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Florida and San Diego artist Doug Merskin is the featured artist for the 2026 La Jolla Art & Wine Festival. (Provided by Doug Merskin)<\/p>\nArt in all types of media, entertainment, food, pet adoptions, silent auctions and more are coming to Girard Avenue in just a matter of weeks as part of the 28th annual La Jolla Art & Wine Festival.<\/p>\n
The free, family-friendly festival the runs the weekend of Oct. 10-11 will feature part-time San Diegan Doug Merskin as its 2026 featured artist and mark a return to La Jolla for one of the newest exhibitors, as part of a lineup that features approximatley 170 artists.<\/p>\n
Merskin is a mixed-media artist with studios in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. and Oceanside. His work combines mineral pigments, acrylic paints and metallic powders across three dimensional forms to create what he describes as \u201cart with a flow.\u201d<\/p>\n
He explained, \u201cMy art has contours, waves and curvatures to the face so it looks like moving water or moving sky or earth elements that actually fit with \u2026 art with a flow. My work is like statement pieces. I have a very large-scale booth, very high walls, and my pieces have large scales.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florida and San Diego artist Doug Merskin is the featured artist for the 2026 La Jolla Art & Wine Festival. (Provided by Doug Merskin)<\/p>\n
Merskin is no stranger to the La Jolla Art & Wine Festival. This year marks his eighth time participating and his first as the featured artist. He said he is \u201cvery much happy and appreciative\u201d for the honor, which is given to one artist every year.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoug\u2019s work immediately grabs your attention because it\u2019s unlike anything you\u2019d expect,\u201d La Jolla Art & Wine Festival executive director Abraham Musto said. \u201cHis intricate process, vibrant color palette and ability to create movement within every piece embody the creativity and originality that make the festival such a unique experience. We\u2019re thrilled to welcome him as this year\u2019s featured artist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Event founder Sherry Ahern added, \u201cHe\u2019s been featured for the most beautiful things that he makes and \u2026 his colors, the vibrancy (of his work) and his raw talent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Merskin\u2019s booth at the festival will embrace technology, too, with \u201can art-placer AI system\u201d that shows customers how his pieces would fit on their walls.<\/p>\n
Another one of the artists participating in this year\u2019s festival is Irvine resident and UC San Diego alumna Sangeetha Gopalakrishnan.<\/p>\n
While earning her electrical engineering degree at UCSD from 2007-2009, art was not on Gopalakrishnan\u2019s radar. At that time, she recalled being \u201cvery academically-oriented\u201d and focused on a long-lasting engineering career.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll have these weekends where you have no time to get out of your room because you have so much work to finish,\u201d Gopalakrishnan said of her days at UCSD. \u201c(At the same time, by being in San Diego) you live in a place that\u2019s so beautiful you can\u2019t help but get out and enjoy it. So it was an interesting balance I was trying to maintain. I loved every bit of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she picked up oil painting as a hobby. By 2024, her previous practice of semiconductor chip designer was in the rearview mirror and she was fully pursuing art.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems very surreal, because when I first landed in La Jolla \u2026 my dream was only tech,\u201d Gopalakrishnan said. \u201cI just wanted to retire as an engineer. Coming back and knowing that it\u2019ll be near UCSD \u2014 where I got my degree in electrical engineering and I had a completely different dream and now I\u2019m living a completely different life \u2014 I don\u2019t know what to think of it. It feels very good, but it also brings some emotion. It\u2019s my first city I lived in as an immigrant, the first place I got my masters degree and my first job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond the wide array of art exhibitionists, the festival will also feature a handful of activities and entertainment.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Home Depot will host a variety of projects for children in the Geppetto\u2019s Toys Family Art Center on Wall Street at Girard Avenue. On Sunday, there will be a petting zoo with llamas, bunnies, chickens and rabbits. The family friendly area will also feature dancing classes, robotics activities, arts and crafts, performances, storytime, face painting, and more.<\/p>\n
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The La Jolla Art & Wine Festival draws thousands to Girard Avenue in La Jolla over the weekend of Oct. 11-12. (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)<\/p>\n
Cover bands Pop Vinyl and Full Strength will headline music performances on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Other performers include The Rosin Box Project, a contemporary ballet company, on both days; and Paging the 90s, a cover band set to perform Saturday.<\/p>\n
Admission to the La Jolla Art & Wine Festival is free, but tickets are required for the wine and beer garden, where guests 21 years old and older can enjoy regional and international wines, San Diego craft beers, handcrafted spirits, and more. Tickets are available individually (one per tasting) or within the following packages:<\/p>\n
\u2022 $70 for general admission including five tasting tickets for beer, wine, spirits or non-alcoholic beverages<\/p>\n
\u2022 $80 for general admission plus, including eight tasting tickets<\/p>\n
\u2022 $95 for VIP admission, including 10 tasting tickets<\/p>\n
Tickets will be available at the door according to their availability. Advance tickets are recommended.<\/p>\n
Proceeds from the event support underfunded programs at La Jolla\u2019s public schools such as art, music, science, physical education, technology and on-site medical care. Since its inception, the La Jolla Art & Wine Festival has donated more than $1,700,000 to these schools.<\/p>\n