2 San Diego Artists Earn Featured Spots At Mission Fed ArtWalk

SAN DIEGO, CA — As thousands are expected to flock to San Diego's Little Italy neighborhood for this weekend's Mission Fed ArtWalk, two local artists are drawing attention as featured exhibitors at the long-running festival.

The two-day festival, described as the largest and longest-running fine art event in Southern California, will showcase more than 250 artists across a range of mediums, but only eight were chosen as featured artists for 2026.

Karla Preciado, an acrylic painter from Chula Vista, said the recognition came as a surprise.

"It's such an honor. I'm so thrilled," Preciado told Patch. "It's really an honor because there's over 250 artists that are participating this year, so I'm delighted."

Preciado, who was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and has been painting for nearly two decades, is participating in the Little Italy event for the first time after showing work at the other ArtWalk festivals in Carlsbad and Liberty Station. She said she was drawn to the long-running event's reputation.

"It's a prominent show," she said. "A lot of people show up. Everybody raves about Little Italy and I want to see what it's all about."

Preciado's artistic journey began after moving to Spain nearly 20 years ago, when she sought a creative outlet and enrolled in community oil painting classes while her husband served in the military.

"I just fell in love with the feeling of creating something and making something out of nothing," she said.

Now working primarily in acrylics, she describes her style as expressive and creates abstract landscapes inspired by nature.

"I'm an abstract nature painter — or I like to say a nurture painter — because that's the way the landscape and the outdoors make me feel," she said. "It gives me a nurturing sense of freedom and joy and calm and love."

Visitors to her booth on Cedar Street can expect "lots of color" and "a little bit of everything," from tranquil pieces to energetic ones.

Ceramic artist Jeffrey Siegal, another featured artist from San Diego, said the recognition reflects decades of dedication to his craft.

"It's a really good feeling. I feel very proud of myself for all of my hard work," Siegal told Patch. "There's a lot of excellent artists out there."

Siegal, 70, discovered ceramics as a teenager and said he "fell in love" the first time he worked with clay after signing up for a ceramics class in high school.

"I just got so enamored and inspired and enthralled with the touch of the clay," he said. "I fell in love with it from that day."

Now a veteran of art shows for nearly a decade, Siegal is participating in Mission Fed ArtWalk for the third time.

He praised the event's scale and organization.

"It's really well organized," he said. "There's a lot of real high-quality artwork that is at the show, so that really makes it a nice show."

Inspired by the natural world, Siegal incorporates organic materials such as coral, wood and other found elements into his ceramic pieces.

"I'm really inspired by things that are found in nature, from the ocean, the desert, the mountains," he said. "So I get my inspiration from all different kinds of places."

He also uses a distinctive horsehair firing method, applying strands to heated pottery to create permanent, smoky patterns.

"My process is very unique," said Siegal, whose booth will be on India Street near Beech Street. "People like to know about the process while they're looking at the work."

Mission Fed ArtWalk, held along India Street in Little Italy, runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

In addition to Preciado and Siegal, this year's featured artists include mixed media artist Adolfo Girala, glass artist Samson Low, ceramic artist Monica Prado, and painters Dave Fox, Jennifer Peart and Sangeetha Gopalakrishnan.

Organizers said the event attracts about 100,000 art collectors and visitors from all over the country.