Cambria to San Francisco

ART in CAMBRIA

Michael Flohr Artwork
Artifacts Fine Art Gallery
http://www.artifactsgallery.com/

A. Paul & I had a nice respite and visit with my family in Cambria, while still finding time to scout out artwork once the rain passed.  If you are not familiar with Cambria it is a small seaside village situated along the central coast of California between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Given its close proximity to the two major cities, Cambria has long been a hotspot for LA actors and artists, escaping the city tempo.  Cambria's laid back approach to pretty much everything and everyone, along with its picturesque setting, creates the perfect backdrop to creative individuality, which to date continues to lure artists to its shores.

In a recent conversation with Lynn Rathbun, Gallery Director/Artist at Cambria's Allied Arts Association, Lynn stated that even though there was a marked downturn in the gallery business, artists continue to move to Cambria. Many artists, however, are seeking more non traditional means of representation and venues for selling, such as the internet.  Still, the existing galleries in Cambria are surviving, stressing that setting the price point at affordable ranges are essential for an artist in the current economic climate.

After our discussion with Lynn, A. Paul & I viewed the works along the hallways at the Arts Association, noticing the strong presence of watercolors.  Lynn confirmed that it is one of the more prevalent medias of artwork in Cambria.   Similar to our findings in other locales we have visited, much of the artwork is based upon the landscape surrounding the Central Coast.

Lynn Rathburn (L) & Kerry (R)
at Allied Arts Guild
LynnRathbun.com

Alongside works by its members, the Allied Arts Assoc (AAA) hosts and features the works of one member each month. At the time of our visit, the  AAA was featuring the mixed media works of J'net Wolff, who has been creating her artwork for over 40 years.  In Addition to the exhibit area, the AAA also operates art workshops, lectures, demonstrations, open studios, and performing arts. http://www.artistsofcambria.com/

A short walk down the west side of town one will find several galleries.  One gallery, Artifacts, represents a wide range of prints & giclees in addition to their large scale colored bronze pieces.    One artist's work that caught A. Paul's eye was the work of Michael Flohr, shown at the top of the blog.  http://www.artifactsgallery.com/
 

In the Melanee Sylvester Gallery, A. Paul & I met up with Lowell Sylvester who operates the gallery  representing his wife, Melanee, and daughter Tracey's, artwork.  Both artists have a unique style, Melanee's being more impressionistic and Tracey's more graphic. Melanee's sense of light is exceptional, capturing the essence and mood of the west coast landscape while her daughter Tracey's works have a strong Hopperesque quality.

"Day's End at BayBack" Melanee Sylvester

Lowell Sylvester & Kerry at
Melanee Sylvester Gallery

On the eastside of Cambria, Vault Gallery owner Laylon has been representing a diverse and talented group of artists for over 30 years. Many of the works depict strong influences of Calder, Klee, and Hopper yet with distinguishable nuances of the artists interpretations.  Several of Laylon's artists are well established, notable artists particularly her plein air artists John Cosby and Elizabeth Tolley. http://vaultgallery.com/ 



"Uptown" John Cosby



Though the village is small, Cambria has a lot to offer its visitors, art collectors, and artists.  There are several art workshops conducted in town as well as a plein air painting group which meets every Wednesday at various locations in town.  With over 200 resident artists, Cambria is  definitely worth visiting if you are in the area. 

If you need a visual break from artwork, you can always drive over to Moonstone Beach and walk the nature path that rambles along the beachfront or take in the views from any one of its many park benches that dot the coastal walkway.  



Following our brief stay in Cambria, it was time to pack up and get back on the road.  This morning we headed off to San Francisco, driving along the coastal route Highway 1.  It was a gorgeous day, which we were thankful for as we weaved around distractingly beautiful panoramic views along the cliffs of the west coast.  There was evidence that several areas of the road had washed away in all the recent winter rains and were under construction.  We finally landed in San Francisco just as the sun was setting but the sky was a bit too cloudy for a great sunset.  Instead, the lights of the city sprung to life greeting us with a different light show.

 Tomorrow, we head to the Museum of Modern Art as well as meet up with a couple of local artists.  I leave you with the extraordinaryimages of our 4 hour drive along Highway 1.

ART IN SANTA BARBARA




Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Abundant sunshine, palm trees, boardwalk, sand, boats...these are not the only attributes of Santa Barbara.  Along the many side streets off Santa Barbara's main avenue, State Street, are several art galleries and a very well curated museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.   The Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) is fairly young  by museum standards.  It was established in 1941 with expansions in 1942, 1963, 1985, 1998, 1991, and lastly in 2006.    Though the SBMA houses nearly 30,000 pieces of artwork, from antiquities to contemporary works, the strength of its collection is in 19th and 20th century arts.  Beyond an extensive collection of artwork on paper held in its Works on Paper Center, the SBMA also houses a comprehensive collection of drawings including works of artists such as Corot, Degas, and Morisot.  The SBMA has an extensive collection of Monet rivaling other West Coast museums and an antiquities collection only second to the J. Paul Getty Museum.   You can view several of the works of the SBMA collections at http://www.sbma.net/ 

Outside of  the museum venue,  contemporary artists find support through the Santa Barbara Art Association http://sbartassoc.org/index.html  which has been supporting approximately 500 artists for over 50 years. Many of these artists' works are shown at  the artists coop Gallery 113 in the Arcada and the Faulkner Gallery located within the town's library.  There is a visual and performing artwalk, First Thursday, held each month featuring art openings, wine tastings, symphony performances, and on street live music.  You can find more about the downtown activities in Santa Barbara, including First Thursday, at http://www.santabarbaradowntown.com/

Similar to our findings in Palm Springs, there is evidence that Santa Barbara has been affected by the economic downturn of the past couple of years.  Several major storefronts sit vacant. There remains, however, anchor stores and galleries that continue to thrive within the heart of Santa Barbara which are worthy of visiting if you are in the area.  You can print a list of galleries under information on the downtown link for First Thursday.

After a pleasant and relaxing morning in Santa Barbara, A. Paul & I left the sunshine and clear skies of Santa Barbara and headed towards Cambria via Santa Ynez Valley's Danish town of Solvang.  During our drive, we encountered winding hills through horse and cattle ranches, mist hugged  hills forging spring green grass,  to, finally, gray rolling waves along the central coast outside of Cambria.  Though A. Paul & I will explore Cambria's art scene, I will also be visiting with family members that I have not seen for quite awhile so my next blog will most likely be a couple of days from now.  Until then, I will leave you with our scenic drive from ocean through rolling hills and back to ocean once again.

Palm Springs to Santa Barbara

PALM SPRINGS TO SANTA BARBARA

Palm Springs

 Today, A. Paul & I drew our art from nature. We left a sunny Palm Springs this morning to drive northwest to Santa Barbara, finding ourselves caught up in dust storms, rain storms, and clouds appearing to swallow the earth.  Then, as if on cue, the clouds broke, casting a bright light on earth's bounty of colors. By late afternoon, we landed safely in Santa Barbara to take in the beach and street scenes. Tomorrow, we visit a few galleries in Santa Barbara then off to visit the Danish village of Solvang situated in the Santa Ynez Valley north of Santa Barbara before landing in Cambria for the next few nights. We leave you this evening with the volatile yet beautiful imagery of our day's travel.

Arizona to Palm Springs, CA

ART IN FLAGSTAFF ARIZONA

Downtown Flagstaff

 

An hour south of the Grand Canyon lies the small art community of Flagstaff, Arizona. Flagstaff, deriving its name from a group of pioneers who raised an American flag upon a deboughed pine tree in celebration of America's centennial in 1876, has serviced travelers from the time of its inception to current day, via trail, train, and road, most notably the historic Route 66.  Today, a visitor can see the evidence of Flagstaff's past along its main streets, where Historic Rte 66 markers reside next to a retired train engine and its historic buildings turned retail shops. The shops that dot the main streets of Flagstaff depict the diverse culture that exists in the region,among those, several galleries representing local and Native American artworks. It was in one such shop, the Arizona Handmade Gallery, that we met up with glass artist George Averbeck. Within minutes, after hearing about our tour, George set up an opportunity for A. Paul & I to meet several other artists in the town.  Before leaving the gallery, George introduced us to his beautiful handblown glass pieces shown at the Handmade Gallery. He also provided us a signed copy of his most recent claim to fame, playing Cupid, a photographic image that graces the cover of the local arts & news magazine called "The Noise".   A quick look at the cover immediately conveys the playfulness and good nature of this artist. Thank you George for your time, energy, and hospitality.

 

L-R: A. Paul, Kerry, & George Averbeck

You can view George's work and that of the other artists represented at the Handmade Gallery  at website  http://www.azhandmade.com/.

A. Paul & I visited a couple more of the galleries along San Franciso Street, namesake of the six towering peaks in Arizona's mountains, before wandering into photographer John Running's studio.

Running is an amazing photographer, whose works adorn album covers, advertising, and editorial works with clients such as Nikon and Sterling Commerce.  In addition to his corporate photographic works, Running's portraits of Native Americans and female & male figures are stunningly powerful images that capture the soul and essence of his subjects.  Running's works have been published in several books, "Honor Dance", "Pictures for Soloman", and "Halo of the Sun", which are worthy of acquiring.

While at Running's studio, we had the opportunity to meet several other artists, two photographers  Margeaux Bestard (responsible for George's cupid image) & Kristen Caldon, and a ceramist, Chelsea Arndt, all who seemed quite at home in Running's studio.  It simply demonstrated to us the strength of a collaborative spirit that exists in the Flagstaff art community.  You can visit most of these artists' works at their respective websites.  John Running sites: http://www.johnrunning.com/ and http://www.geneticimprints.com/ ; Margeaux Bestard at  http://www.margeauxbestard.com/ ; and Kristen Caldon at http://www.kmcaldon.com/ . 



L-R: Chelsea Arndt, John Running, Margeaux Bestard,
Kristen Caldon, and studio dog Penny Lane.



To learn more about Flagstaff's arts, you can visit the Artists' Coalition site http://flagstaff-arts.org/ as well as http://www.flagstaffarizona.org/playing_arts.html  and Coconino Center for the Arts http://www.culturalpartners.org/

ARTS IN SEDONA

After a short but informative stop in Flagstaff, we drove to nearby Sedona, Arizona.  As one person stated to me at the Grand Canyon, "The Grand Canyon is all downward where Sedona is all up."  She could not be more correct.  The towering red rock chimneys of Sedona are simply awe inspiring.  The drive down the curvy, steep decline into Sedona through light filtering towering pines is a perfect backdrop to the main street of Sedona, where its main visual art center  is located next door to  a western saloon style shop. Once inside the Sedona Arts Center, it was clear that many of the artists are inspired by their surroundings.  Color and content of the works captured the hues and forms of the landscape.  In addition to the Center's two levels of exhibit galleries, the Center offers onsite studio art workshops in two of its buildings, photographic and plein air expeditions, and  workshops abroad.  http://www.sedonaartscenter.com/

ARTS IN PALM SPRINGS

After our stay in Scottsdale, A. Paul & I headed out today for Palm Springs, CA.  The day was a picture perfect, warm and sunny 78 degrees across the Sonoran Desert.  We rolled into Palm Springs  in the afternoon and directly visited the Palm Springs Art Museum.   The museum's building is an artistic sight itself.  The multi level, spacious galleries felt more like an open air mall than museum but was perfectly curated for the space.  On the top level, the museum's permanent collections of contemporary works includes lesser seen works such as Lichtenstein's laquered screen and Warhol's Brillo Box Dress.  



Lichenstein's screen



The second level houses a small but eclectic collection of contemporary works by artists such as Franz Kline and Henry Moore, as well as a small collection of Mexican artists including Diego Rivera works.  The lower level displays a stunning collection of glasswork and American West works.  You can see many of these works as well as learn about other visual art venues held at the museum on the museum website http://www.psmuseum.org/ .

"Apart X" Anthony Gormley

Tomorrow, we leave to Santa Barbara, where it appears it will be raining upon our arrival.  We did so enjoy the desert dry heat and the beauty of spring arriving upon the desert landscape.  Until tomorrow, I bid you goodnight and leave you with images from the drive from Scottsdale to Palm Springs as well as additional images of artwork from the Palm Springs Art Museum.  





Art Venues- Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Sedona, & Scottsdale

ARTS & SCOTTSDALE

Happy Valentine's Day from warm, sunny Scottsdale, AZ.  A. Paul & I just took a tour of Scottsdale with our longtime friend and Scottsdale resident Tony Cataffo.  Central within the Scottsdale sprawl is a historic district with a well defined arts district along Main & Marshall Streets.  Along Marshall Street, there were several unoccupied gallery spaces which indicates that Scottsdale is not untouched by the nation's economic woes, although one of the gallery managers stated that there is positive movement in the market of late.  Unlike Provincetown's mid summer season, the main bustle of the art season in Scottsdale occurs between January and March.  The Scottsdale Art Walk, incorporating over 100 galleries, takes place every Thursday between 7-9pm.  Sprayed painted signs stating"  the ArtWalk Line" are scattered every few feet on the sidewalks to help guide visitors along the way.  You can check out the participating galleries as well as special events at http://www.scottsdalegalleries.com/  (Thanks, Tony & Betty for your hospitality and for showing us around.)  Now to catch up a little bit on our day from yesterday



ARTS & GRAND CANYON

Grand Canyon Celebration of the Arts
image courtesy of the National Park

Kolb Studio
Grand Canyon National Park

Along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon sits the Kolb Studio upon the brink of the canyon walls.  The studio house currently stretches the height of five stories down the length of the canyon wall.  Prior to the house being built, the photographic studio established by the Kolb brothers in 1901, started in a simple cave at the head of Bright Angel Trail, before the Grand Canyon became a national park. It is here where the Kolb brothers established their claim to fame by photographing visitors riding donkeys down the trail to the canyon basin. One such image that was shown to me was Roosevelt on a donkey, now there was a sight.  The Kolbs also created the first movie video of the their trip down the Colorado River which was used as a promotional film at the Grand Canyon up until the death of Emery, the last living Kolb brother, in1976.  Over the years, the studio was expanded.  First in 1904 then three additional floors added in 1915 and the last addition of an auditorium in 1926.   Today, the studio houses a bookstore, exhibit rooms of rotating art exhibits and a permanent collection of original works purchased by the National Park in addition to the audtiorium.  The Kolb Studio is today on the National Historic Registry. It was the first venue of art in the Grand Canyon but certainly was not the last.  For the past three years , the Grand Canyon National Park hosts  its fundraiser "Celebration of the Arts" during the fall.  Proceeds from the event is used to "preserve and showcase" historic & contemporary art depicting the park. 

Virginia Martin
Manager Kolb Studio Bookstore

Each year at the event, six to seven artists are invited to set up and paint in the park where at the end of the venue the works are auctioned off, with the park purchasing one piece for its permanent collection.  The works are judged and awarded placement in several distinct categories. The event is opened to the public and several artists offer demonstrations to their viewers as they paint . In addition to the Celebration of the Arts venue,  the park also offers an Artist in Residence Program, whereby artists are selected through a juried process to spend three weeks on site at the Canyon to complete an artistic undertaking.  You can learn more about the art venues and about the park in general by viisting  http://www.grandcanyon.org/  

Tomorrow we travel to Palm Springs, CA.  When we land, I will catch you up with the arts scene in Flagstaff & Sedona, AZ, with a host of special artists that we met in Flagstaff.  Tonight, our dear friends Tony & Betty are whisking us off for an evening Valentines affair to say adieu to Scottsdale, Arizona.  Hope you all have a wonderful Valetine's night.

Grand Canyon to Scottsdale, AZ via Flagstaff & Sedona

GRAND CANYON TO SCOTTSDALE VIA FLAGSTAFF & SEDONA

After a restful and invigorating overnight stay at the Grand Canyon Maswik Lodge, I woke early to catch the morning light on the canyon landscape and to check out the Kolb Studio located along the canyon wall before A. Paul & I headed out to Flagstaff, Sedona, & finally Scottsdale.  It was an incredible day to share with you. However, given the very late hour, I must reserve writing about all the wonderful views, art stops, and  special artists we met along our way until tomorrow's blog.   I will leave you instead with a slideshow of the spectacular scenery we encountered throughout our drive. Tomorrow, I will have so much to share with you. Until then,  A. Paul & I bid you a pleasant journey through the images.

Santa Fe to Grand Canyon National Park

FROM THE PAINTED DESERT OF NEW MEXICO TO A SUNSET OVER THE GRAND CANYON

Our 7-1/2 hour drive across New Mexico to Arizona, catching the sun setting over the Grand Canyon has left A. Paul & I speechless.  We encountered every terrain on our drive--endless pastel hued fields, chiseled rock outcrops,  towering pines, snow capped mountains, and the sunset over the remarkable towers of the Grand Canyon.  We hope the pictures will provide what I cannot say with simple words.  Tomorrow, we hope to visit the artist studio built five stories along the side of the canyon then head off to explore Flagstaff, Sedona, and ending our day in Scottsdale. Until then, we hope you enjoy the views.