Every painting currently on display at the Grossman Gallery in Lompoc centers on a body of water, in one form or another. The venue’s latest exhibit, simply titled Water, showcases a collection of artworks that explore sea life, rivers, pools, and other H20-laden subjects.
“Some of the works are more traditional representations of water and others a bit off the wall,” said local artist Vicki Andersen, one of the featured painters in the group show. “But all deal with water in some way.”
Andersen is one of the co-founders of the Lompoc Ten, a group of painters who meet once a month to discuss their respective artworks in a casual setting, over food and drinks, usually in one of the group member’s homes. Each featured artist in the Water exhibit is a member of the club.
“I’ve been in the group for about 18 months,” said Lompoc-based painter Chris Jeszeck, one of the Lompoc Ten’s newest members. “Though I don’t have the professional training that most of them do, they’ve welcomed me and made me feel comfortable and included.”
Jeszeck specializes in acrylic pouring and loves to experiment with combining her abstract pours with occasional doses of realism. One of her featured paintings, Snack Time, in the Water exhibition is a perfect example of her process.
“When I heard the theme of the Lompoc Ten’s show at the Grossman, I knew I would have an easy time providing art for the display,” said Jeszeck, who often uses blue paint in her work, giving her initial pours a water-like feel even before she’s decided on a subject. “Snack Time was initially just a lovely example of fluid art which I had varnished and titled Deep Sea.”
After coming across “an enchanting photo reference of a seal snacking on a starfish,” Jeszeck repurposed her acrylic abstract to become the background of a sea-life scene by adding a couple of sea creatures—one that looks to be devouring the other—at the center of the painting.
For fellow featured painter Deborah Breedon, the development of the Lompoc Ten’s Water exhibition conveniently coincided with one of her latest artistic pursuits.
“It has been one of my goals to focus more on painting water, so this show was perfect for me,” Breedon said. “Interpretation of ocean; lake; stream; wet, muddy puddles; and riverbeds has been a real joy to explore.”
One of Breedon’s featured paintings in the exhibit was inspired by a past visit to Goleta Beach, shortly after some stormy weather, the artist said. The piece is titled Goleta Slough After the Storm.
“The sky was full of these amazing clouds driven by strong winds,” Breedon recalled of the weather the day she visited the setting, which she strove to re-create in vivid detail, over multiple drafts. “I did four or five small studies before I attempted to do this bigger painting.”
Two of local artist Neil Andersson’s pieces included in the Water exhibition are also based around memorable site visits, both at a single location he visits quite often: Kiwanis Lake at River Park in Lompoc.
“It’s really my favorite place to paint on location here. It’s a beautiful little body of water with a number of very nice views for painting,” Andersson said. “A few other painters and I go out there about once a week to paint.”
Like Jeszeck, Andersson is a relatively new member of the Lompoc Ten. Water marks his first group exhibition with the local club, which he has enjoyed being a part of so far.
“It’s an eclectic group of people, but all of us are dedicated artists and love painting,” Andersson said. “Our styles and interests are varied, but you can see a unity of the group in its obvious love of art.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood is in the splash zone. Send a towel and dry clothes to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 16-23, 2023.
