Hermosa Artist's Seascapes at 'Earth Day Lunada Bay'

The earth and sea have always drawn artist Ben Junta to them.

Now, as part of the "Earth Day Lunada Bay" celebration Sunday, the Hermosa Beach resident has the opportunity to exhibit 30 of his seascapes, which are based on images in and around the Palos Verdes area, he said.

Sponsored by the Lunada Bay Homeowner's Association, the free public event takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2700 Palos Verdes Drive West at the Paseo Lunado greenbelt.

For Junta, Earth Day has special significance: His high school friend Peter Drekmeier, who became the mayor of Palo Alto, the city the two grew up in, "was very instrumental in putting Earth Day on the map in a big way in Palo Alto back in the early 1990s. He coordinated two Earth Day International campaigns, beginning with the 20th anniversary revival in 1990," Junta told Patch.

"The event [Earth Day] continues to play a key role in celebrating our precious planet and giving it the loving care it deserves," he said.

Junta, himself an avid surfer, also reveres the planet's resources. 

"I spend as much time as possible surfing here in the South Bay," he said. "As such, when I am in the water I am often sadly very aware, despite the incredible gifts of the sea, of the disrespect we humans have tended to show for the ocean. 

"It is not uncommon to be paddling on my surfboard and to often feel plastic on my hands as I paddle," he said. "When you are in the ocean, amidst her bounty, it becomes so clear that the living entity of the sea needs great care from we humans. It is a synergistic relationship."

Junta's art is diverse: He paints seascapes [ranging in size from 8 x 8 inches  to 20 x 20 inches] and large (5 x 7 feet) and small contemporary abstract paintings, is actively involved in printmaking and photography, and owns and runs a decorative artisanal paint business, creating murals and all sorts of specialized paint and plaster wall treatments for residential and commercial clients.

"The coolest project of the past year was actually a 4-wall dining room mural created in the Santa Barbara area for a private client," he told Patch. The work can be seen on his homepage.

voted Best Decorative Paint Business 2010 by SFGate.com, the online wing of the San Francisco Chronicle.

"I have a huge love for interior design and have been fortunate to work with top designers in the Silicon Valley," he said. "I am currently building new relationships with interior designers here in the South Bay."

While he makes a living from art and decorative painting business, Junta will tell you that the recent down economy has challenged him, taking on periodic miscellaneous part-time jobs, including dog walking. 

"Dogs are always so happy to see you," he said. "They don’t nag you about timelines, and the work is outside in the fresh air, all of which works for me."

He has sold his art through art galleries, interior designers, home décor shops, private clients, online through venues such as Etsy and Ebay, and directly out of his studio. 

Junta's pursuit of art as a lifestyle and living hasn't always been clear.

"I was not the guy who grew up drawing as a kid," he said. "I came to art in a very round about way."

After heading off to Middlebury College to "both gain a great education as well as play collegiate football," Junta first became "fascinated with art through an initial art history course.

"And then, in order to satisfy a General Education requirement, I had to take a 'creativity class,'" he told Patch. "I opted for a basic black and white drawing class and to my surprise I very timidly found out I had some ability. 

"I was extremely intimidated by the art world at that point and so, as a 'back up,' while studying art, I also took a degree in international relations from Occidental College where I had transferred to.

"I spent part of my junior year living and studying at American University in Washington DC, seeing if the route of a life and career in international relations would be viable for me," he said. 

It wasn't.

"I realized that my calling to make art was stronger than any other desire, and thus have devoted a life to making art," said Junta.

That devotion initially led him to study art post grad at The Cape Cod School of Art in Provincetown, MA, The Vermont Studio Center and the Santa Fe Art Institute, where he studied with well-known landscape painter Wolf Kahn. 

"I have been painting with commitment ever since college – 25 years now," he said.

Junta's seascapes will be joined by other artworks at Earth Day Lunada Bay and the event will include music, games, eco exhibits and lots of fun stuff for families such as a drum circle, nature hikes, yoga, hula, Shakey Quakey, geo-cache, native plants, roses, succulents, fossils and gypsy readings.

Said Junta of his seascapes, "My seascapes are inspired first and foremost by the daily beauty of the ocean that those of us who live near the ocean are able to see everyday. We are very blessed. It also brings up the issues of how we need to be caretakers of the sea, as it is vital to sustaining humans on Earth."