Award winning artist, Frances Spencer presented a solo exhibit of her art at the WAV (Working Artists Ventura) theater gallery from January 5-26. Funding was made possible by a Puffin Foundation grant.
The centerpiece of the exhibit, “War and Peace: Diptych,” illustrated the theme, Peace and Love Will Save the World. WAV Theater Gallery 175 S. Ventura Ave.
Rugged Tableau: Recent paintings and mixed-media works by John White; Topographies in stone by Paul Lindhard (Feb 11—Mar 18) Opening Reception: (Feb 11, 3 pm—6 pm) at the Art City Gallery.
John M. White is a painter, sculptor and performance artist. Some years ago, while living in Solimar Beach, White began looking at the detritus washed up on the sand: seaweed, driftwood, shells, etc. The resultant paintings were poetic and suggestive rather than descriptive. They established the foundation for the three series he has recently produced.
Considered one of the seminal California performance artists, White has staged hundreds of public performances since 1967, and is included in numerous public museum collections.
Ventura-based Paul Lindhard has been an artist, sculptor, studio builder, producer and patron of the arts for over 50 years. He has dozens of monumental scale permanent public and private installations throughout Western United States, with a majority of works in Ventura City and County. The artist is always questioning nature within stone, sourcing and collecting stone with an awareness of shapes stone moves through.
In the past two decades Paul Lindhard has made stone tables that invoke the landscape of their stone material origins. These tables are not flat or overly useful as tables. Their surfaces, edges and pedestals are shaped instead to optimize the beauty of each element. The artist has collected these pieces from remote, wild and rugged places. A second series has evolved from this practice. Lindhard has evolved miniature topographies presented on pedestals, preserving exotic weathering and texture on their uppermost surface while sides are carved and polished to expose rare and beautiful inner stone. These sculptures make a salient counterpart to larger dada-table pieces.
Art City Gallery, 197 Dubbers St., 648-1690. www.artcitygalleryandstudios.com.
In our last issue we goofed and credited art to the wrong art
ist. This is Sunset by Wendy Winet in current CMH show.
Focus on the Masters (FOTM) is pleased to announce that ten artists have been selected for FOTM formal documentation by a distinguished jury for the 2018 season. An artist will be featured monthly beginning with Carol Shaw-Sutton on Sunday, January 28 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. as part of FOTM’s popular Artist Spotlight interview series, now in its twenty-third year. Each artist’s interview will be filmed before a studio audience at Levity Live, 591 Collection Blvd., located at the Collection in Oxnard.
Admission to the Artist Spotlight interviews is free for FOTM members; general admission is $15, seniors and students with valid ID $10. For membership information, visit www.FocusOnTheMasters.com.
Members of the community are invited to host an AfterGLOW and help to raise much needed funds to maintain the FOTM Archive. These popular salon style gatherings offer art enthusiasts the opportunity to visit with the featured artist while enjoying a light supper in the company of dedicated arts supporters. If you would like to host an AfterGLOW in your home, call FOTM at 653.2501 or email [email protected].
The ten artists have been selected for formal documentation by a highly respected jury consisting of Karen Kitchel, Margaret Nielsen and Colin Fraser Gray. Each artist was selected based on the artists’ mastery of their craft and diversity of expression, the respect from their peers and their historic role in the life of our artistic heritage.
Artists gathered at the Museum of Ventura County for a twice-monthly figure-drawing session put on by the museum’s resident artist Ryan Carr.
These free sessions allow artists to practice their craft by drawing live, clothed models using charcoal, pencils, pens, pastels — any medium that isn’t paint or any other liquid.
Sessions are held at the Museum’s Smith Pavilion or in a local brewery. Participants must be 21 or older. For information on the next event, check venturamuseum.org
In our last issue we goofed and credited art to the wrong artist. This is by Cassandra Tondro a Ventura artist who has offered to replace any of her art that burned in the Thomas fire for free.
“Tranquility” by Preston Fine Arts will be shown at an Art Reception at Very Ventura Gift Shop & Gallery – 540 E. Main Street, on Sat Jan 20 6pm-8pm. The exhibit features the vibrant paintings of William Burton and Joan (JJ) Prescott. Burton, a retired draftsman, works in acrylics, while Prescott paints in oils. They have combined their diverse talents to create Preston Fine Arts. Opening night is in conjunction with Arts & Eats, Downtown Ventura. Exhibit runs through March 4. 628-3540.
Downtown Ventura’s Arts & Eats January 20, 6 – 8pm and Fox Fine Jewelry Art Reception featuring the art of Hiroko Yoshimoto. Arts & Eats will be held in downtown Ventura with fifteen galleries, restaurants and shops open for art receptions and complimentary tastes. The event is free to the public.
Hiroko Yoshimoto was born in Japan and became a US citizen in 1976. She has a BA and MA in art from UCLA and continued her studies in Florence, Italy at the Art Center College. Since her studies, Yoshimoto has exhibited her art internationally, with active exhibits in California, Colorado, Tokyo, Austria, and New York.
Performing and visual artist David Oliver at Under the Bed.
by Susan Torne
Art City Gallery and Studios, established in 1983, is a think-tank for experimental sculpture, installation, multi-media, assemblage, painting, film, performance, poetry, and theater. Founded by Paul Lindhard, artist, sculptor, studio builder, producer and patron of the arts for 50 years; Art City spans 31 years of art history in Ventura.
There are four components to Art City’s new expanded creative cluster. The first two components are Art City Gallery and Art City Studios (Art City’s oldest and most continuous component). Art City Gallery hosts curated exhibits and events. A community resource for culture and education, the gallery reflects Art City’s reason for being: Art 24/7; supporting collaboration, empowerment and no-holds barred exploration and implementation of ideas; from traditional gallery exhibits, to poetry readings, performances, lectures, talks, and cinema. Additionally it will be home to the San Buenaventura Artists’ Union for 4 exhibitions in 2018.
Over thirty years in the making, Art City Studios has evolved into a dynamic environment allowing artists to create in a supportive atmosphere. Throughout 22 studio spaces, stone sculptors represent the bulk of Art City Studio artists, existing side by side with film makers, playwrights, poets, performance artists, painters, wood-carvers, photographers.
A third component of Art City is Avant Garden. Referred to for the first years of its development as Art City Stone Garden, this sculpture park was given the name Avant Garden in 2017, casting light upon generations of Ventura’s avant-garde collaborating with Art City since the mid-1980’s. Paul Lindhard waited two years to get the bigger of the garden’s two main stones, intended as part of public art installation Dos Metates. The lead piece is a piece of imperial blue granite he obtained from San Marcos, California. The other, slightly smaller stone, is a beautiful sample of academy black granite from north of Fresno, California. Dos Metates is intended for the Mission Lawn between China Alley and Museum of Ventura County.
Lastly, Art City’s most recent fourth component is Under the Bed (UTB), a production space for contributing artists to create, share and expand their personal vision through music, film, digital media production, theater and performing arts. UTB is affiliated with Art City as an extension of the city’s cultural past, present, and future.
“Let’s come together, our doors are open” is the theme of the opening reception for the new exhibition, In High Style: The Photography of Neal Barr, 5–7 p.m., Jan. 13, at the Museum of Ventura County. Sponsored by Union Bank, the reception admission is free and will feature plentiful refreshments from local downtown businesses. A no-host bar will also be available.
“We encourage everyone to join us for an evening celebrating the resilience of our residents, businesses and government agencies, while enjoying the art of renowned fashion photographer and Ventura native, Neal Barr,” said Elena Brokaw, Museum of Ventura County executive director. “We will not be charging admission to the opening in the hopes of encouraging folks to come downtown and gather in support of the community. Throughout the galleries we will have donation opportunities and 100 percent of the proceeds will go directly to fire relief efforts.”
Neal Barr will be attending the reception and will offer opening remarks along with several other community officials. Barr, whose extraordinary career has spanned 50 years, started in Ventura before moving to New York City in 1958.
In High Style: The Photography of Neal Barr will be on display from Jan. 13 through April 8.
