Events

First Friday is a monthly art tour in downtown Santa Cruz.

Presenting “Coastal Echos of the Pacific” Original Pastels by Michelle Nicely – June & July 2026

We invite you to join us in welcoming painter Michelle Nicely as our feature artist forJune and July! Fantastic wines, and excellent tapas, dog friendly Cheers-like atmosphere and known for our great art! Linger for the evening with a friend or make a new one! Reserve a firepit table for a glass of our delicious wine.

Painter Michelle Nicely shares her original pastels of the beautiful California coastal landscape.  We open early and stay open late, so no excuse to miss this show!

We are super excited to have this next show. Michelle Nicely has been a patron of Big Basin for a long time, and we love when our artists also love our wine! Bring a friend, or meet some new ones– open early and late– make a reservation for one of the fire pit tables or cozy up inside on a couch– there’s a spot for everyone!

Michelle Nicely has painted landscapes most of her life. Her first exhibit on the west coast was in Big Sur in 1990. Michelle has been recording the wonder she sees of our coastline, ever since. Pastel chalk is a way she can quickly encapsulate the surrounding beauty and capture the amazing shafts of light. All images include white acid free 2’matting in 1“ gallery wood frames. Commissioned pieces welcome.

Bio
Michelle Nicely has a talent when it comes to painting water, especially the ocean. She magically captures sunsets on the waves like no other. Pastels are a permanent medium that will never fade and her first medium as an artist at 4yrs. old. All the pieces are done on archival black sandpaper this allows her in her process to easily paint from dark to light. With a fine arts degree and production design title, in film’s past. She was inducted into The Art Directors Guild, Local #800 after working her way up as a scenic production artist in Hollywood, in her younger days (https://adg.org). Michelle’s fabulous European shop, Nicely: Gallery, Décor and Design, is located at 1349 Pacific Ave. (next door to Paper Vision) Not to be missed, just down Pacific Ave.

​Back in the day, she also, served as resident muralist for “Martin Lawrence Galleries” on Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, CA. Michelle’s clients (for fun) include, Graham Nash, Chris Squire of YES, Aerosmith, Back St. Boys, Olsen Twins, Ozzy Osbourne, Dr. Dre, Jamie Foxx & Production Designer Staff on MTV. Now, her scope of work also includes interior decorating/design, murals, and painting large montages in oils with iconic themes from travels around the globe.

Contact her for commissions.

NicelyGallerySC@gmail.com
www. NicelySantaCruz.com
Vm/Text is best: 831-588-4748
IG: https://www.instagram.com/nicely.santacruz/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/people/Nicely-Shop-Santa-Cruz/100092862477536/

RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED

UPCOMING 2026 SHOWS

August/ September Featured Artist:Jack Mento

October/ November Featured Artist:  Margitta Dietrick Welsh