Fredo Gillis is a San Diego–based contemporary painter whose work explores travel, leisure, nostalgia, sensuality, and belonging. Working primarily in oil, Gillis creates figurative paintings and landscapes that draw from the visual language of vacation, resort culture, fashion, and his own travels. Through vibrant color and cinematic compositions, he constructs worlds centered on freedom, beauty, and the quiet luxury of having nowhere else to be.

A graduate of San Diego State University with a degree in Business and Entrepreneurship, Gillis has developed his practice independently, bringing an entrepreneurial sensibility to a career grounded in painting. His background as a professional model has also informed his understanding of composition, movement, fashion, and the human figure.

Gillis has presented multiple solo exhibitions, including One Way Ticket, Rolling Americana, Playboy: The Show, Je ne sais quoi, and most recently, Under the Umbrellas (2026), a body of work exploring leisure, escape, and who gets to occupy spaces historically associated with luxury and exclusivity. Following the exhibition, ten works from Under the Umbrellas were acquired by The Dean Collection.

His work has also appeared in group exhibitions throughout Southern California, and his practice has been shaped by international travel and artist residencies, including time spent working in the South of France. Across his paintings, Gillis creates an evolving visual world in which travel and leisure become vehicles for exploring identity, aspiration, memory, and belonging.