Stephen Mirich

Stephen Mirich was born in 1954 in San Pedro, California an began competeing and exhibiting in art events regularly by the age of fifteen. In college, he briefly studied architecture, but then focused on a career in fine art. He studied under the noted artist, Theodore N. Lukits (1897-1992) at the Lukits Academy of Fine Arts, Los Angeles. He also studied privately with Julian Ritter (1909-2000). Mirich gained national recognition with his marine and historic maritime paintings. In 1995, he started to focus on landscape painting en plein air.

Mirich’s group exhibitions include the California Art Club’s Mission San Juan Capistrano Plein Air Painting Events and several Gold Medal Exhibitions. His work was also included in The California Wetlands exhibition, and the Treasures of the Sierra Nevada exhibition, both held at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The latter was also shown at the Muckenthaler Cultural center in Fullerton, California and at the Springville Museum of Art in Springville, Utah. He has also exhibited at the Coos Bay Art Museum in Coos Bay, Oregon, the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, the Newport Nautical Museum the San Diego Maritime Museum, and at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon.

Mirich’s work is included in several prominent collections, including those of the San Juan Capistrano Mission, Mrs. Joan Irvine Smith, Jean and Laura Stern and Oprah Winfrey.

Mirich is a founding member of the Portuguese Bend Artists Colony and a lifetime member and past President of the San Pedro Art Association. He is a Signature Member of the California Art Club, and was its Vice President from 1997-2003 and currently serves on its Advisory Board.