Jim Krogle’s California Dreamin’ Art
Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel
To experience California’s classic beach and car culture, look no farther than artist Jim Krogle’s paintings, prints and posters.
Before you know it, you’ll be cruising down PCH in a vintage woodie, heading to the beach, or racing to catch the Balboa ferry.
Krogle really knows how to capture the essence of California’s laid back lifestyle and the memories of countless sunshiny days of surf and sand.
Karen Adler, owner of the Picture Show Gallery in Old Town Seal Beach (231 Main Street), has been a long time fan of Krogle and told SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel that his California artworks are popular with visitors to her gallery, as well.
She noted that the beach images and brightly-colored cruisers and station wagons loaded with surfboards always put a smile on people’s faces.
A California native, Krogle was raised in the San Fernando Valley before moving to Huntington Beach in 1963. With a childhood spent sailing, fishing and surfing and art degrees from Orange Coast College and Chouinard Art Institute, before long he was painting the SoCal scene.
Even if you didn’t grow up surfing and sunning on California’s beaches, when you’re looking at Krogle’s art you’re likely to feel a pull of nostalgia for those endless summer days of tooling around the beach in a cool car or stopping at the local drive-in for burgers and shakes.
SurfWriter Girls Sunny and Patti were especially drawn to Krogle’s Catalina artworks – the Yacht Club and Casino – because we both have fond island memories. Sunny worked for Catalina Adventure Tours and Patti used to camp and sail at Catalina’s White’s Landing.
Whether you’re a surfer, beach-goer, car guy or gal, or just love the romanticized California coast lifestyle, check out Jim Krogle’s art and chill out.
You can find his artworks at the Picture Show Gallery or online at jimkrogle.com
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