Featured Artists
February's Featured Artist is Ernesto Gomez
"Harlem-Quilt"
The Yucaipa Valley Art Association will host watercolor artist, Ernesto Gomez, at the Thursday, February 19th meeting, where he will share his colorful and abstract artwork and watercolor techniques. Ernesto is a member of the Redlands Art Association and has featured his art at this gallery.
​
Ernesto grew up in the Caribbean in Cuba and Puerto Rico. He loved the beach and ocean; his dad taught him to sail before he was ten. Ernesto’s parents were both architects and he grew up in a house filled with art. Even so, he fell in love with astronomy, and went to college in the U.S. to study astrophysics. When he and his wife moved back to the U.S., he decided he wanted to go back to teaching. He got his doctorate in computer science, which led him to California as a professor at Cal State San Bernardino (from where he recently retired).
​
All his life, Ernesto was surrounded by art which he loved, but he had no idea he could actually do art. Then his wife gave him a watercolor class. He loved it and continued to take classes. Art has opened up areas of his mind he didn’t know were there when he was only doing science and math – and it brings him enormous joy and satisfaction.
​
Ernesto paints from memory and imagination. He sometimes refreshes his memory from photos he has taken, or things he looks at, but more often he paints something he sees only in his mind. He loves cities and loves to paint them – particularly Redlands where he lives, New York where his grandchildren live, San Juan where he grew up. He doesn’t always know what he is going to paint; his most satisfying work takes him in unexpected directions while he is painting, and he deeply enjoys the dialog between himself and his art. He doesn’t aim for realism – he wants to give his impression and feelings, using bright colors to express his joy in being able to create.
​
He has been inspired and helped by many people; like his favorite Beatles song, "In My Life", "some are dead and some are living". This includes his family members; parents Mercedes and Ernesto, siblings Maria Elena, Marisa and Enrique, Sue his wife of more than 40 years, daughter Elisa, grandchildren Nico and Sebastian. His teachers include Ed Sotello and Holly Warner at R.A.A. and many friends who have inspired and encouraged him along the way. His other inspirations include his many cats, currently Waffles and Pancake, but many others before them.
​
You can follow Ernesto Gomez on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ernestogomez3990/
​
The public is welcomed to attend the presentation on Thursday, February 19th, 2026 at 7:00 pm for a presentation by Ernesto Gomez, at the Scherer Center located at 12202 First Street, Yucaipa. There is no admission fee.
"Tart"
"Slip-Sliding"
"For Ellen", AK Smiley Library.
January's Featured Artist, Debbie Strong
The Yucaipa Valley Art Association hosted photographer, Debbie Strong, at the Thursday, January 15th meeting at 7:00 pm, where she shared her astrophotography journey taking photos of the Aurora Borealis and Milky Way taken in various countries. Debbie shared her amazing and fascinating photography which was presented as a journey through locations and images.
Debbie Strong has lived in the City of Yucaipa for more than 25 years. She is a freelance photographer whose work has been featured in Joshua Tree Voice, Yucaipa News Mirror, Living with Wildfire magazine editions, and an art gallery exhibit in downtown Los Angeles.
Debbie retired as a fire captain from CAL FIRE in 2018, after a rewarding 30-year career in the fire service. Debbie is working on the second chapter of her life by embracing storytelling, starting with her camera in hand, poetry and journaling as she travels to various countries, capturing stunning landscapes, street photography and astrophotography images. Debbie has traveled extensively abroad and around Canada.
She was fortunate to be mentored by amazing, talented photographers - Casey Kiernan, a Documentary Filmmaker from Joshua Tree, CA and Scott Robert Lim a Sony Artisan from Los Angeles, CA and Rachel Jones Ross, a Sony Artisan from Alberta, Canada. Her photographic inspirations include Scott Robert Lim, Annie Leibovitz, Ansel Adams, Casey Kiernan, Rachel Jones Ross, Albert Dros and Alyn Wallace. Debbie likes the saying “If you see something that moves you, and then snap it, you keep the moment.” Linda McCartney.
When Debbie is not behind her camera, she enjoys camping, hiking and painting. Debbie has an upcoming memoir titled “Hearts in Focus”, which is an exciting blend of traditional memoir, photography, and poetry, exploring the multi-faceted way that grief and healing show up in our lives.
To find out more about more about Debbie Strong’s photography, visit her website at https://debbiestrongphotography.com or visit Debbie’s author website at https://www.debbiestrongauthor.com/ You can follow Debbie on social media on Instagram: @debbiestrongphotography.
November's Featured Artist, Joe A. Oakes
Joe A. Oakes was a curious and observant child that began drawing at age five. He’s been painting full time since 2008 and like other artists, had many previous occupations including, substitute teacher, art consultant and graphic designer. He has survived cancer and the loss of a child and used these life changing events to propel his art career forward.
​
Joe Oakes landscapes of the West and Southwest are about the joy of nature and the colors it offers us. He paints with colors that evoke feelings of the first brilliant seconds of sunrise and the last fiery moments of sunset. Expressing those feelings through the use of bold, vibrant highlights and shadows of violet hues is his signature. He paints tributes to the mountains, canyons and valleys in the hopes it will slow us down long enough to appreciate them. For Joe, every painting is a challenge to examine the colors of the world and reconnect with nature. His work offers a meditative sense of calm and happiness, with a profound reverence for the land. Each painting is a tribute to the mountains, canyons and valleys of the West and Southwest.
​
Joe holds a BFA from CSU, Fullerton and his awards include: Third Place, “Sears Invitational”, Utah Tech, 2024, Best in Show, “Nature of Color Show” Art Brut 27, 2020, First Place, “Visions”, CCMA, Ontario, CA, 2019. His work has been included in many museum shows including, ArtsThrive, Albuquerque Museum, Sears Invitational, Sears Museum at Utah Tech and Art in the West, High Desert Museum, Bend, OR. And published, most recently, in Artists Magazine’s “Acrylic Works 12 - The Best of Acrylic”. ​Oakes resides near Palm Springs, California.
For more information about Joe Oakes, visit his website at:
​
​
Joe's live presentation was held on Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 7:00 pm where he demonstrated an acrylic painting of a southwest landscape using bold colors. The meeting was held at the Scherer Center located at 12202 First Street, Yucaipa. There is no admission fee and the public was welcome to attend.
October's Featured Artist, Christine White
Christine's Presentation was titled “Stoked About a Story.”
Christine is a Redlands-based artist working in paint and mixed media. She has lived all over the United States and appreciates what makes different regions unique and special. Her interest in conveying a sense of place is imbued in her work, and supported by a professional background and Masters in Geography.
Christine's art tends to portray surreal stories of places, plants, and creatures. Lately, she has been creating art using materials we normally discard: plastic, fabric scraps, old wiring. Hiding this assembled core under paper mache and careful painting, the pieces are metaphors for standing with nature and saying “enough” to the overwhelming consumption of our day.
​
Christine's shared her presentation called “Stoked About a Story”. A year ago, she started a songwriting project that morphed into a story, which now lives in her head nearly 24/7. Christine is slowly creating the body of artwork to accompany it and will share the first few pieces at YVAA on Thursday, October 16th. This artwork collection features native animals, a passion for fashion, and a rattlesnake goddess, its the beginning of a pretty wild ride for her art. Christine also demo some of the mixed media techniques that are helping build out this world. She demonstrated how to make 3d objects and figures using recycled materials and mixed media.
​
To find out more about Christine White’s art, visit her website at https://christinewhiteart.com or on social media at Instagram: @christinewhiteart or Facebook: @christinewhiteart."
