Ruth Ellen Hoag holds Signature status in the American Watercolor Society and National Watercolor Association among others. In September, she received the 2019 Hugh Petersen Award for Art in Public Places, presented by Santa Barbara Beautiful for her murals, “East of Yesterday,” located at 10 E Yanonali Street. Ruth’s series, Teacups of Joy, was recently published in Palette Magazine, as paintings about the thoughts and experiences of children on the edge.

Ruth’s art is based on the figurative genre. Everyday people being central to her work, each painting offers an opportunity to discover a new insight into how we act, react, do, think, worry, enjoy or ponder. She works equally in acrylic and watercolor, often inscribeing into the paint surface with graphite and mark-making tools. She chooses her color palette explicitly for each piece that represents a communicative and emotional quality, while incorporating various degrees of abstraction. There’s no formula, only desire and some routine.

As gallerist and resident artist of GraySpace Gallery and Studio, Ruth also continues her teaching practice with workshops and weekly classes. You can find GraySpace at 219 Gray Avenue, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, on the web at GraySpaceArt.com, and on Instagram at @grayspacesb.

She is also a founding member of Santa Barbara Studio Artists, and is represented by Kathryn Designs in Montecito, at kathrynedesigns.com.