Arroyo October 2013

FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA OCTOBER 2013

FALL ARTS Sam Francis Retrospective at the PMCA Artist Tucker Stilley’s Extraordinary Eye The Huntington’s Rare Find: Photos of Rancho Life and Love Lost

10.13 | ARROYO | 5

arroyo VOLUME 9 | NUMBER 10 | OCTOBER 2013

27 PHOTOS, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: © Sam Francis Foundation, California / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Richard Cunningham; Courtesy of The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens

37 47

FALL ARTS 11 NO LIMITS Tucker Stilley produces fine art despite paralysis.

—By Tariq Kamal

25 SAM FRANCIS: STAYING ALIVE The PMCA mounts the California Abstract Expressionist’s first major museum show in more than a decade.

—By Scarlet Cheng

30 GALLERIES OF CHANGE The Autry National Center brings two galleries into the 21st century.

—By Brenda Rees

35 SUSANITA’S ALBUM Charles Lummis’ rare book of historic Southern California photos comes to the Huntington Library.

—By Bettijane Levine

DEPARTMENTS 9

FESTIVITIES Diavolo Dance Theater fundraiser, Humor Abuse opening at the Taper

15

ARROYO HOME SALES INDEX

41

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS A guy walks into a bar — and orders cheesecake.

45

WINING AND DINING Temecula Valley wine country is on a roll.

51

THE LIST Wicked Lit takes the cemetery stage, Elayne Boosler with the Glendale Phil, Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra with Muse/ique and more

ABOUT THE COVER: Detail of Sam Francis’ Mantis, ca. 1960-61. Oil on canvas, 52 x 78 inches.The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Gift of the artist and Sam Francis Art Museum, Inc. Artwork © Sam Francis Foundation, California / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

10.13 | ARROYO | 7

EDITOR’S NOTE

IN THIS FALL ARTS ISSUE, WE CELEBRATE THE WONDERS — AND MANY FACETS — OF visual art. Our cover story about Sam Francis is a tribute to one of California’s most esteemed painters, as well as to the savviness of Pasadena’s art folk. Scarlet Cheng speaks to the curators of the Pasadena Museum of California Art’s important career retrospective: Sam Francis: Five Decades of Abstract Expressionism from

California Collections, which runs through Jan. 5, 2014. The PMCA notes that this is the first major museum show of his work in more than a decade. But it’s interesting to add this footnote: It’s also some 55 years since his first solo museum show — at the prescient Pasadena Art Museum (now the Norton Simon Museum) — bringing the city’s finely tuned aesthetic sensibility full circle.

There’s a subtheme here as well — the surprising connection between disability and creativity. Francis took up his brushes during a long convalescence in a body cast, when, as he said later,“Painting became a way back to life for me.”

Tariq Kamal talks to another fine artist whose disability has actually enhanced his work. San Marino’s Tucker Stilley was already an artist when ALS left him paralyzed, but he was able to plan for his looming limitations by exploring and obtaining new technology that enables him to continue producing, without distractions, at a prolific rate. Has making art strengthened his life force, as Francis said it did for him? It’s hard to know for sure, but it’s probably not a coincidence that Stilley has already surpassed the typical lifespan for ALS patients.

Brenda Rees looks at art and artifacts from a different angle: the strategies Autry National Center officials used to remodel and modernize two galleries to enhance visitors’ experiences. And Bettijane Levine delves into an unexpected find for the Huntington Library — a rare book of Charles Lummis’ photographs of a late 19th-century rancho and his unrequited love.

—Irene Lacher

EDITOR IN CHIEF Irene Lacher CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kent Bancroft ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Carla Cortez PRODUCTION MANAGER Richard Garcia PRODUCTION DESIGNER Rochelle Bassarear COPY EDITOR John Seeley CONTRIBUTORS Leslie Bilderback, Michael Cervin, Scarlet Cheng, Carole Dixon, Lynne Heffley, Noela Hueso, Carole Jacobs, Tariq Kamal, Kathy Kelleher, Rebecca Kuzins, Bettijane Levine, Elizabeth McMillian, Brenda Rees, John Sollenberger, Nancy Spiller ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Dina Stegon ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Brenda Clarke, Joseluis Correa, Leslie Lamm ADVERTORIAL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Joanna Dehn Beresford ADVERTISING DESIGNERS Richard Garcia, Rochelle Bassarear

arroyo FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA

SOUTHLAND PUBLISHING V.P. OF FINANCE Michael Nagami V.P. OF OPERATIONS David Comden PRESIDENT Bruce Bolkin CONTACT US ADVERTISING dinas@pasadenaweekly.com EDITORIAL editor@arroyomonthly.com PHONE (626) 584-1500 FAX (626) 795-0149

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Andrea Baker

MAILING ADDRESS 50 S. De Lacey Ave., Ste. 200, Pasadena, CA 91105

PAYROLL Linda Lam

ArroyoMonthly.com

ACCOUNTING Alysia Chavez, Kacie Sturek OFFICE ASSISTANT Ann Weathersbee PUBLISHER Jon Guynn 8 | ARROYO | 10.13

©2013 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

FESTIVITIES Jacques Heim (at left) with the company

Jennifer Cheng, executive director, Dance Conservatory of Pasadena, with Fluid Infinities dancers

Joey Mashat, Heim and Michael Alexander, executive director, Grand Performances

Bruno Louchouarn, musical director (at left), philanthropist Glorya Kaufman (center) and Heim (at right)

Diavolo Dance Theater, L.A.’s innovative company merging dance with acrobatics and architecture, gave supporters a rare treat Aug. 31 during a Fluid

Emily Aitkenhead and Emily O’Meara

Infinities “Avant Premiere” fundraiser at its Brewery Arts Complex home. The event offered a close-up performance of the third part of L’Espace du Temps, a trilogy choreographed by Artistic Director Jacques Heim to music by Philip Glass, commissioned by the L.A. Philharmonic Association for the Hollywood Priya Sopori and Eric Emmanuel (Arcadia)

Bowl… Actors Jane Kaczmarek (San Marino), Peter Dinklage and Bradley Whitford (San Marino) were among the notables who attended the opening night of Humor Abuse, Lorenzo Pisoni’s one-man show about growing up in the circus, at the Mark Taper Forum on Sept. 21.

PHOTO: Alex Dean Photography (Diavolo Avant Premiere); Ryan Miller (“Humor Abuse” Mark Taper Forum )

Bradley and Mary Whitford

Co-creator/director Erica Schmidt with husband Peter Dinklage

Jane Kaczmarek, Lorenzo Pisoni and Rebecca Mozo

Curtis Williams, Jama Williamson, Joey Kern and Gillian Mahin 10.13 | ARROYO | 9

10 | ARROYO | 10.13

No Limits With the help of family, friends and advanced technology, Tucker Stilley produces fine art despite a life-threatening illness that has left him paralyzed.

BY TARIQ KAMAL

TUCKER STILLEY, A FINE ARTIST, MUSICIAN AND FOURTH-GENERATION PASADENA-AREA RESIDENT, RESIDES IN THE LOWER FRONT ROOM OF A TWO-STORY HOME IN SAN MARINO. THERE HE CREATES DIGITAL ARTWORK ONE CRITIC DESCRIBED AS “A RESTLESS INQUIRY INTO THE NATURE OF EXISTENCE.” INDEED, STILLEY’S EXISTENCE IS ONE TO PROVOKE DEEP EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS OTHERS MIGHT SKIP BY. THAT’S BECAUSE IN

IMAGES: Top, Phillip Stilley; Inset courtesy of the artist

2005, AT THE AGE OF 43, HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS (ALS), ALSO KNOWN AS LOU GEHRIG’S DISEASE. The disease is, for most patients, a death sentence. The progression of symptoms typically includes numbness in the limbs, followed by loss of sensation and motor function and, eventually, the inability to breathe, speak or swallow on one’s own. But Stilley has beaten the odds and survived well beyond the average two-to-five-year life expectancy for newly diagnosed ALS patients.

And despite the fact that he is now almost completely paralyzed, he continues to create stunning images on a daily basis. “I knew that, in order to work, I would have to stay ahead of the progression,” Stilley writes to a visitor. (Since undergoing a tracheotomy in 2011, he can “speak” only with the aid of a computer-generated voice.) “That required careful planning. They tell you very dire things in the doctor’s office — which are all true — but if you’re pragmatic, bullheaded and happen to have an outstanding team

Soul Prisoner 059, Digital archival print, 8.5 x 11 inches

–continued on page 13 10.13 | ARROYO | 11

12 | ARROYO | 10.13

LEFT: Soul Prisoner 013, Digital archival print, 8.5 x 11 inches

IMAGES: Courtesy of the artist

–continued from page 11

working with you, it’s amazing what you can do.”

His team includes his wife, Lindsay Mofford, an accomplished fi lm editor, and their 13-year-old daughter, Juno. The couple met as teenagers and have been together ever since. His parents, Hugh and Cynthia, and younger brother, Phillip, have joined them in San Marino in recent years. They’re among the family, friends and fellow artists and musicians who keep Stilley company and attend to his medical equipment.

The easiest way to have a one-on-one conversation with Stilley is to lie in the hospital bed set up next to his, ask questions and wait as he types his answers. He is able to do so, thanks to cutting-edge technology that works by sensing the location of a reflective dot affi xed to Stilley’s forehead and tracking his eye movements. A monitor is suspended over his bed on a rig that looks like it was built for a movie set. The pace of conversation is refreshingly slow and the guest bed is comfortable — perhaps too comfortable. “We have a whole series of photos where people have fallen asleep in that bed,” Mofford says, laughing. “They’re knocked out and Tucker is just smiling.”

With quick, practiced head and eye movements, Stilley can aim at and click buttons on an alphanumeric keyboard. He can then exit to a home screen that allows him to select programs for making artwork and music, surf the Internet and much more. The rig, like the software, wasn’t built all at once. “I knew the day would come when I could only move my eyes, so I was researching that far in advance,” he writes. “I chose the system that had the best hardware performance, and we modified the software to meet my needs.”

The eye-tracking solution was developed by a Dutch company, AssistiveWare.

Mofford’s film assistant built a PC to run the software and a tech from Pasadena’s DiNo Computers helped connect it to Stilley’s Macintosh. Michael Grover, a friend and software developer, helps maintain the PC/Mac combo Stilley calls a “terrifying, twoheaded monster.” Donations from the artistic community covered the $7,000 cost of the equipment. At the time, the expense paled in comparison to Stilley’s medical bills, which peaked at $10,000 per month. Mofford organized countless fundraising drives and lobbied Medicare officials to acknowledge that it was cheaper for Stilley to live at home than in a nursing facility. They relented, and his healthcare costs were significantly reduced.

ABOVE: Soul Prisoner 045, Digital archival print, 8.5 x 11 inches

More important, he was able to continue working. In fact, he’s prolific.

Randi Malkin Steinberger, a Santa Monica–based fine-art photographer and documentary fi lmmaker, and her husband, Harlan Steinberger, have been friends with Stilley and Mofford since the ’80s. The two couples were collaborating on a fi lm project when Stilley was diagnosed with ALS. Although she says she was devastated by the news, Randi never doubted he would persevere. “There are a lot of reasons he wants to keep going,” she says, “but, beyond his family, it’s his art that gives him the satisfaction of adding something to the world.”

One of Stilley’s collections was inspired by the Occupy movement, which began in September 2011. He ignored traditional press coverage and sent out a “spider,” a software application that automatically browses and indexes information stored on the Internet, to collect images he could use in his artwork. He set specific parameters — date, file type and orientation — and collected 300 pictures every two days. Stilley says he selected a few images every day and painted over them with a series of “brushes” he designed. “So it would pick an image, randomize my brushes and composite settings by, say, 20 percent, paint the picture — whether in a very painterly style or a self-matting video glitch or some weird thing in between — and then pick another image, re-randomize and start overpainting. So everything you see is a palimpsest of insanely random stuff.”

The result was “Occupy_Online,” a collection of work that defies categorization.

Some images are clearly computer-generated; others look like traditional paintings.

But each is visually arresting in its own way. As with other works, he creates prints with the help of his brother, Phillip, whom he has nicknamed “Art-Bot.” “Art-Bot prints them for me on a high-end printer; then we have a parade of prints and I make notes,” Stilley explains. “I don’t think of myself as picky about details, but I’m wrong.

If the print is off in some microscopic way, I may throw it back as many as five times.

Art-Bot has a hard time concealing his annoyance.”

–continued on page 14 10.13 | ARROYO | 13

TOP LEFT: ts wheelie self portrait b/w, Digital archival print ABOVE: Soul Prisoner 011, Digital archival print, 8.5 x 11 inches BOTTOM LEFT: Occubot 018, Digital archival print

Stilley is also planning a series of Pasadena cityscapes he hopes will reflect the area’s changing face. A longtime resident, he has witnessed the building and eventual demolition of the Plaza Pasadena mall, the revitalization of Old Pasadena and the proliferation of high-rise condos and office buildings. He plans to send Phillip out to photograph places where the old and new are juxtaposed. “I don’t actually judge these things because it all smells so temporary, so I want to paint one layer down,” he writes.

“The ’70s are ideal because it’s so alien now, but you know these cities just get built on top of each other, like Pompeii or something. So, yeah, Art-Bot has a mission.”

Many of the common pitfalls inherent in artistic pursuits — including distraction, indecision and procrastination — are unavailable to Stilley. Mofford believes that Stilley’s challenges have actually enhanced his artwork, by forcing him to achieve a sharper focus. “Because he can only move his eyes, all his energy goes into his mind,” she says.

“It has become more powerful than ever.” Steinberger agrees, noting that much of his current work is emotionally inscrutable, even to the trained eye. “Sometimes I just relate to the aesthetic beauty,” she says. “I don’t feel like I understand where he’s starting from and what he’s trying to say and do. I don’t know if anyone could.” Even his wife can be confounded by new pieces, although Mofford says she can decode Stilley’s emotional state “to a certain degree.” “He has a complex mind, always going deeper and deeper… I’m constantly surprised at the new emotions and new ways he’s going.”

Stilley’s fellow artists have helped keep him involved in the Pasadena art scene.

They set up a tent to display his work at last year’s ArtWalk and have installed shows at galleries and other venues. “When I make giant collages, installations and hanging shows, I have a rotating team of people who patiently decode my instructions and notes — very detailed, many iterations,” he writes. “These people are all tremendous 14 | ARROYO | 10.13

artists in their own fields, so I’m honored. Without their help I would be locked out of the physical world entirely.”

Mofford says he attracts support because of his indomitable spirit. “He inspires people by the fact that he has taken this diagnosis and, instead of letting it beat him, he uses it as a tool,” she says. “I think people have also been inspired by us and our love and support. But the fact that Tucker has had a lot of pretty outstanding people want to help him is inspired by the art itself.” Multimedia artist Sam Durant, for example, curated his 2009 show at L.A.’s Monte Vista Projects, declared “extraordinary” by the Los Angeles Times.

He is able to attend shows, when the gallery can support it, via teleconference.

“That’s really fun, and I always make more art from my webcam stills; since I can pan around and zoom, it’s like my own photo shoot,” he says. “Interacting with the gallerygoers is invariably an amazing experience. They’re fascinated by me, and I by them.”

Stilley says that although he’d always planned to continue working, his diagnosis forced him to think in terms of creating a cohesive body of work. Much of it, including “Occupy_Online,” is now catalogued at tuckerstilley.com, where visitors can peruse the artist’s collections, learn more about the images and find links to critics’ reviews.

Asked whether his work should be judged at face value or in the context of his medical condition, Stilley says that, like any work of art, each piece must ultimately speak for itself. “The poor little things have to fend for themselves, and I work hard to make sure they will thrive, but then they’re on their own in the world of images,” he writes. “However, I’d be lying if I said they didn’t get a boost or spin from the context of my paralysis. But that’s only natural and part of their odd provenance.” ||||

IMAGES: Courtesy of the artist

–continued from page 13

arroyo

™

SPONSORED BY

~HOME SALES INDEX~ HOME SALES

aug

aug

2012

2013

+18.4% ALTADENA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. ARCADIA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. EAGLE ROCK HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. GLENDALE HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. LA CAÑADA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. PASADENA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. SAN MARINO HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. SIERRA MADRE HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. SOUTH PASADENA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. TOTAL HOMES SOLD AVG PRICE/SQ. FT.

AUG ’12 32 $423,000 1384 AUG ’12 32 $809,500 1974 AUG ’12 8 $472,500 1370 AUG ’12 122 $477,500 1510 AUG ’12 26 $1,122,500 2287 AUG ’12 127 $515,000 1474 AUG ’12 22 $1,440,000 2422 AUG ’12 12 $644,500 1647 AUG ’12 13 $730,000 1660 AUG ’12 394 $407

HOMES SOLD

394 505

AVG. PRICE/SQ. FT.

RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE ARROYO FOOTPRINT

HOMES SOLD

+28.2%

HOME SALES ABOVE $750,000

AUG ’13 44 $627,500 1567 AUG ’13 51 $945,000 2026 AUG ’13 19 $599,000 1441 AUG ’13 155 $550,000 1510 AUG ’13 26 $1,193,750 2233 AUG ’13 177 $600,000 1508 AUG ’13 10 $1,506,500 2008 AUG ’13 6 $647,500 1541 AUG ’13 17 $758,000 1526 AUG ’13 505 $482

ADDRESS

SOURCE: CalREsource

CLOSE DATE PRICE BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILTPREV. PRICE

PREV. SOLD

1814 Midlothian Drive

08/01/13

$1,850,000

6

0

09/10/2003

1175 East Calaveras Street

08/21/13

$1,325,000

2

2182

1924

$750,000

11/09/2012

559 Chaparral Court

08/27/13

$1,300,000

5

3881

1999

$1,155,000

06/04/2012

2125 Roosevelt Avenue

08/19/13

$1,025,000

4

2039

1927

$715,000

08/08/2002

2051 North Altadena Drive

08/21/13

$970,000

5

3196

1946

$725,000

09/25/2003

1011 Concha Street

08/23/13

$867,000

3

1861

1932

$435,000

08/27/1998

ALTADENA $1,725,000

2055 Minoru Drive

08/30/13

$840,000

2

1413

1936

1809 La Paz Road

08/30/13

$830,000

4

2280

1933

$775,000

08/07/2009

2805 Santa Rosa Avenue

08/16/13

$800,000

3

2010

1926

$305,000

12/31/1997

966 Alta Vista Drive

08/08/13

$792,000

3

2451

1947

$365,000

07/12/2001

4380 Canyon Crest Road

08/15/13

$775,000

3

1585

1960

$180,000

06/19/1996

1460 Caballero Road

08/09/13

$4,370,000

9

7694

1949

$1,579,000

12/30/2005

729 Carriage House Drive

08/22/13

$3,580,000

5

5237

2002

$1,645,500

03/21/2003

800 Singing Wood Drive

08/05/13

$2,678,000

3

2580

1952

3664

1954

ARCADIA

1300 Santa Margarita Drive

08/12/13

$2,650,000

3

250 East Sycamore Avenue

08/21/13

$2,238,500

6

$1,325,000

05/04/2006

$361,000

10/19/1992

9 West Orange Grove Avenue

08/27/13

$2,020,000

6

$410,000

07/27/1999

750 West Orange Grove Avenue

08/28/13

$2,000,000

3

2786

1954

$1,500,000

01/03/2006

2045 Elkins Place

08/27/13

$1,763,000

4

2761

1960

$920,000

06/08/2004

619 West Foothill Boulevard

08/14/13

$1,750,000

3

2169

1952

$598,000

01/30/2003

608 Arbolada Drive

08/30/13

$1,750,000

3

2394

1952

$1,245,500

10/25/2011

1209 South 4th Avenue

08/15/13

$1,710,000

5

3744

1999

$760,000

11/22/1999

127 East Camino Real Avenue

08/23/13

$1,689,000

4

3790

1989

$775,000

06/01/1990

2600 South 2nd Avenue

08/29/13

$1,500,000

2

1691

1947

$800,000

02/22/2012

1734 Oakwood Avenue

08/21/13

$1,300,000

2

1544

1949

$880,000

09/26/2012

725 Tiffany Terrace

08/28/13

$1,275,000

4

2777

1985

$930,000

06/26/2008

1765 El Vista Circle

08/06/13

$1,250,000

3

2364

1951

$294,000

12/02/1986

2401 Louise Avenue

08/23/13

$1,238,000

5

2527

1951

$460,000

09/18/1992

1417 Greenfield Avenue

08/15/13

$1,200,000

4

2811

1961

$1,010,000

08/30/2005

1614 South 1st Avenue

08/29/13

$1,175,000

5

2557

1969

$332,000

10/13/1994

1685 Highland Oaks Drive

08/23/13

$1,160,000

3

2113

1953

1564 South Santa Anita Avenue

08/14/13

$1,125,000

2

1805

1927

$280,000

01/20/1999

124 East Colorado Boulevard #A

08/12/13

$1,100,000

0

3827

1979

$324,000

10/27/1999

2656 South 10th Avenue

08/26/13

$1,068,000

3

2326

1941

$400,000

09/28/1992

2112 South 6th Avenue

08/27/13

$1,000,000

2

1464

1956

2401 Lee Avenue

08/29/13

$962,000

3

1762

1961 continued on page 16

The Arroyo Home Sales Index is calculated from residential home sales in Pasadena and the surrounding communities of South Pasadena, San Marino, La Canada Flintridge, Eagle Rock, Glendale (including Montrose), Altadena, Sierra Madre and Arcadia. Individual home sales data provided by CalREsource. Arroyo Home Sales Index © Arroyo 2013. Complete home sales listings appear each week in Pasadena Weekly.

10.13 | ARROYO | 15

HOME SALES ABOVE $750,000 RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE ARROYO FOOTPRINT

SOURCE: CalREsource

continued from page 15

ADDRESS

CLOSE DATE PRICE BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILTPREV. PRICE

PREV. SOLD

1221 South 9th Avenue

08/28/13

$945,000

3

1692

1960

$762,000

11/02/2007

1808 South 1st Avenue

08/13/13

$908,000

3

2026

1951

600 South 3rd Avenue

08/27/13

$900,000

4

2408

1995

$443,000

11/05/2002

615 South 5th Avenue

08/28/13

$899,000

3

2605

1999

$740,000

04/24/2007

234 East Sycamore Avenue

08/22/13

$860,000

3

1798

1948

$290,000

06/05/1987

525 South 5th Avenue #A

08/26/13

$849,000

3

2252

2004

$778,000

04/21/2005

134 Fano Street #B

08/07/13

$828,000

3

2272

1999

158 Fano Street #2

08/13/13

$818,000

4

2007

1992

$663,500

07/12/2012

34 East Winnie Way

08/19/13

$807,500

3

1467

1956

$256,000

03/26/1997

307 East Foothill Boulevard #D

08/16/13

$765,000

3

1809

1969

$529,000

08/27/2010

37 Alice Street #A

08/14/13

$756,000

3

2048

2004

$590,000

04/29/2005

1871 Campus Road

08/08/13

$880,000

4

1922

1925

5150 Monte Bonito Drive

08/20/13

$808,500

3

1559

1950

$193,000

08/11/1995

2239 Mira Vista Avenue

08/19/13

$1,520,000

4

$665,000

12/22/2004

2412 Prospect Avenue

08/21/13

$815,000

2069 West Mountain Street

08/12/13

$1,006,500

6

1616 Vista Drive

08/30/13

$957,500

4

$758,000

04/18/2012

1531 Bel Aire Drive

08/23/13

$950,000

7

1524 Irving Avenue

08/28/13

$785,000

2

ARCADIA

EAGLE ROCK

GLENDALE

2806 2023

1940 1940

$415,000

03/01/1994

$455,000

11/21/2000

09/20/1976

1420 El Miradero Avenue

08/21/13

$779,000

3

1802

1927

1553 Irving Avenue

08/13/13

$750,000

2

1907

1940

330 Wonderview Drive

08/06/13

$1,275,000

3

2653

1969

$126,000

1421 North Columbus Avenue

08/29/13

$750,000

4

1798

1923

$205,000

11/27/1996

928 Highline Road

08/28/13

$1,200,000

$800,000

02/09/2011

731 Porter Street

08/30/13

$972,000

4

4432

1927

$1,045,000

06/15/2007

1203 Mariposa Street

08/29/13

$820,000

4

2978

1947

$560,000

09/30/2003

1616 Parway Drive

08/22/13

$1,160,000

3

3402

1962

$950,000

06/05/2013

3102 Kingridge Way

08/09/13

$1,150,000

5

2700

1972

$1,200,000

08/13/2007

2051 Erin Way

08/23/13

$875,000

4

2770

1978

$261,000

12/30/1982

630 Haverkamp Drive

08/09/13

$870,000

3

2271

1974

$335,000

09/26/1997

3011 Hollywell Place

08/16/13

$870,000

3

2400

1965

$890,000

05/12/2005

2532 Gardner Place

08/14/13

$855,000

6

$662,000

07/15/2013

3217 Kirkham Drive

08/30/13

$850,000

4

2187

1974

$250,000

12/12/1986

1968 $525,000

07/01/1986

$1,900,000

11/02/2006

$500,000

11/01/2004

$185,000

03/13/1984

3243 Emerald Isle Drive

08/01/13

$815,000

3

1742

1519 Glenmont Drive

08/15/13

$6,000,000

2

2240

1942

1500 Melwood Drive

08/30/13

$1,800,000

7

4342

1928

601 Seclusion Lane

08/23/13

$1,775,000

7

408 Cameron Place

08/19/13

$1,610,000

8

5368

2009

1434 East Mountain Street

08/01/13

$935,000

3

2838

1931

2481

1930

1114 East Mountain Street

08/16/13

$900,000

8

1316 Loreto Drive

08/27/13

$900,000

1

3025 Country Club Drive

08/20/13

$1,070,000

3

3079

1948

$560,000

06/30/1989

1012 Calle Contento

08/09/13

$990,000

4

2777

1990

$1,175,000

10/11/2006

1503 El Rito Avenue

08/13/13

$965,000

3

2446

1987

1650 Ramona Avenue

08/13/13

$913,500

3

2021

1930

$780,000

06/24/2009

982 Calle Bella

08/20/13

$910,000

4

2528

1989

$829,000

02/25/2004

3221 Barnes Circle

08/30/13

$876,000

3

2570

1969

3337 Vickers Drive

08/12/13

$840,000

3

1681

1958

$749,000

09/28/2006

992 Calle Amable

08/13/13

$814,500

4

2615

1989

$750,000

03/30/2010

1914 Caminito De La Valle

08/13/13

$765,000

2

2146

1990

$670,000

06/12/2012

3934 El Caminito

08/07/13

$825,000

3

1271

1956

$500,000

05/07/2012

3858 Lirio Lane

08/22/13

$789,000

3

1999

1949

$331,000

09/25/1997

5

6652

1991

$1,333,500

03/19/1993

5

4305

1947

$660,000

05/26/2000

LA CAĂ‘ADA FLINTRIDGE 860 St. Katherine Drive

08/09/13

$3,400,000

5161 Angeles Crest Highway

08/09/13

$2,800,000

4633 Vineta Avenue

08/14/13

$2,250,000

continued on page 49 16 | ARROYO | 10.13

ARROYO HOME & DESIGN SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

ESTATE SALES AND AUCTIONS A History of People, Passion and Posession

BY JOANNA DEHN BERESFORD

YOU CANNOT SELL YOUR SOUL ON EBAY. YOU ALSO CANNOT SELL A GHOST, A SPIRIT, AN AURA OR ANY OTHER “ITEMS WHOSE EXISTENCE CANNOT BE VERIFIED.” (THUS LEADING DESCARTES’ FRAGILE DEFINITION OF REALITY, I-THINK-THEREFORE-I-AM, INTO THE VIRTUAL MARKETPLACE; THUS FURTHER EXTRAPOLATING UPON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN REAL AND VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE. OR EXISTENCE. OR EXISTENTIAL ANALYSIS. THUS KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE). YOU ALSO CANNOT SELL GUNS, DRUGS, TOBACCO, ANYTHING CUBAN, IRANIAN OR NORTH KOREAN, USED UNDERWEAR, SEX OR CERTAIN FORMS OF PORNOGRAPHY, OR BODY PARTS. OTHERWISE IT’S BASICALLY A FREE FOR ALL. PLUS SHIPPING.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Bonhams

–continued on page 19

Paul Grimm, Ranch in the Foothills oil on canvas Estimate $2,000-3,000 10.13 | ARROYO | 17

18 | ARROYO | 10.13

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

PHOTO: Courtesy of Bonhams

A suite of aquamarine, diamond and white gold jewelry Estimate $2,500-3,500

–continued from page 17 Apparently, one of the first official transactions on eBay (launched in 1995, then called AuctionWeb) was the sale of a broken laser pointer for $14.83. Pierre Omidyar, the site’s founder, was supposedly so puzzled by the purchase, that he contacted the guy who bought the pointer, just to insure that he knew the item was broken. To which the buyer responded: “I am a collector of broken laser pointers.” Hence the world’s most user-friendly, uber-democratic, live-action-but-non-synchronous exchange of goods and services was born.

The deep history of auctions goes back much further. In and around 500 BC, the Greeks auctioned women off as brides, going from most to least beautiful - including dowries (and probably some Hellenistic sex toys) for the latter. The Romans auctioned slaves and the spoils of war. 17th century Europeans opened the first auction houses, procuring and selling mostly fine art, armor, weapons, and furnishings. Pre-Civil War white Americans blackened (so to speak) the concept of the auction through the southern slave trade. Iconic artists like Vincent Van Gogh, died as paupers, while their paintings were subsequently sold at auction for tens of millions of dollars (though some, like Picasso, were also successful during their lifetimes). To date, as far as I know, the most expensive work of art ever bought at auction is Picasso’s Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, painted in one day in 1932 and sold for $106.5 million in 2010. Most expensive piece of clothing: Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday Mr. President Dress”, sold for $1.267 million in 1999. Most expensive manuscript: da Vinci’s Codex Hammer, sold to Bill Gates for $30.8 million in 1994. Most expensive musical instrument: Guarneri del Gesu violin, sold for $3.9 million in 2007. Most expensive item of antiquity: Roman statue, “Artemis and the Stag”, sold for $28.6 million in 2007. Most expensive car: 1957 Ferrari 250 Testarossa, sold for $12.2 million in 2009. Most expensive furniture: the Badminton Cabinet, sold for $36 million. Most expensive diamond: the Wittelsbach, sold for $23.4 million. Most expensive meal: lunch with Warren Buffet, sold for $1,000,100 in June, 2013.

But it’s really not as crass as all that, the auction and estate sale industry. It’s not about flesh and cash and notoriety, at least not ideally or theoretically. It’s about the reverence for beauty and continuity and meaning. It’s the value of people and their lives, not their things, believe it or not – that drives the auction and estate sale industry. Both at the personal and the corporate level.

Take Bonhams, for example. Founded in 1793, Bonhams is one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. Today Bonhams offers two major salerooms in London, a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in Germany, France, Monaco, Hon Kong and Australia – and in San Francisco, Carmel, New York, Connecticut and here in Los Angeles. In other words, they’re a worldwide –continued on page 21

10.13 | ARROYO | 19

20 | ARROYO | 10.13

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

A pair of George III style parcel gilt inlaid satinwood demilune tables Estimate $3,000-5,000

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Bonhams

An Hermès blue crocodile Birkin handbag Estimate $60,000-80,000

–continued from page 19 network of offices and regional representatives who provide sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. Bonhams previews and auctions are always free and open to the public and they always have access to the best estates and private collections in the world. And perhaps their highest goal is to serve and to educate people (buyers, sellers, organizations and individuals) in their pursuit of the kind of beauty, continuity and meaning that our physical objects express.

“The best way for anyone unfamiliar with the process would be to come by and attend an auction to get the feel of it, even if they decide not to bid on anything,” says Tim McNab, Director of Period Art and Design in the LA office of Bonhams. “Our staff is always available to answer any questions.”

Bonhams staff helps clients to determine the best marketplace for their property, the right buyers for their items and how to achieve the best prices in the best venues for over 60 auction categories. Their team specialists provide estimates for auction or formal appraisals for tax or estate purposes. “As current market, condition and authenticity are all factors, our staff is familiar with the methodology required to properly handle evaluations and appraisals,” explains Tim. Similarly, John Moran Auctioneers offers a superlative service to both buyers and sellers, and their embrace of the industry is both prestigious and progressive.

“Moran’s early adoption of online marketing and auction simulcast placed us ahead of competitors from the start,” says Jeff Moran. “Today, each auction we host in Pasadena draws hundreds of bidders from across the globe. Our last auction had –continued on page 23

10.13 | ARROYO | 21

22 | ARROYO | 10.13

PHOTOS: Courtesy of John Moran Auctioneers

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

–continued from page 21 400+ vetted bidders from 23 different countries. 24% of all property offered sold to buyers either nationally, or internationally.”

But as global and far-sighted as their vision is, the John Moran organization remains dedicated to its original principles. “My father started this company 45 years ago,” explains Jeff, “with the concept that if you treat people well and provide a good service, you’ll be successful and they will come back. Today, 65% of our business is referred from existing clients.

Yet with all the excitement about record sales and reality shows, Jeff adds, “many people fail to remember that the auction business is not about the objects – it’s about the people.’

Jeff describes a recent encounter with a client at a trailer park in Orange County. The man was interested in consigning a still-life painting by Pasadena artist Joseph Henry Sharp. Jeff chatted with the man for over two hours.

“During the course of our conversation,” Jeff recalls, “he told me of how he be–continued on page 24

10.13 | ARROYO | 23

PHOTO: Courtesy of John Moran Auctioneers

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

–continued from page 23 came an art collector after WWII. He also went on to describe how he was wounded in the Pacific Theatre during the war – and reluctantly recalled to me the horrors of battle he experienced at Saipan. Humbled, I shook hands with this gentleman as I left and reassured him that we would work to sell his painting as if we owned it ourselves.

He smiled and replied, ‘I can’t ask anymore from you than that.’”

So, the point is that while we can’t sell our souls or spirits on eBay – or at Bonhams or John Moran Auctioneers – we can invest our souls and spirits into the beautiful objects that surround us, and the people who share in our pleasure as they ornament our lives. ||||

24 | ARROYO | 10.13

Sam Francis:

Staying Alive

BY SCARLET CHENG

The PMCA surveys the California Abstract Expressionist’s career in his first major museum exhibition in more than a decade.

YOU MAY THINK YOU KNOW THE ART OF SAM FRANCIS, BUT THIS GLORIOUS RETROSPECTIVE AT THE PASADENA MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA ART OFFERS SOME SURPRISES. SAM FRANCIS: FIVE DECADES OF ABSTRACT EXPRESSION-

PHOTO: © Sam Francis Foundation, California / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

ISM FROM CALIFORNIA COLLECTIONS (THROUGH JAN. 5, 2014) TRACES HIS DEVELOPMENT AS AN ARTIST, FROM DABBLING IN PICTORIAL REALISM TO QUICKLY ENTERING — AND REVELING IN — ABSTRACTION. SOME CRITICS CONSIDER HIM A SECOND-GENERATION ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST, COMING INTO HIS CAREER STRIDE LATER THAN JACKSON POLLOCK AND JOINING THE RANKS OF HELEN FRANKENTHALER AND JOAN MITCHELL, WHO WERE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN COLOR.

Sam Francis, Augustus After Sonny, Sonny Before Augustus, 1989. Acrylic on handmade woven-screen paper coated with gesso, 72 x 36 inches. The Buck Collection, Laguna Beach, California.

–continued on page 26 10.13 | ARROYO | 25

Sam Francis in his studio

Sam Francis, Untitled, 1979. Acrylic on paper, 11 13/16 x 17 3/4 inches. Collection of Deborah and Jonathan Davidson, Los Angeles.

Sam Francis, Côte d’Azur, 1953.

Watercolor on paper, 30 1/4 x 22 1/2 inches.

The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Collection, Los Angeles.

26 | ARROYO | 10.13

Camp portrays migrant workers limned by lyrical outlines and shadows, resting beneath a large tree on a farm.

Francis later studied art at UC Berkeley, and then quickly moved into Surrealism and abstraction. Funded by the GI Bill, he went to France in 1950. In Paris he began a series of monochromatic paintings — some on paper and some on canvas. One large oil on canvas is a mesmerizing, mottled field of gray titled simply Grey (1951); it was influenced by the climatic grayness of Paris and also the foggy vistas of San Francisco.

When he had a chance to travel to the south of France, his work burst into color — dappled with globules so liquid they are sometimes dripping.

Success came quickly: He had his first solo gallery show at Galerie du Dragon in 1952, prompting critic Pierre Schneider to write in Art News, “Probably the most stimulating show in Paris at present is the one held by the young American, Sam Francis.” In 1955, New York’s Museum of Modern Art purchased its first painting from him, which was included in MoMA’s Twelve Artists show in 1956. (The museum’s permanent collection now includes 44 of his artworks.) That same year David Rockefeller commissioned the artist to create a large mural (8 by 36 feet) for the Chase Manhattan Bank at 420 Park Ave., a project he worked on for the next three years. A sketch for the mural and a photograph of Francis during this time are included in the exhibition. And in 1959, the Pasadena Art Museum (now the Norton Simon Museum) gave Francis his first solo museum show.

–continued on page 29

PHOTOS: © Sam Francis Foundation, California / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

–continued from page 25

The exhibition impressed me with the late artist’s genius for negotiating both small, intimate works on paper as well as paintings up to 12 feet wide. He managed to bring vibrancy and emotion to both ends of the scale. “That’s what’s so incredible about Sam’s work,” says Debra Burchett-Lere, co-curator of the show and director of the Glendale-based Sam Francis Foundation, which documents and protects his creative legacy. “The smallest work can appear like a universe. Sam was able to do macro and micro with the same intensity, which is difficult.”

Born in San Mateo, California, in 1923, Francis took up painting after a stint in the Air Force during World War II, where he sustained an injury during fl ight maneuvers.

That disability, coupled with spinal tuberculosis, left him hospitalized for several years; as a convalescent, he was often in a body cast and could move only his arms and hands.

Art proved to be a lifeline for him. “Painting became a way back to life for me,” Francis has said about that period. “I painted in order to stay alive.”

Using watercolor on paper, he tried out the usual subjects, such as landscapes and portraits. The exhibition, co-curated with noted art historian Peter Selz, takes us from the beginning of his art career to the very end, when he was working feverishly, keenly aware of the fragility of life. Indeed, Francis looked at his work as a kind of emotional and intellectual autobiography.

Even his earliest works are executed with remarkable sensitivity to color and form.

Take two watercolors from 1945-46: Late Summer is an idyllic scene of two rowboats moored by a lakeside dock, a house or boathouse in the mid-distance; and Migrant

10.13 | ARROYO | 27

28 | ARROYO | 10.13

Sam Francis, Blue and Yellow, 1954–55.

Oil on canvas, 76 3/4 x 51 inches.

The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Collection, Los Angeles.

Sam Francis, Mantis, ca. 1960–61. Oil on canvas, 52 x 78 inches. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Gift of the artist and Sam Francis Art Museum, Inc.,

Sam Francis, Untitled, 1977–78. Acrylic on paper, 36 3/4 x 72 inches.

Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

PHOTOS: © Sam Francis Foundation, California / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

–continued from page 26

By the early 1950s, Francis had already gained international recognition — probably the first contemporary California artist to do so. He began spending much of his time abroad as well as in New York. “He was constantly on the move,” recalls Selz, who knew him at the time. “Frequently he had studios in Paris, in Tokyo, Los Angeles and in Bern, [Switzerland], so he could start painting wherever he went. He liked the different light and different atmospheres. He was also busy having shows in all these places.” As curator of MoMA’s painting and sculpture department in the late 1950s and early ’60s, Selz had been planning a one-man show for Francis — but left in 1965 before he could mount it, to establish an art museum at UC Berkeley. (The one-man show was later taken up by the Whitney Museum.) Selz later wrote a monograph on the artist.

What had especially caught the curator’s eye? “It was primarily the color,” he says.

“Nobody else had this incredible sense of color.”

“He only used primary colors basically,” says Burchett-Lere. “He would mix the other colors.”

“He made his own pigments,” Selz adds, as we walk through the PMCA exhibition.

We pause before one especially striking painting from Francis’ early period — the period Selz himself favors. Blue and Yellow (1954–55) is a large oil on canvas, six feet tall, with a mass of bluish-black globules pressing down on a layer of yellow oblong pieces. “It looks like a fire,” says Selz. “This is coal in the fireplace and the brilliant yellow at the bottom, and these drips, he liked these drips; he controlled them.” The drips are especially evident in watercolor and gouache paintings from 1957, when he must have placed the paper flat and then deliberately worked drips across the surface. The

technique appears again in the early 1960s, and he employs it as part of his repertoire from then on, working more freely and joyously, while focusing more on the uses of empty space as well. In some 20 years traveling and working in Japan, Francis became deeply influenced by Zen Buddhism and its concept of the void.

In 1962 he took up residence in Southern California, first in Santa Barbara, then settling in Santa Monica. He liked the light, and some of his most joyous, exuberant paintings were made after his move, including some of his signature “edge” paintings, which emphasize the works’ perimeter, leaving vast white space in the center.

Most of his work was very spontaneous. Even the work of his last decade — he died in Santa Monica in 1994 — which incorporates familiar icons such as crosses, spirals and circles made with riotous tubes of color, “all still very much related to him as a being in the world, questioning and thinking,” says Selz. “And exploring,” adds Burchett-Lere.

“It’s very much a dialogue between the work and the viewers responding to it,” Selz continues. “Unlike so much contemporary art where you can see everything all at once, like in Pop Art, these paintings take time. And the longer you look at them, the more rewarding they are.” |||| Sam Francis: Five Decades of Abstract Expressionism from California Collections runs through Jan. 5, 2014, at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. The museum, located at 490 E. Union St., Pasadena, is open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, and until 8 p.m. the third Thursday of the month. Tickets cost $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and students; free for members, children under 12 and all visitors the first Friday of every month and Thursday evenings. Call (626) 568-3665 or visit pmcaonline.org.

10.13 | ARROYO | 29

Galleries The Autry National Center

celebrated its 25th anniversary with a thoughtful remodel that brings two galleries into the 21st century.

BY BRENDA REES

BEFORE: former Spirit of Romance Gallery

30 | ARROYO | 10.13

AFTER: Art of the West exhibition in the Irene Helen Jones Parks Gallery of Art

of Change YOU THINK REDESIGNING YOUR KITCHEN WAS A BIG UNDERTAKING? WAS YOUR LIVING ROOM REMODEL MORE COMPLICATED THAN YOU ORIGINALLY PLANNED? DID OPTIONS

PHOTOS: Courtesy of the Autry National Center

FOR UPDATING YOUR HOME OFFICE MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN? Then consider what the folks at the Autry National Center had to contend with during their recent remodel of two galleries — one big, one small — in the Griffith Park museum of the American West, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Autry officials had long wanted to make significant improvements to their galleries, many of which had become outdated; the opportunity came last year when trustee James R. Parks made a sizable donation that enabled them to finally kick those dreams into high gear.

With more than 150,000 people typically visiting the Autry each year, museum officials exhibiting its priceless art and countless artifacts didn’t want to settle for a simple high-tech update of the traditional gallery spaces; instead, they focused on imagining a richer museum experience, so guests could more easily understand the immense scope of stories of the American West.

That goal set the tone for the gallery remodels Autry officials consider artful yet functional, allowing many aspects of the Western experience to be explored holistically.

“Just like when you are redesigning your kitchen, you first have to take a giant step back and say, ‘What’s not working?’ and ‘How can this be improved?’” says Patrick Fredrickson, associate design director, who helped shepherd the remodel from concept to AFTER: Art of the West exhibition in the Irene completion.

Helen Jones Parks Gallery of Art The two spaces — the Irene Helen Jones Parks Gallery of Art (housing the current exhibition Art of the West) named after the donor’s mother, and the smaller Gamble Firearms Gallery (part of the Western Frontiers: Stories of Fact and Fiction Gallery) — first required numerous consultations with curators, programmers, conservators and even security personnel about the pros and cons of the previous layout, says Frederickson. That research guided him and his team in designing new galleries around themes and related collection pieces to enhance visitors’ experience.

To that end, walls were removed, rooms were enlarged, items from other areas of the museum were repurposed, colors and textures were added and lighting was carefully crafted.

In the second-floor Parks Gallery, the changes represented a major break from

BEFORE: former Spirit of Romance Gallery

–continued on page 32 10.13 | ARROYO | 31

traditional art gallery design. At just under 4,000 square feet, the space featured art arranged in strict chronological order when it housed the Romance Gallery. That “forced serpentine march” layout was the first thing that had to go, says Amy Scott, the visual arts curator. Scott says the Art of the West exhibition is designed to promote self-directed navigation…you go where you want to, not where you are pointed. Today’s visitors can choose among the gallery’s three themed areas (Religion and Ritual, Land and Landscape, Migration and Movement) as well as two revolving mini galleries. The new configuration is also a boon for programming, tour groups and other museum events, says Frederickson.

“The new layout allowed the Land and Landscape area to house 40-plus guests and a speaker for a recent gallery talk,” he notes.

The three themed areas were inspired by the Autry’s massive collection, allowing related elements to be tied together in a coherent way. Classical oil paintings are placed alongside related ethnic tapestries and above photographs; large modern sculptures are positioned near ancient ceremonial artifacts and AFTER: across from a video installation that projects onto the floor. This Gamble Firearms Gallery at the Autry eclectic juxtaposition of items highlights the narrative and helps visitors “start a conversation about the cultural forces that shaped the idea and experience,” explains Scott, adding that the media Richardson, curator of Western history, popular R mix has proven more inviting to families with younger children. cculture and firearms. “The gunfight story was so “We wanted this space to be for all ages to explore, and we see a much more than presented; it was social, politim lot of families lingering in the area.” ccal, financial; not just good guys versus bad. But Much of the design was shaped by requirements of the Ameriyyou never got that from the installation.” cans with Disabilities Act, says Frederickson. Not only are the A more professional and thoughtful exploration BEFORE: gallery’s walkways wide enough for wheelchairs, but the descripof fi o rearms was made possible with patron George former O.K. Corral exhibit tive panels and typography were chosen for accessibility to all.

Gamble’s donation of 55 firearms and 25 related G “Our exhibits are slightly lower than what you would see at other aartifacts to the Autry two years ago. Twenty-three museums,” he says, adding that his design team used a cheat sheet on the Gamble’s h average heights h i h off iitems from f G bl ’ collection ll i are currently on view. In light of the Newtown, Connectivisitors on foot and in wheelchairs. (The latter level is 49 inches, by the way; Autry cases are cut, school shooting, Richardson said, it was paramount that the gallery not glorify guns but about 33 inches high, lower than the 36 to 38 inches typical of art museums.) rather depict how “essential they were on the American frontier”; organizers accomplished Museum-goers often complain about feeling uninvolved with the display — the “don’t that by arranging them by theme — hunting and trapping, the impact of technology on touch” and “keep your distance” mantra isn’t inviting, says Frederickson. Two strategies in firearms, the conservation movement and the West in popular culture. the Art of the West exhibition address that. First, descriptive labels are placed in such a way For its new gun gallery the museum opted for a straightforward, no-nonsense that you can step back to see the item at a distance and still be able to read about it. Thus design. The dark steel-gray colors around the Plexiglas cases complement the multivisitors are not forced into “doing that little dance, stepping back and forth between both,” colored wood that visually unites the inner gallery with a space across a walkway once says Frederickson. The other change safely brings the public closer to the object: Plexiglas separated by a wall. The wood — repurposed from the museum’s former “Back Lot” cases allow guests to peruse art and artifacts from different angles, with no risk of damage. movie installation — gives the gallery a rustic, cabin-like feel.

Autry staff designed and built the modular cases in a variety of sizes, using plywood In an enlightening juxtaposition, Theodore Roosevelt’s custom-made revolver and carbine veneers, since oak can corrode art and artifacts. Lighting was another crucial issue for are placed alongside his personal holster, spurs and cartridge belt; nearby is a copy of Ranch museum designers, who want to illuminate details but must protect the museum’s treaLife and the Hunting Trail (1888), written by the president himself and illustrated by Frederic sures by limiting light exposure. Objects are carefully monitored for light damage and Remington. An original Remington painting featured in the book is also on display here. slated for rotation. Existing halogen lights are used in the Art of the West exhibition, and in Other aspects of guns that Richardson would like to see in the gallery include Native the Migration and Movement area, environmentally friendly LED lights are employed, Americans’ use of firearms. “[Weaponry] is a very complex and compelling aspect of our since dimming them doesn’t change an object’s perceived color, explains Frederickson. history,” he says. “Our overall goal was how our resources can bring the subject to light.”

Lighting is especially critical in the smaller “jewel box” gallery currently showcasing Indeed, Autry officials say every change they made to the galleries reflected that same Ansel Adams’ photography. The low ceiling enhances the intimate feel of the tiny space, goal — telling the saga of the American West clearly and compellingly. |||| drawing visitors even closer to the photographs. “It’s so much easier to control the lighting here,” says Frederickson. The space will house rotating displays of photography, oil paintThe Autry National Center is located at 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park. The ings, sculptures and video installations. museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from 11 a.m. to Modular cases with low lighting illuminate the weaponry in the recently opened 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission costs $10 for adults, $6 for students and Gamble Firearms Gallery. The display of 33 historical firearms replaces a life-size diseniors and $4 for children ages three to 12; free for members and children under three. orama of the shoot-out at the OK Corral, which “lacked historical context,” says Jeffrey Call (323) 667-2000 or visit theautry.org 32 | ARROYO | 10.13

PHOTOS: Top, Alan Konishi; Bottom, courtesy of the Autry National Center

–continued from page 31

34 | ARROYO | 10.13

Susanita’s Album Charles Lummis’ rare book of historic Southern California photos dedicated to an unrequited love has been acquired by the Huntington Library.

BY BETTIJANE LEVINE

ON AN ORDINARY MORNING IN 2011, A WOMAN ARRIVED UNANNOUNCED AT THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART COLLECTIONS AND BOTANICAL GARDENS. SHE HELD A PHOTO ALBUM SHE WANTED TO SELL, WRAPPED IN A SIMPLE BROWN PAPER BAG.

PHOTO: Courtesy of The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens

–continued on page 37

Charles Lummis dancing with Susanita del Valle

10.13 | ARROYO | 35

36 | ARROYO | 10.13

Title page

Enedina, Susanita and Natalia del Valle

Image of Rancho Camulos

Bedroom at Rancho Camulos

PHOTOS: Courtesy of The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens

–continued from page 35

Photography Curator Jennifer Watts answered the call. “I always go down to see what’s being offered,” she says, although she usually sees nothing the museum would want to acquire. This time was different. “The album was an amazing find, something extremely rare and important to regional history,” Watts says.

The would-be seller was a descendant of the distinguished del Valle family, owners of Rancho Camulos — a National Historic Landmark and an iconic emblem of the 1800s era of Spanish and Mexican land grants, when the romance and allure of California first captured the country’s imagination. The photos were taken by Charles Fletcher Lummis, another iconic figure in Southwest history. The album, with 83 images and two heartfelt handwritten poems, is bound in leather and embossed in gold with the words Susanita’s Album. It was created by Lummis as a gift for Susanita del Valle, whom he loved and lost. “This is a treasure irresistible to scholars in many fields,” says Watts. It depicts the landscape and daily life at a historic working rancho and offers unique photos of a significant Spanish land-grant family — the del Valles, she says.

As an added twist, it has the pathos of young love gone wrong.

It was 1885 when Charles Fletcher Lummis first set eyes on Susanita del Valle. He was 25; she was 15. Lummis was brilliant, charming, an adventurer. He had attended Harvard, written books and arrived on her parents’ doorstep after hiking solo 3,500 miles from Ohio to California, to see firsthand what the Southwest was like. He was also a married man.

Susanita was shy, pretty, naïve. She lived with her family on part of a 48,000-acre rancho, land granted by Mexico to her grandfather. She attended mass at the little Catholic chapel her family built just steps from their rural home.

No detailed account exists of the intensity or agonies of the romance between Lum-

mis and Susanita. What’s known is that Lummis befriended her family, spent a lot of time at Rancho Camulos (now a National Historic Landmark) in the Santa Clara River Valley and wrote letters declaring his love for Susanita and his desire to divorce his wife and marry her. The album was just one token of his devotion. But Susanita’s parents stopped the unseemly affair of their daughter with the married man; the Catholic Church would not condone the union, even if he were to win a divorce.

Susanita faded into history. It’s unknown if she ever saw Lummis again. She remained single (and possibly heartbroken) for the next 20 years, marrying at the age of 35 (then considered elderly). She and her baby died a year later, during childbirth.

The profusely talented (and highly libidinous) Lummis went on to have many illicit affairs during his three successive marriages. He became known, even then, as a womanizer and a cad, although an irresistably eccentric and delightful one. He also became one of history’s most ardent advocates for the many native cultures of California and the Southwest. In an astonishingly diverse career, he authored two dozen books, took thousands of photos and founded multiple institutions to preserve and document the region’s history, cultures and artifacts. His prolific correspondence and photos are now held by museums and universities across the country.

Lummis’ first job after trekking from Ohio was city editor of the then-fledgling Los Angeles Times, at a time when the city’s population was a mere 12,000. He went on to become Los Angeles city librarian, then founding editor of a crusading political and literary magazine, Out West. He founded the Southwest Museum, where he placed his collection of art and artifacts. (Struggling at the turn of the millenium, it was merged into the Autry National Center of the American West in 2002). Lummis also established –continued on page 39 10.13 | ARROYO | 37

38 | ARROYO | 10.13

Image of Camulos and ranch from the north

PHOTO: Courtesy of The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens

–continued from page 37

the Sequoia League, which fought for the humane treatment and civil rights of Native Americans, and the Landmarks Club, which sought to restore and preserve the historic old Spanish missions. He built, by hand, his stone-and-wood home on the west bank of the Arroyo Seco, which he named El Alisal (“place of the sycamores” in Spanish). On Avenue 43, just off the 110 Freeway in Highland Park, it too is now a historic landmark.

Lummis may never have thought of Susanita after her parents banished him. But his album survives, a monument to her life. And his photo documentation of life at Rancho Camulos is of great historical value; the first California oranges grown and shipped commercially came from that ranch, which also produced other citrus crops, almonds, walnuts, apricots, peaches, wheat, corn, barley and grapes for the rancho’s successful brand of wine and brandy.

The Huntington called on Michael Dawson, an outside expert on California fine art and historical photography, to appraise the album’s historical value. A thirdgeneration rare book dealer, he says that Lummis made many photo albums in his life.

“But I’ve never seen anything like the length and sophistication of Susanita’s Album. It documents daily life on the rancho, and its inhabitants. I can think of nothing similar that relates to Southern California and Mexican/Spanish land-grant families.”

What’s more, he says, the album “documents Lummis’desire and obsession with Susanita and translates that obsession into photography. Look at the photo of the three sisters dressed in traditional Spanish costume. He was captivated by their beauty, put them in a particularly interesting juxtaposition of shadow and light.” Curator Watts also refers to that particular photo as “a wonderful, poignant image and an incredibly beautiful work.” Other photos depict magnificent mountain-ringed vistas with acres of crops, the family chapel and abundant gardens, the expansive adobe residence, with its verandas and central courtyard in which most daily activity took place. Photos of Lummis, affectionately encircled by various del Valle family members (including Susanita), give a sense of just how embedded in the family he was.

Although Lummis was an amateur, Dawson says, he had “an exceptional talent, a unique vision of the photographic medium. His work transcended the prevailing aesthetic of that time,” and in some cases enters a realm that “might almost be called post-modern.” Lummis chose the blue-tinted cyanotype process, Dawson adds, because “it was easy. He didn’t need a darkroom for that. He could take the photo, go outside in his yard, encode paper with an ammonia solution and contact-print his negative to the treated paper. He could watch the photo develop in the sun. It was an amateur’s method, but Lummis took it to new heights.” For those interested, Dawson recommends the comprehensive (and titillating) Lummis biography by Mark Thompson: American Character: The Curious Life of Charles Fletcher Lummis and the Rediscovery of the Southwest (Arcade; 2001).

The Huntington recently announced the album’s purchase with funds made available in memory of longtime docent Carol Jackson Cook and her husband, Donald Wrentmore Cook. The album, too fragile for public display, has been conserved and scanned, and can be viewed in the Huntington Digital Library; search for Charles F. Lummis at hdl.huntington.org |||| 10.13 | ARROYO | 39

40 | ARROYO | 10.13

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS

A Guy Walks into a Bar — and Orders Cheesecake Great cheesecake is no joke to aficionados of the venerable dessert.

BY LESLIE BILDERBACK

People often ask what my favorite dessert is.The answer is a cheese

glass chandeliers. (One half-expects Pagliacci to deliver your seared tuna.) Their purveyors’ mission is to cater to any cheesecake whim imaginable, studding them with candy,

plate. It shouldn’t be a surprise. As a pastry chef and baker, up to my

cookies or cookie dough, or flavoring them with piña colada, mangos, key lime,caramel apple streusel or peppermint bark. But real cheesecake does not need help from layers

eyeballs in sugar and flour every day, I rarely feel like putting sweet

of gooey mix-ins or red velvet cake. When my cheesecake craving hits (usually close to bedtime), it’s not the factory style I want. I want a plain cheesecake.

stuff in my mouth too. At the end of a meal, I want something a little

I want it Lindy’s style.

Lindy’s began as a Jewish deli in New York but quickly became the most iconic culi-

salty, a little creamy. But, when I am pressed, I usually split the differ-

nary symbol of the Jazz Age. It is rumored that Al Jolson convinced owner Leo Lindermann and his wife, Clara, to convert the deli into the restaurant that opened on Broadway in

ence and opt for cheesecake. A well-made, creamy, not-too-sweet

1921. Popular until the ’60s for its Jewish comfort food — pickled herring, beef tongue, corned beef, pastrami, goulash, borscht and blintzes — Lindy’s is best remembered for its

cheesecake can be blissful.

Cheesecakes are a dime a dozen.You can find them in the freezer section of the su-

cheesecake and waiters. Though the waiters were Swiss, Polish, Hungarian and the like, they were considered the original “Jewish waiters,” a reference to the menu, but forever-

permarket.You can buy them online and have them delivered to your door.You can even

more associated with wisecracking insults. Their entertaining shenanigans drew in regulars

visit their “factory,” dine under Italianesque murals, Egyptian columns and hand-blown

— including the likes of Uncle Milty and Groucho Marx — presumably to steal material. (“Waiter, do you serve shrimps?”“Sure. We don’t care how tall you are.”)

It was a colorful place, filled with hoodlums, showgirls, artists and musicians, a place to schmooze and be seen. Mobster Arnold Rothstein had a regular table he considered his “office,” from which he orchestrated his Prohibition-eluding empire and fixed the 1919 World Series. Tin Pan Alley songwriters hung out at the bar, scanning the room for celebrities on whom to pounce and pitch. The regulars also included journalists, like Walter Winchell and Damon Runyon, who cast Lindy’s in several of his stories as “Mindy’s.” (You may recognize the name from a song in Guys and Dolls, a play based on a few Runyon stories).

No doubt it’s the history more than anything else that attracts me to the Lindy’s cheesecake. I do appreciate the bare simplicity of it, devoid of gooey chunks and embellishments. But I really love it because it brings me one step closer to being a hard-boiled dame, with great gams, glad rags and the moxie to match, spouting phrases like “everything’s Jake.” Besides, making a cheesecake goes over better with the kids than dressing up like Zelda Fitzgerald. |||| Leslie Bilderback, a certified master baker, chef and cookbook author, can be found in the kitchen of Heirloom Bakery in South Pasadena.

–continued on page 43 10.13 | ARROYO | 41

42 | ARROYO | 10.13

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS

Lindy's Mug-Cheesecake

–continued from page 41

Lindy’s Cheesecake Baking is not as exact a science as you have been led to believe. This is my professional mantra, as I navigate through life coaxing people into the kitchen. And that was my motivation in writing Mug Cakes (St. Martin’s Press). It is in this spirit that I am offering up not just the original Lindy’s recipe, but my slightly sacrilegious Mug Cakes version as well. Both are the bee’s knees.

Traditional Lindy’s Cheesecake INGREDIENTS Crust: 1½ cup graham cracker crumbs 1 /3 cup sugar 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling: 2½ pounds cream cheese 1¼ cups sugar 3 tablespoons flour Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 whole eggs, plus 2 yolks ¼ cup heavy cream

METHOD 1. Preheat oven to 350º. Toss together the crust ingredients and press them into a 10-inch springform pan coated with pan spray. Bake for 5 minutes, until just toasty. Set aside to cool. Increase oven temperature to 500º.

2. Beat together cheese, sugar, flour, zest and vanilla until smooth. (Be careful not to overbeat here. Overbeating adds excess air, which will expand in the oven’s heat and cause the cheesecake to crack.) Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in each until smooth before adding the next. Stir in cream.

3. Pour batter into crust-lined pan, and bake for 10 minutes at 500º, then reduce the oven temperature to 200º and continue baking for another hour, or until the center stops jiggling. Remove, cool completely, then chill overnight.

(This last bit, the chilling, is very important!)

I like to serve cheesecake topped with seasonal fresh fruit (tossed with a little sugar and lemon zest, depending on the fruit’s natural sweetness) and a sour or crème fraîche.

Lindy’s Mug-Cheesecake INGREDIENTS Crust: ½ cup graham crackers, crushed into small bits 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 8 ounces cream cheese 1 /3 cup granulated sugar Pinch of kosher salt Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 large egg

METHOD 1. Divide the graham crackers between two large mugs. Top each with half the butter. Microwave each mug separately for 20 seconds until the butter is melted. Stir the crumbs so they are well coated with the melted butter, then set them aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar and salt with fork or large spoon until creamy and smooth. Add the lemon zest, juice and egg. Beat the batter until smooth, then divide evenly between the two mugs. Plop the filling on top of the crumbs and give the mugs a little tap to settle it.

3. Microwave each mug separately for 1½ to 2½ minutes each, until filling is slightly puffed. After microwaving, chill each mug for 15 to 60 minutes for full enjoyment. Top with whipped or sour cream.

10.13 | ARROYO | 43

44 | ARROYO | 10.13

WINING & DINING Lorimar Winery

Temecula Valley Vintners The Riverside County district is coming into its own with a critical mass of award-winning artisan wineries.

STORY BY IRENE LACHER | PHOTOS BY RICHARD CUNNINGHAM

When Los Angeles oenophiles are in search of a quick fix, their thoughts usually wander north – toward Santa Barbara and beyond.

But a promising patch of wine country is fermenting a mere 90 minutes to the southeast, amid 35,000 acres of rolling hills and vineyards in the Temecula Valley.

Temecula’s winemaking industry actually dates back to 1820, when mission padres began planting the area, 18 miles from California’s first winery at Mission San Juan Capistrano. Commercial vineyards first took root in 1968, but the thennew and humble wine region 1,500 feet above sea level struggled with a tepid reputation until the ’80s, when Temecula won its official stripes as an American Viticultural Area (now known as the Temecula Valley AVA) and began catching the eye of big-city wine critics. In 1987, Temecula wine pioneer and TV lighting director Vicenzo Cilurzo’s 1983 Miramonte Cabernet Sauvignon was trumpeted by the Los Angeles Times as “first-class.”

The new millennium has seen another blossoming of Temecula Valley’s wineries, which have since doubled in number to more than 40. Its boutique winemakers share at least one thing — passion for their craft — but there is some dispute over which grapes are best suited for its micro-climate. As Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association President Nicholas Palumbo –continued on page 47 10.13 | ARROYO | 45

46 | ARROYO | 10.13

Wilson Creek Winery Almond Champagne

Wilson Creek Winery’s mascot, Molly Merlot

WINING & DINING

Baily Estate Club tasting

–continued from page 45 of Palumbo Family Vineyards explains, the area’s low rainfall and greater solar intensity produce an early growing season.Then cold air from the ocean 22 miles to the west creates an ideal weather pattern for growing wine grapes by moderating its warm sunny days and cooling down the nights.

While a good Cab isn’t hard to find in the valley, the older wineries tend to champion the hearty French varietals that made Northern California’s reputation. Indeed, Phil Baily launched

WHERE TO SIP

one of Temecula’s oldest wineries more than 25 years ago with grapes from the esteemed Wente Vineyards in Livermore. Aiming to serve the sophisticated wine consumer, he recently

BAILY VINEYARD AND WINERY, 3340 La Serena Way, (951) 676-9463, bailywinery.com

started offering unusual private tastings at the Bailey Vineyard & Winery, allowing visitors to

LORIMAR VINEYARDS & WINERY, 39990 Anza Rd., (951) 694-6699, lorimarwinery.com

compare different vintages of the same wine, rather than different varietals.Those tastings

MAURICE CAR’RIE WINERY, 34225 Rancho California Rd., (951) 676-8397, mauricecarriewinery.com

at the production facility are by appointment only, and Bailey can accommodate up to 12

MIRAMONTE WINERY, 33410 Rancho California Rd., (951) 506-5500, miramontewinery.com

people at a cost of $40 per person. Call (951) 676-9463 to book in advance.

PALUMBO FAMILY VINEYARDS, 40150 Barksdale Cir., (951) 676-7900, palumbofamilyvineyards.com

But some newer winemakers, such as Cane Vanderhoof, are placing their bets on Rhône varietals. When the UC Davis graduate founded the Miramonte Winery in 2000, he focused on Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Roussanne,Viognier and other wines grown in the Rhône Valley.

PONTE WINERY, 35053 RANCHO CALIFORNIA RD., (951) 694-8855, pontewinery.com WILSON CREEK WINERY, 35960 RANCHO CALIFORNIA RD., (951) 699-9463, wilsoncreekwinery.com

Now Miramonte is offering fabulous wine tastings with sweet and savory bites designed to pair nicely together.Vanderhoof has also added live music to the winery’s menu, a trend that has

WHERE TO STAY

also picked up steam at the Lorimar Vineyard & Winery, which sports a music note on its logo.

If you go, don’t miss the Wilson Creek Winery, founded in 1996 by Gerry and Rosie Wilson

PONTE VINEYARD INN is a lovely four-diamond boutique hotel decorated in Spanish Mission style, with romantic

of South Pasadena and still family-run. The winery’s open-air Creekside Grille Restaurant

rooms overlooking the vineyard, wine country’s only lounge with a full bar and a fine restaurant.

(sheltered from the sun) is a lovely place to dine and sample their signature Wilson Creek

35001 Rancho California Rd., (951) 587-6688, pontevineyardinn.com

Almond Champagne. And if you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the spirited family’s mascot, Molly Merlot, the micro-mini pig in a pink tutu (and yes, she has a Wilson Creek wine named after her).

Another don’t-miss activity is hot-air ballooning over Temecula Valley at dawn, when the winds are mild. Balloonist/winemaker Dave Bradley of California Dreamin’ leads early-morning journeys floating over citrus groves, after which intrepid early risers are rewarded with a sparkling-wine breakfast at his Vindemia Winery.Then head over to Old Town Temecula and tour its 19th-century buildings housing restaurants, a theater and shops offering locally grown

TEMECULA CREEK INN is a sprawling property with a 27-hole championship golf course, outdoor pool and hot tub, bar, workout facility, in-room massages and a new farm-to-table restaurant.

44501 Rainbow Canyon Rd., (951) 694-1000, temeculacreekinn.com

WILSON CREEK MANOR is the winery’s recently opened inn with a pool, game and workout rooms, spa, business center and nine suites, including the 1,600-square-foot Grand Almond Champagne Suite suitable for bridal prep

lavender, olive oils and other reminders of a lovely weekend away. A great time to go is Nov.

and families.

2 and 3, when the winegrowers association throws its 23rd annual Harvest Celebration Barrel

35960 Rancho California Rd., (951) 699-9463, wilsoncreekwinery.com/manor

Tasting Weekend.Visit temeculawines.org for details and tickets. |||| 10.13 | ARROYO | 47

48 | ARROYO | 10.13

HOME SALES ABOVE $750,000 RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE ARROYO FOOTPRINT

SOURCE: CalREsource

continued from page 16

ADDRESS

CLOSE DATE PRICE BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILTPREV. PRICE

PREV. SOLD

5051 Commonwealth Avenue

08/27/13

$2,030,000

5

3189

1950

$1,970,000

12/15/2006

5000 Hook Tree Road

08/16/13

$1,840,000

3

3117

1947

$1,025,000

08/18/2000

5454 La Forest Drive

08/12/13

$1,730,000

5

2610

1953

$1,720,000

07/19/2005

5025 Alta Canyada Road

08/26/13

$1,715,000

4

2652

1930

$1,700,000

02/02/2010

409 Gleneagles Place

08/02/13

$1,695,000

8

$385,000

09/25/1980

5211 Donna Maria Lane

08/28/13

$1,549,000

4

3828

1965

$1,305,000

10/26/2010

4809 Fairlawn Drive

08/21/13

$1,450,000

4

2918

1950

$606,000

4063 Dover Road

08/21/13

$1,360,000

3

2580

1952

$590,000

4912 Oakwood Avenue

08/19/13

$1,250,000

3

1997

1941

$1,252,000

LA CAĂ‘ADA FLINTRIDGE

ADDRESS

CLOSE DATE PRICE BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILTPREV. PRICE

PREV. SOLD

PASADENA 1105 South Orange Grove Blvd

08/02/13

$757,000

2

1425 Hillcrest Avenue

08/02/13

$4,300,000

8

1585 Lombardy Road

08/13/13

$2,375,000

5

524 Woodland Road

08/19/13

$1,655,000

6

1559 Rose Villa Street

08/23/13

$1,527,000

3

12/19/1996

1425 South Marengo Avenue

08/29/13

$1,380,000

5

02/19/1993

960 Cornell Road

08/01/13

$1,020,000

04/04/2013

1043 South Euclid Avenue

08/07/13

$1,000,000

3

1905

1964

3242

1923

2862

1927

1624

1947

$280,000

07/13/1983

$1,394,000

06/23/1993

$950,000

05/07/1999

$213,000

10/20/2000

$404,000

05/24/2000

$355,000

08/09/1999

4573 Belita Lane

08/01/13

$1,222,500

3

1182

1946

$553,000

08/26/1998

3586 East California Boulevard

08/19/13

$3,000,000

4

4796

1949

$550,000

01/11/1984

4618 Encinas Drive

08/06/13

$1,165,000

3

1842

1947

$345,000

04/11/1996

649 Michigan Boulevard

08/01/13

$2,538,000

4

2165

1933

$920,000

03/09/2012

902 Chehalem Road

08/20/13

$1,155,000

2

2233

1951

1881 Country Lane

08/30/13

$2,200,000

4

3749

1961

$1,955,000

06/10/2008

351 Noren Street

08/19/13

$1,155,000

3

1969

1956

$820,000

04/30/2004

4430 Bel Aire Drive

08/07/13

$1,100,000

5

2325

1939

$330,000

01/27/1989

1980 Sierra Madre Villa Avenue

08/22/13

$1,635,000

8

1247 Flanders Road

08/20/13

$1,075,000

5

2076

1947

$567,500

07/29/1998

3101 Clarmeya Lane

08/09/13

$1,500,000

2

1400 El Vago Street

08/15/13

$1,060,000

6

1490 Old House Road

08/14/13

$1,427,000

7

1680 Sierra Madre Villa Avenue

08/29/13

$1,400,000

2121 Monte Vista Street

08/27/13

$825,000

07/01/2011

3692

1948

4

3058

1955

$1,270,000

4

2575

1905

$1,150,000

12/07/2004

$1,038,500

03/15/2011

$875,000

09/01/2004

$1,000,000

05/17/2005

4801 La Canada Boulevard

08/16/13

$1,060,000

3

2088

1923

4723 Groveland Lane

08/21/13

$975,000

3

1306

1941

4743 Castle Road

08/26/13

$920,000

4

2500

1949

$530,000

09/28/2001

3712 Valley Lights Drive

08/09/13

$1,254,000

3

2410

1977

$712,500

08/20/2012

608 Durwood Drive

08/15/13

$860,000

3

1933

1955

$451,000

06/17/1998

2027 Oakdale Street

08/29/13

$1,025,000

3

1989

1925

$1,225,000

09/16/2005

2980 San Pasqual Street

08/16/13

$960,000

2

1692

1948

$678,000

02/21/2001

$680,000

12/14/2004

$250,000

04/08/1988

PASADENA 920 Granite Drive #206

08/16/13

$1,325,000

2

1860

2009

920 Granite Drive #113

08/28/13

$1,125,000

3

1990

2009

920 Granite Drive #107

08/09/13

$1,060,000

3

2260

2009

920 Granite Drive #502

08/13/13

$995,000

2

1850

2009

920 Granite Drive #302

08/08/13

$950,000

2

1860

2009

257 South Hudson Avenue #303

08/16/13

$865,000

3

1580

2009

$825,000

12/04/2009

3023 Stoneley Drive

08/13/13

$930,000

3

1801

1948

2470 Las Lunas Street

08/21/13

$857,000

3

2364

1938

2165 Las Lunas Street

08/23/13

$800,000

2

1625

1940

1345 Leonard Avenue

08/26/13

$791,000

5

1985

1951

2500 Las Lunas Street

08/29/13

$790,000

2

1786

1949

457 South Marengo Avenue #4

08/28/13

$850,000

3

1616

2001

3710 Hampton Road

08/30/13

$782,000

2

1648

1951

1726 Linda Vista Avenue

08/08/13

$2,000,000

3

2355

1927

$1,750,000

06/10/2009

129 North Berkeley Avenue

08/28/13

$781,000

3

2034

1928

$679,000

03/07/2005

1420 Rutherford Drive

08/13/13

$1,980,000

3

4202

1988

$1,300,000

05/10/2013

1235 Daveric Drive

08/08/13

$765,000

3

1899

1951

$280,000

10/24/1991

1429 Rutherford Drive

08/16/13

$1,980,000

4

3226

1987

$745,000

05/31/1996

93 North Craig Avenue

08/23/13

$750,000

3

1092

1920

$860,000

03/16/2006

1679 Crofton Way

08/12/13

$1,880,000

2

2626

1964

$800,000

12/31/2003

SAN MARINO 1701 South El Molino Avenue

08/30/13

$2,380,500

5

3658

1928

$750,000

07/01/1993

1525 Waverly Road

08/30/13

$2,100,000

4

3249

1948

$1,638,000

04/26/2010

2845 Canterbury Road

08/19/13

$1,890,000

3

2232

1948

$670,000

11/01/1999

750 Prospect Boulevard

08/23/13

$1,746,000

8

1430 Wellington Avenue

08/08/13

$1,678,000

3

2879

1935

$925,000

04/30/1998

106 North Grand Avenue

08/02/13

$1,640,000

7

3853

1912

$380,000

05/29/1987

2067 East Woodlyn Road

08/30/13

$1,200,000

4

2763

1941

$810,000

11/10/2003

1645 North Lake Avenue

08/23/13

$1,170,000

8

3827

1908

$950,000

04/03/2007

2710 Wallingford Road

08/01/13

$1,850,000

3

2338

1950

11/05/2002

2905 Woodlawn Avenue

08/05/13

$1,525,000

2

1952

1939

$895,000

03/31/2004

341 Adena Street

08/29/13

$1,010,000

5

3039

1887

$599,000

1664 Paloma Street

08/13/13

$980,000

3

2109

1924

$1,120,000

10/06/2006

1400 Bellwood Road

08/02/13

$1,488,000

2

1988

1949

$1,488,000

08/02/2013

1948 Oakwood Street

08/06/13

$837,500

3

1800

1941

$790,000

06/30/2009

1465 Bellwood Road

08/08/13

$1,398,000

3

1967

1963

$1,115,000

03/19/2007

990 Roxbury Drive

08/28/13

$805,000

3

1892

1938

$744,000

12/05/2006

2990 Somerset Place

08/30/13

$1,350,000

4

2028

1950

$225,000

04/11/1985

1133 North Mar Vista Avenue

08/13/13

$800,000

3

1656

1922

$532,500

06/06/2003

1995 Sycamore Drive

08/30/13

$1,298,000

3

1928

1950

1638 North Dominion Avenue

08/20/13

$770,000

4

2441

1947

$520,000

12/24/2012

1325 Belhaven Road

08/14/13

$1,275,000

3

1739

1951

1899 East Orange Grove Boulevard 08/23/13

$765,000

3

2489

1922

$700,000

08/29/2003

810 North Michigan Avenue

08/28/13

$765,000

3

1635

1907

$865,000

06/21/2007

2355 Queensberry Road

08/27/13

$760,000

2

1558

1948

$310,000

06/24/1999

188 North Canon Avenue

08/09/13

$880,000

3

1983

1964

$910,000

11/27/2007

$2,860,000

06/01/2011

462 Crestvale Drive

08/30/13

$755,000

3

1364

1954

$425,000

12/09/2002

$1,500,000

06/15/2004

SOUTH PASADENA 08/14/13

$1,850,000

$138,000

12/30/2002

$1,220,000

02/27/2012

1352 Glen Oaks Boulevard

08/06/13

$3,050,000

5

976 Hillside Terrace

08/28/13

$2,725,000

10

521 South Orange Grove Blvd #110 08/29/13

$1,460,000

2

2448

1988

679 Arbor Street

08/30/13

$1,400,000

2

1670

1905

351 Glen Summer Road

08/08/13

$1,140,000

6

1617 Pleasant Way

08/21/13

$1,025,000

3

1744

1958

660 Westbridge Place

08/21/13

$1,025,000

2

1608

610 South Orange Grove Blvd #5

08/06/13

$995,000

3

1995

1215 South Orange Grove Blvd #5 08/06/13

$930,000

3

1320 Fairlawn Way

08/30/13

$908,000

5

1469 Cheviotdale Drive

08/07/13

$905,000

1541 La Loma Road

08/09/13

$845,000

SIERRA MADRE

1315 Indiana Avenue $833,000

07/14/2003

1954

$383,000

08/07/1997

1965

$640,000

08/03/2007

716 Flores De Oro

08/14/13

$1,800,000

4

3009

1965

514 Orange Grove Avenue

08/12/13

$1,750,000

4

3525

1926

615 Alta Vista Circle

08/20/13

$1,465,000

7

3319

1940

2029 Amherst Drive

08/27/13

$1,125,000

2

1793

1938

$673,000

03/11/2004

605 Grand Avenue

08/21/13

$1,050,000

3

2286

1927

$92,700

03/06/1978

1896

2754

1959

307 Fremont Avenue

08/15/13

$880,000

3

2110

3

1312

1923

$812,000

09/17/2009

2062 Stratford Avenue

08/14/13

$835,000

3

1494

1927

$715,000

02/15/2011

2

1507

1939

$555,000

07/21/2011

1421 Fair Oaks Avenue

08/30/13

$758,000

2

1755

1921

$505,000

08/21/2003

10.13 | ARROYO | 49

50 | ARROYO | 10.13

A SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER

Something Wicked

THE LIST

Elayne Boosler

Child Rules: Lessons on Savoring Life, at 7 p.m. at Pasadena’s Vroman’s Bookstore.

Oct. 4 — Unbound

The book explores the life of the celebrity

Productions launches

chef, author, cooking show star and Pas-

the fifth-anniversary

adena native, from her early childhood

season of its Wicked Lit horror-story

in California to her young adulthood in

adaptations at Altadena’s Mountain

New York and years working in the OSS

View Mausoleum and Cemetery. Look

(the precursor to the CIA) in Sri Lanka,

for world premieres of H.P. Lovecraft’s “The

as well as her love affairs with Paris and

Lurking Fear,” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s

Paul Child.

“The New Catacomb,”“The Masque of

Vroman’s Bookstore is located at 695 E.

the Red Death Experience” based on the

Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 449-

Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name

5320 or visit vromansbookstore.com.

and a revival of Washington Irving’s “The

through 13, Oct. 17 through 20, Oct. 24

Event Trio Launches Season for Muse/ique

through 27 and Oct. 30 through Nov. 2.

Muse/ique, the

Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The 7:30 p.m. shows run today through Oct. 6, Oct. 10

Tickets cost $30 to $60.

Pasadena orchestra

Mountain View Mausoleum and Cem-

founded and led by Artistic Director

etery is located at 2300 N. Marengo Ave.,

and Conductor Rachael Worby, opens

Altadena. Call (323) 332-2065 or visit

its 2013--14 season with three October

wickedlit.org.

events: Oct. 11 — “Free for All” is a free family

Foundation Fête for Non-Profits Oct. 5 — The Pasadena Community Foundation celebrates its 60th anniversary with a gala titled “Building Hometown Legacies” at the Langham Huntington, Pasadena Hotel. Starting at 5:30 p.m., the evening

POSITIVE MOTIONS FEATURES ELAYNE BOOSLER WORK

joins Muse/ique at 6 p.m. on the Pasadena Civic Auditorium Plaza, in conjunction with ArtNight Pasadena.

The Pasadena Civic Auditorium is located at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena.

Oct. 14 — The orchestra launches its

Oct. 6 — The Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra opens its Positive Motions Concert Se-

“Uncorked” season with a performance

includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner,

ries at 4 p.m. with a world premiere at the First Baptist Church of Glendale.The premiere

of music from the Beatles’ White Album at

a live auction and a performance by the

is “Rescue — A True Story,” written and narrated by Elayne Boosler with music by Carol

Pasadena’s Rose Palace.The event starts

Young Men’s Ensemble of the Los Ange-

Worthey. Also on the program is Trio de Marie e Sole performing works by Beethoven

at 7 p.m. with a cocktail reception, fol-

les Children’s Chorus. Tickets cost $250.

and Bruch.Tickets cost $15 to $100.

lowed by the concert.Tickets cost $60, free

The Langham Huntington, Pasadena is

The First Baptist Church of Glendale is located at 209 N. Louise St., Glendale.

for members.

located at 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasa-

Call (323) 663-3601 or glendalephil.com.

The Rose Palace is located at 835 S. Ray-

dena. Visit pcfgala.org for tickets and in-

mond Ave., Pasadena.

formation, or send a check to Pasadena

and $10 for children six to 12; free for

Pasadena and Arcadia. Visitors can

Oct. 20 — The orchestra hosts “Rail-Bound

Community Foundation, 260 S. Los Robles

children under 6.

meet the designers and see the latest in

Sound: The Gold Line Gala,” starting at 4

Ave., Ste. 119, Pasadena, CA 91101.

The Pasadena Convention Center is

home products, shop gift boutiques and

p.m. Muse/ique will serve up cocktails,

located at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena.

savor complimentary pastries and cof-

appetizers and music on the Gold Line

Visit lachocolatesalon.com.

fee. A portion of the proceeds benefits

platform at the Del Mar station before

Union Station Homeless Services. Tickets

guests board a private train car for the

Homes and Kitchens on Display

cost $35 in advance, $40 at the door.

trip to Union Station in downtown Los

Call (626) 795-6898 for ticket-purchase

Angeles where supper and a music

locations or visit asidpasadena.org to

performance await. Tickets cost $2,500

comes to the Pasadena Convention

Oct. 6 — The Ameri-

buy online.

per couple.

Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering

can Society of Interior

For the Love of Chocolate Oct. 6 — The seventh annual Los Angeles PHOTO: Susan Seubert (Karen Karbo)

concert blending hip hop and orchestral music. The Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra

Chocolate Salon

The Gold Line Del Mar Station is located

tastings, artisan chocolate demonstra-

Designers (ASID), Pasadena Chapter

Julia Rules

at 230 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Call

tions, chef and author discussions and

hosts its 27th annual Home and Kitchen

Oct. 7 — Karen Karbo

(626) 539-7085 or visit muse-ique.com.

TasteTV interviews. Tickets cost $25 in

Tour from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., spotlight-

discusses and signs

advance and $30 at the door for adults

ing four homes in La Cañada Flintridge,

her new book, Julia

–continued on page 52 10.13 | ARROYO | 51

GOLDEN CALIFORNIA ON DISPLAY Oct. 12 and 13 — The Golden California Antiques Show comes to the Glendale Civic Auditorium, featuring Monterey, California Rancho, Mission Arts and Crafts, Spanish Colonial, Spanish Revival, Native American, Old Mexico and Americana objects and art, as well as California and Southwestern fine art, furnishings, pottery and accessories.

Marcela Y Alejandro perform traditional Spanish music on Saturday morning, and home-style food will be available for purchase both days.The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission costs $12.

The Glendale Civic Auditorium is located at 1401 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale. Call (626) 437-6275 or visit goldencaliforniashow.com.

–continued from page 51

A Walk through Art

located at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena.

Visit bewell-expo.com.

Oct. 12 — The Pasadena Playhouse Dis-

Zest Fest for Seniors

trict Association hosts

Oct. 12 — The Zest gala takes place

its eighth annual ArtWalk from 11 a.m.

at a private location, benefiting the

to 5 p.m. The San Gabriel Valley’s largest

Pasadena Senior Center’s programs and

urban art fair features work by more

services. The event starts with cocktails

than 40 visual artists, free admission to

and a silent auction at 6 p.m., with em-

the Pasadena Museum of California Art,

cee Fritz Coleman, NBC4 weatherman

a self-guided walking tour, live music by

and comedian, serving as auctioneer.

Afrotango Ensemble and a variety of

The dinner honoring Dr. Allen and Weta

hands-on activities. Admission is free.

Mathies starts at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $200.

ArtWalk takes place on El Molino Avenue

The location will be provided with ticket

between Colorado Boulevard and Green

purchase.

Street, Pasadena. Call (626) 744-0340 or

For event tickets and information, call

visit playhousedistrict.org/artwalk.

Pam Kay at (626) 685-6756 or email pamk@pasadenaseniorcenter.org. For

A Weekend of Wellness

information about the Pasadena Senior

Oct. 12 and 13 — The BeWell Beauty

Center, visit pasadenaseniorcenter.org.

and Wellness Expo at the Pasadena Convention Center offers news on the latest beauty products, skin-care breakthroughs and spa services. Guests can visit a skin analysis lounge, a yoga studio, a healing sound bath or a brow,

Oct. 18--20 — Pasa-

nail, lash, tanning and makeup bar. The

dena Heritage presents its annual Crafts-

event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both

man Weekend, celebrating the Arts and

days. Tickets cost $25 for each day.

Crafts movement popularized in the

The Pasadena Convention Center is 52 | ARROYO | 10.13

Craftsman Weekend Celebrates Arts and Crafts Movement

–continued on page 54

PHOTO: Courtesy of Golden California Antiques Show

THE LIST

10.13 | ARROYO | 53

THE LIST

–continued from page 52

early 20th century. Events include house,

American Heart Association presents the

bus and walking tours, a silent auction,

Pasadena Heart Walk at the Rose Bowl to

workshops and lectures. The weekend

fight heart disease and strokes by promot-

starts at the California Club in downtown

ing healthy habits. Registration starts at

L.A. with a continental breakfast and

8 p.m., and the walk begins at 9:30 a.m.

tour of the club’s plein air paintings, from

Routes include a 5K walk/run and a one-

8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday. The cost

mile survivor route. The day also includes

is $80, $75 for members. The opening

a kids’ fun zone, live entertainment, a

reception runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday

health expo, free health screenings, a

at the Blinn House, 160 N. Oakland Ave.,

CPR demonstration, product booths and

Pasadena. The cost is $50, $45 for mem-

giveaways. There is no cost to participate.

bers. Other highlights include a Saturday

Walkers raising $100 or more receive a

reception from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the his-

free commemorative T-shirt.

toric William T. Bolton House in Pasadena.

Visit heartwalkla.org for information and

Tickets cost $110, $100 for members. The

registration.

Craftsman Exposition Sale, Show and

Oct. 20 — Hundreds of Southern Califor-

Silent Auction runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

nia cyclists are expected to converge

Saturday and Sunday at the Pasadena

on the Rose Bowl for the Legacy Cycling

Convention Center, 300 E. Green St.,

Challenge fundraiser. Cyclists can

Pasadena (silent auction bidding starts

choose from ride loops of 38, 52 and 100

at 11 a.m. Saturday and ends at 4 p.m.

miles, starting and ending at the stadium.

Sunday). Registration costs $10; free with

The event starts with rider check-in at 6

other event ticket purchase.

a.m., with the first wave of riders pedal-

Call (626) 441-6333 or visit pasadena-

ing off at 7:15 a.m., and ends at 10 a.m.

heritage.org.

Registration costs $75 per rider, with a fundraising pledge of $350. Proceeds

Birth, Life, Death Explored through Dance

benefit the City of Hope and the Rose

Oct. 18--20 — Ptero

The Rose Bowl Stadium is located at 1001

Dance Theatre

Rose Bowl Dr., Pasadena. Visit ridetherose-

“Flesh+Blood,” a weekend of dance-

Bowl Legacy Campaign to renovate the sports and entertainment venue.

bowl.com.

related entertainment at ARC Pasadena, includes performances of new and repertory works over three nights, exploring themes of living, connection, death and rebirth. Highlights include a site-specific dance and dance film. Premieres include

Native Voices Series Offers New Take on Shakespeare Oct. 24 — The Autry

“Love is Love is Love,” a man-and-woman

National Center’s Native Voices series

duet featuring cross-dressed/transgen-

presents a free staged reading of Mea-

der lovers; “Lily,” created by Ptero Artistic

sure for Measure: An Indian Boarding

Director and Choreographer Paula Pres-

School Comedy, a bawdy adaptation

ent after watching her aunt die of lung

of the Shakespeare play directed by

cancer; and more. Showtimes are 8:30

Chris Anthony and adapted by Randy

p.m. Friday and Saturday and 5:30 p.m.

Reinholz (Choctaw). The play dramatizes

Sunday. Admission costs $20 online in

what happens when an Indian board-

advance, $25 at the door.

ing school, a small town and Buffalo Bill’s

ARC Pasadena is located at 1158 E.

Wild West Show collide over the fate of a

Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Visit ptero-

young teenage boy unjustly sentenced

dance.bpt.me.

to death. The reading starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Theater.

54 | ARROYO | 10.13

Walk for Heart Health and Cycle for Hope

The Autry National Center is located at

Oct. 19 — The

voicesattheautry.org for reservations. ||||

4700 Western Heritage Way, in Griffith Park.

Call (323) 667-2000, ext. 354, or visit native-

56 | ARROYO | 10.13