This was one of our stops on our little free adventure day…read more Gallery 9 was a gorgeous gallery space, very well situated in downtown Los Altos and had a front end artist resident along with several back area un-sold pieces from past shows by other artists. I loved several (already sold sadly) pieces from the resident artist Naomi Mindelzun and of the pieces in the back area really gravitated to the two men fishing - the artist adored the water and it absolutely came through. The reason for the four over the five for me is that many of the back section pieces felt amateurish. Many of the artists seemed newer and less honed in their skill, and it showed in what Gallery 9 portrayed. When we left the honey even commented that he was shocked by the watercolors presented, as he is currently taking a watercolor class and felt several students had produced higher quality work from that class. All in all the service was polite, if not completely hands off (what I personally look for in a gallery) and I would definitely stop by again.

nice little art gallery in the heart of downtown los altos. a little on the small side, but very…read morenice and quaint. i'd walked by this place many times, but never stopped in, until last week, when i saw a sign for an artists' reception/open house. the open house had complimentary beverages and finger foods, which was extra incentive for us to attend. they showcased a large number of artists, with a wide variety of talents. i saw paintings (oil, watercolour), sculptures, hand-made jewelry, greeting cards and other art forms. i was very impressed with what i saw, and i felt the artists arranged their work very tastefully, given the small space that is available. everyone here is very friendly and happy to converse with you about his/her work. i guess this is what you get from a small, locally owned business - friendly, down-to-earth folks who love what they do, but don't push their business/agenda onto you (like many large businesses do). i purchased several greeting cards on my way out, and was offered the chance to be on their mailing list for future events/promotions, to which i accepted. note that they have artists' receptions roughly once a month. i would definitely go back for another artists' reception as i really liked what i saw here.

Love Pace Gallery! This location is small so you'll probably only spend about 15 minutes looking…read morearound. Sign up for their email list so you'll be first to hear about new exhibitions. Because of COVID, you have to sign up for timed (free) tickets to get in. Pre-COVID, they used to have opening receptions with drinks for new exhibitions, so I hope they'll bring those back once it's safe to do so! A great spot to stop by and look at art before getting drinks and dinner in the area.

Great date spot. Clean space. Minimalist and currently featuring Chinese artists…read more This is a fun place to come up with stories of each piece of art and then have Taylor give you a tour with the history of the artists. Come before dinner.

My husband and I visited this lovely Gallery when we were in Los Altos the other day…read more It was the ammonite in the window display that had attracted me to discover more Debra and Chris were most helpful and friendly telling me more about it. We also enjoyed meeting unexpectedly two very nice interesting men , Jason and David . Although we did not buy anything that day it sure was a fun experience looking around at all the beautiful creations

Debra and Mark are AMAZING people and there 2 stores are beautiful with options for everyone and…read moreanyone. My cousin was grieving for the loss of her father and they both helped her with crystals/stones that could assist with her healing process. But again, they are such amazing people with wonderful souls. I feel so lucky and grateful we happened to walk into their 2 stores. We each purchased stones and crystals that have helped us both. Love this duo ;)

We've had several items framed by Paolo, including this antique ukiyo-e print. It's always been a…read moregreat experience, especially when I don't know exactly what I want, because Paolo is good at using his artistic eye to help me explore the options and find one that satisfies my own taste.

We had a very special (and challenging) large piece from Bhutan that needed special care &…read morecreativity. Paulo came through for us in a big way! We can't say enough good things about our experience. If you need your art handled by a true artist, Paolo is it. If we could give him 10 stars we would!

Cute little gallery located in the heart of downtown Palo Alto! I think they feature local and…read moreinternational artists. I liked how it was very clean and informative - they had all the artist/painting information laid out as well as their books/prices. They have a main gallery room as well as another smaller side gallery. If you're exploring Palo Alto downtown or interested in art exhibitions, would recommend stopping by!

Qualia Contemporary Art Gallery is a welcoming breath of fresh air in a high tech heavy…read moremetropolitan area without much attention given to cultural developments. Ms Daxue Xu, the artistic director of the gallery, and the guest curator Professor Xiaoze Xie from Department of Art and Art History in Stanford have a keen sense for art works that reflect the current socio-political and cultural changes on the global stage with an emphasis on how the East and the West arrive at the same place from different starting points. The artworks selected for exhibitions express the artists' sentiments and thoughts in a lucid and poignant manner that it is hard for the audience not to be touched in some way. Ms Xu lives up to the apt name of the newly founded gallery. The first exhibition titled "Catastrophic Beauty: Art in the Age of the Anthropocene" curated by Professor Xie takes on an unanticipated angle of discovering beauty in catastrophe. Shang Yang is a leading avant-garde Chinese artist well versed in ink, oil and mixed media. Unlike his contemporaries who took on an idealist or disillusioned or cynical views on modernity in China, Shang Yang takes a less traversed path of bringing awareness to environmental impact of modernity by alluding to ancient ink paintings and socio-political objects. The Decay series exhibited is an extension of his signature Dong QiChang series in which his attenuated criticism towards environmental impact from modern reforms is directed towards the socio-political areana. The beauty lies in his tasteful manner of fusing ancient Chinese ink painting aesthetics and western styles. John Sabraw turned the environmental impact on its head by converting contaminated water into sustainable pigments used in his paintings reminiscent of Chinese ink wash techniques. The East and the West meet at multiple levels. The following solo exhibition highlighting Cate White and Sean Howe shifts gears to younger artists with contemporary styles. Cate White juxtaposes well known paintings with modern scenes of herself, her friends and family. Her stand on her self image, race and women's rights are vociferously displayed. The imaginative and childlike works of Sean Howe contrast the subtle messages on the impact of modernity on who we are and how we live. The most recent solo exhibition centers on foreign born American artists Stella Zhang and Yulia Pinkusevich. Stella Zhang was born into a Chinese artistic family, proficiently trained in traditional Chinese ink paintings since a young age. Her mature art works at times are in contemporary Western style; at times coalesce traditional Chinese aesthetics and philosophy with Western modern and postmodern styles. Her Internal Landscape series is a prime example of the latter. From a distance it resembles traditional ink landscape paintings. Close up one detects suggestions of human spine and nervous system with a vivid sense of qi flowing through - the ancient Chinse concept of energy source in all lives - brought about by heightened tension and release. An exemplary traditional Chinese ink landscape painting takes one to the ultimate state of serene transcendence. Stella Zhang's works are a captivating novel take leading one to an alternate transcendent state of aliveness, tension and release. Yulia Pinkusevich, a Ukrainian artist who lived through Cold War, expressed her intrigue of the dispassionate calculations of the impact of nuclear weapons with their calamitous implications in Isorithm series. The rationalization in the rational calculation of the damage by nuclear weapons is erringly tranquil in her works. There is this sense of dissociation watching chaos unfolding from the ruptures in Isorithm series that is perhaps too familiar to those traumatized by catastrophic events. This brings us back to the first exhibition where catastrophe meets beauty.

With its bright and airy ambiance, the new art gallery on Santa Cruz Ave offers a friendly and…read morewelcoming atmosphere for art enthusiasts and casual visitors alike. The gallery showcases a diverse collection of paintings, along with both functional and decorative ceramics. It's also a perfect spot to find a unique card or gift. Check out the back wall, where you'll find an array of smaller paintings and ceramic pieces.

The new location of the gallery in Menlo Park is a light and airy space, highlighting local artist…read more The gallery is run my co-op member artist who are friendly and knowledgeable about the art and artist. A very welcoming space on Santa Cruz avenue.

What to do after brunch on Sunday in Palo Alto? Head to the Foster! Parking is a breeze, the…read moreadmission is free, and the experience works for all ages! As a dabbler in watercolors, I was transfixed--some of these paintings are huge--and he does not use photographs! As an educator, my mind was brimming with opportunities to integrate his work into humanities and human geography classes. The Foster website has excellent resources. This is a must see if you are in the area!

This turned out to be one of my favorite stops, especially when I'm in between appointments in Palo…read moreAlto. I knew in advance that on Thursdays (2nd & 4th weeks only), the public street parking in front of the building was off limits for street sweeping/no parking between 7am-11am, so I got very lucky pulling up in front at 11am sharp. Nice. Easy walk. The Foster Museum was very simple, decent, positive, and relaxing environment filled with gorgeous nature views/sketches/watercolor artworks by the U.K. artist, Tony Foster. Good feeling here. Free admissions and good customer service staffs. You can just walk in or register online. There's a tiny gift area not far from the public restrooms. I signed the guestbook at the end of my walk. Good place to hang around/includes unlimited paper, paper/pencils/samples/etc. If you like to sketch and get some creative inspirations, all the nature artworks in the gallery is definitely a good place to start. Not huge, but perfectly quite and calm for art lovers. You can request for an orientation and/or tour as desired. Great first impression during first visit. It's the positive feeling I get from observing the energy and various colorful artworks. Simple and stress-free. Good value/free admissions is totally worth the 1-2 hours here. They also host art classes too, but I will need to take time to browse around online. Good vibes. Staffs are friendly inside. Hidden place. Love it.