> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Going from ‘sketchy’ to sketches - URL: https://www.smdp.com/going-from-sketchy-to-sketches/ - Published: 2006-10-14T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T21:39:46.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Business, Pico, #archive-import *ARTISTS AT WORK, from page 17 Cohesion sought for arts center Getting all creative on Pico* PICO BOULEVARD — In an attempt to draw positive attention to an area of Santa Monica that has received a bad reputation as a seedy part of town, a local business association plans to highlight the artistic side of Pico Boulevard with an art walk on Sunday. The Pico Improvement Organization, a coalition of business owners in and around Pico Boulevard, will host the first “Pico Artists at Work” to showcase those who have made a creative career for themselves on that stretch of the city. About 70 artists who have some sort of connection to Pico Boulevard, whether they own a gallery on the street or have displayed their works in one of the thoroughfare’s businesses, will demonstrate their colorful side between 34th Street and Santa Monica High School near We are Pico Artists at Work. We are the kiln dried, paint spattered, clay throwing, verb rhyming, glue sticking, nail driving, dolly moving artistic furnace that simmers the creative soup and dishes out unique visions and the real McCoy. We invite you to visit our places of work. This is where creativity is ever present, where ideas are given form and substance, and where, if you're lucky, you may see a spark of inspiration forged into a Work Of Art. The worktable is cluttered, the floor is dusty or wet, and tools are all about. The kitchen gets hot, but that's where the good stuff comes from. Santa Monica High School La Foto SylviaWhite Gallery Santa Monica Art Colony YWCA Drawing Group Santa Monica College Art Dept. SixteenTo One Gallery Lares Restaurant Ameritech Gun For HireThe Shampoo Lounge Jennifer Joyce Ceramic Studio Acapillow Bob and Bob DSJ Printing Virginia Ave. Park and Community Center Louise Marler Fine Prints Sharon Kagen Creativity Center T. Heritage Art Gallery TeddieTellitt Make Believe, Inc UnUrban Coffee HouseOracle Film & Video Farthingales L.A. Stitches From the Heart Monart School Of The Arts Sewing Arts Center Artistic Picture Frames Party Party Santa Monica Photoworks Morgan-Wixson Theatre Violet Restaurant Blue 7 GalleryTimbu and many other artists “We think Pico Boulevard is sort of an industrial other-side-of-the-tracks location for Santa Monica,”said Randy Ball, co-director of the event and member of the Pico Improvement Organization. “We take pride in being a street of workshops where artists create.” The Pico Improvement Organization formed five years ago in an attempt to create an identity for Pico Boulevard and to find ways to improve the district. It represents one of the newest business organizations in the city. “We try to identify the different groupings of businesses on Pico,” Ball said. “The largest grouping is automotive. Another one is the artistic group.” The idea for “Pico Artists at Work” came after the success of an artistic exhibit at the opening of Virginia Avenue Park last year. Jennifer Joyce has operated Jennifer Joyce Pottery Studio, 3028 Pico Blvd., for almost 10 years. She hopes the art walk will bring attention to an “unappreciated area” of town. Joyce has participated in the art walk in Venice, where she had a studio, and said she loved how the event would always increase foot traffic. Her studio will feature a pottery-making demonstration during Sunday’s showcase. Restaurants, hair salons, schools and clothing stores will also have a presence at the event. The Shampoo Lounge, 3020 Pico Blvd., will hold a photo session by stylist David Jensen, whose photos currently hang in the salon. “You walk in and \[the salon\] looks very artsy,” Shampoo Lounge Manager Barb Bell said. “It’s always crazy in here.” Santa Monica High School, home to the oldest art gallery in Santa Monica, will feature student and faculty art work on “The Day of the Dead,” a Mexican celebration of life and remembrance of those who have died. The Roberts Art Gallery in the high school dates back to 1937 and was named after Josephine Roberts, the high school’s first art department chair. “This is an excellent chance and opportunity for the community to see how heavily invested the artists in Santa Monica are within their craft and how it’s very fortunate the community has many art venues, not only on Pico, but many places within the city,” said SAMOHI Gallery Director David Wood. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/101406-02_01.jpg) The current 18th Street Arts Center has been criticized for not fostering a tight-knit community. (Photo: Melody Hanatani/Daily Press) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 14, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/101406.pdf?ref=smdp.com)