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    Doug Snider Ceramics

    4.7 (12 reviews)

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    Love Spanish Village and especially Doug Snider's ceramics. Such a great spot to check out local artists. Doug's Studio is one one my favorite places to visit when I'm in Balboa Park. The studio opens into an expansive outside space that is also full of awesome, one of a kind sculptures and ceramics like the studio. Have taken classes and also bought some items as gifts, like planters and Doug Bugs. Loves me some local art! No where in San Diego's will you find anything like Spanish Village or Doug's studio. Worth the visit!

    A M.

    On Tuesday, April 25, 2017, I visited studio #15 in the SVAC, owned by DOUG SNIDER. I was greeted by a woman who identified herself as Violet.  As I walked through the studio viewing the colorful artwork that adorned the walls, I noticed a small cup that I was interested in purchasing. The cup did not have much color, so I asked Violet if there were any cups that had a lot of color to them, similar to the paintings on the wall.  Violet offered to paint the cup with bright colors to resemble the nice artwork on the walls.  I agreed to have her paint the cup. After selecting a cup that cost $20, Violet asked if I would prepay for it.  As I prepared to hand her the $20 in cash, she then asked, "Would it be OK if I charged you an extra $5 for the painting?" I agreed, but wondered why she did not mention the additional charge when she offered to paint the cup.  Once paying the $25, Violet asked me to follow her to the patio area, where she showed me a ceramic piece that she had recently painted.  The piece was very nice and filled with color.  She stated that she would make my cup resemble that piece.  Given that I was visiting from northern California, I left the studio to explore Balboa Park while she painted my cup, but did not realize the store closed at 4 pm. When I returned to studio at approximately 4:50 pm, I noticed that it was closed and a padlock hung from the front door.  I began to look around the plaza and observed that all of the studios appeared to be closed, except for the Office at studio #18.  Given that there was a phone number posted in studio #15's window, I called the cell phone number and reached Doug Snider, the business owner.  I explained to him that Violet had painted a cup for me, I'd paid her and the studio was closed when I returned.  Doug instructed me to walk down the plaza toward the main entrance to see if another shop owner was there to assist me. While walking and talking to Doug on my cell phone, I encountered a woman coming out of the Office, I began to explain to her what happened, and Doug, exclaimed, "Don't talk to the office lady!" Not knowing why he gave this unusual command, I told the woman that I had the matter handled, and I continued to walk in the direction that Doug was instructing me.  When I told him that I could not find anyone, he then curtly stated, "Well, I don't know what to tell you. I don't have time to deal with these types of issues and I will open at 11 tomorrow." With even more venom and disregard, he spurted, "It's not my problem."  I was very taken aback by this so-called business owner's uncaring, unprofessional response.  I explained to him again that I'd already paid for the product and that my merchandise was locked in the studio and my flight was leaving before 11 am.  Doug instructed me to contact him in a few hours, around 6:30 pm, and he would meet me at the studio to give me the cup. I called Doug, and he stated that he was at the studio.  When I arrived to pick up the cup, I was very displeased with the outcome of the painting.  It looked as if an infant had painted it. I could not believe that the cup looked so poorly, especially since Violet offered to paint it and make it resemble the other beautiful paintings.  I expressed my unhappiness, and Doug ignored my concerns, by quickly wrapping up the cup, and nearly pushing me out of the studio.  I left feeling very disrespected, dissatisfied and unheard.  When I arrived at my car and looked at the cup, I became even more upset.  I called Doug again and asked how I could get the paint off of the cup because it was in no way what I expected. Doug, in the most uncaring, unprofessional manner, retorted, "I don't know why you had it painted." I explained to him that I wanted the cup to have vivid colors like the paintings on the wall and Violet offered to paint the cup. I did not ask her to paint it.  I trusted the artist and since she offered to paint it, I trusted that she knew what she was doing. He arrogantly asserted, "I would never have painted it."  I then stated, "Well, if you'd been there, you would have given me your artistic advice and I would not have had it painted." He then stated, in the most vulgar manner, "If I'd been there, I would have never fucking talked to you.  I don't have time to talk to fucking people that only buy $20 pieces. I have a $20,000 project in San Francisco and I don't fucking care about shit that doesn't make me money. I live on the beach and I have bills to pay, so a fucking $20 item means nothing to me. I don't want to fucking talk to people because they always talk to me and hold me up for fucking 2 hours, which takes away from my money." When Doug finally ended what had to be a drug-induced rant, I hung on the line in utter disbelief. Words cannot express how berated and degraded I felt. I felt so disrespected that I took the cup, that I'd paid for, and hung it on the door of his studio. I refused to keep anything that came from him or his shop.

    Tidelands Park Coronado
    Elizabeth N.

    So one day as my daughter rode the little train with her dad in Balboa Park I strolled over to the Spanish Village Art Center and stumbled into Doug Snider's studio (studio15) and I was blown away. Every art piece had me intrigued and I wondered who the artist was. What an oasis. I have found he also makes incredibly whimsical public art. So far I have gotten a carved and glazed cup that I love for my morning coffee but what I have my eye on are the large wall puzzle art works. There is one in particular that I think would be a great focal point on my patio wall not to mention a great conversation piece!

    Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival
    Beth P.

    I have been to Balboa Park in San Diego many times throughout my life with my family. Its a great way to begin or end the day after going to the zoo. One of my favorite studios is studio #15. The artist, Doug Snider is very friendly and willing to share the history and background of many of his art pieces. There are beautifully, colorful, sculpted pieces throughout his entire studio. I have several long beads hanging from my outdoor trees and several Doug Bugs throughout the house. They are a great way to add color to your yard and home. Doug has shared with me that he paints and builds large life size pieces throughout California and Hawaii. If your in Balboa Park you can take a look at some of these models in his studio. He had mentioned that he built a large wave at a bus stop that one can sit in while waiting for the bus to come. When my husband and I visited the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach one summer we saw this on the side of the road and decided to stop and take a picture. I have attached the photo to this post and I would encourage anyone that visits Laguna Beach to stop and take a look at the beautiful piece. If your in the San Diego area take some time to go and visit Doug at studio #15, he is awesome!

    One of the artist's unique puzzle works; comprised of individually sculpted, painted pieces.

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    Ask the Community - Doug Snider Ceramics

    Review Highlights - Doug Snider Ceramics

    Spanish Village is one of my favorite places in San Diego, and Doug Snider Ceramics is my favorite studio.

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    The Studio Door

    The Studio Door

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    Photos
    At one with Ocean - 24x30 acrylic on canvas
    At one with Ocean - 24x30 acrylic on canvas
    The Studio Door
    The Studio Door

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    Great art from a wonderful local artist. Stop in and pick something up to beautify your space... I…read morehave 4 pieces and love looking at gem every day!

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    Doorway to her gallery
    Mee Shim Fine Art
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    My husband and I visit San Diego twice a year and every time I would go into Lowery's Hot Glass and…read moresee the pendant lighting and think I wanted that in our Pennsylvania home. I wanted to bring a piece of beautiful San Diego home with me. We met with Diane and talked about what I was looking for and she offered so many wonderful ideas. We went home and I took all types of pictures of our home and sent them to Diane so that she could get a feel for who we were and how we liked to live our lives. After emails and all my silly questions, (Diane is very patient) we had her create two (2) fluted pendants to hang in our kitchen over our island and she created a inverted fluted bowl to hang over our dinette table. They are amazing. Words can not describe how beautiful they are. The colors are so rich and lush. We love them and every time I look at them I think of San Diego. Diane you are very sweet. Thank you for the beautiful pieces you created for us. We will be back very soon to San Diego Diane and we will be in to visit....I'm thinking centerpiece for dining room table now. I highly recommend everyone when you visit San Diego stop by Lowry's Hot Glass and be amazed.

    Photos
    Lowery's Hot Glass
    Lowery's Hot Glass
    Last call on jewelry!!! These are both so pretty.

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    Last call on jewelry!!! These are both so pretty.
    Pecoff Studios

    Pecoff Studios

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    I attended the Uplifting Vibrations show at the gallery this past weekend and I got the chance to…read morenot only appreciate all of the art on the walls but actually talk with Grant Pecoff and his wife Layne Pecoff. I will start with the art. They had a few artists displayed but mostly had the work of Grant Pecoff (given that it is his gallery). They also had some very moving pieces from Stephanie Clair, the expression that she created with her cubism style and simplistic faces was very apparent and warm. Then I noticed Grant work and immediately recognized it. One of my friends has a piece of his I have always loved, it is of about 10 narrow homes above a reflective river in Amsterdam, the colors used and the reflection created are so unique and awesome. I love his art and hope to one day own a few of his pieces as they would compliment any room. He also has many San Diego paintings, including one of the Coronado bridge...which elicits a very interesting story of how he met his wife Layne. She had seen this painting for the first time a week before her parents came into town. When she was showing them around Del Mar she remembered it and brought them over to the window to check it out as she went on and on about how much she loved it. A guy was also looking at it from outside of the window and let her know there was a marching band on the side of the beach that day, that man was Grant Pecoff and only 5 weeks after that moment, they went on a trip to Europe together and had gotten married. Layne is full of happiness and it radiates to you when talking with her. She provides such a warm and comfortable aura and will leave you in positive thought after conversing with her. She writes the children's books with Grant's art next to the words, I have read through some of them and would recommend to any parent who hopes for an active imagination for their young one. The art and words dance and mingle in a lively fashion that stirs even an adult mind. If you are in the Little Italy area and you are look for an uplifting gift for your eyes and mind, please oh please, come on in and surround yourself with beauty.

    Interesting gallery in Little Italy. A fun exploration, though most of the paintings aren't…read moresomething I would buy, but I can appreciate the genre. They paintings sort of look like the psychedlic stuff from the 60s. Colorful, good movement. Fun people in the Studio, nice little side trip in Little Italy.

    Photos
    The entrance on India St
    The entrance on India St
    This painting is how he met his wife
    This painting is how he met his wife
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    If you're looking for serious fine oil painting training, I advise you check the salon. It offers…read morea small class format and interdisciplinary studies to broaden art knowledge and approach. Classes fill up quickly, so you might have to register way ahead of time. It is definitely worth the wait as Concetta is a great instructor.

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    The Salon Of Art Gallery
    Meet the raven, the color Queen's  1960 Plymouth belvedere
    Meet the raven, the color Queen's 1960 Plymouth belvedere
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    4.9
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    Exceptional, fast service when I needed it most!…read more I can't say enough good things about Index Urban Travel Shop! I came in with a Briggs & Riley bag that needed a quick warranty wheel replacement right before a trip tomorrow. Sal accommodated me immediately, and his prompt service saved the day. A huge thank you to Sal for getting the repair done so quickly. While I was there, Jessica was extremely helpful in showing me a few great options for future purchases. It is so refreshing to see a thriving independent business in our community that truly values customer care. Highly recommended!

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    Index Urban
    Index Urban
    Index Urban

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    Doug Snider Ceramics - artsandcrafts - Updated August 2026

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