By Design

By Allison Hata

California is a cultural enclave. It’s where artists gather, dream, innovate, and create. It’s the birthplace of plein-air painting and where a group of creatives fashioned a new kind of minimalism, the Light and Space movement. No single style defines the West Coast — here, you’ll find thoughtprovoking works across all genres and styles. This summer, discover four talented creatives whose work embodies the eclectic spirit of the Golden State. These colorful artists draw on emotion to create stunning pieces, from minimalist portraits to mesmerizing patterned canvases that tell stories through shape, form, depth and dimension.

Raised in the Santa Cruz mountains, Whitney Castro enjoyed a childhood of artistic and playful freedom. From a young age, she identified as an artist, exploring shapes and colors with a childlike curiosity that she continues to bring to her work today. As a painter of minimalist portraits, Whitney is now inspired by the female presence found in the abundant expressions of gender in our world. “As I experience it, feminine energy is such a physical place of safety and strength and my pieces attempt to capture that through very simple shapes, forms and colors,” she says. Each piece in her original series, The Word Woman, is named “woman” in a different language, from Hawaiian to Polish, Portuguese, Danish, and more. “However, as my pieces have evolved (and I run out of languages) I find myself naming them after women I don't know but I know exist out there — fictional to me, real to someone,” Whitney explains. She creates pieces that can exist calmly within a space, bringing a moment of serenity among the beautiful chaos of a well-lived life. Whitney’s paintings and prints (and commission request information) can be found online at whitneycastro. com, with select pieces available at Serena and Lily. whitneycastro.com | IG: @whitney___castro

ocean,” Courtney says. Her sources of inspiration change daily, from the earth’s natural lines to different textures and forms she sees around her. It’s a style resulting from years spent practicing the mechanical and technical aspects of painting, and studying the philosophies of artists like Ruth Asawa, Helen Frankenthaler, and Frida Kahlo.

“Nowadays, I try to go into a painting completely free from the influence of everything I’ve seen before and try to create a new experience for myself and the collector. “...I’m working on a large, 48-by-48-inch abstract piece right now that is beginning to look like so many things. I’m enjoying it because my daughter keeps telling me what she sees in it and I keep getting inspired by what she points out.” Find Courtney’s work at Strange House, her online home for original paintings and stock lists. She also accepts commission requests here, collaborating closely with clients to create everything from canvas and paper works to large-scale abstract pieces, indoor murals and sculptures. strangehouse.shop | IG: @the.strange.house

By approaching each blank canvas the way a child would — totally free — Oceanside-based artist Courtney Seabrooks has developed a unique style that radiates raw, positive energy. Abstract shapes and neutral colors are abundant in her sustainable canvas paintings, created using clay, natural paints, and recycled materials to carry the message of care, intention, and connection.

“Right now, [my inspiration] is the warmth of the sun with summer just around the corner and the way the sunlight dances and glitters on the surface of the

Though Los Angeles-based artist Michael Callas left architectural school to pursue a career in the visual arts, he brought with him a sharp eye for detail and

Michael Callas, “Untitled, 2021,” Spray Paint and Stencil on Canvas, 80 x 80 in

Mary Finlayson paints as though she has a window into our everyday lives. There’s a little something that speaks to all of us, from the doting plant parent to the book collector who may or may not get around to tidying the ever-growing piles on the living room floor. In her vibrantly colored paintings of interiors, Mary transforms the mundane — stacks of books, blooming plants, cluttered credenzas — into something magical through her dynamic use of color, repetitive patterns and distorted form.

With a signature flattened perspective and crowded composition, every scene implores viewers to cast reality aside and embrace the feeling of the curated space. Each interior is inherently personal, filled with important objects (some imagined) that tell the story of the people who inhabit the room. Originally from Canada and now based in San Francisco, Mary is also showing her work at JoAnne Artman Gallery in the Summer Lovin’ exhibition. If you’re looking for a commission, she paints from both photos and still lives. paintedmary.squarespace.com IG: @painted_mary unrivaled precision. Using spray paint and hand-cut individual stencils, Michael creates vivid paintings rooted in pop art, street art and graphic design — many inspired by his architectural studies, from elaborate interiors to electric-hued exteriors that feel as though you can walk through the front door. Drafting, mapping and individually cutting templates is methodical work, yet the result is wildly creative. Like with most art, the devil is in the details: dozens of individual origami cranes as the leaves of a bonsai tree; small clocks in his color-changing “Case Study” series that reference the before, during and after of a nuclear bomb test in New Mexico; or glow-inthe-dark effects that change the entire composition of a painting. Every work is deeply thoughtful and invites audiences to view the world through his lens, including appropriations of iconic works like “American Gothic” and Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.”

Michael’s work is on display this summer at JoAnne Artman Gallery in Laguna Beach as part of the Summer Lovin’ group exhibition, open through Aug. 15. | IG: @michaelacallas

Mary Finlayson, “This is Not My Book and Flowers,” Silk on Cotton (Tapestry), 60 x 48 in