Color It Contemporary exhibition at La Jolla Library highlights ‘beautiful California landscapes’

Continuing in its mission to breathe new life into the La Jolla/Riford Library’s community room, the Friends of the La Jolla Library arts committee’s new exhibit, “Color It Contemporary,” is now on view.

Paying homage to the region’s landscapes, the new exhibit was curated by Patricia Jasper and features the work of four California-based artists: Grant Pecoff, Mona Ray, Sally Samins and Kelly Villasenor. A opening reception was held Nov. 22. The exhibit extends through mid-January 2026 and is available to view during regular operating hours.

Jasper — a local artist and Friends of the La Jolla Library arts committee member — said that their efforts to inject art into the space traces back to 2010, when then-branch manager Catherine Greene asked them to enhance the general library experience and the community room in particular.

Typically, this is accomplished in the form of three or four exhibitions each year. The current exhibition “spotlights a contemporary interpretation of our natural surroundings, which are beautiful California landscapes,” Jasper said. “The common threads between the [four] artists … is color. Even though their styles artistically have a good deal of variance, their preference for beautiful, saturated colors are consistent. That’s what unites the show.”

The arts committee’s broader goal, she said, is “to promote and encourage support for our region’s artistic and cultural talent by providing meaningful public exhibitions of high quality to library patrons and the public at large.”

Villasenor, an Encinitas-based artist and oil painter, describes work as happy and contemporary, using color and texture in a unique way.

“I hope that when people see my work, they feel a sense of warmth and peace connecting with joyful memories of their childhood and family experiences by the beach,” Villasenor said.

Ray, a La Jolla resident of 15 years who contributed eight of her pieces to the exhibit, describes her work as “leaning abstract.” Other people have described her paintings as ethereal, atmospheric, serene and calming, she added.

“I just hope I bring a unique point of view,” Ray said. “I think each of the artists in the show has a very individual voice and I think those different voices resonate with different people. And I think there are some people that mine connects with in a different way.”

At the Nov. 22 reception, she also had a chance to see that connection take place in real time.

“It’s always a pleasure for me to see how people respond to my work because ultimately art is communication,” Ray said. “So it means a lot when someone has a reaction to a piece.”

While he was unable to attend the event, Pecoff features three pieces in the exhibit: “In Full Bloom,” inspired by the bluffs of Del Mar; “Sunlight Patterns,” focused on water reflections and patterns; and “Out for the Day,” with a picturesque Italian backdrop.

Pecoff says he hopes the exhibit will showcase what artists are doing in the community and that it will uplift and inspire people.

“We need to remind each other of the uplifting times — the joy in life, the peace in life….especially in the state of affairs of the world,” Pecoff said. “We can’t deny what’s going on in the world and the shadows of darkness in the world, but through this exhibition of color and vibrancy, I think it’s important to be reminded of that and surround ourselves of that and surround ourselves with the light.”

Any displayed art is available for purchase from the artists, with sales going directly to the La Jolla/Riford Library.