Wonderful art and great to be able to experience classes as well. Super friendly staff who support…read moreartists of all ages.

Carmel Valley Art Association is a fantastic experience in art!…read moreThe moment you walk into their new gallery location it is such a breath of fresh air! Vibrant colors and gorgeous artwork and the people...they are so warm and friendly! It almost feels like you have known them for years as good friends! I highly encourage everyone to come see the stunning artwork at their new place in Carmel Valley Village!

The thing about art is that the inspired artist creates it and the buyer takes inspiration from the…read moreart, interpreting it how they need it. Sometimes they may be on the same wavelength, sometimes it can evoke a totally different emotion with the buyer. Rarely does one get the opportunity to hear from the artist about what their piece meant to them before it's sold. For this reason, it was so special to visit Patricia Qualls' studio and to hear the emotion and energy that went into each painting in her studio. To me it adds value to each piece having that personal insight into her heart that is laid out on canvas. I loved that some paintings originated with an emotion, or event, others with a new painting tool. I was particularly inspired by her "Dignity of Differences" collection sparked by her son's path through dyslexia. The stories of the public's response to her collection are so moving! She, and Catrina, are welcoming hostesses! The studio space is so peaceful, open and flooded with natural light. It's like a peek behind the curtain to see the works-in-progress and tools that are right along side the finished artwork. I look forward to returning with my family to share this intimate introduction to her work! To hear the full story of my one-woman writing retreat weekend to Carmel Valley and Monterey, check out my blog (in my profile). Full report coming soon!

From the owner: Very Large Abstract ART. Patricia Qualls Contemporary Art is a hidden gem in Carmel Valley, a…read morebeautiful 1200 sq. ft gallery with 15-foot ceilings and a half dozen skylights that bring sunshine to each high-impact painting.

The Pacific Grove Art Center always has a wonderful variety of art. Many times they display our…read moretalented youth's efforts. Every space is imbued with a history of creativity. If those walls could speak, oh the stories they would tell!

The Art Center was formed in 1969 the year Pacific Grove sold alcohol for the first time. The Art…read moreCenter during its first opening that July 4th weekend served alcohol. Ironically the woman, ElMarie Dyke, who was it's first director and founder was a staunch prohibitionist. The green awning over the front door can't possibly prepare a first timer for what will unfold once the stairs have been climbed. Four galleries, 16 artist studios, a ballet school and an art classroom, The Art Center completely changes all of their exhibits every 7 weeks. It is the busiest gallery space in Monterey County. Run by an all volunteer board and a skeleton crew. If you are thinking about donating to the arts you will get your money's worth here. The Art Center specializes in exhibiting unknown, local and controversial artists. Some of my favorite shows have been by: Hurricane Katrina victims, Center for Non-Violence, Carol Baker's silk paintings, Kira Corser, Kim Weston, Richard Greenberg, The Metal Arts Guild. I consider PGAC the jewel of downtown Pacific Grove. You haven't seen PG until you've seen this place. A testament to the conviction of it's local citizens to the arts who have cared for it over 40 years I am sorry it is not wheelchair accessible. They have tried for may years to get an elevator but they do not own the building.

Gorgeous space - simply put…read more I used to drive by here all the time and couldn't figure out what this place was. This weekend I attended a wedding/wedding reception at Carmel Valley Art Center and it was beautiful. If you are looking for a simple yet elegant and classy setting for a special occasion then look no further. Located near the village this place is steps away from a few wine tasting rooms and is just a lovely setting for a unique celebration.

Gorgeous, great to work with, incredible wine…read more We held our wedding reception here and it was absolutely perfect. The cost to rent the space was totally reasonable and included coordination help from their adorable, friendly, and super-helpful marketing and events staff, Jessica. And of course, the wines served at the wedding - all from Georis - were divine.

This gentleman does beautiful glass work! his pumpkins and Christmas ornaments are wonderful, me…read moreand my family have a large collection but his large glass sculptures are the highlights! I hope to acquire one soon!

From the owner: Meticulously crafted hand blown glass ranging from small ornamental collectables to sophisticated…read morecontemporary glass sculptures.

I contacted Alan Masaoka about designing a stained glass window for our new home. We just moved and…read moreI wanted to update the look and put my own touches to our new space. Our home was very 1997 and in need of an update to a 2020 more modern feel. Working with Alan was such a pleasure. His creative process and artistic talent was more than I expected. My thoughts were for a window with an Art Nouveau look. I wanted the look of a tree branch with a flowing soft look to it. My plan was for one window at my front door entrance. What Alan created was more than I could have imagined. Alan created a piece that is so beautiful and stunning. We were so pleased with the design we had Alan create four additional windows. Each additional window has its own creative design and feel to it. I truly enjoyed working with Alan. His creative process and attention to detail makes him one of the best Stained Glass Artists in his field.

We actually stumbled on Masaoka Glass Design while window shopping after breakfast. The owner,…read moreAlan, was just opening up and invited us in. We were immediately taken with his gallery-cat Rusty (who is VERY friendly) and while petting the cat and chatting with Alan, I mentioned in passing that it would be neat to see the glass blowing process some time. Alan said there was glass blowing going on right then, and to come on back. So we got a very cool front row seat to the glass blowers making a large glass flower. It was very interesting, and quite generous of them and Alan to let us observe (and ask a few questions). Afterwards, we bought a couple of blown glass pumpkins that look great in our garden window (the light really brings out the different colors). For the quality and workmanship involved, the prices are pretty reasonable (I think they were around $20 for the smallest pumpkins, to $100+ for the largest ones). Beautiful glass ornaments (about 4 inches in diameter) were $24. It looks like the gallery rotates items in and out every few months, so the "holiday" themed pieces will probably be replaced with something else soon. Highly recommended!

This gallery is in a gorgeous space with lots of variety in the art displayed. They are very kind…read morein their commissions to artists and have a quite different approach. Right now there is a live competition with artists painting two huge panels. Fun to watch the artists at work.

From the owner: We're the largest art gallery on the Monterey Peninsula. 10,000 square feet of paintings and…read moresculpture.

Not much to say here except we've worked with Bret at Zantman for a number of years now and they…read morehave been fantastic. The art is varied, they bring new styles into the gallery and at all times the entire staff have been more than accommodating so I couldn't recommend then high enough. We've even been invited to artist parties and not got ejected for wearing jeans so that's also a major plus :-)

Walk down any street in downtown Carmel and swing a soap-on-a-rope you'll likely hit the window of…read morean art gallery. Once in awhile one or two pieces might catch my eye when I walk by, but really nothing I wanted to pursue or check out further. Then I happened to walk by Zantman and was was transported to that spot that art lovers have described but which I've never experienced till then. For me, the art was moving, moody and drew me in to a story I hadn't yet told or heard. The gallery owner was welcoming and didn't make me feel like I was out of my league. Sadly, I don't have the art lover's budget, but if I did, this is where I'd spend it.

Ben provides insight into the artists, but also how to best match a piece or transition from one…read morestyle to another within the same room. Although I don't care what anyone thinks of the inside of my house, this type of consideration would be extremely valuable for those feeling nervous and judged about what art goes on their walls. Excellent, affordable selection!

I have visited their sister gallery in Palm Desert so decided to visit the Carmel gallery. A great…read moreselection of incredible art on display. Friendly staff on the premises to help you and answer questions about the works of art. Very interesting how the sales person explained how some of the paintings were done. One of my favorite being a modern art piece of brlliant colors blended together, that was created by being inspired by his wife"s colorful garden. Some of the paintings actually looked more like a real photograph than a painting. Such amazing talent. I really love this gallery.