As we were walking around downtown we noticed the art shop and thought to ourselves, lets see…read morewhat's inside? Local artist always have an understanding of the area that can be captured beautifully. Learned that the front room is rented by multiple artist and the back room rotates monthly whomever rents that space? It's a nice collaborative place. Everyone was nice to us. I purchased a small piece that is of Princeton By the Sea for $25. My husband picked up a print for $20. They had original art, prints, postcards, jewelry, glass art, photography, wood, mouse pads, etc.

This is the gallery showroom location for the non profit coastal arts league. It's a kind of co-op…read morefor local artists and members which is usually chock full of varied, local art displays. Parking is street only, and due to the popularity of some of the adjacent businesses this can mean you'll be a block or so away either on main or on one of the side streets. This is a medium sized space tucked away on the north end of a courtyard kind of space which usually has installations from a half dozen or so local artists. What you see displayed can be purchased and it's common for one of the artists to be in and/or around the building. It's staffed solely by volunteers who can be conversational but not necessarily well versed in the art. As they also offer classes inside typically the back part won't be utilized for gallery space but instead will look to be cluttered with whatever the last class left behind. The art rotates constantly thus no two visits will be quite the same. All mediums are represented at one point or another. On my visit there were paintings-acrylic, oil and watercolor-bronze sculpture, fiber/paper mache and some intriguing cloth pieces. Quite the varied experience really. If you live in the area, or are spending some time in town you might consider joining the art's league. There are a ton of member benefits including but not limited to: classes and workshops, free art screenings, meet the artist events, networking and most useful for those who are artists a consistent way to get your out in public view. Pricing is set by the artists themselves and doesn't appear to be negotiable in the gallery, but they do offer ways to contact the artist directly should you so chose. In an not quite entirely unrelated matter, the front desk/cashier has the keys to the public restroom next door, all you have to do is ask preferably politely. This is a good spot to browse for local, quality art pieces.

Great Art Center in the city of Palo Alto, CA. Came here…read morefor a free family event night. A lot of fun activities for kids such as clay sculpting, coloring, origami, and art viewing. There was also a dance performance towards the end. It is located in a nice area near the local library, park, and community garden. They offer various classes for all ages on all forms of art. Wonderful event space and art education.

I never even knew this art center existed! I went a couple weeks ago for the Palo Alto blown…read morepumpkin festival and I was completely astonished by their whole set up and creative design as well as a community garden!! Such a beautiful place to have lunch, we brought it from Green Lotus in San Jose, and then got to enjoy the garden area as well as looking at all the art fixtures on the property! The blown glass was beautifully and eloquently designed, but all of the pieces were at least $50 at starting. It was nice to see a 15 minute demonstration of how much detail And how much thoughtfulness goes into creating a pumpkin blown glass project, I really want to sign up for classes now!

Such a fun and unique experience, perfect for anyone with any level of artistic ability!…read more My mom and I took a glassblowing class here and both opted to make the milk jug/small vase. They have a handful of tiers that have different items you can make including paper weights, ornaments, pumpkin, and a terrarium. Each tier is priced differently and gradually increases as you move up a tier. When you book/preregister for your class, you have to select the tier you want to make from, but you are able to change it when you get there. My mom had selected a tier 2 item when booking, but switched to tier 1 the day of, and we were charged appropriately. Instructors were very helpful and gave good insight and demonstrated how the process worked. They were very hands on, and could be even more so if you needed them to be. Our class had some younger kids as well as adults, and everyone was given great care and the assistance they needed. You take turns each making your piece one at a time, so the actual process per person probably took around 20 minutes for tier 0-2 items. Depending on class size and how many people are in your group/when you arrive, you could expect to be there anywhere from 1 hour to 2.5. You don't get to take your blowing home right away, it has to sit in a hot oven overnight to set, so I sadly haven't seen my finished product yet, but I can't wait to pick it up and start putting it to use! Good pro-tip, wear long sleeves! I wore short sleeves because I figured I would be too hot in long, but the molten glass is VERY HOT and can irritate your skin just from the proximity! My arm turned super red and had a little bit of a heat rash the rest of the day, but it went away by the next morning.

I'd never tried glass blowing, but someone recommend this place to me and I decided to go when I…read morehad friend in town. I didn't know what to expect but it ended up being such a fun and unique experience. It's easy to book your glass blowing session online and it's only $80 for a small item. My friends and I all made small pumpkins to remember our visit and they turned out to be so beautiful. The day we came someone was wrong with the oven. It wasn't as hot as it should've been but the workers teaching us were very cool and easy going and we were still able to make our glass. They gave great instruction and helped us the whole time. I learned so much and loved learning how to do this! I like that they can even mail you your item for a small fee since it takes a day or two to cool. I would definitely do this again! It's such a special experience.

Found this gallery while on our bike ride from Half Moon Bay State Beach to Princeton by the Sea…read more This is a locally run gallery, that brings artist in each weekend. They rotate them around, so you won't always see the same items. We ended up buying from two of the vendors and I even went out of my way to go back another weekend. Can't say if they allow for parking? Or if you need to find residential parking? Located off Hwy 1. It's worth coming out to take a look at what's out there. Have fun and support local artist.

A couple blocks off Cabrillo Highway (1) along the coast of Half Moon Bay lies this art gallery…read morewith heavy helpings of local soul, whose name is literally its address. We followed signs to an art show that led us here while passing through from San Francisco to Santa Cruz. Inside, the space is tall and lit naturally through large windows. The gallery appears to attach to a home in the back and faces the ocean with a narrow lane separating it from the beach. This area has restaurants and lots of foot traffic. The art was all local with a featured artist inside painting live and carrying on conversation with visitors. Snacks were laid out on a table and the staff was very hospitable and engaging. If we lived in this area I could easily see us visiting again and again to enjoy the local artists' work. Upcoming featured artists were posted on a chalkboard by the entrance. Generally a positive experience at 337 Mirada Art. We will stop back by next time we are driving through!

I started here 3 years ago as a beginner when they opened and have taken probably ~10 classes from…read moredifferent staff members. I also brought my team from work here a couple times + other neighboring teams for team events and folks loved it and enjoyed that it was a departure from the normal things my company does - everyone also walked away with nice pieces for that. After 3 years I wanted to give back and I'm about to start being an occasional instructor here for the next session, so I wanted to be transparent about that, but I'm not being compensated or nudged to write this review and I should've written it long ago. Things this studio is great for: * Community/third-space - I expected to take a class or two and then buy a wheel at home. I never expected that Clayroom would fill a hole in my life satiating a desire for community and connection I didn't know I had. Folks are really friendly here, and if you start showing up on a regular basis and occasionally say hi then you'll get to know people and build connections. * Seeing if the hobby is a good fit - do one of the 1 day try-days * Beginners - you get unlimited studio access during your classes to come in and practice, and having taken intro with multiple instructors I can safely say the instructors are really great. I can also say that experiencing classes from different instructors in different sessions can be very helpful. * Intermediate+ - the classes for things like intro 2.0, next steps, gardenware fusion, surface design, etc are all really useful for leveling-up your game. Some of them like intro 2.0 are probably worth revisiting to get more practice, since classes are jam packed with useful content. * Team events - mentioned above, but many teams from my company have done events here and loved it/walked away with great pieces. * Members - the studio does a great job of taking care of its members; when there are needs in the studio I've seen them acquire tools or otherwise empower members. There's still lots of initiative to improve systems and make life better. * Staff - the staff is incredibly friendly and helpful - they're a huge part of why I'm at Clayroom to stay :).

It's hard to put into words my appreciation for the Clayroom and the community at large. It has…read moreopened up a whole new creative world for me that didn't exist before my first class. Yes I always wanted to try ceramics and yes, I thought I might have an affinity for it, but I never would have expected it to change so much in my life in a positive way. The instructors here are something special. They have a rare ability to meet you exactly where you are -- whether you're a complete beginner fumbling through your first attempt at centering clay or someone who's been coming for months and is ready to push their skills further. They're generous with their time, patient without being condescending, and genuinely excited about what they do. That enthusiasm is contagious. What made me decide to become a member is the community. There's a warmth here that's hard to manufacture -- people cheering each other on and lifting one another up. It's a space where you can step away from screens and noise and just make something with your hands, surrounded by people who get it. I didn't expect to find that when I signed up for a ceramics class, but I'm so glad I did.

We had such a great experience at Clay Life Art Studio for our 4-year anniversary. My husband and I…read morebooked a private wheel-throwing lesson, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable things we've done together. David, the owner, welcomed us into the studio and gave us a tour before we started. He taught us the basics and all the important things to know when working on the wheel. He was incredibly informative, hands-on, patient, and welcoming--and also really funny, which made the whole experience even more relaxed and enjoyable. It was our first time trying wheel throwing and we had so much fun that my husband and I couldn't stop talking about it afterward. We each made two pieces, and for beginners I think we did pretty well lol! We were honestly so excited to come back and pick up our creations. The staff and members were also super friendly. One of the members asked if we were doing a lesson and when we said yes she told us we would have a great time--and she was not wrong. They also offer memberships if you're interested, and the studio has a very welcoming, community-based vibe. If you've ever wanted to try pottery or are looking for a fun and unique date idea, I highly recommend it.

I book an appointment for the private wheeling throwing class via email. David (the instructor) was…read moreresponsive and made it easy to book the appointment. After checking in and putting our stuff away, David started the class by showing use how everything works and gave us a demonstration of how to make a bowl. Not gonna lie, I got lost while watching him make it. After the demonstration, we got started on working on our own bowl. David is super patient and fun. He made sure we knew what we were by guiding us through each step of the way. He was hopping between me and my friends throughout the whole time. For our second piece, we had the freedom to make whatever we wanted to and he would be there to help us through the way. We got to choose the glaze color for each of our pieces and the final product should be done 3-4 weeks after the class. Can't wait to see the final product. Bathroom: There's 2 bathroom in the studio. The bathroom was clean and had scrubbers in case you wanted to get clay of your nails. Parking: Pretty easy as the studio is located in a little plaza.

I recommend M Stark Gallery - one of my favorites in Northern California. I bought an Ethan Estes…read morework from her sold out show. Previously, I saw one of his works in an exhibition at Stanford's Anderson Collection, which the gallery sold. The owner changes the exhibitions regularly - she's gracious and very professional.

Marcella offers some of the most beautiful artwork and has a welcoming environment from this moment…read moreyou step foot inside her gallery. I highly recommend you check out this place

I have been to Marcela's on a few occasions and every time a great experience. The atmosphere is…read moreexactly what you would except from a professional gallery. They knowledgeable, friendly, and always go the extra mile. If you are looking for established or up and coming artists, come check out Marcela's Village Gallery. You will not be disappointed!