Solo show of artworks by artist Robert Wassell titled “The Penumbra of the Forest” at the  Buenaventura Gallery, 700 E. Santa Clara St. from Aug. 23 – Sept. 17.

With an opening reception on  Saturday, August 27, 5 – 7pm at the Gallery.

For more than three decades, artist Robert Wassell has hiked the Los Padres National Forest in pursuit of rare vantage points and to capture the penumbra — the essence of the forest, a presence you feel when alone in nature — in his paintings.

“I’m an expressive representational painter trying to capture the elusive penumbra of our local forest,” said Wassell, whose show will include several Channel Islands scenes. Many of the new pieces also feature expansive skies.

The Gallery is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more about the nonprofit Buenaventura Art Association and its programs, visit www.buenaventuragallery.org or call 648-1235 during gallery hours.

Very Ventura – 540 E. Main Street –  to host an Art Exhibit and Sea Bling Jewelry trunk show at Gallery V on Saturday, August 20th from 6pm-8pm.

The Exhibit: “H20: The Force and Flow of Life,” a group exhibition features the artwork of Joe Cardella, Lisa Caren, Frank “Kimo” Mitchell, Ashley Harris, Brooke Halpin, Jennifer Jones, Christopher Borel and Gerald Zwers.

Much like art nourishes the soul, water is responsible for delivering nutrients to our bodies.  Without it there would be no life.  And what would life be without art? The artists in this show are display their relationship with water, whether it is spiritual, playful or environmental.  Each piece plays upon the vitality of both subjects. The exhibit runs through September 4th.

Sea Bling Jewelry Artist, Alison Carlson will also be on hand with her wide selection of sea glass rings and earrings.  Every piece comes from the beach and is wrapped in Argentium silver wire. Created from real sea glass.

Join other art lovers on rides to cultural adventures at surprising, landmark and emerging SoCal destinations. Artists Maryanne Irving or Mary Neville lead most tours and host discussions on the way there and on the way home about your fascinating art encounters. Explore venues with them, docents or on your own as sites permit.

All-day trips include a meal stop, not included in the price unless explicitly stated. Tours are open to adults and teens under 18 accompanied by an adult, unless stated otherwise. Park your car for free in the parking lot behind City Hall where you’ll meet your tour guide and the air-conditioned bus, equipped with wheelchair lift but no restroom. Please mention any mobility or ADA issues when registering online, at Ventura City Hall (501 Poli Street, Room 226) or at 658-4726 (M-F- 8-5, closed alternate Fridays). To sign up online visit www.cityofventura.net/register and enter “6679” on the search bar.

On August 17 the tour featured the Hammer Museum exhibit “Made in LA” and UCLA Sculpture Garden. They explored the work of 26 recognized and emerging LA artists in dance, fashion, literature, music, film, and performance at the Hammer Museum’s third biennial exhibition, “Made in LA,” with artist Maryanne Irving as the tour guide .

Marilee Stockman presents “Personalities On Exhibit”, a solo exhibit on display September 1 to September 30 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 196 N. Ashwood Ave.

The exhibit features oil portraits, bronze portraits, clay figures and portraits in cast paper sculpture.

Stockman’s passions for life and art are evident in her sculptures and paintings.  The feeling for the forms and shapes of nature is the inspiration for both her abstract and figurative works.  She relates all of her work to the figure and its relationship to its environmental surroundings.

The church is open Tuesday through Friday 9am – 5pm or by appointment.  The exhibit is located in the church’s Library

As part of the Museum of Ventura County traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibit is  “Four Seasons Portraits” by local artist Hiroko Yuoshimoto. Artist  Yoshimoto stated, “I appreciate and enjoy my Japanese ancestry, culture, and customs, but my day-to-day life is among the mixed Southern California Community and especially, in the arts community.”

Mission San Buenaventura will present a special art exhibit from August 6 through November 5,  a trilogy titled “El Camino Real” by late artist and architect Aurelio G. D. Mendoza.

Three large mural-like oil paintings depict the conversion of the indigenous people in Mexico; another depicting Fray Junipero Serra directing his companions forward on their travels; and the third painting depicting the construction of the first mission in Alta California, Misión San Diego de Alcala. Fray Junipero Serra founded the first nine of the famed 21 California missions.

In honor of St. Junipero Serra, the first Hispanic saint to be canonized (September 23, 2015) on American soil, the exhibit will be on display to the public in the Mission San Buenaventura Gift Shop, 225 E. Main St.  The Gift Shop is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  There is a nominal fee to tour the Mission Museum, Gardens and Church.

An evening with Karen Kitchel Saturday August 6, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Brooks Institute Screening Room
5301 N. Ventura Ave.

A Spotlight Interview with Karen Kitchel . Karen Kitchel’s landscapes are definitely not traditional. Of her work Karen states: “I paint them with the traditional craftsmanship of the genre’s past, and a critical eye on the geography of the present.”   She narrows her focus to a small patch of dried grasses or what you may always have considered just plain weeds.  In isolation we see their architecture, we sense the brittleness of leaves, the wonderfully chaotic arrangement of stems and leaves.  Karen earned her BA in Art at Kalamazoo College and MFA in painting at Claremont Graduate School.  She exhibits throughout the country and is widely collected.  Reserve your seat today for an opportunity to learn more about a painter who is engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the land.

Free to FOTM Members – $10 General public, $5 students and seniors.

Tickets available online at:  www.FocusOnTheMasters.com or call 653.2501

To learn about Karen Kitchel visit www.KarenKitchel.com

Dab Art is pleased to present Uncanny Valley, a solo exhibition of 30 paintings by Alexander Churchill at The HUD Gallery. These large-scale works burst with energy and precision, yet mystify with their complex permutations and combinations of figurative and surreal elements. These canvases string together compositional elements of image and texture paradoxically, with an uncanny level of exactitude into a wealth of smooth, vivid detail. Images are manipulated and interwoven into volatile phantasmagorias of color and form. In these spectacular pictorial inventions brightly colored blocks and perfectly rendered figures slice through multiple layers, which reject any attempt by the eye to find a resting place.

Alexander Churchill was born in San Diego and raised in Vermont. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from Green Mountain College in 2008. Alexander now resides in Connecticut and his work has been widely exhibited throughout the Eastern United States. HUD 1793 E Main St. 293-1616