“Beatrice Wood on her 105th Birthday” – Artist Alice Matzkin – 1988. On loan from collection of artist.

“Kay Haley” – Artist George’s Posla – 1937. On loan from collection of Robert Haley.

“Peter with Red Shirt” – Artist John Nava – 2013. On loan from collection of artist.

“Sherman Day Thacher” – Artist H.R. Butler – 1922. On loan from Thacher School

“Fine Portraits/Fine People”
January 17 through March 29, 2015
Opening Reception, January 17, 5 to 7 p.m.

Portraiture will be the focus of the Ojai Valley Museum’s first exhibition in 2015, “Fine Portraits/Fine People.” Museum Director Michele Ellis Pracy has selected nineteen insightful portraits of Ojai personages who are important to the history, art, and culture of Ojai and the Ojai Valley. The exhibition opens Jan. 17 and runs through March 29, 2015.

The portraits in the exhibit are paintings or drawings that fix a person in space and time. They are traditional; they are formal; they reveal elements of character, identity and personality. Each artwork captures the physical features and the spirit of the model’s personality and goes beyond a likeness to exemplify the individuality of each person represented. The works also capture human moments, values, and concerns of the Ojai community in which they were created. Subtle and direct effects are embedded within the image by both the one producing the portrait, as well as the one being portrayed.

The two-dimensional artworks, accomplished in oil, acrylic, pastel, intaglio, ink and collage, are one-of-a-kind pieces borrowed locally from the private collections of the portraitist, institutions of learning, or from the families of the person portrayed. The earliest portrait was executed in 1922 and the most recent in 2013.

The walls hold visages of Ojai residents, individuals and couples. Each person we look upon appears to make the absent present. The portraits reveal who the subjects are or were, show us how they lived, what they held dear, and how they connected to the wider world. Short wall text biographies of the subjects offer additional insight for the viewer.

This exhibit is organized to feature both the social importance of the sitter as well as the artistic capability of the portraitist. Among the Ojai persons of merit on view are: Sergio Aragonés, Peter Bellwood, Harry Gorham, Kay Haley, Otto and VivikaHeino, Willoughby Johnson, JidduKrishnamurti, Sherman Thacher, Constance Wash and Ginger Wilson.

John Nava, Stanton MacDonald Wright ,Xavier Cugat, MichealDvortcsak, Alice Matzkin,and Mark Whitman are among the California artists rendering the portraits.

The Hall Gallery includes educational wall texts addressing the History of Portraiture; Types of Portraits; Setting and Symbolism; and Color and Technique. Each portrait in the Rotating Gallery is accompanied by a short biography of the person represented, which provides an historical perspective. The artworks reveal the skill and joy intrinsic to the fine art of portraiture.

This exhibit of fine art portraiture heralds influential Ojai personalities as rendered by notable California artists. “Fine Portraits/Fine People,” is a selection of stellar artwork describing exceptional individuals who have influenced how we live our lives in Ojai.

Whether formal, religious, historical or imaginative, each and every portrait carries meanings intended by the artist, and those assigned to it by the viewers. It will be fascinating for visitors to explore those meanings and learn about the similarities and variations within portraits from different time periods.

The Alcove Gallery features a mini science exhibit, “Topography/Cartography of the Ojai Valley.” Viewers explore the valley geography via a three-dimensional topographical map and informative wall texts on this subject. The art of cartography (map making) is also featured.

The Ojai Valley Museum, established in 1967, is generously supported in part by museum members, private donors, business sponsors and underwriters, the Smith-Hobson Foundation, Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, City of Ojai, Ojai Community Bank, Rotary Club of Ojai, Ojai Civic Association and a grant from the Heritage Fund of Ventura County Community Foundation.

The museum is located at 130 W. Ojai Avenue, Ojai, CA. Admission: Free for current 2014 members, adults - $5.00, children 6–18 - $1.00 and children 5 and under – free. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Tours are available by appointment. Free parking is available off Blanche Street at back of museum.

For more information, call the museum at (805) 640-1390, ext. 203, e-mail ojaimuseum@sbcglobal.net or visit the museum website at: Ojai Valley Museum.org Find us on Facebook Ojai Valley Museum