On the first friday of every month 25+ galleries in La jolla participate in a themed art walk. Galleries open their doors for visitors to enjoy art works based off of the theme and for august it was “ocean”. I’ve been caught up in work and general life drama so I decided I was overdue for some art exposure.

This event is a great way to get out of the house without breaking the bank. I have walked through downtown La Jolla multiple times. But I have never taken the time to explore the galleries. The event is from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm and I got there at 5:00 pm! No trouble finding parking at that time. There are many galleries though, so I would come sooner if you want to see as many as possible.

ALSO! I learned that if you RSVP for the event up until 12:00 pm the day of the art walk. You will get an email with the map and complimentary parking!! What a steal I will have to do that next time. And also come sooner, so I can get a drink before starting my stroll.

I didn’t know where to begin… I was downtown, lost, and I scanned the area to my right. I caught a glimpse of these massive photographs. They were unbelievably glossy photos of water, trees, planes, animals.

Turns out I found my way inside the Ian Ely Gallery. In his work he captures the magic and unreal beauty of nature. I was so captivated by his work, particularly how he frames the subject and the color grading as well. I chatted with one of the art consultants there. She was really passionate about her job… It got me thinking that I’m so- ummm – just not knowledgeable about the art world.. Ignorant, really!!

I fear I have glamorized what it would be like to work as an artist, art consultant, gallery management. But I digress….

Before I let the reality of my conversation in the first galley hit me. I walked to Contemporary Fine Arts gallery. Just as I entered there was a delightful chihuahua that was playing around the entrance! We were already off to a great start…

Cathy Richmond and Stephanie Paige were both on display. Although they both had painted the ocean. They had completely different viewpoints of it’s power, presence, colors. Cathy shows waves tumbling and crashing waves of pale blue, green and white. Focused on the rumble of the water and sea foam. Stephanie’s painting took on different energy. A more calm setting shown by smaller waves rolling onto shore. The sun from the sunset is glowing just at the top of the water. I loved both perspectives so much!

It was here that I actually ended up meeting another person going solo. She was in art school and explained to me that she wanted to also learn more about the art scene.

Gosh, time and time again. I kept telling myself “I really want to learn more about gallery management, to learn more art history”. That is such a broad goal though, and I won’t lie it feels overwhelming not knowing where to start.

The good news is that most of the people I talked to today were incredibly friendly! So I felt confident just knowing I took a step in the right direction toward my goal. It’s so easy to get lost in research mode before you even start taking any real action to your dreams. Now I’m realizing it might be better to just dive into the action first, then begin to refine. Most important though – it’s to put yourself out there, be as genuine as possible.

We made our way to Klara Chavarria’s contemporary art gallery. She manages her own gallery and shop. This piece above is titled “Once Upon A Time…(Our Story with Nature)”

The colors and the loose expressive shapes of the figures in her paintings stood out to me. I noticed her many accolades for her work, it has been featured in magazines, galleries, museums. And I’m pretty sure I actually saw her there. I was thinking about going up to her but she was in conversation. In a not chic way… I waddled away because I did not know when to intervene.

The art student and I continued our adventure around La Jolla, hopping from gallery to gallery. It was so refreshing to talk to her about the featured artists and their work! I regret not taking more photos but some galleries seemed to restrict any pictures from being taken anyways.

And so we began to walk back to our cars . Until we saw a store very different from the rest, it was Arjang’s Treasure House of Fine Art! I actually could not think of a better name to describe this spot.

I think I had the most fun here! Something this space being lined head to toe in art, piles of prints and sculptures very close together. I thought it was so fun to poke around all the items here. It was unique from all the other spaces I saw today. Most of the art in galleries was spaced and placed with more a lot of thought.

Beyond the piles of art around me, I was thinking about how much I loved the layout of the building. It has a great amount of sunlight and the horizontal beams around the space make for an interesting layout. In a perfect world I would definitely love to own this space, I wonder who does? How long has this business been around? I didn’t have any success finding the owner while I was there.

I will need to come back again. Maybe a blog post in the future?

As I walked back to my car, I thought to myself ” Hm what was I so stressed about earlier today?”. I completely forgot about my problems during my time walking around acting like an art critic! I had fun trying to make sense of what I was seeing in front of me. I also enjoyed seeing how others experience the art, were they critiquing it, laughing at it? I love to see other people enjoy art. Making new friends or coming in with friend and family. We can talk bout the art, laugh at the art, complain about the art.

Hmmmm In moments like that I always think about what art galleries were like 20, 30, 50 years ago?

Do you go to art events often? Are you also trying to increase your art world knowledge?