We are shaking off the winter doldrums with explosions of color and welcoming almost three dozen new or returning members who have joined us in the past few months! You’re invited to come see new artworks at the Buenaventura Gallery, Color Mad! Until January 27.

Artists’ Talk “Rejection: The Path to Acceptance” on Saturday, January 26, 1pm – 3pm.

Instructor Margie November, M.D. is a BAA member and practicing psychiatrist who will give you tips on dealing with the world of competitive art shows. Whether you’re new to exhibiting or a long-established pro, that twinge you get in the pit of your stomach when a piece is not accepted hits all of us. Is there a voice in your head that says, “Why bother” or “I’m just not ready”? Do these feelings present an obstacle to exhibiting your work? Margie will help you deal with these feelings in a positive manner by using her own artwork and experiences with rejection as examples of how you can reach the path to acceptance. BAA Members – $5 Public (Non-Members) – $10

Dr. November’s Psychiatry website www.MargaretNovember.com; art website is in the works.

432 N. Ventura Ave., #30, in the Bell Arts Factory.

Patricia Cadenas and Patricia Fabysack will display their artwork in the show “Living Textures” at Fox Fine Jewelry from January 17 – March 10, with an Art Reception on January 19 from 6 – 8 pm.

As a Cuban American having studied in Europe and America, Patricia Cadenas has been able to cultivate a diverse style marked by its versatility.
Specializing in murals, Cadenas has created some incredible works including a building-sized marine world for Toyota Corporation; a wonderful children’s fantasy world for the pediatric intensive care unit at UCLA Medical Center; and a Tuscan scene painted on a ceiling for a cigar room in an estate home. You might have even seen her work in Ventura, as she’s one of the artists who painted one of the many colorful utility boxes around the city.

Patricia Fabysack has been passionate about art since she was a young child. Lacking funds for art supplies, she’d burn sticks and leaves and use the charcoal to draw on the concrete outside. This creative ingenuity led to the artist she is today, now using mixed media and wax to add literal depth to her art.
Fox Fine Jewelry, 560 East Main Street

(805) 652-1800

Mika Harmony is the Featured Artist at Capriccio Restaurant downtown Ventura with her new exhibit “Garden of the Heart” featuring whimsical and vibrantly colored acrylic paintings on canvas. Themes of feathers, butterflies, dragonflies, flowers and hearts are prominent in her new collection. Show is up through February 28th. www.mikaharmony.com

Capriccio Restaurant, 298 E. Main Street, downtown Ventura, Open daily at 11:30am.

The Ventura County Arts Council is pleased to announce a generous increase in its mini-grant educational program for schools in the upcoming year 2019. Grants of $500 to $1000 will be available to bring standards-based arts programs into k-6 classrooms in Ventura County. Applicants can download the application @ vcartscouncil.org Click on Mini-Grants. Applicants will be notified by March 1 and projects must be completed by June 15, 2019.

Local non-profit organizations, artists and schools are encouraged to apply. Please note: 25% of the amount requested from the Ventura County Arts Council must be matched by the school. For example, in the case of a grant of $1000, the school would have to generate $250 making the total project $1250. All funded programs must take place

during the school’s day. Only 1 application per school, arts organization, or artist will be funded. The mini-grant can be used to pay for artist services, tickets to an arts-based performance or transportation to an arts event. Projects will be selected on the criteria of

1. Learning experiences structured by the California Arts Content Standards

2. Utilization of local artist resources

3. On-going learning that uses this project as a springboard for continuing arts education and/or integration with other content areas.

The Artist-In-The-Classroom Project from the Ventura County Arts Council is not eligible for this grant. Upon notification of acceptance the applicant will receive 75% of the funds with the remainder paid out after the project is completed and an evaluation is turned in. Questions should be directed to the Ventura County Arts Council at [email protected] or 805-658-2213. The Mini-Grant Educational Program is funded by the John and Beverly Stauffer Foundation.

Trisha van Cleef’s paintings are very complicated and take a long time to complete. She uses diverse materials including adhesives, found objects and a variety of paints and varnishes. She particularly enjoys mixing several different kinds of paint or varnish together just to see what happens. Some very interesting bubbling and crazing effects come from this.

Her paintings have been used on several CD covers. The highlight for her was being invited to be the third girl in the “Sonja, Lisa & Trisha” art show in downtown L.A.

Trisha shares a studio with Paul Whitehead at 110 N. Olve St, Suite R (behind Vons at Main and Ventura). They have shared galleries for a long time and are longtime friends.

Not usually found at a laundromat is fine art. The two wonderful wall murals by Lisa Kelly at the Olas Express Laundromat & Wash and Fold , 505 N Ventura Ave, have changed that. One is located at the children’s play and study area (also not very often found at a laundromat)

Paul Whitehead is a British born painter and graphic artist mostly known for his surrealistic album covers for artists on the Charisma Records label in the 1970s, such as Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator. He has lived in Ventura for a year.

An art show in London in the mid-sixties led to Whitehead being picked up as an in-house artist for the London office of Jazz record label Liberty Records. Previously, he had been studying at the University of Oxford on an art scholarship. The first record cover he designed was for a repackaged Fats Domino album. Additionally, Whitehead is also credited as a performer on the Peter Hammill albums Fool’s Mate (drums) and In Camera (percussion).

In 1973, Whitehead moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to work on album covers as a freelancer. He is still most associated with progressive rock, but the record cover work is, however, only a part of what Whitehead does. Whitehead was in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest mural, which he painted at the Vegas World casino (since demolished and replaced by the Stratosphere casino) in Las Vegas.

Whitehead has further designed many corporate logos and for three years he was the creative services director at The Universal Studios Theme Park in L.A. This got him interested in writing screenplays and he completed half a dozen scripts on many subjects

He also makes his own particular brand of music. His interest in science fiction, performance art and classical and progressive music has led to the composition, recording and performance of The Borg Symphony.

Paul’s gallery-studio is at 110 N. Olve St, Suite R (behind Vons at Main and Ventura)

By appoinment only at 310-461-6316 or [email protected].

The whimsical but thought provoking art of Jane Peterson can be seen at her new working studio located at Dab Art, 1793 E. Main.

Peterson holds a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, and her work can be seen in collections from coast to coast. She works in an assortment of mediums, ranging from paint, oil, watercolor, wood, ceramic (mixed-media), sculpture, and photography. She also is affiliated with Galerie 102 in Ojai and TAG Gallery in Santa Monica. [email protected]