SBMM will present an artists talk featuring David Ellis and Larry Vigon as part of its April Maritime Distinguished Speaker Series.

SBMM will present an artists talk featuring David Ellis and Larry Vigon as part of its April Maritime Distinguished Speaker Series. The program complements SBMM’s current exhibition, Aquean: Photographs, Paintings, and Prints, on view April 9 through July 26, 2026. Aquean is an evocative exhibition exploring time, tides, and transformation through multimedia works that invite viewers to consider the sea as both subject and metaphor. Featuring photographs, paintings, prints, video, and mixed media, the show reflects the delicate balance between permanence and loss along California’s coastlines and the rhythms that bind what endures and what vanishes. Ellis will present “Lobospheres: The Lost Souls of Point Lobos,” an overview of his 20-year photographic project documenting wave-carved rock forms at Point Lobos. Describing the work as “a celebration, an elegy, and a cautionary tale,” Ellis considers the series an expressionistic archive shaped by climate realities and the passage of time, giving voice to the landscape and reminding viewers of what is often overlooked. Vigon’s talk will offer a brief history of his more than 55-year career, highlighting both his commercial and personal work. An award-winning art director, designer, and fine artist, Vigon created more than 200 album covers for artists including Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, and Bonnie Raitt, earning induction into the Album Cover Hall of Fame in 2020. “We are excited to bring David Ellis and Larry Vigon together through both the exhibition and this special program,” said Executive Director of SBMM Dean Noble. “Their work reflects the emotional and environmental realities of the sea while reinforcing SBMM’s mission to connect our community to the ocean through art, education, and storytelling.” SBMM Curator and Director of Collections & Exhibits Emily Falke added, “Their work captures the power and fragility of the ever-changing California coastline. In Aquean, the sea becomes a lens for time and change, reminding us that what endures and what vanishes are forever intertwined by the rhythms of the ocean.” Together, Ellis and Vigon will share insights into their creative processes and the ways art deepens our understanding of the sea.