FEBRUARY 2019  SHOW DATES:  FEBRUARY 1ST TO FEBRUARY 29TH 2019 OPENING RECEPTION, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8th from 5-8 pm Featured Artist: Lower Gallery   MICHAEL CASTANEDA   Artist Statement: In Michael’s own words: “I was born and raised in the small town Ocala, FL. After high school I tried the college path but left early to pursue a career in the film industry. At the age of 20 I helped produce a full length feature film that was distributed nationwide, but didn’t exactly payout for me. Life’s hard lesson on that one found me washing golf carts 2 days a week at a local country club in my home town.  Within 2 years I was managing the entire operation and  had become content with my life. That all changed at the age of 28 when I found myself sitting on my back patio looking out at a pool I never swam in and a yard I never used. Even though I had experienced what I felt to be a lot, I knew that I hadn’t truly lived anything. The decision from here was surprisingly easy, I quit my job, sold my house and everything that couldn’t fit into my small car and […]

Spanky grew up in Georgia and learned to draw and paint at an early age. He later traveled the south and exhibited his artwork of the southern landscape. He graduated from the University of West Georgia with a BA in Art, where he was awarded two Permanent Collection awards from Peter Augustini, a world renowned sculptor from New York, and internationally known painter Donald Cooper. Upon graduation, Spanky began his career as a graphic designer and colorist with a major carpet and textile manufacturer. In the mid-seventies Spanky accepted a designer colorist position in Southern California where he continued to paint and pursue his love of the local land and seascape. Most recently Spanky has moved to the Morro Bay area where he says “My peripheral vision of the central coast virtually dictates the color palette and brushstrokes onto my canvas.”