“To me, painting is all about having fun. I’ve just always enjoyed it,” said Ken Klade, owner of the new Klade Art Gallery on Pier Avenue. “I try to have fun and experiment, and I come up with everything from industrial styles all the way to something kind of like pop art.”

Both residents and visitors will have a chance to view Klade’s abstract art at a grand opening reception slated for this Sunday, Aug. 24, from 2 to 8 p.m. at 437 Pier Ave. After Klade’s exhibit, the gallery will showcase other local artists on a rotating basis.

Originally from Wisconsin, Klade migrated to the South Bay five years ago, moving to Hermosa Beach with the dream of eventually opening a gallery. He operated and owned his own gallery back home in Milwaukee, located on the bottom level of an old restored and renovated brick building which once housed a local beer company. Klade, who has shown his work in galleries and festivals all across the country since the age of 18, acquired quite a following through his gallery shows, which usually sold out. He has sold his art to many including a few Green Bay Packers and the music artist Prince.

“When I was really young, my grandmother and my mother began to teach me about art. I watched what they did with their portraits, and in first and second grade they were teaching me how to draw, so they were my first teachers,” recalled Klade. “As I got older, I would enroll in all of the art classes and before I knew it, my teachers began entering my work in art contests and competitions. When I was 18, right after graduating high school, I was accepted into my first art festival as the youngest artist there and from that show, various galleries began to represent me.”

After high school, Klade attended three different universities to study art, including Arizona State University and the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater. During the 1980s, Klade’s biggest influences were Andy Warhol and Patrick Nagel, but like virtually all artists, as he grew older, he began developing his own style and technique through experimentation.

“Getting there is quite a process and it’s pretty exciting I think because it’s a means to an end,” explained Klade. “You might try and mix mediums to create an image and along the way, you could ruin several pieces, but you’ll create new techniques that aren’t taught in your typical art classes. It’s hard to come up with your own style. There are so many people out there doing landscapes, florals and portraits, so I really tried to come up with my own theme. I think I’ve accomplished that pretty well or at least I’d like to think I have.”

“I look for my own driving force which is my inspiration. I see a lot of art and I appreciate looking at something different and unique because that’s what I strive to do. I try not to replicate anyone’s work by really trying to come up with my own style.”

Klade continued to show his art in galleries while in college, which paid for most of his tuition. Following graduation, Klade began showing his art in festivals and galleries all over the country. About five years ago, he met his fiance, Marci, at a showing in New Orleans and eventually relocated to Hermosa Beach to be with her.

“I always had a dream of having my own gallery like the one I had back in Wisconsin,” said Klade. “We hosted monthly shows where every month we would feature a different artist. I ended up moving out here and gave all of it up. Now I’m kind of getting re-established out here.”

In fact, Klade will return to the Midwest next month for a showing of his work, which he’s participated in for the past 18 years, and is expected to sell out.

Another reason why Klade decided to move to California was because his grandmother, who was one of his most valuable mentors, lived in the area. She recently died at the age of 99.

“My grandmother was a huge influence. She was as sharp as a tack, witty and the most positive person you would ever meet. She was such a cool lady,” said Klade. “So I had her out here and some friends from college so these were also factors that prompted my move. Ever since then, I’ve been dying to find a location for an art gallery. I just fell in love with Hermosa Beach and think it has so much potential to become more of an art community, and that’s what I want to help to create here. It would be great to be able to bring back that art culture that was here, from what I understand, in the 1960s and 1970s. I want to help create a synergy effect between all of the art galleries that are down here now.”

Klade is now in the process of organizing an art walk. He has approached the other art galleries like Gallery C to coordinate a walk along Pier Avenue on either the first Friday or Saturday of each month.

“I think it could be a real nice event where residents can get out and enjoy Hermosa Beach,” added Klade. “I think it would be great to work with the chamber to show art on the sidewalk in a festival setting. I think we have a lot of potential with Pier Avenue and with the studios, galleries and restaurants in town. I think Hermosa would love it.”