Photos by Patricia Schallert.

Artists Lisa Mahony and Laura Jespersen explore spring flora and local landscape in this exhibit in the small building at the Olivas Adobe. On Saturday, March 12, an open house was held at the Adobe to meet the artists and enjoy their paintings. Docent President Mary Thompson is shown with the artists.

The amazing watercolor art of Galina Richardson can be enjoyed at “Art is Passion” a new art gallery located at 864 Schooner Dr. Unit 103, in Portside Ventura Harbor. She is shown painting at the gallery.

The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm and Sunday  and Monday by appointment only.

2021 works of MAIL ART in a store window.

The ARTLIFE Foundation’s MAIL ART Project with the theme “Spontaneous Inspiration” is well underway. We have already received about a hundred submissions to date. We request submissions of 6 x 9 works of art, which must be mailed to us, with a cutoff date of May 15. They will be displayed locally and on our web site: https://artlifefoundation.org/. See details about submitting work there.

About 90 of the current works mailed to us so far have come from Europe, Central America, South. America, Japan, and, happily, one each from Ukraine and Russia. Why? Europeans have been producing mail art for many years and have a center for it in Romania. Our local mail art guru, the late Joe Cardella, is well known and respected by them, says Stefan Balog, President of the Inter-Art Foundation. They have a gallery dedicated to mail art. And the pandemic made mail art a more favored medium for exchanges of actual art around the world with galleries closed to public view. Cardella, in his ARTLIFE magazine, published 275 editions over 25 years, each one filled with imaginative works mailed in from artists everywhere. We keep mail art projects alive to honor his legacy.

Locally, we encourage artists of all stripes and experience to submit, young and old, schoolkids and pros. Who knows, your “spontaneous inspiration” on the small format of this mail-in art may propel you on to bigger and better art-making. That’s our hope anyway.

All the best from the ARTLIFE Foundation:

Bob Chianese (President), Nello Panelli, Curtis Cormane, Jonell McLain, Jone Pence, Jeanne LaRocco, Pete Ippel, Friday Gretchen, Lynne Okun, Cathy Barroca

Laura Walter is the Featured Artist for the month of April at the Harbor Village Gallery & Gifts, 1559 Spinnaker Dr, #106, Ventura.
Watercolors and cards depicting sunflowers will be on display, and a portion of the proceeds will go to humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

This solo exhibit (the first in 15-years) is in the downstairs corridor at the Rubicon Theatre. Featuring the beautiful paintings of Venturan artist Michael O’Kelly. Besides an amazing artist he is also an accomplished guitarist. You don’t need to attend an event to see his work. Just enter the side door and go downstairs.

1006 E. Main St.

The public is invited to join Focus on the Masters Arts Archive & Library (FOTM) at the South Oxnard Library for a celebration of the creative spirit featuring artwork by Ocean View School District students. Learning To See Outreach (LTS) teaching artists led students in 67 classrooms spanning grades K-8 with projects in two and three-dimensional art inspired by FOTM Documented Artists.

LTS Education Director, Aimee French, says, “Even though everyone stayed masked, students were able to truly engage with the live interactions and their own hands-on experience.”

FOTM documents the lives and works of extraordinary artists from our community, providing art programming for all ages. Each lesson of the innovative LTS in-school, hands-on art program is inspired by one of these artists.

Until April 30, 2022 South Oxnard Library

4300 Saviers Rd, Monday—Thursday, 9AM—8PM; Saturday, 9AM–5:30PM

Public Reception: April 7 from 5PM – 7PM

For more information about Learning To See, contact [email protected] or 805.653.2501. www.FocusOnTheMasters.com

Fox Fine Jewelry presents New Beginnings, an art show with Mika Harmony and Chrystel Boissy (Green Touch Moss) from April 21st to July 31st, with an Art Reception on April 23rd from 5 – 7 pm.

Mika Harmony grew up in Hawaii. From a young age, she was exposed to the world of art: her dad was a songwriter and her mom a photographer.

Chrystel Boissy, founder of Green Touch Moss, creates stunning, dimensional landscapes using moss and other natural materials.

560 E. Main in Downtown.

Three Ventura County artists will display recent works March 25-May 21 in concurrent solo exhibitions at Buenaventura Art Association’s Studio 99 gallery in Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Ave.

Tony J. Smith of Oxnard, who paints in oils and acrylics on canvas, is calling his show “A Tribute to Beauty and Inspiration.” Ojai painter Kathy Bodycombe usually works in oils and acrylics as well, but will present “Leaving a Stamp,” a dozen collage pieces that incorporate postage. The third artist is Michael Corrigan Mishou of Ventura, whose “The Eye of the Beholder” will feature photography, both color and black-and-white.

Artists’ receptions for the trio of shows will be 5-8 p.m. April 1 and May 6, in conjunction with Ventura’s First Friday gallery crawl. Normal operating hours for BAA’s gallery are noon-4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

For more information about BAA and its programs, call the gallery at 805-648-1235 or visit buenaventuraartassociation.org.