San Diego’s Little Italy will come alive with artwork from around the world, including 12 featured artists who have celebrated the festival since the beginning
SAN DIEGO (Feb. 5, 2024) – Mission Fed ArtWalk – the largest and longest-running fine art festival in Southern California – announces this year’s 12 featured artists for its 40th annual event, taking place Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, 2024 in San Diego’s Little Italy.
The weekend-long premier arts and culture event showcases every medium of art including painting, sculpture, glass work, photography, fine jewelry and more. Mission Fed ArtWalk has selected 12 featured artists, from the 250-plus exhibitors. “With so much artistic excellence represented at the festival, choosing just 12 artists was not easy, but we wanted to highlight some of those standout artists who have participated throughout the festival’s tenure,” said Curt Brooker, show director. “We are proud to introduce these featured artists which represent some of the best and brightest in the event’s history.”
This year’s featured artists include:
Alejandro Martínez-Peña | Mixed Media
Currently residing in both Chula Vista and Tijuana, B.C., Martínez- Peña’s pictorial activity began professionally in 1994, participating in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Mexico, USA, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Italy, Thailand, S. Korea, Poland, China, Singapore, The Sultanate of Oman, Bangladesh and Perú. He started his artistic career as a figurative painter attracted by that form of expression in its narrative qualities, but he works “in a constant evolutionary state becoming an abundant open field of exploration within abstract expressionism,” using mixed techniques and an unlimited use of color. www.martinez-pena.com
Andy Anh Ha | Mixed Media
A resident of Nashville, Anh Ha is a Mixed Media Artist who has accumulated numerous awards, and garnered interest from some of Hollywood’s elites, as well as art patrons from around the world. By combining mixed mediums of acrylics, oils, and paint thinners, he “attempts to create and interpret texture that we see all around us. These textures bring vitality via depth of those layers.” www.andyanhha.com
David Silvah | Acrylic
Silvah, a resident of Rosarito, B.C., has participated in 16 years of ArtWalk San Diego events, drawing inspiration from life, love, and music. His figurative style was inspired by his brothers; Silvah is the youngest of 10 children. Now, the father of three kids himself, he hopes to evoke an impression – good or bad – but something. He wants people to feel something when they view his work. www.instagram.com/dsilvahart
Grant Pecoff | Oil
Now based in Waikoloa, HI, Pecoff’s early successes led to the opening of his first gallery in 2002 in Del Mar, at the age of 27; then, five years later, his second gallery in Little Italy. His work has been represented internationally at galleries in Canada, France, Spain, The Bahamas, and throughout the U.S., and exhibited by art collectors worldwide. “As a world traveler and award-winning artist, Pecoff has embarked upon many international pilgrimages, painting some of the world’s most spectacular and beloved cityscapes, dramatic coastal views, breathtaking sunsets, expansive cloud formations and nautical themes.” www.pecoff.com
Harut Hakobyan | Mixed Media
Residing in Granada Hills, Calif., Hakobyan was born in Armenia and has always had a love for art. Art has always been the most important part of his life, since early childhood. He says, “for me, art is a combination of emotions and observations that allow me to express myself.” He also believes that “every color has an emotion and I get inspired by them all.” www.harutstudio.com
Hong Rubinstein | Clay/Pottery/Porcelain
From Palm Springs, Rubinstein’s style combines porcelain and stoneware with self-formulated macro-crystalline glazes. It is with a sense of adventure and excitement that she creates unique, sculptural, ceramic art forms on both the potter’s wheel and through hand-building, each piece is one-of-a-kind. “I think the best thing about being an artist is that you get to try new ideas almost daily, and the body of your work can radically change,” she says. www.OneDreamDesign.com
Igor Koutsenko | Printmaking/Silk Screen
Now based in Menifee, Koutsenko was born in Evpatoria, Crimea. He studied at the Penza School of Art, then immigrated to the U.S., settling in Oklahoma, where he taught fine art, before moving to the west coast. Throughout his career, he has participated in many exhibitions and has been featured in various publications. He continues to produce work where he draws inspiration from everyday life, nature, and the arts. He describes his work as being “based on the study of the cultural heritage of past generations and a feasible contribution to the continuation of traditions.” www.igor-koutsenko.com
Marna Schindler | Acrylic
A local, Schindler’s style is described as contemporary impressionism with a whimsical twist. A graduate of San Diego State University with a degree in Fine Art, specializing in Graphic Design, Schindler participated in her first ArtWalk event more than 20 years ago. Using vivid color and bold line, Schindler’s “stylized and expressive paintings of animals and nature are inspired by her favorite places, including Sedona, the deserts of the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, and the California coast. Her award-winning art has been exhibited across the west and in juried art festivals and galleries since 2005.” www.marnaschindler.com
Michael Phillips | Acrylic
Known professionally as Mr. Durden, he describes himself as an artist, entrepreneur, and advocate for innovative visual storytelling. He has spent the last 24 years as a “professional independent thinker, doer, and maker.” After graduating from Columbus College of Art and Design, he quickly began work creating storyboards, architectural renderings, trade show designs, and developing characters for both regional and national clients. Mr. Durden worked with over a dozen advertising agencies and built a resume full of “fancy” corporate clients. It wasn’t until making Laguna Beach his permanent home in 2006 that a new focus in his own creative vision occurred and his unique smart POP-art style was born. “I make original acrylic/oil paintings using traditional brushes on canvas or panel. I focus on POP culture subject matter, including race, gender, music, sports, and other major sections of humanity and often reflect a comparison to historical art references. I also hide phrases and words in my work to create another source of content.” www.durdenart.com
Paul Nzalamba | Mixed Media
Paul Nzalamba and Lungala Rubadiri are Los Angeles based artists, who have participated in ArtWalk events for the last 15 years, as Nzalamba Artworks. Their 2-D African Bajik artwork takes on a Ugandan style with themes based on universal values, such as family, friendship, hope, happiness, peace, and love. “Our goal is to share our talents with the world, and in so doing, inspire every collector…to recognize that we all, as human-beings, owe it to one another to share love and joy with others, as we would hope to receive that love and joy, in return.” www.nzalamba-artworks.com
Scott Palmer | Metalwork
Hailing from Mesa, Ariz., Palmer draws inspiration from national elements, fluid lines, color, and textures. He first developed his technique by working with friends who did torch fired copper, then began working with patinas and eventually learned to sculpt copper. “Picasso said once that ‘art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life,’ that is what drives me as an artist…to take people out of their routine and let them escape even if for a moment to smile, relax or bring joy to their souls,” said Palmer. www.copperphoenixstudio.com
Sue Britt | Mixed Media
Britt is a local mixed media artist, with a contemporary landscape style. Inspired by hiking nature, Britt began her art career with an Art Residency on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and continues to be inspired by the grand sights of the National Parks, as well as the great sights of the local parks, such as the Coast to Crest Trail. Working from memory, her experiences in nature are fleeting, but “my memory becomes charged over time with smells, sounds, light, feelings, and connections to the people and thoughts experienced there. The memory can become more powerful than the actual place. I find that working from memory helps distill the scenes into essential contours. As a result, many of the forms you see in my work are not what might be captured in a photo but are reminders that hopefully evoke common feelings and experiences in this world we share.” www.papertapestry.net
Mission Fed ArtWalk attracts 100,000 art collectors and visitors from all over the country to purchase art from established and emerging artists during the two-day festival, located throughout San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood.
The event will run from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 and 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 28. Attendance is free. For more information on ArtWalk and its programs, please visit www.missionfedartwalk.org.
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About Mission Fed ArtWalk
Mission Fed ArtWalk in San Diego’s Little Italy is the city’s longest-running outdoor fine art festival. Mission Fed ArtWalk offers collectable and approachable art from all kinds of media, such as drawings, sculpture, paintings, photography, metal work, woodwork and much more. More than just a visual arts festival, the event also features several performances by professional musicians. For more information on Mission Fed ArtWalk, please visit www.missionfedartwalk.org. Become a fan on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Mission Fed Credit Union
Mission Federal Credit Union (Mission Fed) is the largest member-owned, not-for-profit, full-service financial institution exclusively serving San Diego County. Mission Fed enhances the lives of its members through financial education and services, providing stability and strength to help San Diegans with financial wellness and success. Banking at Mission Fed means doing good for San Diego. Mission Fed gives money back to our local communities, has helped hundreds of nonprofits and important causes, and builds deep relationships with community partners.
Mission Fed has served the financial needs of San Diegans for over 60 years through checking, savings, loans, credit cards, and other financial offerings. Mission Fed has more than $6.0 billion in assets, over 300,000 members, 34 convenient local branches, 30,000 fee-free CO-OP ATMs nationwide and free mobile and online banking services. The credit union is regularly named a Top Workplaces USA winner and has placed in the top five California credit unions on Forbes’ Best-In-State Credit Unions list. Mission Fed is also the first San Diego-based credit union to receive the “Juntos Avanzamos” designation, honoring its commitment to serving and empowering Hispanic/Latinx consumers. Federally insured by NCUA and Equal Housing Lender. To learn more, visit www.MissionFed.com.
