Two dancers lock torsos in Ann Wirtz’s eye-catching—and feet-sweeping—piece, Lean In, one of eight works by the Goleta-based artist featured in Gallery Los Olivos’ latest group exhibition.
Acrylic, ink, and graphite were among the media Wirtz chose to bring Lean In to life. She described the piece, as well as her other seven in the Los Olivos showcase (on view between Feb. 1 and 28), as abstract figurative.
“The figures are interwoven with abstract marks that provide looseness and spontaneity,” Wirtz said in an email interview. “This allows me to bring the figures alive with the paint while incorporating them into an abstract design.”
In one of Wirtz’s other pieces, Evening Waves, two surfers are clearly defined in front of a backdrop enveloped in soft hues and shades that subtly form shapes akin to ocean water and a sandy shoreline.
“I have a background in graphic design, so my natural tendency is to have a cohesive piece of artwork when it is finished,” said Wirtz, who clarified that her path toward cohesion doesn’t start with any strictly placed stepping stones.
“When starting a piece of artwork, I do not adhere to design or art rules. I may have a color scheme in mind,” Wirtz said. “But I like to allow myself to experiment, play, and infuse energy into the beginning layers. This allows for me to have creative freedom of expression that needs to be revealed for that particular piece. Once the composition starts to come together as the layers are added, I will begin to focus on values, balance, rhythm, and variety.”
She prefers creating “in the moment, and not for an intended outcome,” to allow her ideas to “flow more consistently into the artwork and result in a better outcome,” Wirtz added.
One of Gallery Los Olivos’ newest members, Wirtz joined the collective in October 2024. The group show she’s part of is called New Perspectives, which highlights artworks of various media—including photography and mosaic pieces—by eight artists who haven’t been members for long.
“It is nice to be part of a close-knit group of local artists, especially since I grew up here,” said Wirtz, born and raised in Santa Barbara County.
Like Wirtz, local painter Susan Kounanis’ first month of Gallery Los Olivos membership was October 2024.
“I love the charm of Los Olivos,” Kounanis said over email. “I was inspired to join [Gallery Los Olivos] the very first time I walked through the doors and saw the gallery. … I remember telling my husband it felt so right for my work.”
Most of Kounanis’ paintings are still lifes, “usually with flowers and a vintage vessel,” said the artist, who’s accumulated several of her tabletop subjects over the years through visiting antique shops and estate sales.
“One of my personal favorites currently on display in the gallery is Tea Time,” Kounanis said, “which consists of a copper tea kettle, tea cup, vintage lace cloth, and a bit of roses.”
Although Kounanis’ work is far from abstract, one of her goals with pieces like Tea Time was similar to Wirtz’s approach in making clear choices to evoke specific feelings in Lean In—using certain colors to make figures feel alive and pop out against their surroundings in Wirtz’s case, or, in Kounanis’ case, encourage viewers to feel snug as a bug.
“I love trying to capture a mood or feeling, and to me, this painting [Tea Time] feels very cozy and familiar, yet elegant,” Kounanis said.
There’s a 60-mile stretch between Gallery Los Olivos and Kounanis’ home in San Luis Obispo, and one thing she’s been enthused about so far in terms of her displayed works at the gallery is garnering a new frontier of viewership, and patronage on occasion.
“I am currently working on a commission piece for a family-owned winery here in the Santa Ynez Valley. They saw my work in Gallery Los Olivos and asked me to paint a [commission] featuring their wine,” Kounanis said. “[I’m] very honored that they reached out to me.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood loves art, wine, art depicting wine, and everything in between. Send comments to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 30 – Feb 9, 2025.