BIOGRAPHY - Junn Roca (Born 1948)

Junn Roca has been a professional artist for more than thirty years.  Influenced by his father who was also an artist, Roca began his career in his native Philippines at the age of twenty, where he was apprenticed to the noted Filipino artist Felix Gonzales.  Roca came to the United States in 1979, and soon began a long and successful career in the animation industry and was awarded twice with an Emmy.  His experience as a background artist in film has given him an innate sense of staging the subjects of his paintings and organizing the elements within the field of vision to capture a mood or emotion with great effect. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Prestigious Granville Redmond Purchase Prize at The 3rd Annual California Autumn Salon in October 2002, Second Place and Honorable Mention in the 6th Annual Plein Air Exhibition at the Bowers Museum.  Junn Roca garnered Merit Award for Figurative at the Greenhouse Gallery Salon International 2003 in San Antonio, Texas, and Award of Excellence at the 12th Annual Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition.  The June 2003 issue of the Southwest Art magazine listed Junn in the “Best of the West, California” artist. His painting of “A Quiet Afternoon in Los Rios” won Honorable Mention in the Plein Air Painting Competition in August 2003 at Mission Capistrano. Roca was awarded Second Place for “The Yuccas” and Honorable Mention for “City of Angels” paintings at the Bowers Museum 7th Sights & Sounds of Southern California in September 2003. Junn Roca is an Artist Member of the Oil Painters of America and an Artist member of the California Art Club.