'Carving Canvas’ at Malibu City Gallery leans in to Malibu’s iconic surfing and skateboarding culture

By Judy Abel · Sat Jul 25 2026

Malibu’s talented artists showcased in City Gallery’s exuberant exhibit

The title just about says it all — “Carving Canvas.” Just as surfers and skateboarders carve the waves or skatepark bowls and halfpipes, the artists whose work is on display at City Gallery in Malibu, have leaned into their artwork celebrating the surf and now skateboard culture the city is known for.

This summer’s art exhibit at Malibu City Hall features the work of 40 Malibu residents and locals with a strong Malibu connection who love to celebrate the sport that helped shape Malibu into a prime surfing and now sidewalk surfing destination.

Malibu Arts Commissioner Maureen Haldeman helped curate the exhibit featuring diverse media, including photography; oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings; sculpture; surfboards; and skateboards. “The title came from leaning into the art,” she explained. Haldeman received more than 50 submissions after a community callout for artwork and found it hard to winnow them down to fit the space at Malibu City Hall where the exhibition is currently on display. “They all warranted consideration, for sure.”

At an opening reception July 10, hundreds of people were on hand at the City Gallery to greet the artists and admire the thought-provoking and exuberant works on display.

One artist soaking in the lovely community gathering was Denise Peak, a six-decade resident whose artistic journey has blended formal education, community service, and a deep connection to the local surfing culture. Although she entered UCLA as a pre-med student, she soon realized her passion lay in the arts and switched to a design major. Her studies emphasized commercial design, photography, ceramics, glassmaking, landscape design, and graphic arts rather than traditional painting. After graduation, she worked in advertising before spending 26 years in local schools, where she incorporated creativity into roles ranging from kindergarten aide to librarian.

Following retirement, Peak returned to art with renewed enthusiasm, studying pastel and painting techniques while developing her own distinctive style. She describes her work as colorful, animated, and a blend of realism and imagination. Inspired by the Malibu landscape, she incorporates vibrant, whimsical elements alongside recognizable local landmarks and sunsets viewed from her home into her artwork.

For the "Carving Canvas" exhibition, Peak created "Zuma Sunset," a painted 7-foot-4 surfboard featuring Tower 2, beach umbrellas, and a vivid Malibu sunset. The board honors local surfboard shaper Tim Ryan, whose board she used as the canvas, reflecting her appreciation for Malibu's surfing heritage. Peak, the matriarch or her own surfing family, has painted surfboards for nearly a decade, creating functional works of art that can be displayed or ridden. She also donated a permanent painted surfboard to City Hall for Malibu's 25th anniversary.

“Girl Surfer” is an acrylic painting from artist Daniela Schweitzer. Water is a recurring presence in Schweitzer’s work, making her piece a perfect fit for the exhibition. “Water connects us all," she said. “Two places have shaped the way I see color and light: the luminous, coastal clarity of California, where I’ve lived for over 30 years, and the warmth and vibrancy of Argentina, where I grew up. The interplay of light and shadow, the emphasis on movement and gesture, and the physical qualities of the materials I work with all remain central to how I paint.

“I am thrilled and deeply honored to be part of 'Carving Canvas,' standing alongside so many fellow artists and friends in a show that celebrates our community’s spirit. After the hardship our city faced with the Palisades Fire, there is something profoundly healing about coming together through art — about artists and neighbors reaching toward one another and toward renewal. My heartfelt thanks to the Malibu Arts Commission for creating this space for us to share our work and our stories.”

“It's a great show and I really hope people to come and see it,” said Haldeman. “It’s also very heartwarming to see all the people who submitted, because they all love their work and they all should be seen, and so it's a very nice way to expose people who don't always get that much exposure. And it also goes to show you how much talent there is in Malibu. That's pretty special.”

Carving Canvas is on display through Aug. 21, at the Malibu City Gallery located at Malibu City Hall (23825 Stuart Ranch Road, Malibu). Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. during City Hall hours. Admission is free.