Arts

from SLO LIFE Magazine Oct/Nov 2012

Special Feature

John Ramos

Nestled smartly in an impossibly enchanted grove of gnarled, twisting oak trees in the hills above Los Osos, it is difficult to imagine a more conducive setting for John Ramos to perfect his craft. “I really don’t want to classify myself,” Ramos explains while sipping a hot cup of coffee on a sundrenched porch overlooking the oaks one recent morning. “But, my work does have an enduring theme: ocean, surfing, Mexico, wish-I-was-there landscapes, Jimmy Buffett, nostalgia.” Jimmy Buffett, yes, but also Jack Johnson and Donavon Frankenreiter, who happens to be Ramos’ son-in-law.

After operating an art gallery in downtown San Luis Obispo for 11 years, Ramos and his wife, Donna, learned in 2003 that the building they were occupying would have to be closed for earthquake retrofitting. Ramos turned to his wife and suggested a wild idea, “Rather than start over in a new space, let’s just pack it up and move to Mexico.” The couple found Lareto, in Baja where they bought a 100-yearold gallery that they operated for nearly five years. The environment was rich with colorful subjects and the experience full of inspiration for Ramos, who captured the laid-back local vibe with soft oil paints. Today, the couple is back in their Los Osos studio—which includes a “by appointment only” gallery for visitors—where they stay busy shipping out prints to customers nationwide. Ramos, who is somewhat camera shy and clearly most at ease while discussing his art, observes that, “I’m not really into aggrandizing myself. I let my work speak for itself; they are the emissaries that I send out to the world.”