The beat goes on for the “Arts For Earth Foundation,” continuing weekends with their “Earth Spirit” art exhibit and presentations by environmental activists such as Sierra Club and Food Co-op. The final event is Sunday Oct 25, 12-6 pm with an Artists Panel, Ventura Poets, and closing ceremonies. Free to the public at WAV, 175 S. Ventura Ave. For details see www.artsforearth.org .

Paint Ventura’s Holiday Art Festival Nov 21, from  10am-4pm at the Telemark Plaza on the corner of Market and Telephone.

Get a jump on your holiday shopping and select original art pieces make by local artists.

Spend the day enjoying local arts and craft vendors as you watch them create in their artisan booths at the Telemark Plaza on the corner of Telephone and Market in Ventura.  More than 100 fine artists and crafts persons display and sell their original work amid a street festival atmosphere filled with holiday flair and more. This is the first year of the holiday festival after 10 successful Spring events and we hope to make it the must see holiday event.

Coming from throughout the western portion of the country the Festival artists’ original works cover the gamut of creative visual categories including painting, sculpture, photography, jewelry, ceramics, folk craft, glass, leather, metalwork, wearable art, woodwork, mixed media (2 and 3 dimensional).  Paint Ventura features only original work and our original artists are all present on-site to greet festival attendees.

Fun food trucks, holiday music and warm friends make this Saturday a fun day for everyone.

Watch as the artists create their work in their booths.  Artists will be working to create paintings from scratch throughout the day,  giving the public the opportunity to see who an artist bringing a blank canvas to life.

Bring your little ones and have them join in the fun and paint their own holiday card or ornament. Lots of fun patterns and ideas to start with.

Bring your new and used pet products (toys, beds, food and more) for our collection where you can help the dogs of CARL and CABOdogz.

Help build a can tree for FOOD Share.  Any and all cans are great, bring one by the booth and get a free gift as a thank you for helping reach the goal of 400+ cans.

Paintings, Drawings, and Tapestries by John Nava at the Vita Art Center, 432 North Ventura Ave. Studio 30. www.vitaartcenter.com

Opening reception November 6 from 6-9 p.m. exhibit dates: November 6 – 30

Gallery hours: M-F 10-4 pm Sat. & Sun. by appointment

A small selection of drawings, paintings and a tapestry done from the model. Few of the works on view have ever been shown previously, They reflect an ongoing effort to present and evoke the figure in all its humanity and in a most direct way without mythological or symbolic pretext.

John Nava studied art at UC Santa Barbara and did his graduate work in Florence, Italy. His work is found in numerous private, corporate and public collections throughout the United States, Europe and Japan including the National Museum of American Art in Washington D.C.

Nava has done large-scale public works including projects for the Tokyo Grain Exchange in Japan, the Seattle Symphony Benaroya Hall and Westmont College. In 1999 Nava was commissioned by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to create three major cycles of tapestries for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.

Focus on the Masters Volunteers present their annual Holiday Gift Shop located at the FOTM Archive & Library, 505 Poli Street, Suite 405 (right behind City Hall).  For four days only The Holiday Gift Shop will carry unique, hand-made and lovingly crafted gifts.  New this year is our Wine, Gifts and Wish Lists Happy Hour on Friday, November 20th from 5:00 – 7:00.  This is a great chance to wind down from the work week, meet with artists and friends, and shop for those special people on your list.

Shoppers can select from a variety of one-of-a-kind items including colorful quilts, dazzling jewelry, unique clothing, meticulously crafted wood pens, handmade paper lanterns, charming felted wool creatures, ceramics, photography and much more.  All items are produced by FOTM volunteers, staff, and outstanding Ventura County artists including Greta Lovina, Christine Beirne, Linda Carson, Alan Dante, Meg Easton, Cecile Faulconer, Aimee French, Mary Galbraith, Donna Granata, Maribel Hernandez, Judee Hauer, Mike Horwitz, Trisha Johnson, JoEllen Lee, Joyce Lombard, Deborah O’Brien, Michael Rohde, Gloria Rupio, Gayle Bentley Swanson, Genie Thomsen, Elaine Unzicker and more!

A portion of the proceeds benefits FOTM acclaimed Learning To See art education outreach programs.

To learn more about Focus on the Masters, visit www.FocusOnTheMasters.com or call 653.2501.

From Friday October 16 through Sunday, October 18, a new creative activity center threw a Grand Opening party.  Visitors met the five resident artists who will be on hand to show how they created their art. From miniature scenes with sparkling lights, to paintings of flowers or celestial scenes; to decorated gourds and carved walking sticks; to detailed color pencil paintings.

The Arts Collective, an initiative of the Ventura County Arts Council, is generously sponsored by Pacific View mall. Hours are: Thursday 1:00pm – 9:00pm; Friday and Saturday 10:00am – 9:00pm; Sunday 1:00pm – 7:00pm.   You will find them on the second level next to the entrance to Sears.

On occasion we will be featuring the art work of Breeze staff. This drawing is by Ventura Breeze co-founder Staci Brown who is now a Ventura County Social Worker but we still think of her as staff.

Artist Cassandra Tondro hosts her first-ever Ventura Open Art Studio event on Saturday, October 17th from 4-6pm.  Tondro moved to Ventura in 2014, and built a dream studio behind her home on the East End of the city.

Tondro is known for her bright and colorful abstract paintings created using leftover house paint that she rescues from recycling centers.

The Open Art Studio will feature a display of Tondro’s latest paintings from her “Picture This” series as well as new work from her popular “Organic Series.”  Her artwork can be seen on her website at www.tondro.com.

Studio located at 10446 Hewitt Street, Ventura, 918.7140

This painting, acrylic on canvas by Duane Simshauser can be seen in the permanent Ventura’s Municipal Art Collection in the corridors of the Ventura City Hall. The Municipal Art Acquisition Program was established in May, 1999. Simshauser has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Washington University. To him “Birds offer interesting shapes, patterns and attitudes. “

Ventura County Potters’ Guild presents Harry Poliak’s Clay Journey at the Ventura Avenue Adult Center 550 N Ventura Avenue, Monday, October 26, doors open at 7 pm, program begins at 7:30 pm  648-3035

Harry Poliak was born in 1952 and grew up in South Africa during the Apartheid regime. As a child, the need to travel into the inner recess of his mind and connect to creativity abounded. Influenced by his African roots, he spent many moments entering the realm of ancient art fed by Africa’s multicultural identities. Poliak moved to Canada in 1977 where he began replanting forests and where he trained and worked as a cabinetmaker. In 1985 he married a potter. By 1990 he had shifted his focus primarily to clay and started the journey as a production potter making both functional and sculptural ware. Currently Poliak’s work is sculptural. In 2000 he relocated to the USA where he pursued opportunities to work in community arts, education and youth development and continue his journey with clay. Poliak will be doing a hand building demonstration of his working process.