Star Motors is honored to display the beautiful watercolors of award- winning artist Juan Peña. Come to a Meet & Greet at the Star Gallery Friday, October 23 from 4-7 and meet Juan himself! Learn about his painting and his adventures teaching students all around the world.
A portion of proceeds from art sold at the Star Gallery always benefit local charities. For information, please contact Emma at emma@star-motors.com
Juan Pena, proficient in many media, is an award winning artist who is often sought and invited to display his work at a variety of shows, galleries, and museums. His watercolor, oil, pastel and pencil artwork are included in many private and corporate collections.
Juan Peña began on-location (plein air) watercolor painting in 1959, while studying with renown California watercolorist, Vernon Nye in the Napa Valley wine country. Juan says, “In California, our weather and light is conducive to painting outdoors”. Juan currently lives in the Sierra foothills of California with his wife Kay and has a studio in downtown Colfax, California. In addition he travels throughout the world painting.
“I paint from life, or on-location for the most part, and sometimes from my imagination,” explains Juan. The painting No power, no phone was painted entirely from my imagination. This painting was internationally published in 2004 in the book 100 Ways to Paint a Landscape, published by International Artist Magazine.
In 2007, one of Juan’s pencil drawings, completed on-location (plein air), was published in Strokes of Genius by North Light Books. A watercolor, Let the Sunshine In was accepted for exhibition with PaintAmerica and toured the United States in 2010 and 2011. His painting was one of one hundred paintings selected for this traveling show.
In 2009, one of Juan’s paintings was accepted into the Transparent Watercolor Society of America Annual Show and another painting was accepted into the National Watercolor Society Show.
Juan Peña won “Best of Show” for his watercolor at the 2010 Hearst Castle Invitational event and sale. Fifty invited artists painted on-grounds at Hearst Castle prior to the competition and sale. Of the seven paintings sold that evening, two were created by Juan; a pencil drawing and a watercolor.
The organizers of the Mendocino Plein Air Competition have invited Juan to be a celebrity artist and judge for the past two years (2013 & 2014) and again this year in September.
At Yosemite, Mr. Peña taught a one week session of watercolor classes for the past two years and this year in April. Next year (2016) he will teach in August.
Juan has participated in the annual Telluride and Aspen Plein Air Competitions. He will be participating again in Telluride this year, June 29th through July 5th. Last year, 2014, at the Aspen Plein Air event, Juan was selected as the public’s favorite painter.
John Hewitt, another fine watercolor painter and instructor, has invited Juan to be a guest instructor for his watercolor workshop, 16 day tour of Italy, this September.
Two of Juan’s watercolors have been selected for publication in Splash 15 (2014). Juan’s painting, “Let the Sunshine In” was published in 2011 in Splash 12. Published by North Light Books, Splash showcases the best in contemporary watercolors.
