This year, La Quinta Art Celebration showcases two remarkable artists who bring fresh perspectives to the contemporary art scene. Our featured artists for 2025 represent distinct artistic journeys: Annie Flynn, whose evocative swimming pool series has captured national attention, and Monique Straub, whose "Contemporary Bohemian" landscapes have become a signature presence in the art world.
Both artists share a masterful command of oil painting while pursuing vastly different visions. Flynn's work invites viewers into intimate moments of American family life, transforming everyday scenes into powerful statements about connection and joy. Meanwhile, Straub's bold approach to color and composition offers a fresh interpretation of landscape painting that speaks to both traditional and contemporary sensibilities.
Their selection as featured artists reflects La Quinta Art Celebration's commitment to presenting work that resonates deeply with our community while pushing creative boundaries. As you explore their collections at this year's event, you'll discover how each artist brings her unique vision to life through distinctive techniques and perspectives that have earned them places among the nation's most compelling contemporary painters.
Monique Straub
Monique describes her unique and distinctive painting style as Contemporary Bohemian. Marked by bold and diverse color schemes that incorporate warm earth tones, bright accents, and neutral base colors, her paintings enjoy a vibrant and energetic mood.
Contemporary Bohemian is versatile enough to blend with both contemporary and traditional decors, adding warmth and personality. Each expressive work of art is a magical journey into a world of bold color and lively brushwork.
Her unique style is the result of training in technical illustration, art history, painting, and commercial photography. A painter and festival artist for over 30 years, Straub currently works in oil on canvas, determining the composition through the lens of her own photography, while creating her own version of the landscape. She enjoys the use of simple and traditional painting techniques, hand sketching in charcoal and using only brush, paint, and canvas.
Monique lives with her husband, fine art photographer John Straub, and they split their time in dual home studio locations of San Clemente andLa Quinta, CA.
Annie Flynn
Annie Flynn, an acclaimed painter of over 25 years with a BFA from Indiana University. She is a new artist to La Quinta and was selected because her vibrant oil paintings capture the essence of the American lifestyle and the human spirit. Inspired by her travels and personal experiences, her work evokes emotion and connection. Flynn has exhibited widely and continues to explore new creative avenues while nurturing her family in St. Louis, Missouri.
The SCOPE staff was captivated by her swimming pool images as the Palm Springs area has the most swimming pools per capita in the country. Like Annie, most of us from southern California grew up with a swimming pool and to this day it is an important element in our lifestyle. Our staff thought it would be whimsical and fun to feature those backyard pools which brought us joy throughout the years. Everyone here associates with the scent of chlorine and Coppertone and has memories of summers past by the pool.
Annie initially painted the surface of water but then wanted to paint images of her own children... it just snowballed from there. She prides herself in creating happy, joyful artworks that capture family relationships.
Flynn's oil paintings strive for a unique blend of photorealism and expressive abstraction. From afar, they possess a striking photographic quality, but close observation reveals a loose, stylized brushwork that underscores the hand of the artist. Her paintings exude the shared joys of life.