Gallery Josephine Opens in Former Victor the Florist Flower Shop

On the corner of Anapamu and Santa Barbara streets, across from the courthouse, a beautiful pink building with scalloped awnings was home to Victor the Florist from the 1930s until it closed in 2020. Instead of allowing the pink paint to fade, artist Josephine Tournier Ingram has opened her dream gallery venue and studio, both preserving the building’s iconic facade and spearheading her own community space called Gallery Josephine. In July, Gallery Josephine participated in its first Santa Barbara 1st Thursday Art Walk and was featured on the cover of the official Art Walk Passport map.

“I feel really fortunate. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to have my own gallery. It was all kind of a pipe dream. My husband’s been really supportive. He’s like, ‘Even if you don’t sell anything, at least you’ve created your dream, and that’s worth it,’” said Ingram. She is excited at the prospect of hosting events with other people and organizations. Though Ingram plans to continue using the space as a private studio and a place to show her art, she said, “I can see it being a part of the community and thinking of it as more like a shared space…. I hope to be here as long as Victor the Florist. I love being part of this community here.” 

Originally from Colorado, Ingram moved to Santa Barbara to attend Westmont, where she began her art career and graduated as their first graphic design focused art major. From there, Ingram pursued her interest in graphic design at Powell-Peralta Skateboards, where she worked on skateboard graphics and logos and designed their first female-led line featuring athletes such as Bethany Hamilton. Later, Ingram also founded the clothing brand Ecozuzu and served as an adjunct professor of graphic design and art. 

About 12 years ago, Ingram began focusing her entire attention on fine art, especially using acrylic paints. “I love that acrylic dries quickly, and a lot of my art is built over a long period of time, sometimes years,” she said. In fact, her interest in acrylics began with a revisitation of a painting called “La Vie En Rose” that she had painted in 2000. “It was terrible…. Honestly, painting was the one subject as an art major that I didn’t feel like I was good at, which is wild. I could not get my style…. I thought you just do a painting and you quickly do it — it’s done. Now looking back, I’m like, ‘Oh, those are the base layers,’ you know?”

Ingram quickly found herself drawn to stylistic layering and texture in her abstract art. “That style, I don’t know how it came to me. I think somehow also I had my second kid, and he’s super artistic, too…. Somehow, that coincided with almost like a renaissance for me of being able to pour out art.” 

Though Ingram started creating this art just for herself, she posted on Instagram and began to receive commissions from her friends. The word spread, and Ingram has been working on commission ever since. “It’s tricky because sometimes I’ll work on like five at a time. I don’t like wasting paint, so if I have extra paints, it’s almost like a compulsion. Like, okay, well, what am I going to paint? As far as commissions go, I’ve been able to time it out,” said Ingram. 

From private Montecito homes to the annual Calm at Heart nonprofit auction, Ingram has been busy creating. Most of her paintings are inspired by nature from Colorado, Santa Barbara, or her extensive travels. She also loves to support local businesses by buying her materials from Art Essentials and frames from Distinctive Framing N Art. 

After managing a melanoma skin cancer diagnosis and her grandfather’s passing at the start of the pandemic, Ingram decided to prioritize travel and art. “Life is so short; you never know how much time you have. Entering my forties, I’ve lost a couple friends. Just follow your dream if things align and you’re given the opportunity. If it works out, great. If it doesn’t, that’s okay too, because failure is not failure; it’s learning opportunities and experience…. Those are awesome textural experiences.”

Gallery Josephine, 133 E. Anapamu Street, @galleryjosephine