Featured artist for Art 2023 Tehachapi

The Tehachapi Arts Commission will be celebrating its third nationally recognized art show, Art 2023 Tehachapi, on the weekend of July 21-23 at the Aspen Builders Community Center located at 410 W. D Street. This year 49 artists will be participating in Art 2023, many returning for a third year. The featured artist of 2023 is Junn Roca, the artist who won the Best Landscape award at Art 2022 for his painting "Covered Bridge."

Roca was born in the Philipines and has been an artist for over 50 years. He started his career at the age of 20 and apprenticed with the noted Filipino artist Felix Gonzales. After coming to the United States, Roca had a long career in animation. In 1997 and 1998, he was awarded two emmys for his work with Steven Spielberg on "Animaniacs" and "Pinky and the Brain." He credits his work as a background artist for giving him the intuitive ability to stage subjects and organize elements in his work to capture a mood or emotion.

Over the years, Roca has been the recipient of many awards including the prestigious Granville Redmond Purchase Prize at the 3rd Annual California Autumn Salon in 2002, as well as a Second Place and Honorable Mention at the Annual Plein Air Exhibition at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California, in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He received a Merit Award at the Greenhouse Gallery Salon International 2003 in San Antonio, Texas, and an Award of Excellence at the 12th Annual Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition. In the June 2003 issue of Southwest Art magazine, Roca was listed as a "Best of the West, California" artist. Other award winning paintings from 2003 are "A Quite Afternoon in Los Rios," The Yuccas," and "City of Angels." In 2017, Roca's "Oaks, Poppies & Lupines" received an Award of Excellence at the Oil Painters of America 26th Annual Juried Exhiition.

Roca is a Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America and a Signature Artist of the California Art Club.

Guests at the opening event held on Friday evening, July 21 will be able to meet Junn Roca, stroll the aisles, view the juried paintings, meet the artists and possibly purchase a painting while enjoying hors d'oeuvres, drinks from open bars and award-winning wines from Dorner Family Vineyards. Awards will be presented for Best of Show, Best Landscape, Best Urban Painting and Best Still Life. For the second year there will also be an Aerospace Exhibition with both Douglas Castleman and Mark Pestana returning. Also returning in 2023 is Charles Muench, winner of last year's Best of Show "Bear Mountain Overlook."

Save the date. Tickets for the opening event of Art 2023 Tehachapi are $125 and available now on eventbrite.com. Purchase your ticket soon.