Boat race’s artist anchor

For 15 years, anchorman Carlos Amezcua has been a fixture on the KTLA morning news show. At this year’s Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race, he’ll make his debut on a different sort of stage.

Amezcua, who recently rediscovered his talent for oil painting, was hand-picked as the official artist for the 2006 race. His painting, “Bounding Toward Horizon,” will be displayed on the cover of the race magazine and on other race memorabilia.

Amezcua has never been aboard an oceangoing yacht, and he hasn’t had much experience painting boats. The commissioned piece was his first, and he said it was a challenge.

“For them to have confidence in a rookie artist like me ? I was stoked,” Amezcua said.

He was chosen by Jane Benson, commodore of the Newport Ocean Sailing Assn., which sponsors the race. Benson and her husband Jack, both regular viewers of the KTLA morning show, saw Amezcua’s art showcased during a broadcast. Jack Benson took note that his wife was drawn to the artwork.

Jack Benson e-mailed Amezcua and asked to commission a painting for the Newport to Ensenada race in honor of his wife, the race commodore.

“It was kind of something special that my husband did for me,” Jane Benson said.

She met with Amezcua to discuss the artwork in relation to this year’s race theme, “The Tradition Sails On.”

Although Amezcua may not know much about sailing, he said he’s fond of landscape and seascape paintings.

“I love painting the ocean ? that came easy,” he said.

Amezcua has been painting since age 11, when his parents realized his talents and hired a private teacher. In high school, he was a set designer for school plays and dreamed of becoming an artist for Disney.

He started as an art major at Brigham Young University but retired his paintbrushes when he began to doubt his talents.

“It became very clear to me at some point in my early collegiate career that I wasn’t going to be good enough to be a career artist,” Amezcua said.

He traded in his art classes for courses in advertising and newswriting.

“I completely abandoned my art career,” Amezcua said.

Three years ago, Amezcua was cleaning out the garage with his son, John, 25, who made a discovery and asked, “I found this painting, it has your name on it ? do you paint?”

John Amezcua bought his father art materials and told him to get started again.

“I picked up a paint brush and started painting, and it all came back to me,” Amezcua said.

In addition to the piece commissioned for the Newport to Ensenada race, Amezcua has others he’s showing in his Malibu home. Although he’s shown his work at several galleries in Los Angeles, some parts of being an artist are still foreign to him.

“I’m surprised and gratified that people like my work,” Amezcua said.dpt.24-water-CPhotoInfoGN1OA56H20060224iv5yoxkn(LA)Carlos Amezcua, right, holds his painting for the Newport to Ensenada sailboat race with Jack and Jane Benson.