{"id":548295,"date":"2026-07-13T23:57:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T23:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/548295\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T23:57:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T23:57:23","slug":"gallery-josephine-opens-in-former-victor-the-florist-flower-shop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/548295\/","title":{"rendered":"Gallery Josephine Opens in Former Victor the Florist Flower Shop"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the corner of Anapamu and Santa Barbara streets, across from the courthouse, a beautiful pink building with scalloped awnings was home to Victor the Florist from the 1930s until it closed in 2020. Instead of allowing the pink paint to fade, artist Josephine Tournier Ingram has opened her dream gallery venue and studio, both preserving the building\u2019s iconic facade and spearheading her own community space called Gallery Josephine. In July, Gallery Josephine participated in its first Santa Barbara 1st Thursday Art Walk and was featured on the cover of the official Art Walk Passport map.<\/p>\n

\"\"Artist Josephine Tournier Ingram | Photo: Courtesy<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel really fortunate. I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d ever be able to have my own gallery. It was all kind of a pipe dream. My husband\u2019s been really supportive. He\u2019s like, \u2018Even if you don\u2019t sell anything, at least you\u2019ve created your dream, and that\u2019s worth it,\u2019\u201d said Ingram. She is excited at the prospect of hosting events with other people and organizations. Though Ingram plans to continue using the space as a private studio and a place to show her art, she said, \u201cI can see it being a part of the community and thinking of it as more like a shared space\u2026. I hope to be here as long as Victor the Florist. I love being part of this community here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Originally from Colorado, Ingram moved to Santa Barbara to attend Westmont, where she began her art career and graduated as their first graphic design focused art major. From there, Ingram pursued her interest in graphic design at Powell-Peralta Skateboards, where she worked on skateboard graphics and logos and designed their first female-led line featuring athletes such as Bethany Hamilton. Later, Ingram also founded the clothing brand Ecozuzu and served as an adjunct professor of graphic design and art.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Inside Gallery Josephine | Photo: Courtesy<\/p>\n

About 12 years ago, Ingram began focusing her entire attention on fine art, especially using acrylic paints. \u201cI love that acrylic dries quickly, and a lot of my art is built over a long period of time, sometimes years,\u201d she said. In fact, her interest in acrylics began with a revisitation of a painting called \u201cLa Vie En Rose\u201d that she had painted in 2000. \u201cIt was terrible\u2026. Honestly, painting was the one subject as an art major that I didn\u2019t feel like I was good at, which is wild. I could not get my style\u2026. I thought you just do a painting and you quickly do it \u2014 it\u2019s done. Now looking back, I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh, those are the base layers,\u2019 you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The exterior of Gallery Josephine | Photo: Courtesy<\/p>\n

Ingram quickly found herself drawn to stylistic layering and texture in her abstract art. \u201cThat style, I don\u2019t know how it came to me. I think somehow also I had my second kid, and he\u2019s super artistic, too\u2026. Somehow, that coincided with almost like a renaissance for me of being able to pour out art.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The view of the courthouse from Gallery Josephine | Photo: Courtesy<\/p>\n

Though Ingram started creating this art just for herself, she posted on Instagram and began to receive commissions from her friends. The word spread, and Ingram has been working on commission ever since. \u201cIt\u2019s tricky because sometimes I\u2019ll work on like five at a time. I don\u2019t like wasting paint, so if I have extra paints, it\u2019s almost like a compulsion. Like, okay, well, what am I going to paint? As far as commissions go, I\u2019ve been able to time it out,\u201d said Ingram.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From private Montecito homes to the annual Calm at Heart nonprofit auction, Ingram has been busy creating. Most of her paintings are inspired by nature from Colorado, Santa Barbara, or her extensive travels. She also loves to support local businesses by buying her materials from Art Essentials<\/a> and frames from Distinctive Framing N Art<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After managing a melanoma skin cancer diagnosis and her grandfather\u2019s passing at the start of the pandemic, Ingram decided to prioritize travel and art. \u201cLife is so short; you never know how much time you have. Entering my forties, I\u2019ve lost a couple friends. Just follow your dream if things align and you\u2019re given the opportunity. If it works out, great. If it doesn\u2019t, that\u2019s okay too, because failure is not failure; it\u2019s learning opportunities and experience\u2026. Those are awesome textural experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gallery Josephine, 133 E. Anapamu Street, @galleryjosephine<\/p>\n

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