ABOUT
BIO
Johnny Apodaca is known locally for continuing the artistic legacy of California’s Central Coast. For over forty years, Apodaca has endeavored to create a formal work of art – a union of his abstract training and the California landscape. In his unique way, the artist is a bridge from the past to the present day, becoming a link in the chain of the region’s artistic history and tradition.
Apodaca attended the McNay Institute in San Antonia, Texas in the early 70’s where he was inspired by an exceptional teacher, Reginald Rowe. He then moved to Los Angeles where he planned to study at the famed Otis Art Institute. Preliminary training dictated that he first attend Pasadena City College, where he majored in art history. So confident in Apodaca’s love and passion for art, the professor waived the final exam. This teacher also introduced Apodaca to Venice Beach and the vital artists of the bourgeoning LA art scene.
Traveling to the Monterey Peninsula to visit his siblings, Apodaca was overwhelmed by the natural beauty. He decided to stay and live in the beautiful village in a forest by the sea. Trained not to paint as other artists had 100 years ago, but to instill the landscape with modern strategies, he committed to adding to the area’s artistic lineage.
Apodaca has become an important part of the Central Coast art scene. He is a member and past board member of the Carmel Art Association, and has served on the Exhibition, Acquisitions and Programming Committee of the Monterey Museum of Art. He has also served on community art boards, including Pacific Grove Art Center.
In 2008, Apodaca’s painting “Summer Gold” was accepted into the permanent collection at the Monterey Museum of Art. He has also been invited into the permanent collection at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California. Apodaca has been a seasonal teacher for the Carmel Art Institute, and a guest lecturer at California State University Monterey Bay.
EXHIBITIONS
2014 Shift: Five Decades of California Contemporary Painting, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
2013 Monterey Now, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
2012 The Green Heart, Gallery Apodaca, Carmel, CA
2011 Dream of Umbria, Gallery Apodaca, Carmel, CA
2010 Land and Sea, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
2009 50/Fifty, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
2008 Convergence 2: Six Monterey Peninsula Artists, Oliver Elliott Gallery, Carmel, CA
2008 Jeffers and Steinbeck: Habitat of Thought, Steinbeck Center, Salinas, CA
2007 Convergence: Six Monterey Peninsula Artists, Oliver Elliott Gallery, Carmel, CA
2003 Johnny Apodaca: Colorfield, Lisa Coscino Gallery, Pacific Grove, CA
2003 Tri County Juried Exhibition, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
2002 Land and Legacy, La Mirada Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
2001 Monterey Juried Exhibition, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
1997 Johnny Apodaca: Emerging Visions, Carmel Art Association, Carmel, CA
1996 Informal Views: The Informalists, New Art Gallery, Pacific Grove, CA
1996 One on One, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
AWARDS
2015 Best Local Artist, Monterey County Weekly
2013 Best Local Artist, Carmel Pine Cone
2007 Best Local Artist, Carmel Art Festival
2004 Best Local Artist, Carmel Art Festival
2003 Honorable Mention, Carmel Art Festival
2002 Best Local Artist, Carmel Art Festival
1995 Johnny Apodaca: New Paintings, Painted Poems Studio, Carmel, CA
1993 The Embracing Landscape, Pacific Grove Art Center, Pacific Grove, CA
1992 26th Annual Art Competitive, Seaside City Hall, Seaside, CA
1990 Art Mural Project, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
1990 Looking Toward the Light, Connolly Gallery, Carmel Valley, CA
1988 Johnny Apodaca: New Work, Gallery 7 Artist Cooperative, Pacific Grove, CA
EDUCATION
1975–1976 Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA
1973-1974 McNay Art Institute, San Antonio, TX
TEACHING
2011 Seasonal Instructor, Carmel Art Institute
2006 Guest Lecturer – Local Art History, California State University Monterey Bay
COLLECTIONS
2016 UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, San Francisco, CA
2009 Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Monterey, CA
2008 Permanent Collection of the Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
2007 Promised Gift to the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
SELECT GALLERIES
Westbrook Modern Carmel, CA: westbrookmodern.com
Carmel Art Association, Carmel, CA: carmelart.org