Bill Gian is new to Benicia, but he is no stranger to art. Those wishing to become acquainted with Gian’s work can do so this Sunday at Ironhorse Home Furnishings.

Gian said he has been involved with the arts since he was a little kid, taking cues from his father, older sister and younger brother, who are all artists.

“I just kind of grew up with it,” he said.

Gian has mostly been involved with the forms of paintings, sculptures and furniture art. He describes his paintings as being “abstract, expressive, somewhat whimsical, colorful and vibrant” as well as varying in themes.

“The work has developed to a point where I can really realize some important imagery,” he said. “A lot of it stems from my Greek heritage, so there’s a little bit of subconscious automatic-type painting along with some kind of cognitive response.”

Gian has been working with art for more than 30 years and received recognition for it along the way. His work has been featured at the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and even in People magazine and on HGTV, which highlighted his transformation of an industrial urban compound. He also has had public sculptures displayed throughout Colorado, where he resided in Denver for a long time.

However, Gian’s partner got a job in San Francisco’s Financial District, so the two moved to Pleasant Hill and then Benicia.

“I always wanted to live in the Bay Area and never had the opportunity until that came up,” Gian said. “We really love it here, particularly in Benicia. It’s a really nice group of people.”

Given Benicia’s reputation as an art town, Gian looked for places to exhibit his work and settled on Ironhorse.

“It’s not a typical gallery,” he said. “It’s a furniture showroom, but the furniture is elegant and fun. I felt, ‘Gosh, my work would fit in really nicely here.”

In addition to the space, Gian was pleased with the Ironhorse staff.

“The people over there are really pleasant and so helpful and very encouraging,” he said.

The exhibit will not just be a showcase for Gian’s paintings. There will also be a wine tasting highlighting wines from the Prima-Materia Winery in Lake County. The vineyard is owned by sommelier Pietro Buttita.

“He has a company that does wine tastings with food pairings,” Gian said of Buttita. “His wines come from some unique old-world grapes that he has cultivated.”

There will also be food, music and an auction with a percentage of the proceeds benefiting Benicia’s Arts & Culture Commission.

“I look forward to the opening and meeting a lot of friends there but also to make new acquaintances since I’m fairly new to town, so I’m looking forward to meeting new people,” Gian said.

The event will take place from 2 to 6 p.m., Sunday, June 11 at Ironhorse, located at 990 Grant St. For more information, contact the store at 745-3559.

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