Stories From Behind The Art

The gondolier's stripe takes years to earn. The light that glows off Venice's canals has no equal. The story behind the art — and the piece is available to bring home.

We're embracing the beloved "sip and paint" concept in El Cajon, but with our own twist — hosting the event at a coffee shop and art gallery, where the art on the walls (from both hobbyists and professionals) surrounds and inspires us, the aroma of fresh coffees and teas fills the air, and the beverages themselves aren't just for sipping. They're part of the palette. That's right — we'll be creating pieces using both traditional pigments and actual coffee and teas.

This piece was created as part of the San Diego Splendor collection—a growing body of work that reflects the beauty, history, and quiet character of this region. Designed as a fine art print, it offers a way to bring that sense of calm, place, and memory into your everyday spaces. Whether displayed in a living room, office, or hallway, it becomes more than décor—it becomes a reminder. Of where you’ve been.Of what you value.Of the beauty that still stands, even as everythin

Most of us met the toucan on a cereal box. That bird — the cartoon one, with the beak in three impossible colors and the cheerful pitch for fruit-flavored rings — felt like the pure invention of someone who'd been given too much creative freedom and not enough supervision. Surely nothing like that actually existed. And then you see one. Not on a box. Not in a logo. In person, at eye level, close enough to see the electric blue ring around that dark eye and the way t

Most people know San Diego by its coastline — the easy, eternal blue of it. And the coast is worth every word ever written about it. But those of us who roam with a camera and a quiet sort of hunger know that the real story of this place is the journey from the sea to the sky to the sand. It is a journey that unfolds over less than a hundred miles, and yet it crosses ecological worlds as distinct as anything you might find driving from Maine to Georgia. San Diego Splendor liv

Modern researchers have identified a compound called nymphayol in water lily extracts that shows promise for regulating blood sugar and may be relevant to diabetes management. The plant demonstrates anti-inflammatory properties comparable in some studies to hydrocortisone, and shows potential for protecting and supporting liver function.

For centuries, portraits were reserved for kings, generals, and the wealthy elite — not simply because of the cost, but because of the understood weight of the thing. A portrait was a declaration. It said: this person lived. This person mattered. Remember them. That impulse hasn't changed. What has changed is our understanding of who deserves to be remembered — and how. A legacy portrait isn't about vanity. It's about intention.

Nine acres. A thousand years. Twenty-five souls. Some places do not need to be grand to be unforgettable. They only need to endure — and to know, without being told, exactly who they are.

Mac : Stories Worth Telling There are some subjects that capture your eye…and others that capture your attention. And every now and then, one captures your heart. “Mac” began, quite simply, because he caught my eye. I photographed him because he was everything you hope to find in a subject—beautiful, vibrant, stately, and just a little bit fun. Birds have always fascinated me, and a hyacinth macaw in full presence is hard to overlook. But somewhere along the way—from lens to