NOT A FAREWELL TO INTERIOR DESIGN In West Valley College’s Interior Design Department, the tall windows that offer a glimpse of the bustling campus outside emanate a certain sense of openness and inspiration. These windows allow an abundance of natural light to flood the space but also provide a visual connection to the dynamic environment […]
Composer Mauricio Rodriguez has spent years exploring and redefining the boundaries of what a musical score has been, is, and can be, moving beyond traditional musical compositions to incorporate choreography, digital interactions, and visual interpretations in his work.
Masks of Truth: Tachiya Bryant’s Journey Toward Bold, Unapologetic Power Amongst the suave R&B beats echoing throughout her San Jose studio, Tachiya Bryant almost cries. She had been living with her acrylic portraits and sculptural cotton masks for months—stacked on tables, lining walls, works-in-progress that carried both her frustration and her hope. But when photographer […]
Marisol Picazo and Robert Lopez are the most unassuming power couple you’ll ever meet. From creating zines to curating art shows or featuring their own work in galleries, Marisol and Robert have been quietly establishing a young, ambitious, and deeply positive force in the San Jose art scene. The pair met through a mutual friend […]
Although newer buildings loom large along bustling Santa Clara Street, Foto Express has survived relatively unscathed, providing a place for photographers to rent equipment and develop film since 1987. The eminent owner of the shop, Henry Chang, is known for his wizard-like knowledge of photography, his acumen for developing rare types of film, and a […]
San Jose-born fiber textile artist Alyssarhaye Graciano has stitched herself into the heart of the city’s creative ecosystem. As curator for MACLA (Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana) in the SoFA District, she balances her own textile practice with the responsibility of shepherding new artistic voices into the public eye. Her creative reach also […]
Local Color SJ is not an arts organization; it’s an artists’ organization. Founded in 2015 as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) by San Jose-based artist Erin Salazar, Local Color is for artists, by artists. This ethos drives their mission to build equitable pathways for artists to thrive. “I care about supporting local artists getting paid equitably for […]
“There are so many artists who just want to express themselves,” shares Juan Carlos Araujo, founder and creative director of Empire Seven Studios and SJ Walls. Araujo, an artist who grew up in San Jose, first painted on walls doing graffiti. He founded Empire Seven Studios, an independent small business that includes a gallery and […]
Cherri Lakey and Brian Eder have played a pivotal role in shaping and energizing the art culture in downtown San Jose’s SoFA district. Their gallery openings often mark a starting point for art-goers exploring the neighborhood, making the couple a recognizable face of the local scene. In 2000, they created a home for street art, […]
“If someone gives me ‘no’ as an answer, I find a different way.” -Josie Lepe Whether it’s capturing the drama of a touchdown at a football game or the intimacy of a family at their dinner table, Josie Lepe is on a mission to tell stories through photos. An award-winning independent photojournalist, Lepe has worked […]
Roman emperor and philosopher Cicero said, “Of all the occupations by which gain is secured, none is better than agriculture, none more profitable, none more delightful, none more becoming to a free man.” Ceramics sculptor Abiam Alvarez echoes this sentiment in a career spent replicating agricultural tools and equipment, every piece a hand-molded love letter […]
On Aki Kumar’s [2014] album, Don’t Hold Back, the track “Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Yeh” begins with some sitar chords before Kumar interrupts: “Hey, you’d better cut that Bollywood shit out! That ain’t the blues…this is the blues!” The music restarts, now bluesy-sounding: a cover of a 1960 tune by Indian playback singer Lata Mangeshkar.
A blazing early spring sun arcs over San Jose Day at Emma Prusch Farm Park. Dancers and cultural performers take the stage, while classic American cars stand on the bare earth and DJs fill the air with music. Next to the stage, a crowd gathers around to see an artist’s creative process in action. Moved […]
rafa esparza is a multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles, working across live performance, sculpture, installation, drawing, and painting. Known for his work with adobe brick, a skill he inherited from his father, Ramón Esparza, his process is a means of connecting the artist to community and centering inclusivity within contexts of historical exclusion. rafa’s […]
Threads woven together tell stories about history, culture, and identity Cynthia Brannvall enjoys making Swedish meatballs with turkey and kale and still calls them Swedish meatballs. Building on her grandma’s original recipe, she regularly cooks this special fusion dish for her family. As a California native who contains multitudes—American, African, and European roots—blending, transforming, and […]
Alfredo Muccino was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and raised as an Italian. His father’s engineering career took the family across the world, from Mexico and Brazil to Egypt, Iraq, Venezuela, and the UK, before settling in the United States. Alongside this nomadic lifestyle, his father was a painter and an artist. Muccino would imitate his […]
Big Walls, No Ceilings A lot of artists see their art and create limits to what they can and can’t do. Some look at what they can do and only want to go bigger. There is no ceiling for them. Cova is one of those artists. Some would say he’s not satisfied with his art, […]
Featured Artist: Paulina (Goff) Stovall San Jose-based professional pumpkin carver, Paulina (Goff) Stovall, started as an artist in high school. After graduating, she discovered a passion for pumpkin carving when she was commissioned to live carve pumpkins at a high-end party. Since then, she has fallen in love with the practice and continued developing her […]
Santa Cruz artist Sarah Bianco’s work can be found at the intersection of fine and commercial art. As the owner of Painting by Bianco, her contract work includes interior painting and color consultations involving work from rolling paint and plaster to fine detail and murals. Her current studio practice at the Tannery Arts Center is […]
Santa Cruz-based artist Laamsha Young has worked across three primary artistic disciplines: jewelry design, painting, and sculpture. While receiving her MFA in painting from San Jose State University, she discovered her latest passion for foam sculpture, which built upon her earlier practice in jewelry and painting.
Pencils and sketch pad in hand, a young Abraham Ortega excitedly headed out to a friend’s birthday party. The son and grandson of artists, he was already a passionate sketcher. Consistent encouragement from his mother led him to assume that drawing was the de facto activity for all kids his age and would thus be […]
Holding Form, Letting Go: Inside Mark Engel’s World of Shifting Figures Mark Engel stands in his Walnut Creek studio. Birdsong and the distant hum of a highway blend with the hush of his brush against the canvas. Around him, figures emerge and dissolve: faces freeze mid-expression, limbs smear into strokes of color and shadow. Some […]
The vibrancy of San Jose’s creative culture can be found on its streets, in its art galleries, infused in local businesses, and in the work of neighbors who use creativity to connect, reflect, and inspire. The City of San Jose’s Creative Ambassador program awards artists who champion the power of creative expression.
Below the Surface: a life philosophy made visible In a time of noise, uncertainty, and collective exhaustion, multi-disciplinaryabstract artist Sieglinde Van Damme is offering something rare: a visual sanctuary to just breathe. Sieglinde Van Damme’s path from economist to full-time artist may seem unconventional, but her work reveals a consistent focus: human behavior. Born in […]
“I HAVE TWO RULES when you enter my studio. One: no negative self-talk. Two: we always ask for consent.” Brittany R. Bradley, Britt for short, is an award-winning alternative process photographer. She uses the collodion wet plate process to memorialize her participants on a tin or metal plate, portraying them such that they feel powerful […]
The vibrancy of San Jose’s creative culture can be found on its streets, in its art galleries, infused in local businesses, and in the work of neighbors who use creativity to connect, reflect, and inspire. The City of San Jose’s Creative Ambassador program awards artists who champion the power of creative expression. Chosen for their […]
Alex was down on his luck after high school, when his best friend, a graphic designer, financed a camera for him. “I was kinda lost, and he put a tool in my hand,” Alex explains. “Ever since, it was hard to let go of the camera.” Following Bobby Kim and Ben Shenassafar of the Hundreds, […]
Historian Lewis Mumford famously stated, “The timelessness of art is its capacity to represent the transformation of endless becoming into being.” History is a testament to the people, families, towns, cities, and society that are constantly changing and evolving. Art of a specific time period can bring into focus the spirit of the era, capturing […]
West Valley College’s Bill & Leila Cilker School of Art and Design has a bold goal: cultivating systemic change by offering accessible arts education. The school achieves this through its wide range of interdisciplinary offerings designed to encourage well-rounded andthoughtful students. Cilker School of Art and Design is coming up on its second year in […]
Driving through the streets of Oakland or San Francisco, you may come across ginormous painted calla lilies bursting along the side of a building in a gradient of greens. Lines of gold tracing birds and leaves might catch your eye through an office window. These blossoming worlds are the works of Jet Martinez, a Mexican […]
Born in the ’90s and a San Jose native, Theo Mendoza was naturally drawn to skateboarding, hip-hop, and graffiti. Early on, he realized his future was in art. With support from his family and teachers, he pursued graphic design and streetwear, spending five years at the Art Institute in San Francisco to earn his degree […]
In the heart of Silicon Valley, where technology and innovation reign supreme, lies a hidden gem in the world of textile art. Jaya Griscom is a talented artist who has been weaving a new path in the world of textiles, blending figurative abstraction with cutting-edge textile technology. Griscom was born in Menlo Park, California, and […]
The San José State University (SJSU) Master of Fine Arts 2024-2025 cohort presents their Lift Off 2025 group exhibition at The Institute of Contemporary Art San José, curated by Zoe Latzer. The group exhibition, titled Who ‘am’ I, without you? will be displayed in a two-part exhibition. Part 1 opened on April 4, 2025, at […]
New Museum Los Gatos aims to inspire, illuminate, and instruct. Gabriel Coke’s atelier is a revitalization of a tradition popularized during the Renaissance. His curriculum is designed to prepare students for professional art study through a well-rounded education, mastering the basics: still life, landscape, portraits, and drawing. Some of his youngest students’ paintings hang among […]
The San José State University (SJSU) Master of Fine Arts 2024-2025 cohort presents their Lift Off 2025 group exhibition at The Institute of Contemporary Art San José, curated by Zoe Latzer. The group exhibition, titled Who ‘am’ I, without you? will be displayed in a two-part exhibition, which opened on April 4, 2025, at ICA […]
Gilroy, California, often known as the “Garlic Capital of the World,” holds a rich cultural tapestry that extends far beyond its famous crop. Nestled in the heart of Santa Clara Valley, Gilroy is a town where agricultural roots blend with creativity. The city’s growing community of artists, musicians, and creators is carving out space for […]
“In a sense, that’s my mission: to hold onto what’s transient, even as it fades, leaving traces behind.” At an early age, Vĩ Sơn Trinh learned of his parents’ journey as refugees escaping Communist-ruled Vietnam. They spent seven days and nights at sea, eventually arriving in Galang, Indonesia, where his mom promptly gave birth to […]
Born and raised in east-side San Jose, Sam Rodriguez was attracted to art from a young age. His first real foray into the art world came with adolescent graffiti adventures, but even then, Rodriguez knew he wanted more. At age 25, holding down two jobs while finishing college and with a baby on the way, […]
A Gym for Creativity The Coterie Den is a multimedia space in Japantown, San Jose that differs from other studio spaces and venues in the area. It’s a multimedia space that resembles Eric Foreman’s basement from That 70’s Show, a place that’s made for artists to feel comfortable in. “Friendly, welcoming, creative” is how Coterie […]
Exhilo is short for Creatio Ex Nihilo: Creation From Nothing As a young boy, Curtis Ying always reached for the pen tucked away in his mother’s purse. Anything his five-year-old imagination would dream up, he could magically translate into mini masterpieces on restaurant napkins with his mother’s pen. Filled with awe and wonder, Curtis doodled […]
Ben Henderson has soared enough of the sparkling sky to pick out the stars of highest importance—mental health over stardom, family over fame, and art that is slow in the making. If you have gone downtown for any of life’s simple delights—grabbed a coffee or pastry, sipped a beer while DJs spun vinyl, bought tickets […]
A wood-cut sign hangs from the eaves of a Spanish-style balcony on Palo Alto’s Ramona Street architectural district. The sign reads “Pamela Walsh Gallery” in gold lettering. Inside, contemporary works of art hang neatly on the white walls of the historic building designed by Stanford architect Birge Clark in 1929. The gallery is named after […]
“As an artist, I feel the responsibility to speak to the lived experiences, personal and collective memories, and to become the voice of one’s time.” Artist Xiaoze Xie is known for his hyperrealistic, large-scale paintings—many of them more than 6,080 square feet–taken from scenes of everyday life, and often depicting images of books: worn, tattered […]
Featured Artist: Shayne M. “Quetsmo” Oseguera Experience Quetsmo’s The Roosevelt Mural, curated and produced by Empire Seven Studios, on the south-facing wall of the new Roosevelt Park Apartments on the corner of East Santa Clara Street and North 21st Street. Shane Martin Oseguera, also known as Quetsmo, is a muralist from Redwood City, California, currently […]
Born in Iran and raised in Boston, Mitra Fabian’s passion for art began at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. It was there that she took a sculpture class, which she describes as a turning point in her life. “That’s when everything clicked, and I realized, ‘Oh! This is what I can’t live without doing!’ ” […]
Allan Barnes creates stunning photographs that look as if they were unearthed from an antique book in an old library, and that’s because the process he uses is more than 150 years old. The technique, called wet plate collodion, results in monochromatic pictures that are haunting, soft, and beautiful, with a grainy depth that can’t be recreated with modern film or filters.
A local OG graffiti king innovates by keeping it old school. The history of graffiti art in the public consciousness owes its duplicity to the fact that the medium of choice is borrowed canvases from liminal spaces of urban geometry. After more than 60 years of urban graffiti, the art form still exists in a […]
Celebrating the vibrancy and impact of early-career artists across disciplines. SVCreates is excited to announce the 2024 Content Emerging Artist Award recipients, celebrating the vibrancy and impact of early-career artists working in all disciplines across visual, performing, and literary arts. This award, a testament to SVCreates’ commitment to building the capacity and amplifying the voices […]
This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Join Tara for the opening of her solo exhibition, “Mining the Plastocene,” at Felix Kulpa Gallery in Santa Cruz on Friday, November 1, as part of First Friday Santa Cruz. Tara de la Garza’s art finds beauty and meaning in discarded materials. As a sculptor and artist […]
Tessie Barrera-Scharaga is an artist who makes connections: connections between language and culture, art and communities, the past and the present, and, most importantly, between people. Walking into her studio space, curious viewers quickly realize that this is one artist who is not limited to the canvas. Her work tables hold glass plates, ink, clay, brushes, and an assortment of paper, while books line the shelves and carefully placed pieces hang from the walls.
San Jose native, an award-winning Chilean-American Film Director based in New York, debuted his first solo art exhibition at @empire7studios. This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION: My name is Danilo para. This is my first solo exhibition. It’s being held at Empire Seven galleries, and the show is called in limbo. I’m […]
Kija Lucas, an artist specializing in photography and installation, discusses her exhibition “The Enchanted Garden” at the Palo Alto Art Center. The exhibition, inspired by her father’s gardening business.
Over the years, though, Stephanie’s relationships with many things—including art, sculpting, femininity, and the color pink—has changed.
MAKING SPACE FOR ART IN LOS ALTOS If you are lucky enough to connect with mixed-media artist Maddy McBirney, she may be inspired to create an art piece for you. McBirney explains, “I was always the kind of artist that just made things for other people. I didn’t sell or market my work. If I […]
Each year since 2018, the City of San José’s Office of Cultural Affairs has selected a number of artists in a variety of disciplines to be named creative ambassadors. These artists all have deep roots in the city and have shown creative inspiration in their fields, as well as a passion for connecting with the […]
This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Experience J.Duh’s first solo gallery exhibition, ‘Starting Fires,’ from August 10 to September 7 at Empire Seven Studios in San Jose, Japan Town. The opening reception is on Saturday, August 10, from 6 to 9 p.m., featuring music from Flipside Lovers and DJ nic0tine. […]
West Valley College believes in the power of a well-rounded education to shape a future that extends beyond the classroom. Each year, graduating students have the opportunity to showcase their capstone work—a testament to their growth and achievements—to peers, instructors, and the community. In the third year of the Cilker School of Art and Design’s […]
There is something at once magical and intimidating about creating glass: the molten liquid, the burning ovens, the intense concentration of the artists as they work. At the Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI) in San Jose, this ancient craft is practiced everyday. Located inside an old Del Monte cannery, BAGI is one of the most […]
Montalvo Art Center – “A Path Forward: Honoring Ohlone Land & Spirit” This feature is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Francisco Graciano has been creating art in San José for as long as he can remember. His multi-disciplinary practices include sculpture, painting, music, and tattoos. His work centers on themes of evolution […]
This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Kimberly Snyder developed a love for creative artmaking from a young age and was inspired by sewing and crocheting with her grandmother. Her passion for art history began with classes at the University of Santa Cruz (UCSC), where she explored the narratives, historical contexts, […]
A (Still) Life of Avocados, Lemons, Oranges, and Strawberries. The morning before an art event, you might find James Mertke unloading the Tetris puzzle of art pieces and display shelves from his car. It’s been a little over a year since James started participating in art markets, and although he’s still learning the ropes, he’s […]
Our job is to ask the questions that the audience is thinking so that we can all connect with what the artist is thinking. -Lauren Schell Dickens, Chief Curator San Jose Museum of Art Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. The current San José Museum of Art Exhibition, Seeing through Stone, is on […]
Since its founding in 2018, Chopsticks Alley Art has been a platform that elevates the perspectives and cultures of Southeast Asian Americans through a blend of cultural events, traditional art forms education, and carefully curated gallery exhibitions. The programming at Chopsticks Alley Art has provided a voice for young artists and empowered them to create […]
In the courtyard of Mexican Heritage Plaza, accompanied by the gentle sound of a waterfall and a slow sway of a dense crop of palm trees, Jonathan Borca admits he’s often a bit too busy. And in a moment of reflection, he shares the fascinating reason why. “I feel I have an existential window,” shares […]
“This is why I need art. Because I am not very good at expressing things through words. The art is out of necessity at this point.” Born and raised in Iran, Kiana Honarmand first experienced the magic of self-expression through music. “There was something that happened to me with the medium and expression that felt […]
Kathryn Dunlevie has always possessed a magical perception of the world around her, even before she became an artist. Growing up all over the United States, Dunlevie developed a deep appreciation of what gives a particular area a sense of place. Nowadays, her artworks a connecting thread, bringing disparate places and ideas together in what […]
At first glance, the Space Palette might appear to be an alien device. It consists of a large, oval frame filled with a series of holes (4 large and 12 small). If only observed, its function will remain a mystery. However, once you physically interact with the object, its purpose is revealed. By passing your […]
Born in Mexico City and currently based in Silicon Valley, Taryn Curiel’s passion for art has been with her since early childhood and has culminated in a body of work filled with sensation and enigmatic energy. Techniques involving texture, lines, and a muted color palette help her in her signature use of the figure with […]
Jackelin Solorio is an agent of visual language. Each photo, each ceramic, each video performance that emerge from her studio are a question and a dare.
The first thing you may notice about Stephen Longoria is his gentle Texan accent. In his friendly manner, he’ll be quick to tell you about the craft of printmaking, his love of drawing his cat—or a one-eyed version of it—or his affection for his Texas hometown just north of the Mexican border. While he doesn’t […]
Featured Artist: Kim Meuli Brown Kim Meuli Brown is an artist and graphic designer whose journey began with a Bachelor of Science in Textile Design from UC Davis. Inspired by nature, Kim’s creations blend traditional textile techniques with contemporary innovation. Her canvas, often cotton, silk, or wool, becomes a testament to the beauty of local […]
K nown simply as “Manik” to most, Dalton got his nickname while digging through his mother’s record collection as a kid. Jimi Hendrix’s 1967 album Are You Experienced caught his eye, and the song “Manic Depression” altered his name forever. Born and raised in San Jose, Dalton describes his love for downtown: “Skaters, indie bands, […]
Her Vision, Her Voice. René Lorraine Schilling-Sears, a graduate of San Jose State with a BFA in Pictorial Arts, has moved from oils to watercolor and pen, giving a voice to what she sees.
For twenty-two years, volunteers at the San Jose Printers’ Guild have kept the art of printing alive. In a world where books can be…
“People will always want to talk about [my past] because it’s exciting. They focus on who you were, not who you are, or who you’re trying to become.” -Steven Free Steven Free spends a lot of time with animals, whether it be the dogs he walks to pay the bills, the kittens he and his […]
SVCreates Content Emerging Artist 2023 Such is Life A wheat-pasted poster on a San Francisco sidewalk may be commonplace for 99 percent of passersby. For photographer Dan Fenstermacher, the details caught his eye from across the street: an ambiguous lower body clothed in shorts and walking shoes—leg tattoos exposed—standing on a trail with marketing copy […]
Wisper’s life resembles an uncanny stack of page-turners. Conversations with him dredge up metaphors, tuned specifically to the relationship between identity and outcome. Subjective as art and truth may be, the sublime coincidences within his experiences hint at more.
Tracing Roots: Trinh Mai Finds the Beauty in Life through Honoring Cultural Heritage Heart first, Trinh Mai aims to bring people together through art. Finding comfort incolor and peace in faith, her multidisciplinary works honor her Vietnamese culturalheritage and shine a light on larger storiesof shared humanity. “We have to draw strength from our community […]
Angela Johal seems, as her work does, to conjure up and harness energies that have been waiting for just that moment. Order and intensity, color fill and negative space, control and free flow, all emanate from and embody her and her work.
With Digging Sound Collect, photographer Abraham Menor utilizes his masterful eye for the moment to elevate the seemingly mundane exercise of collecting records into a celebration of culture and heritage.
“Five, four, three, two…” Standing in his living room, where bright teal couches and dark walnut cabinets complement cerulean walls, Paul counts down to his own interview: “Are you ready for launch? Let’s go!” In the world of artist and designer Paul J. Gonzalez, possibility is as limitless as outer space. No conversation is ordinary, […]
West Valley College’s innovative reimagining of the community college experience provides students with a well-rounded education emphasizing creative expression and critical thinking.
Yoon Chung Han brings together two building blocks of San Jose—art and technology. Her project allows residents to record their stories verbally and then use that recording to create a 3D-printed artwork using recycled materials.
The benefit of loving your hometown is that if you close your eyes, you can see it in any season. It imprints itself onto you. Artist Rubén Darío Villa can see his hometown of Gilroy clear as day. Through his art he speaks of his culture, his home, and the history he lives with. His […]
Artist and designer Sarah Williams evokes the nostalgia of the everyday with her sharp but expressive linework.
A San Jose native, Mesngr is a self-taught illustrator, street artist, mentor, and teacher. The rebellious start to his journey blossomed into his work becoming part of the visual landscape of San Jose. Large mural works in Japantown, a high school mascot mural for the Yerba Buena Warriors, and his large bus and character piece in the Alameda Artworks parking lot are just a few works bearing the Mesgnr handle.
Born and raised in the city of San Jose, Girafa has been writing graffiti across many Bay Area neighborhoods. It wasn’t until his conviction three years ago that he was forced to take time off for self evaluation.
This gallery started as a traveling pop-up and moved into a storefront across the street from San Jose City Hall. The shop, as it’s referred to by the small team that runs it, is owned by local real estate agent and art supporter, Andrew Espino.
Graphic designer Shannon Knepper cut her creative teeth in Seattle and Pittsburgh, but for the past five years, she’s called San Jose home. With a focus on printmaking, Shannon creates greeting cards, T-shirts, and other 2D art through her brand, War Admiral Press.
Many artists focus on only one type of media for their entire career, but Avery Palmer isn’t like most artists. He has delved deeply into painting, drawing, and ceramic sculpting throughout different phases of his life. Inspired by surrealist painters such as Salvador Dali, his figurative art presents cryptic metaphorical scenarios exploring the complex nature of human existence
Painter, Tyson Johnston, and his paintings—with their bold fantastical images in thick layers of watercolor and other media—reach out powerfully to audiences, in both theme and style.
If you run into Jai Tanju, he’s either somewhere in San Jose on his bike, camera in hand, or out on a skate or photography trip in some serene and strange landscape, or he could be in Seeing Things Gallery, which he owns and operates.
Ricardo Cortez embodies San Jose’s culture at its core, combing his love of art and the lowrider community. He earned his master of fine arts in digital art at San Jose State University. Cortez developed his graphic design and fine art practice within the intersection of technology, sculpture, and culture.
Filling in the cracks of modern culture with fantasy. Kathy Aoki’s satirical work lives within the cracked veneer of modern society, driven by concept and executed by any medium necessary.
Miguel Machuca likes working in charcoal because it’s like ash—like what his body will one day become.
The Cilker School of Art and Design has developed a world-class community college of art and design that exposes students to cutting-edge technology and critical thinking.
Amy Hibbs is a visual artist and environmentalist whose work addresses themes of belonging and empathy through interaction with the urban landscape. With a desire to increase healing for individuals, communities, and ecosystems, Hibbs uses a variety of media and techniques to highlight the dualities of joy and pain, beauty and disgust, slow and fast.
By day, Cromwell Schubarth is editor of TechFlash and senior technology reporter at the Silicon Valley Business Journal. By night, Schubarth puts down the digital camera and pursues his passion for instant photography. Using a variety of old and new film types, Schubarth captures the artistic side of the Bay Area through a retro lens.
Content Emerging Artist 2022 “I see a beautiful mirroring of papermaking to mental health as a whole because while people can be delicate, people are also so tough and resilient.” Bay Area native Chelsea Stewart dances in her studio with a brush in each hand, pushing paint together before it has a chance to dry. […]
Reyes Muertos Klothing was originally the brainchild of artist and lifelong San Jose resident Carlos Rodriguez.
Staying inside the lines has never been Pilar Agüero-Esparza’s style. Over her 30 years as a practicing artist, she’s evolved from producing traditional two-dimensional art to creating three-dimensional pieces that address issues of culture, race, and home life.
A quilted red, white, and grey American flag stitched from carpenter’s pants, suits, collared shirts, and scraps of red ties. The delightfully unexpected choice of materials is common throughout Ryan Carrington’s work.
In the heart of San Jose’s SOFA district, across from the fluorescence of Anno Domini and ambers of Café Stritch, is the unassuming home of Aedis Architecture & Planning in the W. Prussia Building designed by W.H. Weeks. The firm sits atop a growing marketplace, driven by the passion of Senior Principal Thang N. Do.
A full-time artist with her own studio at the Alameda Artworks, Yolanda has been teaching art for eleven years. Born in San Jose as the youngest of nine, she chose to pursue her BFA in Art while her classmates became engineers or graphic illustrators.
When Abby Bettencourt thinks about describing her creative process, she imagines a carousel. She envisions a steady rotation of ideas circling through her mind, like the ornate rides at fairs and amusement parks. The ideas glide by, passing out of view to ruminate in the background, then resurface once more for assessment and reinterpretation. Nothing is ever fixed, but always in motion and guided by the fluidity of change.
In 1996, a week before his studio space was set for demolition as part of a Redevelopment Agency project, Ken Matsumoto saw it—a “for rent” sign on the old North-Side Walnut processing plant in the heart of Japantown. It was fate and a journey that would eventually lead to the start of Art Object Gallery. […]
Ezra Mara was born in Russia, where she received her MFA before moving to the US more than 20 years ago. Her work has been shown in galleries across the country, as well as in Moscow. Her quarantine oil-on-canvas series, Ana’s Days, shows the same woman posing against a variety of backgrounds, her expression stoic and resigned.
Santa Clara County Office of Education’s Sunol Community Day School has worked in partnership with SV Creates to guide students through collaborative processes to create murals that explore social justice themes.
Local artist Gianfranco Paolozzi has some interesting ideas about change, failure and the things we buy only to discard.
Cuong Nguyen’s paintings give the sense that if one were to reach out to the painting, one would be able to feel the texture of skin and the life that he imbues onto canvases, a feeling long associated with classical styles of painting. His work demands that viewers stop to study the portraits he paints in hopes of absorbing every detail into their minds. “It’s realism, but drawing humans doesn’t have to be so realistic,” says Nguyen. “It doesn’t have to be every wrinkle of the skin. I don’t go for that.”
A 20,000 square-foot abandoned grocery store on State Street, between Third and Fourth Streets in Los Altos, has recently opened as a modern food hall after four years of planning and repurposing. The project was led by Los Altos Community Investments (LACI) founder and principal Anne Wojcicki, also of 23andMe. She envisioned transforming the space into a vibrant community hub and extension to the Los Altos Farmers Market. LACI partnered with Gensler’s San Jose office to bring that vision to reality.
Jumping in headfirst. That’s how Haley Cardamon would describe her explosive entry into the magazine industry. Born and raised in East San Jose, Cardamon harbors a deep love for not only the city of San Jose as a whole, but more specifically, the creativity and diversity she sees all around her—creativity that she believes is often overshadowed by San Jose’s notoriety in the tech industry.
Sammy Koh’s landscape paintings are an invitation. Though photorealistic in detail—each frond of a palm tree drawn with a tiny brush—they present as open-ended offerings more than a precise, predetermined point of view. Like the way Sammy views her life, moments of beauty in nature are fleeting. But they can be evoked, regifted, to facilitate peace and healing.
Though artist and craftsman Nicholas “Knoffy” Knopf has been immersed in creating art since a third grade writing project entitled “Attack of the Melting Zombies,” it wasn’t until this past year that he found the courage to share his work with others. Those admiring his work today, however, are given a look into his journey through a palette of creative experiences and influences that still inform his bold and surreal yet relatable work.
These sweet and naughty, sexy and peachy girls do it all: thighs and plump asses galore, they reflect inner dialogues you just might relate to.
Flowers are intertwined with feelings—and Jose Ibarra and Efrain Escalante of Apis Floral get that.
Conrad is a Ghanaian artist based in Detroit, working in figurative narratives of the African Diaspora. His work blends religious and West African folk iconography within domestic scenes, portraying a deep understanding of the history of portraiture. He utilizes shaped canvases and relief elements to reference stamps and postcards as metaphors for migration; journals, books, binder tabs, and chapters as metaphors for time and the archiving of ideas.
From an aerial angle, the landscape is broken down in a patchwork of shapes and condensed colors like a massive, earthy quilt. Linda Gass captures that feeling through her map-like “stitched paintings,” art that addresses water and land-use issues in California and the American West.
Sawyer Rose is a sculptor and installation artist who has been working on a project called the Carrying Stones that is currently on display at the NUMU through January 23, 2022.
Over the last three years, Stacy developed an entirely nontoxic techniques that are fast and get quick results—using a process of cutting out stencil board and using the stencil board in a combination of masking as printing elements.
When Cynthia Cao was a young girl, her mother liked to reward her with trips to Michaels. There, she would buy stamps for her collection. It was an inexpensive way to encourage creativity—drawing and painting were her childhood hobbies when she wasn’t reading or playing outside, happily entertained with the family pets.
Even as a baby, Sara V Cole held art materials in her hands. Her mother inspired her to find no limit in her creativity, and Cole truly hasn’t.
If you’ve ever participated in the First Friday Art Walk, or seen the Phantom Galleries while strolling downtown, or been in to Kaleid Gallery, you’ve probably heard about Anno Domini, operated by Brian Eder and Cherri Lakey, two very passionate individuals who have set out to cultivate the art scene in San Jose.
Ally Spray is an 18-year-old, visual artist. She creates many of her abstract works of art on paper using Sharpie markers and pens. Most contain vibrant and colorful creations with detailed patterns, shapes, and lines.
As Francisco Ramirez grew up, art became a form of escapism from a turbulent home life. It was a hobby for a long time. Only recently has Ramirez begun taking it seriously, picking up mural work and other commissions to keep himself afloat.
Is it real art or is it digital art? This is the question that San Jose artist Joseph Arruda is frequently asked, and his answer is: both. Influenced by award-winning American artist and writer Bill Sienkiewicz’s aesthetic to “learn all the rules so you can fundamentally figure out when to ignore them,” Arruda creates what he calls an “art hack,” mixing a variety of digital and traditional techniques to create his abstract and portraiture artwork.
Born in Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico, Claudia Blanco was surrounded by art from birth. Blanco’s father was a part-time jeweler whose font books fascinated her as a child, as did the painted signs and screens sitting around the screenprinting shop her uncle ran.
Jonathan Crow’s stylistic theme fits into the context of current events, but our quarantine and global pandemic increase the emotional potency for viewers. His art may reveal hard truths while also offering a catharsis that brings you back from the void.
Artist Isaac S. Lewin is a multidisciplinary artist with a studio at the School of Visual Philosophy in San Jose. He creates unique sculptural pieces in two different styles: signs that contain text-like forms with no concrete meaning and large, three-dimensional, welded-metal wireframe structures.
While spray painting on canvas remains his primary mode of artmaking, the phrase “the world is your canvas” holds literal meaning for Fernando Amaro, Jr.
There’s a picture book kind of playfulness to Diane Villadsen’s photos. Not only do they practically twirl with sprightly youth and wonder, but they also toy with colors and shapes. They remind the viewer to let out that inner kid for a breath of fresh air.
Finding inspiration in skateboarding and the world around him for his crisp, allusive art.
Art can do a lot of good things for people—it can make them feel like they never have, articulate previously unknown emotions, provide direction and open the heart, and given the right (or wrong) circumstances, art can even save a life.
Marie Cameron is a Los Gatos artist who usually works in oils and mixed media assemblage. However, during the pandemic, she has been embroidering silk rainbows onto vintage photographs.
Japantown Augmented Reality Project Unearths the History of a Unique Neighborhood.
It’s tempting to say that Blaise Rosenthal has moved from his professional snowboarding career to being an artist, but it is more accurate to say that Blaise, who has been drawing since childhood, is merely now devoting his creative energies to his paintings. How would you describe your work?I would say it’s more environmental. My […]
Ruben Escalante suffered a heart attack as a freshman in high school. But this is only surprising until Ruben reveals the trauma he endured as a child: the father who went out at least once a week and came home drunk, angry, and violent; the early death of the grandfather who was the only one that could subdue his dad’s temper; the constant and vicious attacks at school by bullies who could not accept a sensitive, poetry-loving brown boy.
As a teenager, Doug Hughmanick’s creative outlet was graffiti: spray paint was his medium of choice, and the South Bay was his canvas. Someone suggested he channel his artistic abilities into art school, an idea he had never thought of before. Hughmanick found out about Academy of Art in San Francisco and was intrigued. Two years into the art school experience, he realized a career in design was his future.
Color is abundant in artist Erika Gómez Henao’s work. Through the use of several artistic mediums, including painting, performance, and ceramics, the vibrancy of Gómez Henao’s work captures audience attention, while her choice in subject matter commands it. Born and raised in Colombia, Gómez Henao credits her love of color to the richness of both her culture and the area where she grew up.
Originally from South Pasadena, artist Fanny Retsek attended Loyola Marymount College for a degree in European history before relocating to the Bay Area in her late twenties. Her interest in art grew out of a study of art history, and after moving to the Bay, Retsek earned an MFA at SJSU with a focus on printmaking.
Martha Sakellariou began her journey earning multiple degrees from the Athens School of Fine Arts in Greece. She went on to obtain her MA in printmaking from the Royal College of Art in London. In 2005 she worked as the Creative and Art Program director for a climate change awareness program for Friends of the Earth, London. In 2013, her family moved to the Bay Area where she now holds a studio space as an independent visual artist with the Cubberley Artist Studio Program in Palo Alto.
Tony May’s 1920s downtown home is peaceful, with dried leaves hanging from strings, handcrafted cupboards displaying his and others’ work, and the soft hum of water boiling for a cup of tea. There is the normal collection of items that gather after living in a place for nearly forty years.
I’ve always told our employees who want to rise in management, just go out and hire people who are incredibly smart. Smarter than you…
Robert Ragazza finds inspiration on the tough streets of San Jose, and through his photographs, exposes the city’s heart.
At his show “Almost Famous,” held at Cukui last March, Jay Aguilar completely covered the single wall he was given with his photography. From nearly floor to ceiling, each meticulously placed, independently developed square shot portrayed various local scenesters and musicians. The sheer volume of his work was overwhelming, but what made the evening extra special was how each portrait brought back memories of the many shows he had memorialized on film.
Using a variety of mediums, from photography to linoleum cuts, Anabella Piñon finds visual symbolism in the tumbleweed’s transient form.
Gabriel Edwards, who goes by Gabe, is a full-time artist and dad, living with his wife and daughter in San Jose, and with a son on the way. Over the past six years, Gabe has been working on two large, ongoing projects: drawing collages of objects from horror films using a style called “knolling,” where the artist arranges various objects in parallel with each other on paper, and recording his own audiobooks on cassette.
Although a visual artist now, Matthew Heimgartner was initially drawn to the creative world through storytelling. Writing stories throughout his childhood in San Jose and adding doodles in the margins, it wasn’t until 2017 that he made what he considers the official switch—that is, showing his artwork publicly.
School of Visual Philosophy: An Arts Revolution. Yori and Danna Seeger, husband and wife, new parents, artists, educators, and revolutionaries.
Their passion for art and community lead them to launch the School of Visual Philosophy in 2013. The vision was to provide a place for artists to learn, create, and develop a new pedagogy for creative craftsmanship and art.
The Montalvo Arts Center, besides being a beautiful local park, is home to a number of artists from all over the world.
What kinds of people become full-time artists? Sometimes it’s the kind that meticulously plotted their futures, enlisting in daily portfolio camps and yearly summer intensives. Other times, it’s the kind—like Kristina Micotti—who let their careers evolve naturally, flowing with the course of their lives, somehow winding up exactly where they wanted to be. In every way Micotti interacts with her creative practice—whether in choosing it, developing it, or taking it full-time—Micotti proves that you don’t always need to plan. Sometimes it just works out.
Joshua Curry’s studio is a tech haven saturated with LEDs and wires, screens flickering abstract visuals, gently humming monitors, a congregation of speakers, and two electric keyboards…
During her career, Susan Sayre Batton has held a number of art museum positions, including deputy director at Honolulu Academy of Arts, collections consultant at Norton Simon Museum, and her current position as Oshman Executive Director at San Jose Museum of Art.
Gallerist Emily McEwan-Upright opens Gallery 1202, offering a home for marginalized and underrepresented voices in the art world.
Painting Prodigy and Regular Kid. At age 14, Tyler Gordon and his art are already in the national spotlight.
Chris Elliman moved to the US from England in his teens, when his father landed an industrial design position at Apple in 1985. Through his creativity, talent, and persuasive persona, he finds himself thoroughly linked to the creative culture and history of the South Bay and Downtown San Jose.
So much of makers’ making takes place outside of the public eye, the effort is embedded deeply and meaningfully in their products, but is perhaps not readily apparent to the naked eye. There is a particular joy that comes from encountering a maker like Allysarhaye Graciano of BlackSheepMade, who can often be found during events crocheting or hand-knitting something on the spot for a customer, such as one of her incredibly popular pet beds, one-of-a-kind rugs, or elegant plant hangers.
Everything about Harumo Sato attains a critical mass of joy, color, and wonder. You can see it in her paintings and murals, where every character she draws could be your otherworldly spirit friend.
Explore downtown Campbell and you’ll find The Cruiser Shop tucked inside a Valley-of-the-Heart’s-Delight-era courtyard on Campbell Avenue. Walk inside and you’ll meet Dominick Guida….
Starting out as an actor but ending up as a director, Diamond eventually made his way up to Chicago where a vibrant and extensive small-theater scene welcomed him. Soon, he was running a small theater company with his friends, but meeting after meeting led Diamond to experience something of a crisis of faith. “[I] had a major life crisis and pretty much quit theater forever,” Diamond says. “It was then I decided I wanted to make visual art, particularly visual and graphic design.”
Over the last half-century, Silicon Valley has become the global center of innovation—the world’s brightest minds flock here in droves.
A vegan, eco-conscious artist who paints endangered species into reclaimed wood and uses soy-based ink and plant-based packaging might sound intimidating—but Brittni Paul expresses her passion with graciousness: it’s not about being perfect, it’s about being informed.
At 20 years old and homeless, it was the gift of a paint set and easel that presented Patrick Hofmeister with a path to find his inner strength. Through art, the San Jose native discovered a compulsion to create, thus giving himself a sense of purpose and determination. Patrick immersed himself in the many different styles that came his way, first absorbing the likes of painter Mars-1 and pop surrealist Greg Simkins, among many others. Like Simkins, Patrick dabbled in graffiti at an early age. While he didn’t commit to developing his skills in this style, elements of graffiti gradients still influence his work.
The tools are few—paint, a brush, a blank wall, and an idea. Yet it is the artistry of working up close while maintaining the integrity of the larger picture that makes murals so fascinating. These transformed walls are portals that can take you to another place, another thought process, another view on life. It is through these modern tapestries that San Jose culture is expressed and defined, inviting viewers to pause to reflect on who we are as a society and what are our ideals. The following are only a few of the many wonderful murals throughout San Jose.
Have you ever noticed how anything of worth—careers, relationships, books, antique vases—gains value not from the finish line, but from the journey? That attentive (sometimes painstaking) development provides rich meaning. It’s the reason why, when Chelsea Stewart paints, she’s much more fascinated with the process than the product.
Rayos works full-time for a non-profit community health clinic, but having to work from home during the shelter-in-place (SIP) has blurred the lines between business and a sacred space for pleasure and relaxation. A wrench has been thrown into his normal routine since, like many of us, once he rolls out of bed, he is already in his office. His art has become his saving grace, giving him structure and routine as he enters his studio.
Bay Area native Metz grew up in Sunnyvale. After studying sculpture at the University of Oregon, she settled back in San Jose with her high tech husband. “When I came back, I didnʼt have any connection with anybody art-related around here,” says Metz.
The SVArts program annually awards prestigious honors to Santa Clara County-based artists in a variety of categories and disciplines…
Alan Rath’s body of work is the journey that results from exploring this and other questions about our relationship to the things we build. For the artist, the journey began as a childhood curiosity with the mystery surrounding machinery.
Although artist and illustrator Allison Marie Garcia is still in school, her artwork shows the technical poise, confidence, and restraint of a veteran artist.
Artist | Educator | Activist Artist, educator, and activist Jessica Gutierrez might be new to the San Jose arts scene, but she’s already having an impact. A teacher at James Lick High School, Gutierrez first became involved with the arts community through her work at Be the Change Yoga, integrating art into their public programs […]
An art window into China Jianhua Shu pours green tea into a shallow bowl and pauses in a busy day of preparing for an…
Watercolor seems to have its own mind. Suhita Shirodkar, a local artist involved in the Urban Sketchers Movement, fills the pages of her journals…
Rising from Humbling Beginnings People entrust you to do something that’s going to be permanent on their bodies, so you’ve got to not take…
We were honored to have interviewed and considered Susan O’Malley a friend. Her soft voice, gentle spirit and kindness is reflected in her work. We were inspired by her desire to make a positive change in our world. We will miss her and her influence. Our prayers and condolences go out to her family.
Halfdan Hussey and Kathleen Powell, 25 years of Film Festivals Together Congratulations, 25 years working closely together. Longer than some marriages. How have you…
Frances Marin is a multifaceted artist who paints, designs, and illustrates original and commissioned artwork. Taking on a variety of projects—from painting people’s dreams to creating large paper installations—keeps her open and always growing and exploring as an artist.
Art gives us the ability to speak freely without worrying if you are going to get in trouble or not. It’s the freedom of…
Joe Miller has always had a thing for words. As owner and principal designer of graphic design firm, Joe Miller’s Company, he specializes in “identity and brand development through graphic, typographic, and environmental design.” Miller has worked with companies like Atari, HP, and The New York Times, as well as several local organizations. As Lecturer […]
Lacey Bryant’s curiously innocent demeanor, cloaked in an army jacket and paint-spotted boots, does not convey the depth of her talent or the grandeur…