The South Bay Takes Center Stage At This New Art Exhibition

TORRANCE, CA — Ever wanted to see the local South Bay scene through someone else's eyes?

It's possible through the work of multiple artists now on display at Destination: Art in Torrance.

The fall gallery, "Made in the South Bay" features 92 pieces of art, offering a look at life in some of Southern California's coastal and inland cities through the lens of 14 artists. The exhibit debuted Aug. 21 and will run through Nov. 15.

The new show follows the gallery's previous exhibition where artists pushed past boundaries and manipulate usual art techniques to produce intriguing works of art.

“It is a natural progression for Destination: Art, as the community hub for art in the South Bay, to have a show around the pace and love of our part of Los Angeles County,” Destination: Art President Robin Johns said in a statement. “Our immensely talented gallery artists rose to the challenge of capturing the people, places and moments that they have experienced."

The exhibit features several artistic mediums from traditional watercolors and pastels to mixed media work, photography and collages, according to Destination Art Vice President and Marketing Director Annie Gomm.

For one of his entries, Mike Ishikawa submitted a pastel painting of the Manhattan Beach Pier. Although he's done other art pieces surrounding the pier, he keeps coming back, saying he likes to paint the pier because of the Roundhouse Aquarium at the end of it, which seems to "anchor" it.

"On calm days the reflections of the pier columns on the water become one of the features an artist can include in the painting," Ishikawa told Patch. "Combining all these elements together is what an artist creates for a successful painting."

Debbie Abshear, whose work is also part of the exhibition is a South Bay artist working with watercolor.

While one of her pieces "Lunar Clouds" cannot exactly be characterized as being in the South Bay, Abshear says she's always found the moon to be a "perfect focal point" to complete a painting.

"The challenge in creating these large paintings is keeping it wet enough for the paint to reach the bottom of the paper," Abshear said. "When the painting was completely dry, I immediately saw the perfect place to introduce the moon. The land embraced the moon!"

Opening reception for "Made in the South Bay" will from 3 to 5 p.m. this Saturday.

To view more pieces from "Made in the South Bay" and see what other artists are featured, click here.

Destination: Art is located at 1815 W. 213th Street in Torrance, Suite 135. It is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.