Nostalgic memories of past places and experiences hang on the wall while soft music plays in the background of a newly renovated, warm, and welcoming art gallery in Los Osos. Casa Ramos is Elena Ramos Peffley and her husband Brain Peffley’s tribute to Elena’s father, John Ramos, and his art populates the walls.
Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, John Ramos has been an artist for more than 50 years. First making his break in the art world by working for CBS Studios doing corporate branding and labels, he switched professions a couple of times and was an art professor at California State University Long Beach before packing up and moving to the Central Coast.
In Los Osos, he took a step back from the commercial art industry and settled into exploring watercolors, eventually opening his own gallery in the ’80s called the John Ramos Gallery.
“We have all of his original paintings, and, in the past, it was the limited-issue prints that we would hang up and then people never get to see the paintings,” Elena said. “So, this time around, we’re showing everybody the originals.”
The artist is now in his 80s, and the gallery honors his hard work. Elena said her father’s art offers something for everyoneāfrom landscapes of Mexico to Shell Beach and even some from Hawaii, to portraits of animals and famous people, and paintings of classic cars, his work is truly all encompassing.
“He paints so many different styles, and he’s able to attract so many different people and demographics from his work,” Elena said. “We always get different funny stories.”
The gallery took two and a half weeks to open up, and Elena said input from community members and their desire to see his work again has been overwhelming, especially because these paintings hold a special place in her heart, as she has a connection to and a story about every piece of her father’s art.
“We make sure they go to a good home,” she said. “That’s the No. 1 thingānot the monetary value but that they go to a good home that they’re going to be loved for a long time to come.”
While customers can purchase originals, Elena said prints are available with custom framing.
And Ramos isn’t the only artist with work in the gallery.
The gallery rotates through local artists whose work is unique and not something you can just purchase at “HomeGoods or go anywhere to find it,” Elena said, noting that she looks for thought-provoking pieces.
“I want art that makes people stop and say ‘wow.’ Everything that we have here isn’t just going to become passive in somebody’s homes,” she said. “They’re not going to just walk by it and never see it.”
Local artist John Miller and his take on California’s coastal culture will be a permanent fixture in the gallery.
From abstract art on his old skateboards to making furniture with surfboards, Elena said she’s proud to represent his work.
“He’s a professional downhill skateboarder who is incredibly creative and does beautiful, functional pieces of work,” she said. “People have been loving them because it really blends well with the California aesthetic and the modern aesthetic.”
While already open to the public, Casa Ramos will host a grand opening on Dec. 7 from 4 to 8 p.m.
Hoping local artists will stop by and introduce themselves, Elena said she wants to use this as an opportunity to meet others in the scene.
“We’ll have Mirazur Restaurant in Baywood here doing appetizers and wine,” she said. “It’s going to be nice to have people come in and sign a guest book for future art openings and things like that.” Ī
Reach Staff Writer Samantha Herrera at sherrera@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Holiday Guide 2024.