Betty with Roses by Donalee Nelson
For July and August I am sharing an earlier blog
that I think is more important than ever. Life is a process for everyone and in
truth there are no rules except to be aware, be compassionate, be
non-judgmental, be willing to compromise, do no harm, and express kindness and happiness
when you can.
More
thoughts on perception and the process:
In the movie “Something’s Gotta
Give” the two main characters are having a fight and Harry tells his romantic
partner, Erica, that he has always told her some version of the truth. Funny
line, typical guy. She replies that the truth has no versions. But of course it
does. Everyone’s version of the truth is different. It’s all in one’s
perception. I’m writing about this and art because it is so important for young
people to understand this. I know several successful artists who were
discouraged, even disparaged as youngsters for their lack of ability. I’m sure
that at least some of the negative soothsayers thought they were saving the
child from disappointment. My experience was different in that I was
encouraged, given so many opportunities that I was, in fact, not ready for. You
see, my perception was different from that of the school, my teachers and my
parents. I could not paint nor draw what I saw in my mind’s eye, at least not
at the drop of a hat. Therefore my perception of my ability was different from
theirs. I compared myself at an early age to prominent artists I saw in books
without any understanding of the process they went through to achieve their
goals. It is a journey, a process that all of us have to take whether or not we
are discouraged or lauded. There are some geniuses that spring fully formed
from the head of Zeus but for the rest of us it takes a lot of hard work. That
is one reason that I love to watch the HBO Master Classes. It doesn‘t matter
what creative discipline it is, I always learn something new. I recently saw an
interview with Linda Ronstadt who has to have one of the most beautiful voices
in the world. She told the interviewer that it took her close to ten years as a
professional to learn how to sing. The interviewer was aghast. Ronstadt
explained that it took hard work and that long before she had control of her
instrument and could deliberately do what she wanted to do. Process and
perception!
Highlights
Aftermath: Art in the Wake of World War One is at
the Tate Britain until September 23, 2018. It has been a hundred years since
the end of WWI so this exhibit looks back at how art in Britain, France and
Germany responded to the changes that ensued after the war. Of course, artists
reacted in different ways, from making works of social commentary to trying to
imagine a better future. Artists such as Picasso, Léger, Braque, Max Ernst, and
Grosz are represented among many others. Find out more at www.tate.org.uk where you can also see many
of the works in the show.
Where
you can see my artwork
My artwork
is available at Rons. For
further information call the shop at 805.489.4747. Rons
is located at 850 W. Grand in Grover Beach a few blocks from the train station,
a golf course and the beautiful Pacific Ocean. For more information go to Rons website at www.ronsingroverbeach.com or find
him on Facebook.
Not To
Be Missed –Museum Exhibits
As the Four Preps sang, “Twenty-six miles across the sea, Santa Catalina is
a-waitin' for me”. The
Catalina Island Museum is part of Los Angeles County and is therefore close to
the movie industry. Jaws: The Art of
Fear in Filmmaking, is a special exhibition that runs until September
16, 2018. The Production Designer of the iconic film, Joe Alves, shares the
original storyboard drawings, behind the scenes photos, plus original props and
ephemera. Famed magician Houdini was interested in filmmaking toward the end of
his life. Houdini: Terror on the
Magic Isle runs until October 7, 2018. The film, in which he starred,
was made on the island. The exhibit features ephemera and movie props from the
film which put Houdini in danger and ended in mystery. If you are a fan of
either film, find out more about these exhibits and the Catalina Island Museum
at www.catalinamuseum.org and take
a tour.
The Palm Springs Museum of Art is
all about Eighty @ Eighty.
Featuring recent acquisitions, it is comprised of various exhibits as the venue
celebrates its eightieth year. Jean-Michel Basquiat: Portfolio by Lee Jaffe is comprised of fifteen photos
taken by Jaffe of the artist. Also included is Chase Ramp Selections: Todd Hido’s Suburbia and Journey Through the Desert – The Road
Less Traveled. These exhibits are all about wonderful photography and
are on display through autumn of this year. The museum also has a subsidiary
museum in Palm Desert known as the Galen. It is surrounded by the four acre Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden
that features over ten significant sculptures surrounded by landscaped gardens.
A visit to these two venues make it worth the drive. Google the museum or go to
www.psmuseum.org for current information.
If you love Laguna Beach you
will be interested in Art Colony: The
Laguna Beach Art Association, 1918-1935 at the Laguna Museum. The show
runs through January 13, 2019. My mother and I spent many wonderful times in
Laguna wandering through the various art galleries. Many were off the beaten
track. Celebrating the centennial of the beginning of the art association in
this beautiful beach town, the exhibit features paintings by many of its
founders. If you are as anxious as I am to see it, take the time to get a
preliminary look at www.lagunaartmuseum.org
and learn more about this exhibit.
First Americans: Tribal Art From North America is at
the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana April 7–August 19, 2018. Many items come from
the museum’s own collection and cover the Arctic, the Northwest Coast,
California, the Southwest and the Great Plains. Included in the show are an
early example of a transitional Navajo First Phase Chief’s blanket, an early
Hopi Katsina doll and a rare Seri feathered kilt from Baja, California. Take a
look at www.bowers.org for more facts and
interesting information.
Highlights of the
Permanent Collection celebrates the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s 75th
anniversary. The exhibit features some of the museum’s most well-known pieces. The
Armand Hammer Foundation has loaned some amazing Impressionist and
Post-Impressionist paintings to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Of course, Portrait of Mexico Today, painted by David Alfaro Siqueiros while
living in political exile in Los Angeles in 1932, has a home in the front
façade of the museum. It is intact and is in a protected spot. We are so lucky
to have it. Check on line at www.sbmuseart.org/
for more details.
In Search of New Markets: Craft Traditions in Nineteenth Century India is at
the Norton Simon in Pasadena. This exhibit, which is up through September 3,
2018, covers a period of clash between traditional Indian Art and the
development of products designed for commerce. Many of these objects have not
been seen before. For more on this show go to www.nortonsimon.org and get information
on upcoming exhibits also.
Now at the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art is David Hockney: 82 Portraits
and 1 Still-Life. Most of the portraits were painted live at his Los
Angeles studio and are of family and friends. The exhibit is up through July
29, 2018 and many of the portraits are of well-known people such as Frank Gehry
and John Baldessari. Years ago, I stumbled into a small shop on La Cienega owned
by Gregory Evans and bought a teapot, which I still own, conversed with several
staff members, and was invited to hang out. I had no idea at the time that it
was owned and staffed by several of Hockney’s close friends. There is even a
book about them. More information is at www.lacma.org
about this exhibit.
Artists and Their Books/Books and Their Artists is at Getty
Center in Los Angeles until October 28, 2018. As the younger generation focuses
more on their computers and less on books, a rich culture among artists of
making and twisting the definition of what a book can be continues. This
exhibit highlights many delightful books made by artists. Currently at the
Getty, is Icons of Style: A Century
of Fashion Photography, 1911-2011 which also claims a spot at the
museum through October 21, 2018. This is a wonderful excursion through
photographs by Cecil Beaton; Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Edward Steichen and
many other wonderful artists. On top of that are the fashions that were the
subjects for these photographs. They too are art. Information at www.getty.edu will fill you in on what is going
on as well as with dates and times. There is a great survey on line for this
exhibit.
Fans of the Eighteenth Century is ensconced at the de Young
Museum in San Francisco. The exhibit is culled from the museum’s own collection
and is on view until April of next year. Check www.deyoung.famsf.org which will have
all you need to know. The de Young prides itself in making its exhibits
accessible and has instituted a plan for people who are unable to come to the
museum whether for medical reasons, distance or finances. They have two robots that will take visitors
on a tour via the internet. Rebecca Bradley is the Accessibility Curator. You
can email her office at access@famsf.org
if this great idea is of interest.
The San Francisco Legion of Honor hosts Truth and Beauty: The Pre-Raphaelites
and the Old Masters beginning June 30-September 30, 2018. For fans of Pre-Raphaelite
artists this will be a major show. The exhibition shares the works of these
artists juxtaposed with works by the artists that inspired them including
Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, and Veronese. Look for their inspiration at www.legionofhonor.famsf.org and for
more information on this dazzling show.
San Francisco seems to be the happening place at the
moment. Louise Bourgeois Spiders
is at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art until September 4, 2018. The
sculptor started this series in the ‘90s when she was in her eighties. Also at
the museum are several more shows. René Magritte: The Fifth Season, which focuses on his later work, after he
left Surrealism, is up through October 28, 2018. KTTV, a local Los Angeles
Independent TV station, had a wonderful art collection. It housed a Moore
sculpture, as well as a Frida Kahlo canvas among many others. It also had two
of Magritte’s bowler hats as shaped canvases. They were large pieces…about 4 or
5 feet tall. The iconic bowler has been used countless times. It was actually a
plot point in the remake of the movie The
Thomas Crown Affair. I was talking with the curator and was curious as to
why there were two as it seemed to me it should have been a triptych. He told
me that there actually was another one but that it had been stolen. As I said,
these were large works so I’m not quite sure how it was surreptitiously removed
from the lot replete with many guards. Go to https://www.sfmoma.org
for more on these exciting shows.
Ongoing
at the Seattle Museum of Art is Big
Picture: Art after 1945. The exhibit includes some amazing works by
Rothko, Motherwell, Newman, Hoffman, etc., and there are interesting videos on
the museum website. Go to www.seattleartmuseum.org
to obtain more information. All are wonderful and the interactive videos online
are great!
Through
August 19, 2018, The Museum of Fine Arts Houston is home to Peacock in the Desert: The Royal Arts of
Jodhpur, India. This is a comprehensive history of the area and
includes a vast array of objects including textiles, tapestries, paintings,
carpets, jewels and more. Check in at www.mfah.org which will provide all the
information on this exhibit. Also, not to be missed in Houston is The Rothko Chapel which features
works by the great American artist.
The Clyfford Still Museum in Denver continues to present
intriguing shows. Currently featured is Highlights
from the Collection, which runs until September 9, 2018. Included are
close to 50 paintings and 30 works on paper representing the span of the
artist’s career, beginning with his traditional work in the 1920s through his
wartime abstractions. More than 25 of these works have never been on display
previously. Also on view is A Light
of His Own: Clyfford Still at Yaddo. Yaddo was an artists’ retreat in
Saratoga Springs, New York. Still was a young graduate student at this time. During
this period in his artistic journey he began to move toward painting from inner
comprehension as opposed to reacting to what he saw on the outside. The exhibit
features 19 small paintings that he created at the retreat. Check out www.clyffordstillmuseum.org for all the details.
Make Room for
Color Field
continues at The Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Missouri until December
30, 2018. The exhibit highlights three of the leading exponents of color field
painting. It includes four works by Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis and Jules
Olitski. The technique consists of merging thinned paint with unprimed canvas.
These are some of my favorite artists. The museum’s website at www.nelson-atkins.org
will provide more information.
The Art Institute of Chicago is hosting Helen Frankenthaler Prints: The Romance
of a New Medium. Known for her large color-stained canvases, this show
focuses on the abstract expressionist’s lesser known prints. The show, which
runs until September 3, 2018, features 5o prints rendered over a 20 year
period. Frankenthaler, who studied with renowned Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo,
is one of my favorites. I just found a book of her prints that she did as a
Valentine and it is wonderful. Also at the museum, John Singer Sargent & Chicago’s Gilded Age focuses on
the artist’s Chicago connections and presents a full range of his works. The
exhibit is on view through September 30, 2018. More details are at www.artic.edu for these fascinating exhibits.
The Broad Art Foundation houses
the collection of Eli and Edythe Broad. The couple established a museum at
Michigan State University, Mr. Broad’s alma mater. Now in center stage is Ancient Mayan Art which
continues until July 29, 2018. Featured are figurines, many used in burial
sites or given as gifts around 700-900 AD. These objects express much about the
daily living and culture of the Mayan people. In anticipation of seeing this
show, check out www.thebroad.org to get
more information.
Star Wars and the
Power of Costume
runs through September 30, 2018 at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Featured are
over 60 original costumes. This should be on the list of must-visit for any
fan. The museum website is at www.dia.org and gives information on the creative process of costume design.
The Smithsonian
National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington
D.C. is the culmination of over a century of work. Founding Director Lonnie
Bunch said that “The African American experience is the lens through which we
understand what it is to be an American.” The website welcomes us with its
opening words: A People’s Journey, A Nation’s Story. It is part of our national
history. The museum contains much memorabilia, including both negative and
positive. Of course, there is much history here including examples of slave
ships. However, there are more current examples, including Carl Lewis’ journey,
clothes from James Brown and Pearl Bailey, a trumpet owned by Louis Armstrong
and Chuck Berry’s red Cadillac. Items also includes some owned by Harriet
Tubman, the dress Rosa Parks was sewing when she refused to leave her seat, and
clothes designed by Geoffrey Holder for the award winning Broadway play The Wiz. Areas include a sports museum
and a visual arts museum among others. The only permanent art exhibit on the
mall will be Visual Art and the
American Experience, which focuses on the contribution Americans of
African descent made to the history of American Art. The galleries will also
feature changing exhibits so check out www.nmaahc.si.edu
for information.
The National Gallery of Art in Washington
D.C. is lucky to be showing Jackson Pollack’s largest painting, Mural, from 1943. Jackson Pollock’s Mural is on display until October 28,
2018. It was commissioned by Peggy Guggenheim for her New York City townhouse.
The 20 foot painting marks a change in style for the artist. Along with this
painting as centerpiece, several other paintings and works on paper will be on
view as well as his masterpiece, Lavender
Mist. Find out more about this wonderful show at www.nga.gov with more examples for you to enjoy.
While you are in Washington D.C you might
also want to take a look at the Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens, the final
home of Marjorie Merriweather Post. She was a collector and her home is open
with special exhibits. Currently the museum hosts Fabergé Rediscovered. The exhibit continues until January of
next year. Mrs. Post collected over 90 pieces of Fabergé. If you are a lover of
the decorative arts this is a good place to go and www.hillwoodmuseum.org will give you
information and reveal some of her amazing pieces of eye candy.
On view at the Philadelphia
Museum of Art through September 9, 2018 is Design
in Revolution: A 1960s Odyssey. Featuring the museum’s collection of
Rock and Roll posters from that tumultuous time as well as a series of images
of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., this show will surely bring back memories for
many and inform others about the history of the era. This exhibit is described
on the museum website at www.philamuseum.org
with more information about other shows as well.
A landmark exhibition is currently
at the Albright-Knox Museum in Buffalo, New York. Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective provides a broad
view of the artist’s work and is on view until September 23, 2018 when it moves
to the Tampa Museum of Art. Considered an enigmatic figure, the exhibit
features many views of his LOVE
sculpture that have never been displayed. Also included are his assemblages, paintings,
drawings and prints. Their website at www.albrightknox.org
has some interesting insights on the show.
The New York Historical Society
has a beautiful website that you must see. The fourth floor of the museum has
been turned into a Gallery of Tiffany
Lamps from the museum’s extensive collection. This ongoing exhibit
features 100 lamps, many designed by women. Starting in November and ongoing is
Audubon’s Birds of America Focus
Gallery which will display watercolor models for the artist’s work, The Birds of America. The society also
has Picasso’s Le Tricorne on display.
The painted theater curtain from the ballet was produced in 1919. Visitors can
also have a look at Ed Ruscha’s Fanned
Book from 2013. Coming up in October, Harry
Potter: A History of Magic comes to the museum from a collaboration
with a British Library exhibition. Many of the objects on display are from the
publisher’s, author’s and illustrator’s own archives. There is much to see at
this great venue so check out www.nyhistory.org
and prepare to be surprised by all the wonderful historical pieces on view.
Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of Hawai’i highlights her work for
the Dole Pineapple Company. Currently at the New York Botanical Gardens until
October 19, 2018, the exhibit features 17 of the artist’s paintings done in
1939. She visited Hawaii to fulfill a commission for the pineapple company and
the works haven’t been seen in New York for 40 years, when they were originally
displayed. To find information on the show visit www.nybg.org
and view some of her work.
Coming
this summer to the Museum of Modern Art in New York is Constantin Brancusi Sculpture from the museum’s collection
of his work. The show runs from July 22-February 24, 2019 and features 11 of
his works as well as photos and other archival material. His use of wood,
metals and stone in his pieces set them apart so go to www.moma.org for more information.
Mark your calendars for a show at
The Brooklyn Museum. David Bowie is
will be at the museum until July 15, 2018. This show has toured the world for 5
years and has finally come to Brooklyn. It is a feast for any David Bowie fan.
The exhibit explores his creative process, contains over 400 objects from his
archives, including costumes, original art for album covers and handwritten
lyric sheets. To learn more the museum’s website, www.brooklynmuseum.org, will clue you
in about this exhibit.
Currently at the Guggenheim
Museum in New York and on view until September 12, 2018 is Giacometti. The exhibit includes in excess of 175
sculptures, paintings and drawings by the artist. The emphasis is on his studio
practices as is evidenced by the inclusion of plaster sculptures along with
photos and ephemera. Feel free to check www.guggenheim.org
for information and make sure to listen to various curators talk about the
challenges of restoring Red Lilly Pads,
an Alexander Calder mobile. The museum is also featuring the work of Constantin Brancusi, one of the
most important sculptors of the 20th century. The Guggenheim started
collecting his work in the 1950s and it is their impressive collection that is on
display through the spring of this year.
Public Parks, Private Gardens: Paris to Provence is at
the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York until July of this year. Covering
the period from the late 18th through the early 2oth century in
France, at the height of its expansive addition of public and private gardens,
the show features 150 works by over 70 artists. New York’s Central Park was
designed after the French versions. The works, which include those by Camille
Corot and Henri Matisse, are taken largely from the Met’s own curatorial
departments but includes artwork that is on loan. Information on this wonderful
show can be found at www.metmuseum.org as well as dates and
times. Also on view at the Met Fifth Avenue and the Met Cloisters is Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the
Catholic Imagination through October 8, 2018. From the Met Costume
Institutes collection, the exhibit highlights the connection between fashion,
medieval art and Catholic tradition.
If you are quick you can catch Mark Rothko: Reflection which
continues until September 3, 2018 and has 11 of his masterpieces on display at
the Boston Museum of Fine Art. Because of the fragility of pastels they are
rarely shown. French Pastels:
Treasures from the Vault at the museum showcases a collection of many
of these works that have rarely come together for public viewing. The exhibit,
which includes works by Monet, Millet and, of course, Degas among others will
be up until January 6 of next year. Ongoing, the museum explores its own roots
in Collecting Stories: Native
American Art by reflecting on some of its early acquisitions. Continue
to check so you don’t miss anything because coming up soon is Casanova’s Europe: Art, Pleasure, and
Power in the 18th Century. Please be sure and look at www.mfa.org to find more information.
The Peabody Essex Museum in
Salem, Massachusetts has a plethora of interesting exhibits ending December 30,
2018. Raven’s Many Gifts: Native Art
of the Northwest Coast focuses on the museum's own collection of this
art covering the past 200 years. Double
Happiness: Celebration in Chinese Art and its companion exhibit, Importing Splendor: Luxuries from China
have titles that are self- explanatory. MegaCity:
India’s Culture of the Street examines the changes in art that happened
as India obtained independence. Japanomania!
Japanese Art Goes Global focuses on the museum’s vast collection of
Japanese export art collection. The place to find more information is www.pem.org and get a view of these wonderful
exhibits.
There are many wonderful
exhibits currently at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. On view through
January 2019 is Fashioned from Nature,
which explores the relationship between fashionable dress with natural history
specimens and the development of innovative fabrics and dyes. In a similar
vein, Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up
opened June 16, 2018. The show features her personal artifacts and clothing
which were stored for over fifty years. The clothing shown on line is beautiful
and especially a Guatemalan full length cotton coat. It is lovely. Catch the show
before it leaves November 4, 2018. For more information check these out at www.vam.ac.uk if they are of interest.
The Tate Britain is showing All Too Human: Bacon,Freud and a Century
of Painting Life through the end of August this year. It focuses on the
work of Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon, both of which chose to live in London.
Other contemporary painters make up the exhibit. On view through September 9, 2018
at the Tate Modern is the EY Exhibition
Picasso 1932: Love, Fame, Tragedy. I am looking forward to an amazing
show. For more information on these exhibits www.tate.org.uk
will have everything you need to know. While you are there, check out the
amazing videos at the site about various exhibitions.
An exciting new exhibit is
currently at The National Gallery in London. Monet & Architecture is up until July 29, 2018. A bold
new way of looking at the artist’s work, the exhibit focuses on his paintings
of the architecture of his time from London, Paris, Venice, Normandy and Rouen.
Monet said that he wanted to paint the light and air around these structures.
For the first time 75 of these works come together at the same time. This is a
very special exhibit. Be sure to watch the 3-D video about this show at www.nationalgallery.org.uk when
you look for details.
At Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum
you can still catch America’s Cool
Modernism: O’Keeffe to Hopper. The exhibit will continue through July
22, 2018 and covers the beginning of the 20th century in American
art. Artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Arthur Dove, Charles Demuth and Charles
Sheeler are represented. This exhibit covers the roaring 20s and the Great
Depression of the 1930s and how these artists responded. I would love to see
this exhibit and if you would too, check out their website at www.ashmolean.org for information plus some
interesting videos.
A Celebration of Flowers by Kaffe Fassett with Candace Bahouth is
currently at the Victoria Gallery in Bath, England until September 2, 2018.
Kaffe is the world renowned fiber artist from California’s Central Coast. This
colorful exhibit is stunning and should be on a bucket list for anyone in the
area. All the pertinent information is at www.victoriagal.org.uk as well as some
beautiful photos of this show.
So many exciting exhibits are
coming to the Musee D’Orsay in Paris. Picasso:
Blue and Rose opens in September. In November Renoir Father and Son: Painting and Cinema will be at the
museum followed by Berthe Morisot:
Female Impressionist and Degas
at the Opera scheduled for 2019. Meanwhile at the Musée de l'Orangerie,
The Water Lilies: The American
Abstract Art and the Last Monet is open through August 20, 2018. One of
Monet’s Water Lilies was brought to the Museum of Modern Art in 1955 at the
time when the Abstract Expressionists were working in New York. This painting
seen in the context of paintings like Pollock’s Autumn Rhythm shows the general influence Monet had on these
American artists. The exhibit features some of Monet’s later works and about
twenty paintings by artists such as Rothko, Still, Newman, and Morris Lewis, as
well as many others. Check out www.musee-orsay.fr
if you will be in Paris for this show.
The Musée Unterlinden in Colmar, France underwent a renovation and expansion in 2016. In the Alsace region, the
museum has been in existence since 1853 and is home to Gruenwald’s Medieval
masterpiece, Isenheim Altarpiece, as
well as one of only 3 tapestries of Guernica
approved by Picasso. It also has a large collection of Dubuffet artwork. The
National Geographic station aired the made-for-television series on Picasso’s
life which features a dramatization of the making of Guernica and how it came to be and why. I had the privilege of
seeing the work at MoMA years ago. As I got off the elevator in the museum I
came face to face with this large masterpiece. I have never forgotten the
experience. The museum’s website at www.musee-unterlinden.com,
is very informative.
Simply
the Best:
The best place to find books on
the arts, Arcana is a very
special bookstore located in the Helms Bakery complex in Los Angeles…it is
wonderful! I have known owner Lee Kaplan for decades and his selection of books
is as superb as his taste is impeccable. Arcana: Books on the Arts is at 8675 Washington Boulevard, Culver
City, CA 90232. For information go to http://www.arcanabooks.com
or call 310.458.1499.
Michiko Jewelry Design is an
incredible jewelry store in downtown Seal Beach, CA, featuring excellent
one-of-a-kind gifts. The shop owner and artist, Carol Matsumoto, custom designs
beautiful pieces. Michiko is
at 228 Main Street. Call 563.431.3237 for more information or check www.michikojewelrydesign.com.
Places
to Go, People to See
Beginning May 17, 2018, The
Corning Museum of Glass begins Glassbarge
which is a barge fully equipped with glass making equipment beginning in
Brooklyn Bridge Park and ending in Corning on September 22, 2018. As it travels
down the canal it will make many stops and people can make their own glass.
Very cool. Check out www.cmog.org for so much
more.
One of California’s great
architectural treasures, along with Hearst Castle to the north, The Adamson House and Malibu Lagoon
Museum is a spectacular Spanish Colonial style home overlooking the
Pacific Ocean. It was built in 1929 and most of its contents are original with
wonderful Malibu Tile work. It is open to the public Thursday – Saturday and
you can take a tour between 1-3pm. Get all the information at www.adamsonhouse.org and see some
wonderful photos of the house and grounds. My grandparents built their Southern
California home around the same time. It was a Spanish style California
bungalow and though it was much smaller and not at all elaborate, I still love
this kind of special architecture.
The extra perk about checking
out special events in Santa Barbara is that it is just a short trip to all the California
Central Coast wineries!!! You can make a weekend of it and enjoy the venue, the
beach and a toast.
On July 8 LotusFest takes place at Lotusland in Santa Barbara.
Featured is food, beer and wine in the beautiful botanical garden. The website
at www.lotusland.org will have all the
information as reservations are required.
The annual Santa Barbara French Festival is on July 14-15 this year.
Join in to celebrate Bastille Day with entertainment on three stages plus lawn
games and of course, wine, crepes, art and dance. There is a lot to enjoy so
check out www.frenchfestival.com
for details.
As usual the California Wine Festival at Santa
Barbara takes place in various locations. This year it is set for July19-21
with rare wine tastings and food from local chefs. To find out more go to www.californiawinefestival.com
and gather up some friends for a wonderful experience.
For the quintessential Santa
Barbara experience come to the annual Old
Spanish Days-Fiesta. This year this celebration of Santa Barbara’s
heritage takes place August 1-5 in various locations. You won’t want to miss it
so go to www.oldspanishdays-fiesta.org
for all the information.
Addendum:
In Memoriam
I did the painting above of our
cat Betty resting on a table near a vase of roses. We lost Betty yesterday. She
was elderly and had medical issues but she also had a mass that was missed. Years
ago she was wandering the neighborhood, homeless, so we rescued her and she
rescued us back. When my sister was in the hospital for several months and I
had been injured so that my movement was impaired, she refused to leave my side
and even slept next to me. I miss her so much and am heartbroken.
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