Joan Gonzales

My love for art began as a pre-schooler. My father had plenty of wonderful old books around and my sisters, brother and I loved to look through them to see the wonderful illustrations. My mother always provided us with paints, crayons and paper, and we made good use of them.

I spent part of my childhood living in Corona Del Mar, and have wonderful memories of playing in the sand and exploring the tide pools with my sisters. As an adult my husband, children and I lived several years in Huntington Beach and spent a lot of time surfing, playing in the sand and collecting shells.

When my children were in their teens I attended Pierce College, majoring in art, but it was many years later that I started painting. I entered my first watercolor in a juried show at the San Clement Art Gallery and won first place for Figure and Form.

As I was working a full time job at the time, I didn't continue painting until my husband and I moved to the quaint little country town of Tehachapi where the beauty and the town's interest in promoting the arts inspired me to start painting.

I try to project my passion for the warmth and color of California beaches and the freshness of the country town of Tehachapi in my paintings, and I hope that they will make the viewers smile…perhaps bringing back fond memories and reminding everyone that life is fun.