Rehoboth-raised Angelica Clemmer is a surfer, snowboarder, traveler, painter, bass player, and businesswoman. The owner of the Gel Z Art and Surf gallery on Rehoboth Avenue has done well with all those pursuits.
She’s also a songwriter, and one of her goals is to record the indie pop songs in her head and share them with the masses.
“I always say I’m trying to change the world one painting at a time,” she said. “I’d like to do the same with music. That’s the final frontier. If I could do that, I’d be completely happy and free when I die.”
In the meantime, Clemmer lives a life full of low tides and powder days, surfing in Delaware from May through October and snowboarding in Vail, Colorado, from November to April. Her adventures give her lots of stories to tell.
A SECOND STUDIO IN THE MOUNTAINS
Earlier this year, Clemmer opened a second Gel Z gallery in her three-season home of Minturn, Colorado, a town of fewer than 1,000 people just outside of Vail. Like her Rehoboth shop, the space includes a studio and displays her modern figurative artwork, done mostly in acrylics.
Paintings of pelicans, mahi-mahi, starfish, and octopuses hang in Rehoboth. Moose and Rocky Mountain elk adorn the walls in Minturn. Each location also features paintings of Gibson SGs and other guitars, as well as portraits of musicians including John Prine, David Bowie, John Lennon, Debbie Harry, and Bob Marley.
PAINTING WHAT SHE LOVES
Clemmer considers her style truly her own. She doesn’t study the work of others or pattern her work after anyone. She paints her passions.
“I paint my dreams, or what I was thinking about in the shower,” she said. “I’m also a very positive person and like to spread positivity to everyone around me, so I never paint anything dark.”
She hosts a two-hour show on Radio Free Minturn on Tuesday nights, spinning a mix of indie pop, reggae, and surf music. Guests talk about art, music, paddleboarding, river surfing, snowboarding, snow skating, health, and nutrition – all of which Clemmer says feed her creative energy.
MINTURN MILE AND MURAL WORK
One of her favorite snowboard runs is the Minturn Mile, a three-mile descent from 11,000 feet in Vail to 8,000 feet in Minturn.
“It’s the greatest setup ever,” she said. “The free shuttle that’s across the street from my house takes me to the mountain in Vail in about 10 minutes. I ski all day, have a great time, and take that long backcountry run, which is one of my favorite ones overall, that ends just two or three blocks from home.”
She usually completes the run in about 25 minutes.
“I’m usually just flying and jumping things as my last run of the day going home,” she said.
In Minturn, she’s painted several signs and murals, including artwork for the former Sticky Fingers coffee shop and Minturn Saloon. One mural depicts Holy Cross Mountain, a 14er known for its cross-shaped snowfield. She’s currently working on a beach-themed mural at Coastal Turkish Towels in Rehoboth.
MUSICAL ROOTS AND SURFBOARD ART
Clemmer sometimes joins musician friends on bass in Colorado and Delaware. Raised with two older brothers, she also plays guitar and writes her own songs.
Born in Chile, Clemmer moved from California to Rehoboth Beach and began attending Cape Henlopen in ninth grade before graduating from Sussex Tech. Her first job was in Dewey Beach, renting umbrellas and driving the water ice golf cart.
She studied graphic design at Delaware Tech, then attended the Art Institute of Colorado in Denver. From 2007 to 2010, she surfed by day and painted houses by night. She opened a surf shop in Rehoboth and a ski shop in Colorado before working with surf brands like Hurley and Spy, painting boards up and down both coasts.
Her art career took off, and in 2017 she opened Gel Z.
“I’m a gypsy at heart, so I loved the surf tours,” she said. “The people from the surf companies told me I could work for them forever, but they said, ‘You’re pretty talented. You should go off on your own.’ I was like, ‘Wow. That’s great advice. Thank you and goodbye.’”
She’s been betting on herself ever since.
DAILY RITUALS AND GLOBAL REACH
When in Delaware, Clemmer starts her mornings at the beach with her dog, Iggy Boy, a Coton de Tulear who turns 4 in August.
“I really like to be by myself when I start my day,” she said. “I need that time alone to do my breathing, do my Qigong to find peace and balance before I start the daily grind.”
Her customer base includes collectors and gallery visitors. Her work is now in Spain, Holland, Chile, Mexico, France, Canada, the Canary Islands, and more. Even a White House chef bought a piece.
“It’s mind-blowing to have my art all over the world,” she said. “That’s how my whole life has gone. I’m just an artist and am who I am without any struggles. It’s crazy how everything has developed in what seems like random fashions.”
She keeps the Rehoboth shop open late – sometimes until 11 p.m. – and often makes sales during post-dinner strolls. May, September, and October are the strongest sales months in Delaware. In Minturn, December through March are best.
CREATIVE INFLUENCES AND SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Clemmer’s artistic influences include her father, Picasso, Miró, and Matisse. She always works in her own voice, drawing from personal experience and vision to create work that reflects her unique perspective.
“I always try to make it my life story, putting things out there in my style in the ways I see them in my head.”
She still paints river surfboards in Colorado and credits the late John Tuttle and Brian Wynn of Wynn Surfboards as mentors.
Recently, she completed Reiki level 2 training and says she incorporates that energy into her art.
“I like to spread harmony, and I’m a believer that the world is colorful, so I like to keep it that way,” she said. “I like to use a lot of colors in my art because I feel like that promotes a healthy brain.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Clemmer hopes to return to playing music more frequently and finally record the songs she’s written since childhood.
“I’ve been playing since I was 9 years old and always thought that being a musician would be my life’s direction,” she said. “But things change. The artist thing kind of just took over. Then again, I never thought I would be an artist either, so who knows?”
She believes music can reach people in ways art sometimes can’t.
“I feel like you can connect with people a lot easier than with art because it’s more accessible, as art is a luxury some people can’t afford,” she said. “I think music can heal people if you have a good message and a good sound. I want to reach out and spread love. I’m not here to save the world, but I am here to pitch in and make it a better place.”
Clemmer plans to always have a studio, even if she steps away from gallery ownership. She envisions summers in California or Hawaii, drawn by bigger waves.
“I’m in my element and happiest when I’m on the mountain or in the water,” she said. “I also want to continue to check out the world … meet people, see places, and live a full life while I can.”
COMING HOME TO REHOBOTH
Delaware will always be home, no matter where she roams.
“My family is here, and my best friends are here,” she said. “Maybe I won’t have the gallery forever, but I’ll always come back. The more you travel, the more you realize what a cool and special place Rehoboth is. It’s safe; it’s clean; and the people are nice.”
Clemmer is shifting focus from the Delaware Gel Z gallery this month to concentrate on her Colorado location and other commitments. The gallery will be open by appointment while she’s away, and she’ll return to Delaware in late July. It will remain open through October. She’s also scheduled to emcee the Maryland Cigar Box Festival at Union Craft Brewing in Baltimore Sept. 6. Wherever she is, she hopes her art continues to resonate.
“I’ve had people who have bought my work say, ‘I don’t know what it is about your art, but I just wake up, look at it, and get happy,’” she said. “Man, that’s the best thing I can hear from someone. That’s the whole point.”
