Lompoc & santa ynez valley November 2020
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS NatureTrack
The Cypress Gallery - LVAA 119 E Cypress Ave, Lompoc p. 805-737-1129 www.lompocart.org
Fostering a lifelong fascina on with nature
PO Box 953, Los Olivos p. 805-886-2047 sue@naturetrack.org www.naturetrack.org
Gallery Los Olivos
Standing Sun Winery
Lompoc Mural Society
Sugarless Treats, non-fattening jewelry and glass
2920 Grand Ave, Los Olivos p. 805-688-7517 gallerylosolivos@gmail.com www.gallerylosolivos.com
PO Box 2813, Lompoc p. 805-733-4282 www.lompocmurals.com
Lompoc Theater Project p. 805-380-6777 info@lompoctheatre.org
Vicki Andersen
www.vickiandersen.com
Neil Andersson
92 2nd St - Unit D, Buellton p. 805-904-8072 john@standingsunwines.com www.standingsunwines.com
Joellen Chrones p. 805-588-2261
Wildling Museum of Art & Nature 1511-B Mission Dr, Solvang p. 805-688-1082 info@wildlingmuseum.org www.wildlingmuseum.org
T&T Local Artisans Enterprise p. 805-680-8911 laegallery@gmail.com
www.neilandersson.com
The Lompoc Valley Art Association is closely monitoring the outbreak of corona virus and have as our top priority the health and safety of our visitors to the Cypress Gallery, artists, and our community. We are taking steps to comply with all mandates from our health officials. Please check our Facebook page often as things are changing swiftly. We will post updates in regards to our events and exhibits as they unveil.
Check out the Lompoc Valley Art Association Website at www.LompocArt.org
SUBSCRIBE HERE to MONTHLY eZINE
We are proud to count non-profit organizations and businesses as community partner members. Together, we advocate for each other, local artists, and collaborate on projects to create an enriching environment for the Arts Community within Lompoc and the Santa Ynez Valley.
Lompoc Art Hunt
Nov. Featured Artists: Joellen Chrones & Toni Zybell Lompoc Valley Art Association
Fostering a lifelong fascination with nature NatureTrack
Gallery Los Olivos
Lompoc Mural Society
Wildling Museum of Art & Nature
Wildling Museum Now Open!
LOMPOC
SOLVANG After
Lompoc Mural Society Cypress Gallery Lompoc Art Hunt
LOS OLIVOS
a nearly eight-month closure, we’re excited to share that the Wildling Museum is now open to the Wildlingpublic Museum of Art & Nature on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Current
members
have
the
added
opportunity
Gallery Los Olivos to visit by appointment Wednesdays through Fri days. To make an appointment, contact Julie Mock NatureTrackl at
julie@wildlingmuseum.org
or
(805)
688-1082
The Wildling Museum is following public health guidelines as advised by the CDC and County o Santa Barbara to ensure the safety of visitors and staff. Visiting hours may be expanded over time
Please review our current hours as well as museum poli cies and procedures prior to planning your visit at: www.wildlingmuseum.org/visit
ON THE COVER
Julia Nash Member of the Lompoc Valley Art Association.
Museum visitors will enjoy access to a new exhibition in the Valley Oak Gallery honoring the Wildling’s 20-year history, 20/20: A Retrospective, on view through Feb ruary 14, 2021. Also on view is the recently extended main floor exhibition, Starry Nights: Visions of the Nigh Sky, which runs through January 31, 2021.
All Artwork and Photos shown remain the sole property of the artist. No reproductions are permitted without express permission from the Lompoc Valley Art Association and/or the artist.
The Wildling Museum will also continue its virtual pro gramming series highlighting art and nature topics now sponsored by Montecito Bank and Trust.
Lompoc Valley Art Association 119 E. Cypress Ave Lompoc, CA 93436 805.737.1129
Additional museum content and resources are regu larly shared via the Wildling Museum email newsletter The Lompoc Valley Art Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, supporting the arts within the social media, YouTube channel, and Virtual Visit page Lompoc & Santa Ynez Valley through affordable opportunities for artists to show sell to Contact info@wildlingmuseum.org to and subscribe artwork, collaborations with non-profits and businesses programs and events, museumon updates and learn more. investment
in higher education for high school art students through scholarships, and a variety of outreach avenues, such as this digital arts magazine, that bring greater awareness to the cultural heart beat of the area.
LOMPOC MURAL SOCIETY www.lompocmurals.com BY KAREN OSLAND
Lompoc Vintage
Lompoc record, September 7, 2008 Title: Lompoc Vintage Year: 2008
Location: 111 South H Street on north wall, east end of “Art Alley”. Master Artist: Colleen Goodwin-Chronister, Salem, OR The Lompoc Vintage Mural is a series of scenes that depict the history of the wine industry in the Lompoc area. It was the sixteenth Mural-In-A-Day event. Held on September 6th, 2008, this event followed the Mural-In-A-Day tradition of beginning to paint at 8 am and finishing at 5 pm. The completion of the mural was followed by a dedication ceremony with Mayor Dick DeWees, as master of ceremonies. Awards of Recognition were then given to the participating artists. The Master Artist was Colleen Goodwin-Chronister. Chronister was also the Master Artist for two other Lompoc Murals, Fields of Gold (2004) and Monarch Magic (2006). https://www.colleengoodwinchronister.com/about The participating artists were Vicki Andersen, Minnie Anderson, Diane Atturio, James Cochrane, Jonathan Davies, Hal Dayton, Sharon Donaghe, Linda Gooch, Frankie Guerrero, Angie Hamlin, Steve Kennington, Carol Oliveira, Carole Patton, Irene Rinta, Julia Rodgers, Russell Shinpo, Nita Streetman, Hattie Stoddard, Dee Sudbury, and Ann Thompson. Previous murals had been painted on removable panels. This mural was to be painted directly on the wall. This existing wall had a rough stucco finish, unsuitable for painting. The Lompoc Mural Society paid to replace this finish with a smoother finish and had it primed for the Mural painting. Prior to the participating artists working on the mural, the Master Artist sketched out the details of the mural on the wall. She also mixed the various paints, so the colors would be consistent between the various artists. The finished mural was forty -five feet long and twenty feet high. It incorporated three existing drainpipe ridges that could not be removed. These were painted with vines and leaves and gave a three-dimensional look to the art. The mural represents the history of wine making in the Lompoc Valley and what is now the Santa Rita Hills AVA. The Master Artist’s concept for the mural was that it would portray the introduction of wine making in the Mission Era, its
Group
Group
Master Artist Colleen Goodwin and group
place during the Lompoc Temperance Colony beginnings, and modern day (2008) wine centered activities such as wine tasting and the Vintners festivals. An AVA is an American Viticultural Area. This is an official appellation from the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), a component of the United States Department of the Treasury. It defines a specific geographic area where particular wine grapes are grown. “ If a wine is labeled with an AVA, at least 85% of the grapes that make up the wine must have been grown in the AVA, and the wine must be fully finished in the state where the AVA is located.� * The Santa Rita Hills are a group of hills bordering the eastern edge of the Lompoc Valley. They are bounded on the north by the Santa Rita Valley (Highway 246), on the south by the Santa Ynez River, on the east by a bend in the Santa Ynez river, three and a half miles west of Buellton (Hwy 101). The Santa Rita Hills AVA status was granted in 2001. Its boundaries are somewhat larger and include the north sides of the Santa Rosa Hills (south of the Santa Ynez River) and the southern edges of the Purisima Hills. These boundaries for the Santa Rita AVA were chosen because both the soils and the climate were ideal for growing cool climate grape varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The first grapes grown in California were a variety called Listan Prieto. These were grown on vines brought from Spain and the Canary Islands to Mexico in the 16th century. The Franciscan friars then brought cuttings from these vines to plant at their California missions during the 18th century. These grapes came to be called Mission Grapes. (Alley, 2007)
MURAL CONT...
Start
The first scene in the mural represents wine making at La Purisima Mission. This mission was founded on Dec. 8, 1787. The main buildings were located along what is now Locust Ave between South F and South G streets. The original group of Spanish people at the Mission site were two priests, six soldiers, their wives, and servants. They had few livestock, no cleared fields, and no European crops. The first Chumash baptisms at the Mission site occurred on May 10, 1788. There were six adults and two children baptized and one marriage performed at the mission site within a month. By 1799 there were 920 Chumash neophytes, a granary, solders quarters and houses for nine Chumash families and a church.(Engelhardt, 1986). It was these people, who lived at the Mission, that planted the first vineyards in Lompoc Valley. The mission garden was where the Veterans Building now stands. The first vineyard was planted just to the west, at the mouth of Miguelito Canyon. In 1810, the Fathers had these vines uprooted and transplanted to two new vineyard locations. The San Francisquito vineyard was located about a mile and a half inland from the present day Jalama Beach County Park. Jalama, the other vineyard, was located about eight miles south of the Mission, near the old schoolhouse on Jalama Road. Both of these locations were warmer than the Miguelito Canyon site and were sheltered from the wind. (Payeras, 1985) Wine made at the missions was used in the celebration of the Mass and as a table wine. Mission grapes are high in sugar and have little acidity and produce a low-acid wine. Early visitors to the missions described the wine as mild and of an ordinary quality. The Mural’s mission panel shows a barefoot woman in a party dress stomping the wine grapes in a barrel. This fanciful depiction is accurate only in that the person would have been barefoot and the grapes might have been in a barrel. Early accounts vary on whether the grapes were placed on a clean, dried, cow hide or in a barrel. However, they are very clear in that, “ the one who treads out the juice must be a man, not a woman, but a young man of good strength…is clean, having well washed legs.” (Webb, pg. 221) The Mission Grape vine requires little care, is resistant to disease, and can live for more than a century. It is still grown on a small scale in California. In the Santa Rita Hills AVA, Mission Grapes are still grown in Gypsy Canyon, on vines that are over one hundred years old. (Laube, 2006) The second scene in the mural represents the short period in Lompoc Valleys history when wine (or any other alcoholic beverage) was not allowed. Lompoc was founded in 1874 as temperance colony. Terms of the land sales stated that” no vinous, malt, spirituous, or other intoxicating liquors shall ever be sold or manufactured on any lands
sold by the Lompoc Colony.” In 1875 it became known that a Mr. Green was selling liquor out of his drug store, which was located on the southeast corner of H and Ocean. In August 1875 about 60 women entered the store and began destroying the kegs and bottles of booze. A Mrs. J. B. Pierce wielded the axe. By 1901 Lompoc was still “dry” at least on paper. But a short article in the Santa Cruz Morning Sentinel shows that reality had finally caught up with the City leaders. “ Lompoc, this State, was organized as a temperance colony, and so continued for a time, but liquor being sold just outside of the colony limits, about three miles from the town of Lompoc, it was brought into town by the bottle, jug, keg and barrel and drunkenness was a common street sight. This condition lead to the licensing of two saloons at $1,000 each per annum. It is reported that there is no more drunkenness in the burg than before, and that its treasury has $166.66 to draw on each month. So long as the liquor appetite exists, liquor will be obtained, unless its manufacture is stopped at the distillery.” The pioneers of the current local wine industry are represented by the worker in the vineyard. Agriculture has been a major economic base for the Lompoc Valley, Santa Rita and Santa Rosa areas. Through the years a wide variety of field crops and orchard crops have been grown. Although many local families made their own wine from with grapes from their own vines, grapes had never been grown commercially. The perception was that the area was too cool. However, a cool climate is just what certain grape varieties need to produce a good wine grape. In the late 1960’s, Michael Benedict, a botanist, and Richard Sanford, were looking for the ideal location and climate to grow Pinot Noir grapes in California. They believed that the regions in California where the Pinot Noir grapes were being gown were too warm to produce the best wine. In a 2007 Lompoc Valley Magazine interview, Sanford said, “ We studied 100 years of climate records and realized that the transverse ranges (Santa Ynez mountains) run east to west and the valleys at the western most end open to the sea. The maritime onshore winds regulate the climate and we found that the temperature gradient changed onedegree Fahrenheit for very mile of distance traveled east or west. The closer to the sea, the cooler the climate. “ After researching different Central California locations, they chose a place just south of the Santa Ynez River on Santa Rosa Road about seventeen miles inland from the mouth of the river. The original Sanford and Benedict Vineyard of 150 acres was planted in 1971 with Chardonnay and Riesling. In 1972, they planted Pinot Noir. Their first wine was made in 1976 and was released in 1978.
MURAL CONT...
In 1978, Walter and Mona Babcock purchased a 110-acre property in the Santa Rita Valley. It was just north and Highway 246 and west of Santa Rita Road. They planted a 25-acre vineyard in 1980 and by 1983 were selling their grapes to local wine makers. They planted Gewurtraminer, Sauvignon Blanc & Chardonnay. In 1984 they began producing their own wine. By 2008 they had also planted Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir and Syrah. In November 1998 Richard and Diana Longoria established the first commercial winery in Lompoc. They had a vineyard at the east end of Sweeny road, north of the Santa Ynez River and wanted a close location to start their winery. They leased a building in the Sobhani Industrial Park on the east side of Lompoc and began production. In 1999 several other vintners whose vineyards were in the Santa Rita Hills area also moved into the industrial park. This was the begin of the Lompoc “Wine Ghetto” In 1997 the Santa Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance was formed. Its members are vintners in the western Santa Ynez Valley. Its purpose is ”to unify growers and winemakers in the Western Santa Ynez Valley for the purpose of developing their own American Viticulture Area and to promote this unique wine growing region.” http://www.staritahills.com/ Today the Alliance has forty-two members, and the Lompoc Wine Ghetto has over ten tasting rooms and production facilities. More tasting rooms and production facilities are scattered throughout midtown Lompoc. References Alley, Lynn 2007 Researchers Uncover Identity of Historic California Grape. Spanish researchers solve mysteries surrounding the Mission variety and viticulture throughout the Americas. Feb 12, 2007. accessed online Oct. 26, 2020. Engelhardt, Fr.Zephyrin O.F. M. 1986 Mission La Concepcion Purisima De Maria Santissima, McNally & Loftin, Publishers Santa Barbara Laube, James 2006 Lost Treasure Found in Santa Barbara. Gypsy Canyon pays tribute to old-vine Mission grapes and New World Pinot Noir. https://www. winespectator.com/articles/researchers. Accessed online Oct 31, 2020 Iversen, Eve 1998 Wine at the California Missions. Based on a paper originally presented at the 1998 CMSA Annual Conference, San Juan Capistrano. Payeras, Mariano, Fr. 1995 Writings of Mariano Payeras. Translated and edited by Donald Cutter. Bellerophon Books, Santa Barbara, CA. Sanford, Richard
Dedication ceremony with Mayor Dick DeWees
2007 Lompoc Valley Magazine 2007 interview with Richard Sanford. Santa Cruz Morning Sentinel, Saturday, February 2, 1901. Newspapers.com, accessed Nov 1. 2020 Webb, Edith Buckland. 1982 Indian Life at the Old Missions Lincoln: University of Oklahoma Press, 1952. Reprinted in 1982. *Wikipedia accessed Oct 29, 2020.
“Uuniquely Yours”
Gifts for you and yours handmade by Toni Zybell and Joellen Chrones We have an eclectic collection of items such as Jewelry, Glass Items, Felted Pieces, and Wood Art. The display will be at
the Cypress Gallery
Oct. 30 to Nov. 29.
Gallery hours are Saturday 10am to 4pm and Sunday 1pm to 4pm (hours subject to change)..
Will show by appointment call Joellen at 805-733-2801 or 805-588-2261 if I am available.
THE CYPRESS GALLERY
119 E. Cypress Ave, Lompoc • Open Tue–Sun, 12-4PM www.lompocvalleyartassociation.com
SHOP EARLY SHOP ART • A WALK THROUGH THE CYPRESS BY ELIZABETH MONKS HACK The golden late-afternoon sun and a chilly bite to the evening air reminds us that fall is here, and also that the holiday shopping season has begun! Two Cypress Gallery artists have mounted a gorgeous show of hand-crafted art and gifts, making the seasonal enterprise easy and enjoyable for you. In “Uniquely Yours,” Joellen Chrones and Toni Zybell display desirable objects of glass, wood, felted wool, metal and more. Both artists are wonder-workers in a variety of art media. Joellen Chrones was introduced to the technique of fused glass in an art class, and her love for the craft has grown ever since. Color choices, textures and applications that have evolved in her art over the years express boundless joy and creativity. Glass is shaped and layered into vibrant pieces of wall décor, Joellen Chrones, The Jungle Toni Zybell, tableware and jewelry. In “The Jungle” Chrones proves herself a virtuoso. Several Sunflower components of the scene are layered with cut glass, both opaque and transparent. She also creates felted pieces of wearable art. Fetching hats are guaranteed to make the wearer steal the show. Toni Zybell, a worker of magic in the realm of art, has added “Fantasy Boards” to her repertoire. Panels of board are single or bound together. With a wood burning tool an outline is drawn in a variety of nature designs, including sunflowers, grape clusters and a magnificent owl. A flame torch is used for shading. Some areas are carved to create texture, and stains are added as accents. Their scale and neutral tones make them suitable for a variety of home décor. Zybell’s jewelry output is infinitely variable and lovely. Her earrings, necklaces and bracelets are crafted with pure copper and copper enameling, stones and silver, my favorite being earrings made of silver dancing figures. In the main gallery space, your favorite Cypress Gallery artists continue to produce works that enrich our lives with a sense of beauty, discovery and positivity, much-needed commodities in our troubling times. The sophisticated gourd art of Tammy Evans continues to amaze. Her gourd masks evoke a paean to nature sung by the archetypal “Green Man.” Carol Kemp is a multi-faceted artist whose creations cover a multitude of themes, including myth, spirituality, harmony and joy. Among the many techniques she uses to express them is watercolor, in which she allows pure Tammy Evans, Gourd Mask Carol Kemp, Blue Eyes color to flow and deposit itself in evocative shapes. “Blue Eyes” is an occasion to meet someone new. Watercolorist Diane Atturio’s “Mexico” is a glorious still-life of Mexican art objects in bold saturated colors. Yours truly was inspired by the bird song and activity outside her studio window, and decided to dedicate a few paintings to our enduring feathered friends. They sit on our wires, perform intriguing skits and sing to us, while looking oh so lovely. “Visitation” I hope expresses my sense of wonder. Support our artistic community. Visit the #CypressGallery, #shopsmall, #shoplompoc and #explorelompoc! The gallery has been made as safe as possible for visitors, with all recommended Diane Atturio, Mexico Gallery Corner requirements and restrictions in place. Hours are Friday 4 – 7pm, Saturday 10 – 4pm, and Sunday 1 – 4pm. Open by private appointment; call Joellen Chrones at (805) 588-2261. We are operated by members of the Lompoc Valley Art Association, a 501c(3) non-profit organization committed to expanding and supporting access and exposure to the arts in the Lompoc and Santa Ynez Valley. Find us online at lompocart.org Facebook/CypressGallery and our eZine at issuu.com/santaynezvalleyarts
CYPRESS GALLERY EXHIBITING NOW
Here are a few selections of artwork for show and sale currently at the Cypress Gallery.
Chris Jeszeck
Chris Jeszeck
Claudette Carlton
Elizabeth Hack
Emily Abello
Joellen Chrones
Joellen Chrones
Joellen Chrones
Joellen Chrones
Lee Hill
Rosalea Greenwood
Tom Chrones
Joellen Chrones and Toni Zybell
Toni Zybell
Bill Morson
Carol Kemp
Diane Atturio
Elizabeth Monk Hack
Joellen Chrones
Joellen Chrones
Julia Nash
Kathy Badrak
Lynda Schiff
Neil Andersson
Tammy Evans
Tammy Evans
Tom Chrones
Toni Zybell
Vicki Andersen
CYPRESS GALLERY DECEMBER FEATURED ARTIST KATHY BADRAK
Into the Light - What I have been doing. I have been dealing with change. In some ways it has been a slow, gradual realization that the world was not what I thought it to be. It was a change in perception. The other change was the abrupt, radical change in how we all must now go about our daily lives. Because of the change we all have lost something. How can I deal with this loss? I remembered a quote from a book I read as a very young adult, “When we take away from a man his traditional way of life, his customs, his religion, we had better make certain to replace it with something of value” (Robert Ruark) What is my “Something of Value?” For me, right now, it is art, or the act of creating. I had kept another quote tucked away in my “art ideas” notebook. I took it out and reread it and began to replace my loss with something of value. “Go into the arts. I’m not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Listen to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get enormous reward. You will have created something” Kurt Vonnegut
I love color and textures. I also love to experiment with new techniques and materials. When not creating with gourds I sometimes work with different forms of mixed media. I pulled out my box of materials, chose some recycled paper and cereal boxes, and started. I made a mask. Its facial expression mirrored the way I was feeling. It was fun. I felt better. I created another. I realized I was missing my connections with other artists. I went online and discovered a whole community of artists talking to each other, sharing ideas, and teaching via the wonders of Zoom. I took an online art journaling class. Doing the “homework” brought back my enjoyment of using my favorite art supplies, color schemes, and collage materials to create my favorite textures. In another class I created an inspiration scrapbook. There were no rules – only helpful guidelines and tools. There was freedom to explore. What I have relearned from these classes is how important it is to do what comes naturally and play and just be curious with my art. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. But it is OK to let go of those processes that don't work for me. Each class I have taken introduced me to new ideas, new techniques. They also reminded me of what I enjoy. They brought me back to myself. My December show is the result of what I have learned and what I been doing.
Joellen Chrones
Sugarless Treats, non-fattening jewelry, glass And more
The Cypress Gallery, 119 East Cypress Avenue, Lompoc (open now Friday nights from 4pm to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm and Sunday 1pm to 4pm). Joellen and Toni Zybell will be the featured artists for November, so stop in and check out the varied items these artists are making, great Christmas gift ideas available.
T & T Gallery in Los Alamos. (open Wed. through Sun. 11 to 6). Or contact me to order and ship. Items are one of a kind. If you have a question about any of my work, contact me directly at 805-733-2801 or 805-588-2261.
Vicki Andersen vickiandersen.com My work can be seen at:
Cypress Gallery, 119 E. Cypress Ave., Lompoc, CA Gallery Los Olivos, 2920 Grand Ave., Los Olivos, CA Alexander& Wayne/Arthur Earl wine tasting rooms, 2922 Grand Ave., LosOlivos, CA My studio by appointment -(805)588-3459 Follow me on:
Instagram - @vickiangelo Facebook - @VickiAndersenArt
NEIL ANDERSSON paintings and drawings
Field with Blue Sky and Diagonal Clouds 27" x 33" oil on linen
neilandersson.com gallerylosolivos.com lompocart.org
jeffreymoosegallery.com americanartco.com
THE GREAT LOMPOC ART HUNT Is Complete!
There were Clues!
And there were FINDERS!
Art Hunt finally happen the last week in October. With the help of the students from Lompoc High School Art Club – all of the art was hid and seekers from our community were out finding the art.
A Big Thanks to Liz Alvarez, Art Instructor at Lompoc High School, her students, and Tom Chrones for hiding some of the art around town.
Thank you-Thank you to all of the artists from Lompoc Valley Art Association who generously donated their art for this event
This clever seeker enjoyed her 2nd Year hunting and discovering her own original art treasures!
Wildling Museum Now Open! After a nearly eight-month closure, we’re excited to share that the Wildling Museum is now open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Current members have the added opportunity to visit by appointment Wednesdays through Fridays. To make an appointment, contact Julie Mock at julie@wildlingmuseum.org or (805) 688-1082. The Wildling Museum is following public health guidelines as advised by the CDC and County of Santa Barbara to ensure the safety of visitors and staff. Visiting hours may be expanded over time. Please review our current hours as well as museum policies and procedures prior to planning your visit at: www.wildlingmuseum.org/visit Museum visitors will enjoy access to a new exhibition in the Valley Oak Gallery honoring the Wildling’s 20-year history, 20/20: A Retrospective, on view through February 14, 2021. Also on view is the recently extended main floor exhibition, Starry Nights: Visions of the Night Sky, which runs through January 31, 2021. The Wildling Museum will also continue its virtual programming series highlighting art and nature topics, now sponsored by Montecito Bank and Trust. Additional museum content and resources are regularly shared via the Wildling Museum email newsletter, social media, YouTube channel, and Virtual Visit page. Contact info@wildlingmuseum.org to subscribe to museum updates and learn more.
2920 Grand Ave Los Olivos 805 688-7517 www.galleryLosOlivos.com Gallery is open Thursday- Mondays 10 - 5pm closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays
GALLERY LOS OLIVOS
“Portraits of Santa Barbara Birds” by Emil Morhardt • Through November 30, 2020 There will be 28 paintings, all previously unexhibited and painted since April 2020, of 12 different species: Marbled Godwits from Hendry’s Beach; Great Blue Herons from Lake Cachuma, Great Egrets from Morro Bay State Park, Common Ravens from the Carrizo Plain, Acorn Woodpeckers, Common Crows, a California Scrubjay and a Roadrunner from Mission Canyon; and a Great Horned Owl, Peregrine Falcon, and Barn Owl from Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, This exhibit includes many paintings focusing on the heads of birds, painted as portraits. My paintings are about understanding what individual birds are doing and how different individuals of the same species vary from one another in appearance and behavior over the year and throughout their lifetimes. It’s easy to think of ‘birds of a feather’ as being nearly identical, but when you start watching them carefully you quickly see it isn’t so. It’s particularly obvious when I examine the high-resolution photos that I take as reference materials for my paintings, so I think of the paintings as portraits, rather than just pictures, of birds. Most of my previous work was painted on white backgrounds, but in this show I have many images on black and gray backgrounds which are very dramatic. I have also included many more inland birds, whereas the previous exhibits have been focused on shorebirds. For this show there re large-scale (36” x 48” and 24” x 48”) black-background paintings of Great Blue Herons and a Great Egret. These take a long time to paint and are very dramatic. But I’ve used the same technique on a series of 12” x 12” “headshots” of these species and of Acorn Woodpeckers. I’ve also been experimenting with gray transparent acrylic washes as backgrounds on a series of 24”x 24” canvases of groups of crows, ravens, and Acorn Woodpeckers. These have involved composition from as many as four different photographic images, and are a new direction for me. There is also a series of 24” x 36” images of highly detailed birds’ heads on white backgrounds. Emil Morhardt • emorhardt@gmail.com JURYING AT GALLERY LOS OLIVOS Because of the pandemic, we have not set the date for the next jurying for membership in Gallery Los Olivos. Our primary concern is COVID safety for our applicants and our jurying team. If you would like to be notified when we schedule the next open jurying, please email GLOmembership@gmail.com and include: name, address, phone(s), preferred email address, website, social media for your art (if applicable), and medium. We welcome a range of styles – both contemporary and traditional. For an information sheet on How to Become a Member, go to www.gallerylosolivos.com/jurying. We’re open Thursdays through Mondays 10:00-5:00.
Since 2011 NatureTrack has made
learning outside, where science literally comes alive, a reality for teachers and their students throughout Santa Barbara County. This Los Olivos based 501(c)3 nonprofit was providing 1/2-day field trips to K-12 students at NO COST to schools. Then COVID-19 hit and the world as we know it changed, but the mission of NatureTrack has not.
NatureTrack has pivoted operations from field to film and continues to foster a lifelong fascination with nature through the use of virtual hikes and activities that motivate kids to get outside, when and where it's safe, to explore nature in their own "backyard". We all have been "Called-to-Action" these last few months; NatureTrack is no exception. When future generations look back at 2020 they will find our commitment to the students and the environment never waivered.
I didn't know nature could be that FUN!!! 3rd grader, Los Berros Elementary
Your donation today, will help us "track" by film or field into tomorrow! By the way, come "track" with us; volunteer and enjoy nature like never before.
Detail: Kathy Badrak