Concetta Antico: Living Color, Lasting Joy in La Jolla
Meet the Artist Who Sees What Others Can’t
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Concetta Antico is not your typical La Jolla gallery owner. Her salon-style gallery on Girard Avenue is part art space, part time capsule, and part spiritual sanctuary. The quaint spot right on Fay Ave isn’t your typical coastal minimalism or predictable beach scenes—you’ll feel like you’ve entered a late-1800s Parisian atelier filled with soul, story, and vibrant color.
“It’s more like I’ve just dropped out of Paris,” Antico says. “It’s a little bit French, a little bit Impressionist—the way a salon would have looked in the late 1800s.”
A Contemporary Impressionist painter with the rare genetic trait of tetrachromacy, Antico can see up to 100 million colors—compared to the average human’s one million. Her paintings, all completed in a single sitting without correction, shimmer with color combinations that most people can’t even perceive.
From Bird Rock to Downtown La Jolla
Since opening her first gallery in Bird Rock in 1995, Antico has built a decades-long career as a professional artist and art teacher. Her current gallery—her eighth—is both a creative studio and a teaching space. She hosts weekly classes, lectures, and workshops aimed at helping people deepen their visual perception and creative confidence.
“You grow your color vision,” she explains. “It’s like a muscle. You flex it and you start to see more.”
She also offers tarot readings, hosts monthly free public lectures, and is preparing to launch a spiritual monthly club called The Alchemy Lounge, which will feature everything from tea ceremonies and guest speakers to tarot, astrology, and creative rituals.
“La Jolla Needs Me”
Antico is candid about how her space—and she herself—stand apart in the local scene.
“La Jolla is not my vibe,” she says. “La Jolla needs me.”
Antico’s mission is to spark something deeper in her visitors: emotional connection, visual curiosity, and personal joy. Her gallery, her teaching, and even her vintage 1960 Plymouth parked out front (“The Raven”) are part of a bigger picture—one that values authenticity over aesthetics.
Q&A with Concetta Antico
If someone could borrow your eyes for five minutes, what would you want them to look at?
Definitely the sky. Especially during a full moon. You guys see moon glow—I see colors. So many colors. Like, take a rainbow and make it exponential by ten. That’s what I see around the sun and the moon.
Can people actually learn to see more color?
Yes. When I teach people painting, they grow their color vision. It’s like a muscle. You flex it, and you start to see more. You might see 500,000 colors today, and maybe 700,000 with training.
What makes your painting process unique?
I paint like you write a paragraph. I start knowing exactly where I’ll end. No corrections. All my paintings are done in one sitting. I can finish a large canvas in four hours.
What does “Modern Muse” mean to you?
A muse inspires. “Modern” because we’re in 2025, and also because I embody that spirit. But it’s also a throwback to the ‘60s and ‘70s—Woodstock, free love, the pill. Creativity means breaking out of societal norms.
You mentioned people sometimes don’t “get” your work at first. How do you handle that?
Someone once walked in, looked around for two seconds, and said, “Oh, there’s nothing to see here.” I’m not upset—I feel sad. If that’s what you see here it makes me wonder, what else are you missing or not “seeing” in your life?
Why reopen a gallery now, after closing in 2019?
My adult kids told me to. And they were right. This is my swan song. I want to inspire people to create—not just art, but joy. I want to leave a legacy beyond paint on canvas.
Creating a Legacy of Joy and Meaning
What sets Concetta Antico apart isn’t just her vision—it’s her vision for others. She sees potential in everyone to connect more deeply with the world around them. Whether she’s teaching someone to mix oil paints, pulling a tarot card, or explaining the science behind color perception, her message is the same:
“You should live in the meditation of that beauty—whether that’s the leaves on a tree, the laughter of a child, or a beautiful sunset. Even handwritten poetry in your garden—leave something.”
In a town filled with galleries, Concetta Antico’s is more than a business. It’s a living reminder that art is not just something to admire—but something to live.
All images were provided courtesy of concettaantico.com and @concettaantico on Instagram.
You can usually find Ian immersed in something related to music or sharing a laugh with a friend. A Kansas City native, Ian recently made the move from his Alma-mater town of Fort Collins to San Diego.
