Greg Gutierrez

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CARLSBAD -- Greg Gutierrez has a full-time job with a heavy commute, two kids, a marriage and a new home. Yet he still finds time each day for his passion: painting.

"It's almost a curse as much as a blessing," he said. "I just have to get the painting out of me."

Gutierrez, 44, began his hobby 14 years ago after an epiphany. He was designing clothes and tending to the rigors of a small business when, one morning, "I knew I could not go into the office and sit there," he said. "The company was very successful, but the office was a prison."

He bought art supplies and finished his first piece that night. Since then, Gutierrez's life has changed dramatically. He has married and has earned a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in education. He teaches history and art at Southwest High School in Chula Vista.

And, he paints every day. He strives to keep that schedule and has completed thousands of paintings. Sometimes he paints on surfboards. Other times, on serving trays. When he doesn't have a canvas handy, he'll use anything, he said.

Gutierrez purchased a home in Carlsbad in August because his family had wanted to live here for a long time. It was this passion for painting that helped make it possible for Gutierrez to buy a new house.

"It was a good year," he said, regarding sales last year. Moving closer to the ocean was a dream come true. Gutierrez is an avid surfer, and most of his paintings revolve around the sea.

His work is impressionistic and very colorful. It sells through word of mouth and through installations in local restaurants.

"Greg's stuff is hot," said Lane Manriki who owns Kaisen, a sushi bar and Hawaiian grill in Oceanside where many of Gutierrez's paintings adorn the walls. The pieces go quickly, usually to surfers or boaters, Manriki said. Recently, a group of fisherman snatched up fanciful renderings of tuna and mahi-mahi.

It takes effort to balance his painting hobby with a career and a family. But one thing Gutierrez said he will never do is let his hobby come between him and his commitments.

"Mark Twain put his career before his family and said it was his greatest regret," Gutierrez said.

His paintings are on display at Kaisen, 1906 Oceanside Blvd., or e-mail Gutierrez at zensurfing@hotmail.com.

Credit: COMMUNITY NEWS WRITER