'Winter Storm Santa Barbara' by Thomas Van Stein depicts two people walking on the breakwater at the harbor as rough seas threaten to get them soaked. Flags are buffeted in the wind and tiers of gray clouds hang low in the sky. (Courtesy photo)
'Winter Storm Santa Barbara' by Thomas Van Stein. (Courtesy photo)
Carpinteria Bluff painting by Ann Sanders includes green and gold trees with glimpse of blue waters and muted purple mountains in background. (Courtesy photo)
Carpinteria Bluff painting by Ann Sanders. (Courtesy photo)

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) will present Where the Mountains Meet the Sea, a new exhibit of landscape paintings by 12 artists, most based in Santa Barbara, on view Jan. 22-March 29.

“From sun-drenched ridgelines to the shimmering shoreline, this exhibit invites visitors to experience the vibrant palette and shifting moods of the California coast as seen through the eyes of its finest local painters,” SBMM said.

“Each piece is a tribute to the stunning intersection of land and sea that defines Santa Barbara County, and to the artists who call it home,” organizers said.

Featured artists include Nancy Davidson, Rick Delanty, Camille Dellar, Rick Garcia, Derek Harrison, Willis Heaton, Ray Hunter, Craig Nelson, Ann Sanders, AnnBeth Shelton, Thomas Van Stein, and Ralph Waterhouse.

Collectively, their work captures the glow of sunrise over the Santa Ynez Mountains, the golden calm of tidepools at dusk, and the quiet drama of coastal cliffs shaped by wind and time.

“This exhibit is a love letter to the landscapes we live in,” said SBMM curator Emily Falke. “Each painting reflects not just the beauty of our region, but the personal connection these artists have to it.

“Visitors will feel immersed in a familiar, yet newly illuminated Santa Barbara.”

“Painting the Santa Barbara coast is a never-ending source of inspiration,” said Sanders. “The changing light, the drama of the mountains, the serenity of the sea, it’s a landscape that speaks to both artists and art lovers alike.”

Admission to the exhibit is included with general museum entry. For more, visit sbmm.org or call 805-962-8404.