Professor Emeritus Gilbert “Gil” Dellinger, an acclaimed painter who earned national recognition for his landscape paintings and inspired generations of students, died Sept. 30 in Laguna Beach, California. He was 83.

Dellinger came to Stockton after teaching at American River College and working at the Haggin Museum. He joined University of the Pacific’s art department in 1974, beginning a 26-year career in which he taught drawing and painting, chaired the department and became an active presence in university life.

His influence extended well beyond the classroom. Dellinger coordinated the annual All University Art Show, curated faculty exhibitions, participated in university programs and community events and continued pursuing his own career as a professional artist while teaching.

In 1990, Pacific recognized him with the Distinguished Award for Teaching Excellence and Professional Contribution.

“Gil was my advisor and professor. I arrived thinking I knew it all and could do it all, only to quickly find out that I was so impossibly wrong,” said Alex Wright ’92, vice president of the M.F.K. Fisher Foundation. “He was strong when he needed to be, harsh when he needed to be and incredibly patient, understanding and supportive when I needed it. I have never forgotten him for it.”

Dellinger’s career as an artist flourished alongside his teaching. His landscapes earned numerous honors, including the Art of California Magazine Discovery Award and the Scott Award for Landscape from the Pastel Society of America. His painting “Yosemite Valley” was selected for The Arts for the Parks, a national touring exhibition, and his work appeared on the cover of American Artist, accompanied by an eight-page feature on his paintings and techniques.

His artistic and civic contributions also reached throughout Stockton. He donated paintings to community fundraisers, spoke at Pacific events, such as the Powell Scholars, and organized projects bringing prominent landscape artists together to paint the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, with proceeds supporting conservation efforts. In 2000, the Stockton Arts Council honored him with a Stockton Top Arts Recognition, or STAR, award.

That same year, Dellinger received the Order of Pacific, the university’s highest honor, upon his retirement after 26 years as a professor of art.

Retirement did little to slow his work. Dellinger devoted himself to painting landscapes of Northern California, Stockton, the Central Valley, vineyards and foothills and became deeply involved in the plein air movement, painting outdoors to capture the natural landscape firsthand. He also continued teaching painting and drawing and returned to Pacific part time because he missed working with students.

“Gil continued to be a strong voice in the artistic community after his retirement from Pacific,” said Brett DeBoer, former chair and professor of graphic design. “His periodic exhibitions and Plein Air workshops through the Haggin Museum drew local and regional audiences. He was a gentle soul and will be greatly missed.”

Dellinger went on to receive the Phi Kappa Phi National Artist Award for 2004–07, an honor presented to one artist every three years, and was recognized as a Master Pastelist by the Pastel Society of America.

He was a Signature Member of Plein Air Painters of America, the Pastel Society of America, Laguna Plein Air Painters Association and the California Art Club and served twice as president of Plein Air Painters of America. His work is held in hundreds of private and corporate collections as well as museums, including the Haggin Museum and Forbes Museum Galleries.

After moving to Southern California, Dellinger taught at Laguna College of Art and Design and continued offering painting workshops.

Dellinger studied at Cal State East Bay (Hayward), where a drawing class helped set him on the path toward becoming an artist, and later completed graduate studies at San Francisco State University.

His own words perhaps best capture the philosophy that shaped a lifetime of teaching and painting.

“In my artwork I choose to show how beautiful things are and how one can live in the state of grace and harmony,” Dellinger once said in a 1991 Pacific interview. “If I have something to say, I show it in my artwork.”

He is survived by his children, Nathan Dellinger, Genevieve Dellinger, Brianna Spencer and Shanley Narens, as well as six grandchildren, Audrey, Nora, Luna, Mars, Ursula and Ulysses. 

Memorial services are still being finalized.

Gifts in his memory can be made by contacting Scott Biedermann ’05, ’20, vice president for development and alumni relations, at 209.946.2166 or sbiedermann@pacific.edu.