1821 Gallery & Studios

Today is the last day 1821 Gallery & Studios will be open. It is bittersweet, we have had our best year ever and the past 7 and half years has been some of the best times of our lives. We are moving on to new adventures; traveling, spending time with the grandchildren, and enjoying our retirement. We bid you a fond farewell and thank you from the bottom of hearts for your patronage for the past 7 years. We wish you happy holidays, peace and happiness! Sincerely, Bruce & Carol Kalkowski

1821 Gallery is thrilled to present Fragments in a Paracosm, the latest showcase of dynamic and bold paintings by Central California born artist David Samuels. For almost a decade Samuels has constructed a subject matter in his art with the key focus on concepts of transformation and metamorphosis. In this new body of work that he has been creating for the last three years he leads his audience through an opened ended exploration in a world where visual narratives become an i...ntriguing experience for the viewer. The method of exercising mixed media techniques, along with the influences of creating the unknown has always been the driving force behind his paintings. It’s a powerful orchestrated interaction that sets a direction to embody a motion to provoke the elevation of a calming meditative state. Fragments in a Paracosm is described from the artist as A collection of an honest energy comprised with tattered visions showing glimpses of a world where color, language, and spirits scrimmage for an identity. Samuels plays his role in a new generation of artist that practice their expressionism through abstract forms. He has carefully carved his forte to be at its prime. Demonstrating a keen awareness of his surroundings, the artist creates a surreal atmosphere filled with mystery and structural integrity. His aim is to be able to create and implement conversations that can hold bold qualities that the onlooker may want to share through an open avenue of communication. It is a unique experience when searching for a concept that may be difficult to explain with words, it's a healthy separation between the thinking mind and the observing mind. The viewer might find themselves surprised with more curiosity as they dive into the several layers of paint that hold a special significance that they hold within.

ART HOP TONIGHT - DAL HENDERSON 5-8 PM Plus, Not Hop, 8-10PM, live music by Anne Whitehurst and Low Moon. Beer and Wine available at the Tap Truck.

Dal Henderson exhibition, Opening Thursday. Artist Statement: My work is not only about the product, but about the process to reach that end. The differences that occur between one completed piece and another are a result of constant decision making. I deal with materials as honestly as possible, seeking to develop cohesive surfaces. Making a painting starts with a trip to the lumber yard to buy wood, glue, screws, nails and staples for the stretcher bars which I make to str...etch the canvas onto. A table saw is used to cut the wood. Canvas is ordered and delivered to the house. Next I cut, stretch and prime the canvas. I mention these steps to show the nuts and bolts of art making. My work reflects an interest in finding color relationships which take shape by moving paint around on the canvas. The visual information is very often a surprise and mistakes can be used to further push toward the discovery of new ways to make a picture. My primary goal is to make art that is both closed and open. The art is closed when the surface seems complete. It remains open because it doesn’t necessarily deal with representational imagery. It is its own image, its own idea, and there are questions that haven’t been answered. The end result of my art making is that I have a fragment of reality. It is a piece of something I can hold on to. See more

TONIGHT. LAST ARTHOP. 5-8PM

Art Hop TONIGHT! Join us 5-8PM for Michael Garcia, new work exhibition and Ooh De Lolli Kitchen Works and Fine Edibles

MICHAEL GARCIA OPENING! Join us tonight for the opening of Michael Garcia's new work exhibition. Also, The Tap Truck will be on location and live music by Jerry Thurston following ArtHop for NotHop. 5-10PM

Ladies and Gentlemen, the time has come for us to bid you adieu. This Thursday, December 5 will be the final Art hop for 1821 Gallery & Studios. We will be closing December 24th after over 7 successful years as one of Fresno's premier fine art galleries. It's time for new adventures for Bruce and Carol Kalkowski, and they look forward to thanking you in person for your support over the years.

Mixed media artist Michael Garcia is returning to 1821 Gallery & Studios with his new exhibition. This outstanding body of work will be exhibited from April 4 thru May 11. Garcia will be showing 11 new pieces. He creates richly textured works on panels with a process that involves building up layers of paint then tearing them down by scraping, sanding, burning, to reveal a surface that has the abused and weathered quality of an object damaged by time. Garcia’s work reflects ...his immersion in Japanese culture and aesthetic, from ten years spent living and working in Japan. Please join us for an artist reception Saturday April 6, 3-7PM In addition to our regular hours 1821 Gallery & Studios will be open for Art Hop April 4 and May 2, 11-8PM, and NOT HOP with music following Art Hop, 8-10. We look forward to sharing Michael Garcia’s new work with you.

Thank you Donald Munro!

ArtHop Tonight, 5-8PM & NotHop (the after hours, live music and refreshments) 8-10PM. Join us for the opening of the Kevin Stewart Magee exhibition and beverages by Tap Truck.

ArtHop Tonight, 5-8PM 1821 Studio is proud to announce the showing of Holly Downing’s Paintings in Praise of Cultural Diversity. This sophisticated body of work will be exhibited November 7th to December 24th 2019, and opening, November 7th for Art Hop, 5:00-8:00pm. Holly Downing is a painter and printmaker who has been making mezzotint engravings since the 1970s. She studied painting and printmaking at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the Royal College of Art, ...London. She lived in the UK for 6 years where she received a National Endowment to research and make mezzotints. Aside from her sophisticated education, Her paintings and mezzotints have been exhibited in solo exhibitions in London, Edinburgh, Manila, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Cruz and Berkeley. Her work can be found in various museum collections. This includes The Library of Congress, New York Public Library, as well as a multitude of other esteemed museums. What makes Downing’s passageway and textile pieces so unique, is the sacred meaning behind each and every one, as well as the inspiration that drove Downing to create. Downing aims for her passageway and arch paintings to embody the realm of the liminal, which is derived from the Latin limen, meaning threshold. Anthropologist Victor Turner describes the liminal as a transitional quality essential to all rites of passage. It is the state in-between, without a fixed identity, but with openness and ambiguity. Please join us for this exciting exhibition opening night for Art Hop, November 7th 5:00-8:00pm.

1821 Gallery and Studios is proud to present the impressionistic oil paintings of Fresno City College Painting Instructor Kevin Stewart Magee. This work is about time, history and memory; forces and influences that are as invisible as the wind, seen best in their effect. None of these objects or places were new, working or occupied, at the time they were painted. For a moment they were quiet performances of light and shadow. Perhaps a cycle of conception, function, retireme...nt and abandonment runs quietly, slowly beneath the surface of our homes, schools, jobs and lives. Cheerfully, running on and on like a model train, always forward, in a circle an arc of exhaustion and engagement. Kevin Stewart- Magee was born on a military base in Iran and raised in and around Columbus, Ohio. He earned his BFA from the Ohio State University and his MFA from CSU Fullerton. He teaches all levels of painting and murals at Fresno City College. Art Hop is March 7th 5-8. Don’t forget to stay for NOTHOP from 8-10 and enjoy the musical talents of The Terry Barnes Trio, acoustic folk. Also please come and welcome the TAP TRUCK which will be parked out front of the Gallery serving a variety of wine, craft beers and Riley’s root beer!

ARTHOP, TONIGHT!! Anne Whitehurst, Veritas, exhibition on display. Tonight, Thursday, October 3, 5-8PM

Opening tonight - ANNE WHITEHURST: VERITAS. ArtHop tonight 5-8PM

ArtHop this THURSDAY, February, 7, 5-8PM - 1821 Gallery & Studios is thrilled to have internationally known and accomplished Carmel artist Keith Lindberg exhibiting now through February 16. It is hard to classify Lindberg’s style. He has trouble describing it. He came out of art school painting abstract because it was the 1950’s and that’s what was happening, but when he came to Carmel in the 60’s he started painting what appealed to him. It took years to hone his craft, but... eventually he developed his own distinct style--a colorful contemporary combination of abstract and impressionism. His paintings are full of broad strokes and bold, bright colors. He’s been called swashbuckler with paint. Lindberg explains, I’m always working on total format, the balance of color ad value: the proportion of it, the clarity of how it comes together, how one color meets another and where the value change takes place. I never really solve it, but I try. Lindberg’s paintings explode with color and energy. ALSO, Join us for NOTHOP - after ArtHop Entertainment After overwhelming interest in something more after ArtHop, 1821 Gallery & Studios has created NotHop. This is a music and social period from 8-10. Live music and refreshments will be available. We hope to continue this every ArtHop to where 1821 Gallery becomes THE place to drop in after hours. This NotHop will feature the wonderful music of singer songwriter Anne Whitehurst. So why not extend your cultural evening to include NotHop in your plans.

Join us TONIGHT for ARTHOP, 5-8PM. Come see David Samuels Fragments in a Paracosm, final night. 1821 Gallery & Studios will be closed for summer break after tonight, we will reopen September 4 with new work by Anne Whitehurst.

Join us tonight for ArtHop, 5-8PM, for the opening of Keith Lindberg exhibition AND for the after hours "Not Hop" with live music by Anne Whitehurst and band from 8-10PM.

1821 Gallery & Studios is thrilled to have internationally known and accomplished Carmel artist Keith Lindberg exhibiting January 3 February 16. It is hard to classify Lindberg’s style. He has trouble describing it. He came out of art school painting abstract because it was the 1950’s and that’s what was happening, but when he came to Carmel in the 60’s he started painting what appealed to him. It took years to hone his craft, but eventually he developed his own distinct st...yle- -a colorful contemporary combination of abstract and impressionism. His paintings are full of broad strokes and bold, bright colors. He’s been called swashbuckler with paint. Lindberg explains, I’m always working on total format, the balance of color ad value: the proportion of it, the clarity of how it comes together, how one color meets another and where the value change takes place. I never really solve it, but I try. Lindberg’s paintings explode with color and energy. Lindberg’s show opens for Art Hop January 3rd. 5-8PM

Art Hop pick! Tonight 5-8PM. Come see the work and meet artist Ivana Minafra.

French artist Ivana Minafra is returning to 1821 Gallery & Studios for her second show as a featured artist. Profondeurs is the title of the new show. Minafra was born in Genoa, Italy and has been living and working in Bar le Duc, France since 2003. She has been painting for 25 years. A friendship with local artist Leslie Batty and Batty's association with 1821 Gallery & Studios resulted in Minafra's successful 2016 show, Traces of California. Ivana describes her process and ...the meaning of this show; Every human being is an evolving process. Artists emphasize this truth and make it visible. I've been painting for 25 years. Since always the light has been the centre of my art-searching. The power of light to reveal the hidden beauty. To transform the ordinary into the extraordinary - Pure alchemy. Our boring daily journey by car, the road we ride on may become a moment of bliss. Zen culture and meditation, which have been part of my life since a long time have probably shaped my art-making too, helping me to be more synthetic and vivid, to substrate rather than add. Since my beginnings urban landscape has been a recurring presence in my paintings. For the first time in this second solo exhibition at 1821 Gallery natural landscape makes its appearance in some of my paintings. White paths in Northern France thick woods. Walking in the woods being more and more important in my everyday life, I expected they would be part of my inspiration sooner or later. It has become for me what going to church is for the faithful. It's prayer. After painting these scenes I realized that they had an fundamental element in common with my urban views: emphasized perspective. Hence the title of my show, "Profondeurs", French word for Depths. When I paint I explore, my palette, my subjects often change. They make circles, disappearing and then coming back, following my moods and soothing my mind. We live in a world of standardization and specialization. We don't have time, we never stop to breath and the art-system is not immune to this virus of labeling and bar-coding everything. Quickly. The quickest an artist is recognizable the best. A few seconds on social media. In my case it might take a bit longer. Hopefully my fingerprints are in my style, in my gesture painting which is always the same, whether I paint a parking lot in LA or a white path in French woods. I need to be free to wander in my inspiration. Art making is for me an act of love, nothing I can plan or calculate. Every single time. No labels, no limits. We look forward to sharing with you the beautiful works of Ivana Minafra.

ArtHop TOMORROW NIGHT, Thursday, Oct 4, 5-8PM. Frank Arnold's final ArtHop and book signing before heading back to Cabo. Come see this show of one of our most popular gallery artist's.

As part of "Relaunch Week" of The Munro Review, I offer a Fresno Arthop bonus: an interview with Frank Arnold Artist (who has a new exhibition at 1821 Gallery &... Studios). For those who aren't familiar with him, Arnold is an original co-founder of ArtHop and now a very big-deal artist based most of the time in San Jose del Cabo in Mexico. PLUS, I ofer 5 more picks for September ArtHop (including Spectrum Art Gallery, Root, UCP of Central California and Desvgn). Have fun 'Hopping! See more

OPENING Thursday, September 6, 2018 The new season for ArtHop is kicking off at 1821 Gallery with the paintings and bronze sculpture of international abstract figurative artist and ArtHop co-founder, Frank Arnold. Along with the showing of original work will be a book signing throughout the evening by Arnold of his two volumes. His first book, Frank Arnold Painting & Sculpture, tells the story of his life and journey on the way to becoming an internationally celebrated arti...st, from his earliest memories to the present. His second book, Your Creative imagination Unlocked, is a collaborative effort of Arnold with noted depth-psychologist, Dr. Jim Manganiello, exploring methods of self-discovery through abstract art to Become who you truly are. It includes artwork from Arnold, Banksy, Picasso, Rothko, Kandinsky and Twombly. Arnold is considered by many to be one of the foremost abstract figurative painters and sculptors of our time. He is a living master whose work is considered to be both personal and universal. His artwork is in private and corporate collections worldwide. His home, main studio and gallery is in the Gallery District of San Jose del Cabo, across from a new sculpture garden, the Plaza Frank Arnold. The centerpiece of the plaza is the heroic scale bronze monument of Alma de Cabo. His sculpture studio and foundry facilities are in Mexico City. During the hurricane season in Baja, Arnold chooses to travel and spend time in his Central Valley studio where he continues to paint almost daily. This year Arnold has been chosen for recognition on International Artist Day,(IAD) October 25, 2018. Since 2004 IAD has recognized the credible contributions of artists to society, both locally to them, and around the world. He is also a past winner of the Fresno Arts Council Horizon Award.

Hello everyone, 1821 Gallery, as usual, will be closed for the month of August to celebrate the end of Summer. We will be reopening in September with one of the most exciting shows we've presented. Abstract artist Frank Arnold will be bringing some of his Cabo vibes up from his San Jose del Cabo studio to 1821 Gallery for September-October exhibit. Mark your calendars for the September 6th Art Hop opening. We also have other exciting surprises to share. We look forward to seeing you.

ART HOP TONIGHT, 5-8PM 1821 Gallery is delighted to be showing the works of San Francisco artist John Rampley, Metamorphic Patterns, July 5-31. Rampley interprets nature in his paintings, often incorporating handcrafted, exotic wood edges into his frames. Self-taught. His use of imagery presents a highly personal view of nature that continues to evolve with consecutive working environments and with experimentation and research. To quote fellow artist John Wehrle,John Rampley digs deep into his source material, emphasizing the abstract shapes that construct a realistic image. Using glazes to create luminous landscapes that border on the visionary, John captures the atmosphere of fog-laced redwoods or hidden details in a birch tree bark.

Art Hop TONIGHT! Come see Doug Hansen, Pen & Brush exhibition. Artist walk and talk at 7PM.

Doug Hansen Pen & Brush exhibition at 1821 Gallery Doug Hansen was born in Fresno, CA and comes from an artistic family. He has loved making pictures from the time he was a child. He received his BA and MA in art from Fresno State. His early work was as a cartoonist and self-published underground comic book artist. Hansen was a Fresno Bee newsroom artist for 22 years and is remembered for his Fresno Sketchbook feature drawings. Hansen was privileged to return to his alma mate...r and art department as a full-time instructor of illustration in 2002, and is now a semi-retired professor emeritus. During his tenure Hansen illustrated six books, including works by Valley authors David ‘Mas’ Masumoto and Karen Moore. The title of Hansen’s exhibition Pen and Brush is inspired by the significance of those tools to his artistic development and expression. The simple crow quill pen was Hansen’s first tool as a cartoonist/storyteller. A dozen pages of black and white ‘70s-era comix and cover art from titles like Frezno Funnies are displayed. As his inking ability developed Hansen adopted the brush techniques of classic mainstream comic art. Brush and pen continue to be Hansen’s tools of choice in his brilliantly-colored gouache or watercolor children’s book illustrations. Hansen has written and illustrated three children’s books: Mother Goose in California, Aesop in California, and California, the Magic Island. Significant work from all three books is included in the show. The image of an iconic bottle of ink, and two chipmunk artists hard at work with pen and brush (featured on the postcard) is an example from Doug’s Mother Goose book. ArtHop: June 7, 5-8PM Artist Reception: June 2, 5-8PM Artwork, prints, and books are available for purchase.

ARTHOP TONIGHT! 5-8PM. Spaces of Desire, Architectural Paintings by Nick Potter & Peter Janzen in the gallery, come see this exquisite show!

Art Hop, Tomorrow, 5-8PM: Come see our new exhibition, Spaces of Desire, Architectural Paintings by Nick Potter & Peter Janzen. Also, Matties Wood Fired Pizza will be here! 1821 Gallery & Studios would also like to welcome our newest artist tenant, Anne Whitehurst. Currently living in Fresno, Anne was born and raised in Los Banos. Whitehurst is also a member of the band, Low Noon, and hopefully will be filling the gallery & studios with lots of great music. Also new to 1821... Gallery & Studios is the work of artist Julia Tanigoshi Tinker. Julia Tanigoshi Tinker is an artist who works with mixed media, combining the traditional Japanese art form of gyotaku, , with watercolor to create unique paintings of fish and crustaceans from California and Alaska. This art form, in which a print is made of a fish using non-toxic sumi ink on rice paper, originated in Japan in the early 1800s as a way for fishermen to remember their prized catches. Julia Tanigoshi Tinker has exhibited her paintings at shows in central California and Alaska, and has received various awards for them. She loves to use techniques she studied at the Instituto de Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, along with her passion for fishing, to create one-of-a-kind gyotaku paintings celebrating the diversity of aquatic ecosystems. An avid outdoorswoman, she fishes in California and Alaska. She caught each of these fish while captaining her own boat and can tell a story about each fish she has painted! Tinker will be doing a live demonstration of gyotaku at the April 5th ArtHop. The demonstration will begin at 6:45.

1821 Gallery is pleased to present, Spaces of Desire, Architectural Paintings by Nick Potter and Peter Janzen. Since first meeting at Fresno State in 2007, Potter and Janzen, despite having very different backgrounds and influences, have pursued similar themes in their depictions of modernist architecture. Nick Potter’s paintings use architecture as a prism to examine symbols of power and propaganda. His idealized, pseudo-utopias are often highly seductive. On the surface, th...e architectural elements and furniture are symbols of success, however as one contemplates the ideal further, we become aware that something isn’t quite right. The viewer experiences a shift from a utopian to a dystopian narrative, in a similar way to how one realizes that a dream has just started to become troubling. We wonder if these are abandoned worlds, and if the propaganda attainable after all. Peter Janzen’s paintings investigate the mysterious qualities of light and space in mid-century modern interiors. Exploring the underlying tension that pervaded the time and questioning our nostalgia towards it, Janzen creates a precarious balance of anxiety and contemplation, of absence alongside the optimism of modernist thought. Janzen combines an exploration of painterly marks and abstraction with issues of narrative settings in painting to create dramatic light constructions of architectural spaces that depict this blending of beauty and unease.

Donald Munro’s 5 picks for Art Hop, happening now!

Join us tonight for ArtHop... It's All About Sex...

Come see us Thursday for ArtHop 5-8PM... 1821 Gallery & Studios will be exhibiting the work of MAXINE OLSON February 21 March 31. The show is titled It’s All About Sex and explores human sexuality and relationships, along with social commentary, in a series of 9 oil paintings. In her artist statement Olson says, From the very beginning, human nature in all its stages has been the basis for creating my work. People’s attitudes, biases, prejudices and the way they look, act a...nd feel, both culturally, spiritually, and sexually have provided the content for my paintings, drawings and digital prints, but also in the process, enabled me to reconcile the contradictory and often opposing forces that have shaped my life. In the final analysis, it’s not always where the artist lives that’s so important, but what we observe and bring from our life journey and human experiences. Olson’s paintings have a lush and magical feel. They seem to be telling stories. The Portuguese influences mixed with Anglo and Old Masters. Olson says. The satyrs in ‘The Visitation’ are from Rubens, and they have a real mythological look. They also look a little naughty with twinkles in their eyes and a girl lying prone on the bed in the background, giving the piece a Bacchanalian tinge straight out of Rubens. The painting deals with issues of fear, innocence, cunning and dominance, Olson says. Maxine Olson is a Kingsburg, CA resident and pillar of the Fresno Metropolitan area art community.

ArtHop tonight. Come see Michael Garcia's gritty and tranquil New Work in the gallery. Today 3:30 - 8:00PM

Happy New Year! We are excited to start the new year with New Work by mixed media artist Michael Garcia This outstanding body of work will be exhibited from January 3 through February 17. Garcia will be showing 19 new pieces. He creates richly textured works on panels with a process that involves building up layers of paint then tearing them down by scraping, sanding, burning, to reveal a surface that has the abused and weathered quality of an object damaged by time. Garcia’s work reflects his immersion in Japanese culture and aesthetic, from ten years spent living and working in Japan. Please join us TONIGHT for ARTHOP, 5-8PM and for an artist reception Saturday, January 13, 5-8PM.

ARTHOP, TONIGHT, 5-8PM. Join us tonight for "How It Happened" by Ron Wigginton.

1821 Gallery is currently exhibiting the delightful and thought provoking illustrations from Ron Wigginton’s new book HOW IT HAPPENED This story, about the beginning of everything, was born from the imagination of his 5 year old daughter, Sophia. In their months-long collaboration these images flowed from another world and Ron painted it. An excerpt form the book reads, Once when every thing was nothing, and nothing contained every thing, the first stories began. Soon afte...r, the subjects of the stories emerged and became recognizable. First there was Turtle and his friend Bat All thirteen giclee proofs will be available for purchase as well as the opportunity to place orders for prints. Ron Wigginton earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree form the University of Oregon. His work is included in the permanent collections of numerous West Coast Museums and over fifty private collections in California and the Pacific Northwest. There will be a book signing and sale of HOW IT HAPPENED, along with an artist talk at 7:00 PM, during ArtHop December 7th, 5-8 PM

Join us tomorrow for Shop Small Saturday, we will have jewelry and small items for sale, holiday treats, and of course, beautiful art to inspire your holidays. Join us 11AM - 3PM, Saturday, November 25. Shop Small & Shop Local!

RON WIGGINTON: This show is comprised of works from his children's book "How It Happened" which he will be selling and signing at the Dec 7th ArtHop.

Adam Longatti - Obscura. Tonight for ArtHop. Come visit us, 5-8PM

ADAM LONGATTI OBSCURA OCTOBER 4- NOVEMBER 11 1821 Gallery & Studios is excited to be presenting a completely new body of work by local artist and instructor Adam Longatti titled Obscura. This collection is a resonance of experiences gleamed from his life experiences in the Central Valley of California. Some paintings are imagined without visual references; some are from direct observation and physical experience; and some are a combination of both. But each has a non-dire...ct view. A quote from Vincent Van Gough moved him early in his painting life, Keep the obvious vague, exaggerate the essentials. Without knowing intent this came out in this body of work; meaning, each one has a truth, a narration that has been tucked gently into the colors and forms of each contained space. The obvious is obscured. Also for the October 5th Art Hop Anne Whitehurst and her band Low Noon will entertain us. ARTIST RECEPTION: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7TH 5-8 PM ART HOP, OCTOBER 5TH & NOVEMBER 2ND We look forward to seeing you!

Join us tonight for Art Hop, 5-8PM. This September, we are celebrating and honoring the outstanding artists whom have previously shown in the gallery. Several alum artists will be showing new work including Larry Hill and Michael Garcia. Impressive mono-prints of Ron Wigginton and R.G.Barnes, master bronze sculptor will also be available. The exhibition runs September 6 through September 30.

We are closed the month of August for vacation/family time/summer fun. We will be back in September, see you then!!

Summer fun and summer art. Neal Breton in the gallery until July 29. Come visit!

Fresno's ArtHop is heating up tonight. Thank goodness for a/c! Surfwest Parra K-Jewel 105.5 FM Gallery 25 1821 Gallery & Studios Tower District Records Elizabeth Castro Arte Américas

ART HOP tomorrow night, Thursday, 5-8PM. Join us for summer fun with Neal Breton's classic summer themed artwork. Also, cool down with Ooh De Lolli gourmet popsicles and tacos from Latin Urban Bistro.

1821 Gallery & Studios will be exhibiting the work of Neal Breton, June 21 July 28, 2017. Neal Breton, a New Hampshire native, currently residing in San Luis Obispo, has been professionally painting for 20 years. His bold color selection and creative interpretation of familiar subjects are unique and brilliant. Neal’s artist statement speaks volumes about him; one time in kindergarten I was assigned crayons and a piece of cardboard, draw something and we will cut it out fo...r you. Others made jets, fire trucks and racecars. I made an abstract construct with asymmetrical lines jutting down out of sequential blocks of color. What am I supposed to cut out? the teacher said. I didn’t know. This was my first lesson in the practical side of art. In the fourth grade, for Halloween, the class was to make black cats out of construction paper and glue. We were to follow a pattern. I noticed upon the day they were put the work up that my cat was not included. Look at your cat, it is poorly cut, and you can see al the glue, my teacher said, that’s why I didn’t put it up with all the others. This was my first lesson is craftsmanship. In college, my professor chose my first series of work in the display case outside the art department. Oh, how horrible! exclaimed and older woman, passing by. This was my first lesson in art appreciation. Neal Breton will be showing June 21- July 28. Art Hop will be July 6th, 5-8, and Neal will be in house to answer you questions.

Thank you to Kings River Life Magazine for the great article! "I could speak volumes about why art is important to the community, but suffice to say, great communities have and support great art institutions. During World War II, Winston Churchill was asked to cut funding for the arts. He replied, Then what are we fighting for? That is so true in these times."