INTO THE DEEP
Artist Reception, Saturday December 8th, 7-10pm
PACIFIC COAST GALLERY
205 Pier Avenue
Hermosa Beach, CA
Into the Deep
Ocean-themed artwork and photography, and island-influenced Japanese fish prints
Saturday December 8th, from 7-10pm, Pacific Coast Gallery will have the opening reception for Into the Deep, featuring the ocean and island themed artwork of Josh Barnes, Brandon Nonaka and new photos from Matthew Welch. Josh and Brandon will be exhibiting their individual art, in addition to pieces they have collaborated on. And Matt will be releasing a new image from Hawaii, Napali Dream, in conjunction with the debut of this image this week at the opening of the new Emory Proton Therapy Center in Atlanta.
Other highlights:
Live Painting: Josh and Brandon will also be painting live at the event.
Homemade Swedish Glogg: This is our Holiday Party, and we will be serving Monica’s homemade Swedish glogg
Ugly Sweater Contest: We will also have an ugly sweater contest, with Pacific Coast Gallery photos as prizes
Live Music: We will have live Holiday music from Business Casual featuring Cole Fishman and his band
The festivities begin at 7pm at Pacific Coast Gallery, 205 Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach.
About the Artists:
Josh Barnes
A Californian to the core, Josh Barnes was born in Saint Luis Obispo, studied at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, and currently calls Hermosa Beach home. He often pays homage to this coastal city and the California beach lifestyle in his work, featuring crashing waves, surfboards, and palm trees, but beyond the street-beach aesthetic, Josh wants his creative endeavors to project an uplifting message: Good Vibes Only. Transitioning from spray-cans on skateboards to the more conventional canvas, Josh is a multi-talented artist who works as a muralist, custom framer, screen printer and graphic designer. His distinctive style features detailed line work and intricate layering, bold colors, and a sense of dark, dreamy whimsy. Josh also finds inspiration in the everyday, and strives to make each finished work relatable and relevant. Failing that, he hopes at least you’ll crack a smile.
Brandon Nonaka
Brandon was born and raised in Hilo, a small and quiet town on the Big Island of Hawaii. From a young age he was exposed to the ocean by his friends and his father, who is an avid fisherman. Fishing, spear-diving and various ocean activities were a normal part of life growing up in Hawaii. His passion for the ocean and art merged when he was introduced to the art form known as Gyotaku. He saw it as the perfect way to preserve the life of the fish and ensure it’s memory would live on forever. Many of Brandon’s subjects were personally caught by the artist while spearfishing. Each print is unique and is created by rubbing ink on the fish (or octopus) and then stamping the fish onto Japanese unryu mulberry paper. The fish ink print is then hand colored. His minimalistic approach to Gyotaku allows the raw print of the fish to “breathe” and become the focal point. There is no additional touch-up using pens or pencils, but rather just brushes and paint. In each design or piece of art, he expresses his experiences growing up in Hawaii and the impact the ocean has had on his life.
Matthew Welch
Matthew Welch is a Hermosa Beach based photographer who is known for his FLOWs and MEGAs, his super large-scale landscapes which he prints up to 40 feet wide. For Into the Deep, keeping with the beach and island theme of the exhibit, he will be releasing new images from Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Kauai. His new image from Kauai, Napali Dream, is from his series of MEGAs and is being released in conjunction with the debut of this image this week at the new Emory Proton Therapy Center in Atlanta, which has its opening and ribbon cutting on December 6th. Welch is the featured artist at this new Emory hospital in midtown Atlanta, which showcases 13 of his large format MEGAs (including Napali Dream) printed at wall-filling sizes up to 15 feet wide.
