The Tall Islands

Wanderlust is an international group exhibition inspired by travel, far-away places, adventurous experiences and fascinating destinations. Participating artists were given identical postcards and asked to create a unique piece for the show inspired by the theme “wanderlust”. Travel via boat, plane, foot, and yes, even jellyfish to your favorite destination in this eclectic and imaginative exhibition!

Sergio Lopez, born in 1983, is a graduate of the Academy of Art in San Francisco - and is an exemplary painter in a variety of mediums. His artistic knowledge ballooned when he discovered his love of oil painting and charcoal drawing. He filled sketchbook after sketchbook with observations from life as well as drawings from his imagination. The Golden Age illustrators, Bravura painters, contemporary artists, concept designers, graffiti writers, and photographers have been some of his strongest influences in his pursuit of painting. He continues to study by visiting museums and observing the Great Masters, which he strives to learn lessons of beauty from.

His paintings of female nudes are unique and arresting. They have been soaring in popularity since they first began appearing in publications such as Juxtapoz, Hi-Fructose, Spectrum, Bluecanvas, and more online publications than are fit to list here. He has even been selected twice as a finalist for the Art Renewal Center’s prestigious yearly Salon.

Sergio continues to work in a variety of mediums and styles. From oil and gouache landscapes in and out of the studio to nude gesture studies in newsprint, he enjoys it all. Sergio especially enjoys discovering new vistas, setting up his easel, and creating a piece on the spot. He believes there is no better way to discover the truth and essence of a scene than by standing before it and studying it carefully. Sergio is a native of Sonoma County. He finds the area ever-inspiring, and never ceases to find a new gorgeous area no matter how often he explores.

Since he began participating in plein air events in 2010, Sergio has won multiple awards, including Epperson Gallery’s Valona Paint Out best of show award two years in a row, 3 awards in the 2010 Paint San Clemente Festival, 2nd place Artist Choice Award for Telluride Plein Air 2013, and Honorable Mention in the Alameda Plein Air event two years in a row. He uses the knowledge gained from painting outdoors in his studio paintings. He also is the co-founder of the North Bay Plein Air Painters group and has been helping organize monthly paint-outs since 2009 .