Gil Dellinger is perhaps the best known painter in this region.  He taught drawing, figure drawing, illustration, painting, and design for 28 years at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, where he was awarded the Distinguished Faculty Award for teaching excellence and professional accomplishments.

Dellinger curated, and was one of 50 national artists to participate in, two major exhibitions at the Haggin Museum, Yosemite (2001) and Sea to Shining Sea: A Reflection of America (2004). In 2005, Dellinger participated in the prestigious Plein Air Painters of America Show in Tahoe, California, the Plein Air Masters Mentor Program in the Vienne Region of France, and the Cumberland Island Paint-Out in Georgia.  In 2007, he assisted in organizing and participated in From the Heart, at the Haggin Museum, the first museum show of the Plein-Air Painters of America.

Dellinger came late to painting. "I opened a book of Vermeer in college and saw, Girl with a Red Hat, and it changed my life." He took up drawing at age 26 and has since participated in over 300 group and one-person exhibitions throughout the United States. 

In 1996, Dellinger was selected by American Art Magazine as one of 12 artists to paint on the Forbes/Trinechera Ranch near Durango, Colorado. He was one of 22 artists to be invited as guests at the Forbes Chateau in Balleroy, France to paint for 10 days in 1997.  In 1999, Dellinger was one of 15 artists chosen by the Grand Canyon Trust to raft the Colorado River at the Grand Canyon and paint for 10 days. These trips resulted in special exhibitions in New York and acclaim in American Artist Magazine and Art of the West.

Dellinger is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, as well as a Master Pastelist. He is also a Signature Member of the Plein-Air Painters of America.

I've always been fascinated by light and its effect on color and textures. I try to emphasize the positive in my work, something that uplifts and enhances.  I love the greatness of this country and strive to compliment it with what I do.