Mountains and Sea Get the Spotlight

What happens when ocean mist meets mountain light? When a brush meets canvas, and local talent meets natural wonders? Where the Mountains Meet the Sea, a new exhibition of landscape paintings by 12 predominately Santa Barbara-based artists, is soon to be on view from January 22 through March 29, 2026. This absolutely ‘must see’ display, open for only a scant two months, will be presented at a gallery located at the heart of our beautiful harbor, the venue otherwise known as the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM). 

Art Lover that I am, I had the immense pleasure of a pre-opening visit to this most awesome exhibit of works devoted exclusively to the wonders of our Santa Barbara south coast environs. Happily escorted through the upper level of the museum courtesy of SBMM’s talented Curator, Emily Falke, I learned how she imagined this spectacular exhibition into being. “Within Santa Barbara’s natural terrain two powerful and contrasting forces converge: the mountains as symbols of strength, stability and
permanence; the seas representing vastness, depth, and change. To me the meeting point of mountains and seas is a place of dynamic energy and transformation, thus the title of the exhibit. For our local artists the universal muse is often nature and its tapestry of ever-changing arrays of colors, textures, patterns and light. The thought of mounting an exhibit as an homage to Santa Barbara through the eyes of our local artists was my inspiration.” 

Transporting Falke’s inspiration to the walls of the museum, she invited a group of Santa Barbara’s local artists with whom she’d worked over the years to present works that showcased the vibrant palette and shifting moods along our coastline. Through the lens of the artist, each piece was to be a tribute to the stunning intersection of land and sea that defines Santa Barbara as well as the talent behind each image. 

Having just mounted Where the Mountains Meet the Sea on walls of soft winter hues just a few days before my visit, Falke noted that members of the museum community who’d stopped by as I did, pre-opening, reacted to the art in ways she’d hardly expected. “One person looked at a painting and gasped, saying that this was where she walked her dog every day. Another noted that Carpinteria beach was her favorite, a place of fond family memories and solitary journeys. Others had similar feelings drawing them into the images which, to me, meant a great deal. This exhibit is meant to be not only a love letter to the beauty that surrounds us, but to our personal connections and memories.” 

Featured artists include Nancy Davidson, Rick Delanty, Camille Dellar, Rick Garcia, Derek Harrison, Wyllis Heaton, Ray Hunter, Craig Nelson, Ann Sanders, Ann Shelton Beth, Thomas Van Stein, and Ralph Waterhouse. Collectively, their work captures the ethereal glow of sunrise over the Santa Ynez Mountains, the golden calm of tide pools at dusk, and the quiet drama of coastal cliffs shaped by wind and time. I encourage you to stop by when this exhibit opens and have the treat of your Santa Barbara life!