There are so many fine artists and galleries in our little area of Baja. I’m talking about Rosarito because I’m not a frequent traveler to Tijuana or Ensenada. The cost of an original, unframed oil painting is much less than what you would expect to pay in many other places. Many of the fine pieces in my house are around two hundred and fifty dollars, framed. This does not mean that the quality is not one of the best. Anytime you get a place with a nice climate, art buyers, and a comparatively cheap way of life, you get a lot of very good artists. Some of the artists here can charge over six thousand dollars for a painting.
One of my favorite galleries is that of Polo Valencia, which is located in front of the Baja Film studios, just south of Rosarito. It has two buildings packed with so many fine paintings that it almost takes your breath away. He is charming and will go out of his way to explain to you about his artist in an informative way rather than sell it. It has been known to give discounts if someone buys more than one painting, which is great for that person who is just decorating a new house or condo. The galleries have been there for almost 20 years. He himself is a good painter who likes to make fruits that can almost be torn off the canvas. He sends in the thousands for some of his oil paintings which are done in a three-dimensional style and are quite large, about three by four feet and usually framed in white. There is a frame shop right between the two galleries.
Polo learned to paint from Paco García, who has a gallery in front of the Rosarito Beach Hotel, right on the main boulevard. Paco has worked on a wide variety of subjects over the years and is just as charming as Polo. He has also done many murals over the years. If he walks into our historic Rosarito Beach Hotel, you may be able to point out some of his mural work. He also has a framing shop which seems pretty reasonable to me, about twenty bucks for a matted and framed piece about twelve by twelve inches.
A few doors from Paco’s gallery is David Silva’s. David is well known for his depictions of Don Quixote with eyes that follow you around the room. He also does tango dancers in a large format perfect for that big blank wall you may have, using a background that looks like newsprint quite often. His women are realistic and seem to move on the canvas. Part of his gallery is dedicated to MexiFolkArts. Benito Del Aguila owns a business that he has expanded to selling online with eBay. His knowledge of museum-quality folk art is extensive. His family helps by traveling through Mexico to find some of the best artists for him to buy his exquisite pieces and sell them at great prices. I have a piece of ceramic that a well-known artist from mainland Mexico sold from his private collection to defray medical expenses, which cost me only forty dollars. Benito assured me with a straight face that he did not have to pay the shipping cost.
The UGI Gallery is between Rosarito and Popotla on the right hand side of the street to the south. Owned by two very talented artists, Alvaro and Janet. He specialized in large flowers perfect for adorning a wall in a contemporary home. Janet is a master of light and uses it to great advantage in her paintings. She also does wonderful things with texture to make a painting come alive.
ArtFest is coming up on Memorial Day weekend in Rosarito. It’s this weekend every year.
So if you’re looking to decorate a wall, office, or home, this is a great place to come for masterful art that won’t cost you a fortune.