ARTIST
Dallas Ginder
Written by Melani Morose Edelstein
Photographed by Erik Jay
12 year old Dallas Ginder is wise beyond her years. The Ridgecrest Intermediate school student and lifelong Palos Verdes resident represents the best of the Peninsula’s young people and inspires creativity all who meet her.
Palos Verdes was built on the foundation of supporting the arts and celebrating local artists and we recognize and celebrate Dallas for continuing the longstanding tradition. Her spirited approach to creating artistically beautiful representations of our Peninsula and her kindness in community spirit, sharing her positive vibes wherever she goes, gives her confidence beyond that of your typical middle schooler.
Do what makes you happy. Be proud of it. Stand proud and do what you love,” she says.
The pandemic was life changing for Ginder. Rather than retreat behind a screen, Ginder set out to explore during the lockdown. She spent hours walking our luscious fields and exploring the Peninsula’s many cool coves and miles of shoreline, trading virtual reality for the real deal and loving every single minute of it.
“I go back to the same place more than once because you get different details every time. You get the small details that you may overlook the first time,” she says.
Art is no stranger to the Ginder family. Dallas’ grandmother Judy was also rich in artistic talent, becoming a successful and in demand artist and sharing her pride in the Peninsula with her granddaughterwhich is reflected in the way Dallas’ creations portray our local landmarks and landscapes.
When school’s closed and everyone retreated inside, Dallas headed outside looking for her muse and she found it in the nature that surrounds her. She says there were many days when she found herself walking alone with sketchbook and ink in hand, ready to sit down and create.
“When I begin I am in my picture. I am part of it and I work on it so people feel like they are in it too.” When she is not able to go outside and enjoy the elements in person, she studies other kinds of art and photography because she believes changes are inevitable and going with the flow is critical to survival.
“Just do what you feel like doing and keep yourself happy. Who cares if you change all of a sudden. If you’re happy, that’s all that matters. Of course you’re going to change at some point,” she explains with conviction, and she wants to be prepared for whatever might be next. Dallas refuses to put boundaries on her exploration of art. She experiments with oil painting, watercolors and sketches because not just in art but in life, you never know what’s around the next corner and preparation and knowledge are powerful.
