Page 50 - SLO Visitors Guide Winter 2026

50 WINTER 2026 slovisitorsguide.com
Morro Bay
The ONLY
Bead & Garden Shop
on the Central Coast!
OPEN WED-MON!
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO BEAD
as well as a great selection of succulents,
air plants and miniature garden accessories
333 Morro Bay Blvd.,
Morro Bay, CA
805.772.3338
morrobaybeads.com
Inspired by sea and sky,
the art and inspiration of David J Rogers
The rugged cliffs, soft morning
fog, and tranquil tide pools of
California’s Central Coast have long
inspired artists, and watercolorist
David J. Rogers is one of its most pas-
sionate ambassadors. In 2018, David
and his wife and business partner,
Peggy, opened the David J. Rogers
Fine Art Gallery in downtown Morro
Bay. Since then, the gallery has
evolved into not only a destination
for art, but a hub for learning, com-
munity, and creative discovery.
Nationally recognized
artist brings
watercolor education
and retreats home to
the Central Coast
each month, artists paint alongside
David in real time, learning com-
position, color harmony, and brush
control. His website also offers
beginner-friendly online courses
and digital resources, including
several recorded workshops.
For those seeking a deeper
journey, David offers year-long
watercolor programs designed to
cultivate artistic identity, mastery
of design principles, and personal
style.
Central Coast retreats and
worldwide inspiration
In addition to online instruc-
tion, David and Peggy now host
intimate in-person watercolor re-
treats along the Central Coast each
year. These retreats welcome artists
to paint among Morro Bay’s coastal
dunes, fishing boats, eucalyptus
groves, and oak-studded hillsides,
immersed in the beauty that in-
spires so much of David’s work.
This past year, they also led a
group of students on an unforget-
table painting trip through Italy,
capturing the golden rooftops
of Tuscany, the stone villages of
Umbria, and quiet moments of light
and shadow in centuries-old streets.
David J Rogers Gallery is a hub for art, learning, and community.
From self-taught beginnings
to inspiring thousands
A self-taught artist, David has
been drawing and painting since
childhood. With more than 25
years of professional experience
and a lifetime of studying light,
shadow, and atmosphere, he has
developed a teaching style that is
now followed by students around
the world. His step-by-step “learn
by doing” approach allows begin-
ners to create surprisingly advanced
paintings - even on their very first
try - while still challenging and
inspiring seasoned artists.
“Watercolor is a natural transi-
tion from drawing,” David explains.
“You’re not just adding pigment
- you’re preserving the light. In
watercolor, the paper itself is part of
the painting, and that’s what makes
the medium both beautiful and
challenging.”
Art for everyone—workshops,
courses and online learning
David’s workshops and online
courses make watercolor acces-
sible to students across the globe.
Through live online watercolor
mastery workshops held twice