‘In the Gardens of Splendor and Delight’

Garden Club of Santa Barbara’s flower show and boutique first since 2017

By MARILYN MCMAHON NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Whimsical Chinoiserie paintings by Harrison Howard have inspired the theme of the Garden Club of Santa Barbara’s upcoming flower show and boutique.

Its first show since 2017, “In the Gardens of Splendor and Delight” will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 20 and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 21 at the Music Academy of the West, 1070 Fairway Road in Montecito. Admission and parking are free.

“Here, you’ll find not only beautiful and colorful floral displays and individual specimens but also inventive jewelry made entirely out of seeds and pods, gorgeous prize-winning photographs and more,” said Anne Rhett Merrill, co-chair.

“But the show is just part of the club’s activities. Over the past 20 years, we’ve donated more than half a million dollars to horticultural projects throughout Santa Barbara County, reflecting our active involvement in the community.”

The juried show features floral arrangements, horticultural specimens, scenic photographs and botanical arts. Entries are primarily from GCSB members with additional entries from members of other Garden Club of America chapters.

Judges from the Garden Club of America fly in from around the country to judge the show before it opens to the public.

Mr. Howard’s images have been licensed for fabrics, wallpaper, paper goods, packaging, lacquered wood serving trays, placemats and other home items. Louis Sherry chocolate company, established in New York in 1881, features Harrison’s work.

This year, an unjudged category, open only to GCSB members, has been added in Mr. Howard’s honor. Submissions must feature dried, pressed flower and leaf designs inspired by his Chinoiserie illustrations and incorporate pollinator plants and pollinators from the Santa Barbara area.

“My attraction to art began when I was very young on the floor of my father’s studio with colored pencils and sheets of white paper bigger than I was,” said Mr. Howard. “My father was a professional artist. My parents’ interests revolved heavily around their preoccupation with art, antiques, history and traveling, and they passed their interests along to me. We lived for a year near Cannes when I was very small.

“Trips that stretched to many other parts of Europe as well fueled my imagination to this day in ways that no classroom probably ever did. I painted murals for almost two decades, mostly in houses. Some were in wonderful places, and during that time, my interest in decorative art and design of all periods grew at a fast pace.

“However, traveling to do murals was difficult, and over time some jobs became an exhausting experience. When my wife told me the teachers and staff where our son at age 5 attended school thought she was a widow, it was clear that things needed to change. From 2003 onward, I’ve focused mainly on easel-size paintings and prints.”

Mr. Howard, who had his first solo exhibit at age 19 in La Jolla, received his bachelor’s degree in industrial design from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and studied at the Boston University College of Fine Art.

His work has been featured in Veranda Magazine, Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Town & Country, Departures Magazine and Flower Magazine, among others.

“The paintings I produce reflect my great attraction to both fine and decorative art. I gravitate heavily to narratives that reflect the positive side of life. I find inspiration in the natural world, literature, history and the things and people surrounding me in daily life,” said Mr. Howard.

The boutique at the flower show features nearly a dozen vendors offering gardenthemed antiques, women’s clothing, floral fabrics, fine and costume jewelry, gift items and more.

A selection of paintings and products featuring Mr. Howard’s designs are also for sale, including Louis Sherry Chocolate tins. All proceeds support the GCSB’s community projects and other activities.

Food and wine is for sale from 15 Degrees C Wine Shop and Bar. Author and GCSB member Danielle Dall’Armi Hahn from Carpinteria’s Rose Story Farm will sign her new book, “The Color of Roses,” at various times over both days.

“Conservation and Water Sustainability in Santa Barbara: How Our Gardens of

Noon to 5 p.m. “Clarence Mattei: Portrait of a Community” is on view now through May at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, which is located in downtown Santa Barbara at 136 E. De la Guerra St. Admission is free. Hours are currently from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and from noon to 7 p.m. Thursdays. For more information, visit www.sbhistorical.org.

7:30 p.m. Singer-songwriter Colin Hay, the former lead vocalist for Men at Work, will perform at the Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St., Santa Barbara. The concert will feature his songs varying from “Now and the Evermore” to “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself.” The evening will also feature special guest Lazlo Bane. Tickets cost $59 and $69 for general admission and $106 for VIP seats, which include a pre-show reception. To purchase, go to lobero.org or call the Lobero at 805963-0761 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays or 1-888-456-2376.

APRIL 6

7:30 p.m. Stacie Burrows will perform her one-woman dark comedy “Bulletproof Unicorn,” which she wrote, at the Center Stage Theater, upstairs at Paseo Nuevo in downtown Santa Barbara. Ms. Burrows, a Los Angeles comedian, tells how she went to Texas to fix everything that was wrong with her dysfunctional family. It was a challenge. Tickets cost $30 for general admission and $50 for a patron ticket, which includes one drink. To purchase, go to centerstagetheater.org.

7:30 p.m. The Ensemble Theatre Company will perform “The Children” April 6-April 23 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria St., Santa Barbara. Michael Butler, Linda Purl and Nancy Travis star in the play set at a remote cottage on the British coast after a tsunami wreaks havoc on a nuclear reactor. A married couple’s lives are further disrupted by the mysterious appearance of a longlost colleague. The April 6 and 7 shows are preview performances, and the regular run begins April 8. Tickets cost $40 to $84. To purchase, go to etcsb.org or call 805-965-5400.

APRIL 7

7:30 p.m. Stacie Burrows will perform her one-woman dark comedy “Bulletproof Unicorn,” which she wrote, at the Center Stage Theater, upstairs at Paseo Nuevo in downtown Santa Barbara. Ms. Burrows, a Los Angeles comedian, tells how she went to Texas to fix everything that was wrong with her dysfunctional family. It was a challenge. Tickets cost $30 for general admission and $50 for a patron ticket, which includes one drink. To purchase, go to centerstagetheater.org.

8 p.m. The Ensemble Theatre Company will perform “The Children” April 6-April 23 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria St., Santa Barbara. Michael Butler, Linda Purl and Nancy Travis star in the play set at a remote cottage on the British coast after a tsunami wreaks havoc on a nuclear reactor. A married couple’s lives are further disrupted by the mysterious appearance of a longlost colleague. The April 6 and 7 shows are preview performances, and the regular run begins April 8. Tickets cost $40 to $84. To purchase, go to etcsb.org or call 805-965-5400.

APRIL 8

7:30 p.m. Stacie Burrows will perform her one-woman dark comedy “Bulletproof Unicorn,” which she wrote, at the Center Stage Theater, upstairs at Paseo Nuevo in downtown Santa

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