Art for all: Gay and Lesbian Alliance Center's new exhibit displays artists from all walks of life 

It’s easy to get stuck on the things that make us different rather than the qualities that connect us.

For Ethel Landers, volunteer art gallery coordinator at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Center Gallery in San Luis Obispo, art is something that is all-inclusive.

“My goal has always been to showcase art from the LGBT community and our supporters and allies,” Landers said.

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• IMAGE COURTESEY OF GALA CENTER
• SHE SELLS SEA SHELLS: This oil on canvas piece titled Seaside San Simeon ($300) by Cambrian artist Shannon McNamara is for sale and currently hanging in the You’ll Love Our Art—Winter Art Show at the GALA Center Gallery.

Currently hanging at the GALA Center Gallery on Palm Street is the You’ll Love Our Art—Winter Art Show, an eclectic exhibit featuring about 26 works of art from 15 local artists.

“Since we are an organization originally meant to serve the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community, I often hang a variety of art you may not see at other venues,” Landers said. “We create interesting shows with subject matter ranging from chickens to pottery to nudes. None of us are a bit concerned about who may identify as anything other than artists and art lovers! All people are welcome.”

Pieces in the show range from $15 to $350 and run the gamut from acrylic landscape paintings to intricate ink drawings of flowers done on pages from the dictionary to ceramic busts of the human form.

In addition to volunteering at the center, Landers also has several pieces in the show. An oil on canvas piece, titled One Heart, depicts brightly colored abstract people surrounding a giant heart.

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• IMAGE COURTESEY OF GALA CENTER
• NATURE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLIDE: This digital composite piece of an orchid by local artist Nixson Borah is a part of the You’ll Love Our Art—Winter Art Show at the GALA Center Gallery.

“My main goal is to communicate a positive, joyful life and encourage that in others,” Landers said. 

Shannon McNamara of Cambria has four landscape oil on canvas pieces in the show featuring local spots like the seaside in San Simeon and a grove of trees in Cambria.

“I almost like it all too much,” McNamara said. “But a lot of the time I do landscapes. Landscapes are always terrific because you never know how the weather is going to be. It’s pretty dramatic.”

While McNamara works a lot with the theme of “en plein air,” French for “in open air,” particularly in oil and water color, she has been known to dabble in other media and themes as well.

“I like to experiment,” McNamara said. “It’s incredible what comes up through all different kinds of art and materials.”

• YOU’LL LOVE THIS ART: The You’ll Love Our Art—Winter Art Show will hang at the GALA Center Gallery, located at 1060 Palm St. in San Luis Obispo until Jan. 23. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is also open the first Friday of each month from 6 to 9 p.m. for Art After Dark.

The You’ll Love Our Art—Winter Art Show will hang at the GALA Center Gallery until Jan. 23, and if art patrons see a piece they want to buy, they can take it home that same day.

“One of the most important reasons to see the show is to see the variety of people that come together, artistically and socially,” Landers said. 

Ryah Cooley loves your art at [email protected].