Award-Winner Laguna Beach Abstract Artist Talks On Creative Process at Gallery

Rubenstein Chan Contemporary Art is pleased to announce "Held in Motion," an exclusive artist talk and reception featuring renowned Laguna Beach abstract artist Clara Berta to Discuss Large-Scale Textured Works & Creative Process and Los Angeles mixed-media artist Chenhung Chen. (January 27, 2026)

Laguna Beach Abstract Artist Clara Berta to Discuss Large-Scale Textured Works & Creative Process at Rubenstein Chan Contemporary Art CARPINTERIA, CA (January 27, 2026) - Rubenstein Chan Contemporary Art is pleased to announce "Held in Motion," an exclusive artist talk and reception featuring renowned Laguna Beach abstract artist Clara Berta and Los Angeles mixed-media artist Chenhung Chen.

The event will take place on Saturday, February 7, at 1:00 p.m., offering collectors and press an intimate look into the techniques behind Clara Berta's highly sought-after large-scale paintings that embody the vibrancy and tranquility of the natural world through her use of organic forms and layering of harmonious colors along with Chen's intricate 2020 Vision series.

The Authority of Texture & Scale Clara Berta, a central figure in the contemporary abstract art scene, will share insights into the physical and emotional process required to create her organic acrylic paintings. Known for her dynamic use of layering and negative space, Berta's work has transcended the gallery wall, earning features in high-profile Super Bowl commercials and creating the subject of an award-winning documentary on her artistic practice.

During the talk, Berta will discuss how she navigates the creation of large-scale abstract art, moving from blank canvas to complex, textured masterpieces that command attention in luxury homes and corporate lobbies. Her works are created with a combination of techniques, building up layers of color and texture on the canvas. Clara's latest paintings begin with an airbrushed base layer to enhance the sense of depth, followed by her technique of pouring and manipulating paint through movement, which generates a meditative sense of flow and buoyancy as well as dynamic kinetic bursts. Most often, these opposing yet complementary forces are contained within one painting.

Clara Berta's abstract paintings are collected globally and featured in prominent public and private collections. Specializing in nature inspired abstract paintings, Berta's work is celebrated for its emotional depth and vibrant color palettes. For more information on abstract art in Laguna Beach, visit https://claraberta.com

Clara Berta is a Hungarian-American contemporary abstract painter based in Laguna Beach, California, USA. She has been practicing art since 2000 and has become known for her large-scale paintings that embody the vibrancy and tranquility of the natural world through her use of organic forms and layering of harmonious colors. She's also an award-winning Laguna Beach abstract artist creating original abstract paintings that explore the healing power of water and emotion.

Berta's latest endeavor is an Award-Winning Best Short Documentary Clara Berta: An Artist's Journey, directed by Ayrton Carrazco at the Silicon Beach Film Festival, chronicles her transformative path as an artist. The film captures how creativity became a powerful pathway to resilience, renewal, and inner strength, inspiring audiences to view art not just as expression, but as medicine for the soul.

Complementing her artistic practice, Clara is a certified healing art facilitator with Art4Healing. Through workshops and guided sessions, she integrates painting, movement, and mindfulness to empower others on their own journeys of self-discovery and healing. Together, her art and healing practice affirm a core belief: that creativity has the power to transform pain into beauty, and to connect people more deeply with ourselves and each other.

"My process is one of intuition, clearing the mind of preconceived notions of the final image while I work and allowing my thoughts and emotions to guide my movements," says Berta. "I add layer upon layer until I reach a compositional harmony between color, form, and negative space. It is about creating a vibration that the viewer can feel."

A Dialogue in Motion Sharing the stage is Los Angeles artist Chenhung Chen, who will present her compelling 2020 Vision series. Chen's work incorporates bar codes and pandemic-era detritus, explores themes of liberation and containment.

"While housebound, it gave me great pleasure to liberate the birds from the pages of the Audubon Bird Book Guide," says Chen.

Chen will also discuss her mesmerizing water series abstracts, which parallel Berta's fascination with natural energy. "I find beauty, poetry, energy, and power in the ocean. Depending on the weather and time of day, the ocean presents so differently-the colors, textures, and smells are never the same."

Chenhung Chen is a Los Angeles-based contemporary artist whose mixed media drawings, sculptures, and installations navigate modernity through her transforming of found and bought industrial materials. Chen's work investigates physical, social, and spiritual structures and how they intersect in contemporary culture. Born in Beigang, Taiwan Chen has lived and worked in Taipei, Taiwan, New York, N.Y., and Los Angeles, CA. Through a number of international traveling experiences, Chen is situating herself between cultures while expressing herself from a global perspective. She also received a BA from the Chinese Cultural University, Taipei, Taiwan and a MFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York City where she studied with Michael Singer, Ursula von Rydingsvard and Jackie Winsor, etc. Their engagements with architecture, wood and uncommon materials in contemporary discourse influenced her experimenting with the possibility of space and materials, including wires and electrical cables. Her artwork has been exhibited across the United States and internationally.

Chen's work has been exhibited at PS1 Long Island City, NY, Hwa Kang Museum, Taipei, Taiwan, UVU Woodbury Art Museum, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego Art Institute, Cal Poly Pomona the Kellogg University Art Gallery, Fullerton College Art Gallery, Crafton Hills College Art Gallery, El Camino College Art Gallery, Grafiska Sallskapet Galleri, Stockholm, Sweden, Torrance Art Museum, the Children Museum of Arts, New York, Main Museum, Los Angeles, Gallery 825, Walter Macial Gallery and Roberts Projects, Wonzimer Gallery, Los Angeles and Galleria Rankka, Helsinki, Findland. Chen was the subject of a solo show at Lancaster Museum of Art and History.

Event Details

Event: "Held in Motion" Artist Talk & Reception

Date: Saturday, February 7, 2026

Time: 1:00 p.m. (Reception to follow)

Location: Rubenstein Chan Contemporary Art, 410 Palm Ave., Unit B3, Carpinteria, CA 93013

RSVP: Encouraged not required at www.rubensteinchan.com/rsvp

Media Contact: Rubenstein Chan Contemporary Art 805-576-6152

Contact Info:
Name: Bonnie Rubenstein
Organization: Rubenstein Chan Contemporary Art gallery
Address: 410 Palm Ave., Unit B3, Carpinteria, California 93013, United States
Phone: +1-805-576-6152
Website: https://www.rubensteinchan.com/

Rubenstein Chan Contemporary Art is pleased to announce "Held in Motion," an exclusive artist talk and reception featuring renowned Laguna Beach abstract artist Clara Berta to Discuss Large-Scale Textured Works & Creative Process and Los Angeles mixed-media artist Chenhung Chen. (January 27, 2026)
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