Diego. Photo by Malik Earnest. Courtesy SanDiego.org.
Festival of Arts Laguna Beach is one of the most established organizations in the city, hosting its Fine Art Show July 8 through September 3 with 140 local artists exhibiting paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography and more. Happening every night during the event is the Pageant of Masters at 8:30 p.m., when art will come to life on stage. This year’s theme is “Made in America,” which will include re-creations of some of the most beloved American paintings including works by N.C. Wyeth, Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt and Norman Rockwell.
Northern California also has a number of art towns, including San Francisco and Sacramento. Each January in the former city is FOG Design+Art fair, which celebrates design and visual arts through exhibitions from 45 international galleries, while the 10th annual Art Market San Francisco, a modern and contemporary fair, happens April 23 to 26 at the Fort Mason Center. Sacramento boasts art scenes in the Downtown, Midtown, Uptown and East Sacramento neighborhoods, which all partake in an art event the second Saturday of the month. From 6 to 9 p.m. galleries offer extended hours with rotating exhibitions and more.
Los Angeles kicks off its arts season in February 2020. Courtesy Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board.
Among the galleries calling California home are Arcadia Contemporary, George Billis Gallery and SHOH Gallery, while the Arts District Liberty Station in San Diego is home to more than 30 professional artists who have repurposed the 28-acre former Naval Training Center. Artists such as Anita Lewis, Gayle Garner Roski, Henry Asencio, Linda Mutti, Rick J. Delanty, Shawn Gould, Shima Shanti and Timothy Mulligan also call the state home.
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Arcadia Contemporary
39 E. Colorado Boulevard
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 486-2018
info@arcadiacontemporary.com
www.arcadiacontemporary.com
Arcadia Contemporary has an international reputation for featuring some of the most skilled and unique realist painters in the world. With an emphasis on both quality and uniqueness, the gallery hosts 10 to 12 one-person and group invitationals a year and participates in a variety of international art fairs.
Arcadia Contemporary, Subway 2019, oil on canvas, 37½ x 53", by Nick Alm.
“The art market in our area is stable…and that’s a good thing. We like to think that ‘quality always wins out’ and no matter what trends in art come and go that the work that is featured in the gallery remains timeless.” — Steve Diamant, president, Arcadia Contemporary
The gallery represents both established painters such as Malcolm T. Liepke and Jeremy Lipking along with exciting emerging talent including Brad Kunkle and Daniel Bilmes from the United States and Ben Ashton from the U.K. Arcadia is proud to have recently confirmed representation of Australia’s exciting figurative and portrait painter Loribelle Spirovski.
March 7 to 22, the gallery will host its second West Coast exhibition for Swedish figurative painter Nick Alm. April 18 through May 10 is the gallery’s fifth one-man exhibition for modern-day romantic painter Kunkle, while the second U.S. show for Ukranian sensation Denis Sarazhin runs May 16 to June 7 and the California debut of Canadian landscape painter Renato Muccillo’s show will be June 13 to July 3.
Arcadia Contemporary, If You Only Knew, oil and gold leaf on panel, 24", by Brad Kunkle.
Arcadia Contemporary features works by some of the most skilled and unique realist painters.
Arcadia will be participating in international art fairs including those being held in San Francisco in April, Houston in October and Miami in December.
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George Billis Gallery
2716 S. La Cienega Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 838-3685, la@georgebillis.com
www.georgebillis.com
After establishing a successful contemporary art gallery in New York, George Billis opened his Los Angeles gallery in 2004. With galleries in Chelsea and Culver City, George Billis Gallery provides a dynamic exchange of contemporary artists between the art centers of New York and Los Angeles. The gallery shows painting, photography, sculpture and mixed media works, and it is dedicated predominantly to exhibiting emerging to midcareer artists with a focus on Southern California artists.
George Billis Gallery is located in Culver City Arts District.
George Billis Gallery, 2¢, oil on canvas, 36 x 36", by Christopher Stott.
“Since we opened in the Culver City Arts District 15 years ago, Culver City has become the heart of LA’s gallery scene. In that time, we’ve seen a very exciting increase in collector interest in Southern California artists—both in abstraction and realism.” — Tressa Williams, director, George Billis Gallery
“Los Angeles continues to grow as a major art destination with the opening of new museums and galleries across the city and the second edition of Frieze Los Angeles in February. Since we opened in the Culver City Arts District 15 years ago, Culver City has become the heart of LA’s gallery scene,” says Tressa Williams, director of the gallery. “In that time, we’ve seen a very exciting increase in collector interest in Southern California artists—both in abstraction and realism. We are also continuing to see this upswell in collector interest in the work of young realist painters.
“These incredibly talented, young artists are using their technical skill in oil to explore the world around them with new and inspired eyes,” she continues. “Collectors are also interested in these artists who blur the lines between abstraction and representation: Connie Connally (abstracted botanicals), Sharon Feder (abstracted urban scenes), Margaret Lazzari (abstracted landscapes) and Audra Weaser (abstracted reflections in nature).”
George Billis Gallery, Dream (Part 46), oil over watercolor and gouache on panel, 24 x 49", by Francis Di Fronzo.
The gallery is pleased to present Proof of Life, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Southern California painter Francis Di Fronzo through the end of February in the main gallery. Also on view in the project space are new botanical abstracts by Connally. In March is a show for vintage object portrait painter Christopher Stott with a new body of oil paintings. The gallery participates in Art Palm Springs in February and Art Market San Francisco in April.
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Anita Lewis
Oceanside, CA, (858) 361-9640
anita@artformodernlife.com
www.anitalewis.com
In her decades of exploring traditional oil painting, Anita Lewis has created her style out of textural examination of themes having a certain “ethereal” earthiness. Born in Los Angeles and influenced by her European life abroad, she has managed to fuse the modern with the ancient and the reclaimed with the sparkle in her abstractions.
Anita Lewis, James Its Valtteri, oil on canvas, 30 x 48"
Anita Lewis, Max Sparx, oil on canvas, 30 x 40"She says, “I believe modern life with art is as it should be; the inclusion of art into one’s own interior architecture, adding personal solutions to large-scale visions created then adding one’s own piece of luxury as continuous inspiration.”
Lewis paints with many layers to achieve her textural nuances that “evoke a sense of detail in the obscured randomness of fading in and out of undulating hues,” she says. “Brushes are rarely employed; instead anything else that comes to hand is used for dragging, rubbing and spreading paint. Gold, copper or silver leaf peek out from underneath the layers adding reflective qualities in a certain light or time of day.”
Her love of ballet and motorsports has led her to further opportunities of oil painting exploration and exciting exhibition ideas, including live painting demonstrations of her motorsport works at race venues such as Formula One.
Anita Lewis, Blue Reflection, oil on canvas, 36 x 48"A Gallery Fine Art in Palm Desert, California, is currently exhibiting her abstract and motorsport artwork, while Burns Gallery in Sarasota, Florida, will open a solo exhibition of her abstract pieces March 13 from 6 to 9 p.m.
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Arts District Liberty Station
info@ntcfoundation.org
www.artsdistrictlibertystation.com
A short distance from San Diego International Airport, in the heart of Point Loma, California, more than 30 professional artists have established their studios in Arts District Liberty Station, a beautifully repurposed 28-acre former Naval Training Center. 
An aerial view of the Arts District Liberty Station.
Along with studios for working visual artists, the arts district is home to performance art, community service groups, creative shops and restaurants. Visitors may even find local Navy personnel holding a ceremony on the grounds, but the work carried on today is all about creating distinctive, local-inspired art. Established collectors or those just beginning will find abstract, representational, two- and three-dimensional art and a variety of media in a range of prices with the unmistakable influence and creative spirit of Southern California.
Artist Kevin Winger with his oil on panel Moment of Impact.
While visiting, collectors can meet with artists, wander through the galleries and enjoy the experience of watching as art is created. Artist Peggy Fischbeck, a 10-year tenant in the arts district, explains, “With the wide variety of art here, it’s easier to match collectors with art that speaks to them. Many of us use the same media, but our work is individual and original. As a visitor, you also have opportunities to experience some of our collaborations with our dance groups, our community organizations or our restaurants.”
Arts District Liberty Station, Leon, oil on canvas, 72 x 48", by Lisa Bryson.
Lisa Bryson, Colleen Veltz and Kevin Winger are highly collected artists and represent the caliber of work on display. Bryson’s portrait series will open in the Arts District in spring 2020. Veltz creates paintings, prints and drawings, many inspired by the local botanicals. Winger continually catches the visitor’s eye with his brilliantly colored work, using oil paint to sculpt heavily textured and highly saturated images on panels.
The monthly First Friday open studios are an excellent time to meet with the artists, view new art and enjoy creative performances and art events.
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SHOH Gallery
700 Gilman Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 504-9988
www.shohgallery.com
Located in Berkeley’s Gilman District, SHOH Gallery celebrates the contemporary fine art of the San Francisco Bay Area. The gallery thinks of itself as an advocate for both the artists who show in its space and those who love, support and collect fine art. The gallery’s job is to assist the right collectors in finding the right works and help to start new relationships between artists and art lovers.
SHOH Gallery, Pacific Storm, oil on canvas, 30 x 50", by Heidi McDowell.
SHOH Gallery, Horizon, oil on canvas, 30 x 48", by Michelle Fillmore.
While the works featured vary in subject, style and medium, two common threads connect them. All of the artists work in the Bay Area and, most importantly, each one brings an extraordinary level of quality to their work with their own clear voice. The artists range from the firmly established, such as Sandy Walker, Jeremy Mann and Wanda Westberg, to notable fresh talents like Kirsten Tradowsky, Ximena Rendón and Michelle Fillmore. With 12 shows planned for 2020 as well as a number of group events, SHOH has an exciting season ahead. Its lineup begins in March with Jan Wurm’s vibrant and expressive paintings and prints gracing its main gallery space and closes in May with the spectacular realism of Heidi McDowell’s large-scale landscapes.
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Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach
650 Laguna Canyon Road
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(800) 487-3378, info@foapom.com
www.lagunafestivalofarts.org
The arts have been an integral part of Laguna Beach for more than 100 years, distinguishing it from other beach towns in Southern California. Since 1932, the Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach has developed full and enriching art opportunities that have certainly contributed to Laguna’s reputation as an art colony and brought worldwide recognition to the city. As a professionally juried art show, the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show carries stringent requirements for exhibitors. The festival has been rated one of the top festivals in the nation, including Orange County Register’s Best Festivals of 2019, Art Fair Calendar’s Top Five Art Fairs in the West and Sunset Magazine’s Top Art Festivals in the nation, to name a few.
Collectors gather at the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show. Courtesy Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach.
Included are 120 diverse artists from across Orange County that make paintings, glass art, ceramics and take photographs and work in a variety of other mediums. Impressive professional awards and achievements are plentiful among the festival’s artists and exhibiting artists’ artworks enrich the private collections of many leading art collectors and museums around the world. Many celebrities, including Bryan Cranston, Joe Mantegna, Mira Sorvino and others, have artwork from the Festival of Arts in their personal collections.
Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach, Golden Light, oil on linen, 12 x 16", by Amanda Fish.
“The Festival of Arts not only fosters art education and creativity, but also creates jobs and contributes significantly at the local and state level,” says David Perry, president of Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach. “The Festival of Arts provides a preeminent destination for art buyers and cultural tourism, while also creating a climate in which innovation can flourish.”
“The Festival of Arts provides a preeminent destination for art buyers and cultural tourism, while also creating a climate in which innovation can flourish.” — David Perry, president, Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach
In addition to the artwork, the festival offers activities for art lovers of all ages. From daily art classes to wine tasting, art talks to jazz concerts, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Visitors can take docent led tours of the exhibit, catch an art demonstration, dine at one of the on-site restaurants, create their own masterpiece or simply sit back and enjoy the creative atmosphere. Weekends are packed with live music and special events, providing entertainment for all.
The Fine Art Show is open daily July 8 to September 3, weekdays from noon to 11:30 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Admission is $7 to $10 on weekdays and $11 to $15 on weekends with free admission for children 5 and under, military and Laguna Beach residents.
Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach, Vernazza, Italy, oil on canvas, 24 x 30", by Susan Hoehn.
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Gayle Garner Roski
art@gaylegarnerroski.com
www.gaylegarnerroski.com
A plein air watercolorist and avid world traveler, Gayle Garner Roski has explored some of the most remote parts of the globe, always with paints and sketchbook in hand. She has dived into uncharted waters off New Guinea and climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. She says, “One of the great joys of travel is seeing how creativity is expressed throughout the world: Connecting to the arts and artisans of different cultures is a profound inspiration.” In addition to creating paintings of objects found during her travels around the world, she is developing an extensive body of work of beloved imagery closer to home. With her series 
Gayle Garner Roski, My Angels on Grand Park, watercolor, 40½ x 23½”
Los Angeles Millennium: 2000 - 2020, she is capturing a snapshot of the best of the City of Angels at the start of the 21st century.
“One of the greatest gifts I have received in my life has been the opportunity to live in Los Angeles,” says Roski. “I love my native city—from its vivid colors and vibrant cultures, to diverse artistry and distinctive architecture—and was compelled to preserve its history in paintings.”
Gayle Garner Roski, Santa Monica, watercolor, 40½ x 23½”
The series was displayed for the first time in the year 2000 at the historic Fine Arts Building in Downtown Los Angeles. Since then, this collection of paintings has grown from 12 to nearly 40 paintings that spotlight the places that she cherishes most. Each one tells a story—of special people and fond memories—and all of them will be soon be published in a deluxe book.
Gayle Garner Roski in her California studio.
This year Roski has a number of events she is participating in. Her solo exhibition The Gift of Los Angeles will be on view at Providence Saint John’s Health Center through March 20, and then at USC Caruso Catholic Center from March 24 through September 2020. February 8 through March 22 she will exhibit in Masters of the American West at the Autry Museum of the American West, and May 16 to June 13 her art will be in California Art Club’s 109th annual Gold Medal Exhibition.
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Henry Asencio
www.asenciostudio.com
Henry Asencio is an award-winning contemporary American painter. His art is represented throughout the United States and internationally. He spends his summers in London for his art tour throughout the United Kingdom, and the rest of the year he tours within the U.S. 
Henry Asencio, Versus Desire, oil on board, 30 x 24"
Henry Asencio, Resolution, oil on board, 40 x 30"
Asencio’s art is a striking interplay between beauty and chaos. The duality between naturalism and abstraction seen in Asencio’s art is firmly rooted in the human condition and the intensity of the human experience. Much of his art is dedicated to nobility of the figure and the energy abound. He states, “I want people to feel what I’m doing, not just see what I’m painting.” 
Henry Asencio in his studio.
His work is characterized by his signature use of grace and form, aggressive brushstrokes and strong color. Continuing to evolve as an artist, he consistently takes his art into new directions. His works have been presented in sold out touring exhibitions in Europe and the United States. Asencio’s work can be found in the collections of celebrities, CEOs, pro athletes, heads of state and other renowned artists.
His artwork will be on exhibit in Atlanta from February 14 to 16 and in San Diego, California, on March 28.
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Linda Mutti
www.lindamutti.com
Linda Mutti has drawn all of her life, and has had the need to be creating anything and everything in her spare time. “I began painting seriously after semi-retiring in 2003 when I found incredible adult education art classes in my town. I fell in love with pastels, their immediacy, luminosity and tactile nature,” she says. “My main inspiration is the California landscape with its rolling hills, majestic Sierras, gorgeous coast and golden light.”
Linda Mutti, One Fine Day, pastel, 12 x 16"
Linda Mutti, Nature’s Crescendo, pastel, 18 x 24"
Plein air painting “feeds my soul” she says, as she tries to “capture the early morning and early evening light, hoping to convey this experience to the viewer. I feel that the direct connection between the artist and the scene is very important.”
Mutti enjoys working in both pastels and oils, and recently added gouache to her “tool bag.” In between deadlines, she finds the time to play and explore with abstraction, printmaking and adding cold wax to her oil works—whatever strikes Mutti’s fancy at the moment. “The journey is a wonderful, never-ending learning experience and I love that,” she says.
March 25 through April 17, Mutti will participate in the Women Artists of the West’s 50th Jubilee National Exhibition at Settlers West Galleries in Tucson, Arizona.
Linda Mutti, Winding Road, pastel, 12 x 16"
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Shawn Gould
(707) 476-8197
shawn@shawngould.com
www.shawngould.com
As a young boy, Shawn Gould spent countless hours outside exploring the streams and woodlands near his home. These experiences established his deep love of nature and fueled his curiosity to see more. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, Gould strives to capture unique moments when all of the elements come together to transform an ordinary scene into something special. His paintings often have an emphasis on color and light, blending photorealism and tonalism to create images of nature as seen through the eyes of an artist.
Shawn Gould, Autumn Robin, acrylic, 12 x 16"
Shawn Gould, Otter Curiosity, acrylic, 24 x 30"
Shawn Gould, Bramble Tangle, acrylic, 16 x 12"
Gould started his art career doing illustration work for clients like the National Geographic Society, Smithsonian Institute and National Audubon Society. Today his award-winning paintings can be found in public and private collections around the nation.
In February he will participate in the group exhibition Wildlife Discovery at Trailside Galleries in Jackson, Wyoming, and in the show Duets at Lovetts Gallery in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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Timothy Mulligan
www.timothymulliganfineart.com
Inspired by the Bay Area Figurative Movement, artist Timothy Mulligan likes to paint landscapes, waterscapes and cityscapes in new and creative ways. He says. “I usually begin by building a nontraditional vertical composition that flattens and simplifies objects to their basic shapes so that it begins to blur reality with abstraction. I then reimagine those shapes with shimmering edges and bold and brilliant colors. Even shadows and reflections oftentimes contain unexpected colors. I try to incorporate different types of light into a painting and create linear movement by painting a combination of smooth flat sections with heavier sections and thick lines.”
Timothy Mulligan, Golden Gate Passage, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40"
Mulligan is represented in California by Chloe Gallery in San Francisco, Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento, and Bryant Street Gallery in Palo Alto. January 26 to February 26 his work will be in the Winter Art Group Exhibition at Chloe Gallery. In September 2020 Elliott Fouts Gallery will host a solo exhibition of his work. 
Timothy Mulligan, Bow Reflection, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30"
Timothy Mulligan, Rest Boat, Morro Bay, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30"
Mulligan received a bachelor’s in fine art from CSU, Sacramento. Since 2015, he has had six solo art exhibitions in Sacramento and in the Bay Area and has participated in numerous group shows. His work has been featured in books and in several national and international artist magazines. He has received numerous awards in local, national and international art competitions. His paintings are in public and private collections nationwide.
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Rick J. Delanty
(949) 412-6907
rdelanty@cox.net
www.delantyfineart.com
“Through my painted landscapes I appreciate my life, my surroundings, and my relationships,” says California-born plein air and studio painter Rick J. Delanty. Having painted professionally for 40 years, the artist finds himself in a deepening relationship with his craft and process, which has resulted in paintings that have become richer, more colorful, and at the same time bolder and more subtle. 
Rick J. Delanty, Painted Cliffs, Garrapata, acrylic on board, 16 x 20"
The artist has traveled all over California and beyond. The variety of the Golden State’s geography inspires his work, whether it is Big Sur bluffs, waterfalls and streams, boats in Dana Point harbor, breaking waves off the San Clemente shore, coastal villages, jagged mountains or sunset skies in San Juan Capistrano.
Delanty puts a high value on intuition and spontaneity in his work. The meeting-point of realism and abstraction may be found throughout his imagery, which conveys meaning and thankfulness, and a highly emotional quality. Energetic brushwork, intriguing color combinations and unusual compositions are hallmarks of this artist’s style.
Rick J. Delanty, Chromatic Cliffs, acrylic, 20 x 24"
January 14 through May 17, his work will be on view in California Art Club’s juried exhibition Golden State at the Old Mill in San Marina. Upcoming will be the New Visions group show at Mission Gallery in Utah April 9 and 10, and a home studio show in San Clemente June 6 and 7, among others. Delanty is scheduled for a solo show in May 2021 at the Casa Romantica Cultural Center in California.
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Shima Shanti
shima@peacewaters.com
www.shimashanti.com
Shima Shanti paints with beeswax and the flame of a torch; working in the ancient and alchemical medium of encaustic. Her impressionistic paintings of sea and sky are inspired by the rhythm and flow of water conveying a deep sense of peace within the natural world. 
Shima Shanti, Within the Grasp, encaustic, 24 x 24". Photo Darkroom, Susan Hill.
In her studio, Shima experiments with the mercurial elements of beeswax. Layering bold brushstrokes of molten wax and pure pigments she creates a rough-yet-refined texture. Then with the flame of a torch she smooths the wax to a satin finish creating deep luminous spaces that draw the viewer beneath the surface. Adding the elements—smoothing, fusing, watching the beeswax and pigment combine—becomes her meditation. When she sees what she feels in her heart she knows her work is done. 
Shima Shanti, Adrift, encaustic, 36 x 36". Photos by Photo Darkroom, Susan Hill.
Growing up in big sky Montana forever connected her with nature, gave her an innate sense of color and composition. She never expected to become a collected abstract impressionistic painter. However, years after moving to the coast of California, and after an established career in the corporate world, Shima felt that unrelenting desire that all artists have to create. —
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