A local painter puts a stake in the competitive Carmel art gallery scene.

Carmel painter Scott Jacobs knows how to hustle. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, he did a short stint in the Navy before pursuing painting exclusively. He’s been on the local scene for a good stretch now, showing at the former Mountainsong Galleries and as a sort-of resident artist at Pegasus Collection, formerly owned by his friend Constance Laub.

He’s self-taught, but also trained with painter Andrew Jackson. Jacobs describes his work as “bold, figurative art” in a “photorealistic style,” including nudes, figures and portraits. His originals and prints have been widely sold. Four years ago he switched from oil paints and started working in watercolor, which has led to a slower and more deliberate process.

“The oils are more ‘go right at it.’ I didn’t sketch it out, just went at it. In the next day or two I would adjust,” he says. “Now I sketch.”

His profile gained some traction when he painted a portrait of Bill Murray during last year’s AT&T Pro-Am, and showed it to Murray himself.

“I’ve really painted what I wanted to paint. People are like, ‘How are you going to make a living?’ After four years of doing that, there are a lot of [customers] and there are a couple serious collectors who keep coming back and keeping me alive in the game.”

What all this hustle has added up to is he’s opening his own 700-square-foot Carmel gallery this weekend. It’s in what he describes as a “peaceful” and “beautiful” courtyard that has two entryways, typical of Carmel’s village architecture.

For the grand opening, it’s all Jacobs’ work, 20-30 new pieces, a lot of watercolors. It’s the latest evolution of this prolific artist.

SCOTT JACOBS GALLERY grand opening is 4-6pm Saturday, July 14, at Mission between Fifth and Sixth, Carmel. Free to attend. 949-344-8067, scottjacobsinfo@gmail.com.