The last of artist George Stuart’s monologue presentations, If these Walls could Talk: Versailles, is scheduled at the Museum of Ventura County on Monday, February 1, 2010, at 1:30 pm. Learn about the grand architecture of Europe’s most famous palace, once the residence of some of history’s most famous figures.

The George Stuart Historical Figures® of King Louis XIV and of Marie Antoinette with her children are also on view at the Museum through February 28. The one-quarter life-size sculptures are renowned for their expressiveness and intricately detailed costumes.

Monologue seating is limited, so reservations are required. Call (805) 641-1876 ext. 305. Admission for the general public is $15, for museum members $10, and members of the George Stuart Historical Figures® Guild may attend at no charge.

Versailles has been synonymous with elegance in fashion and etiquette since 1682, when Louis XIV made it the showplace of the French monarchy. Today the palace and its grounds remain one of Europe's most visited sites.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 89 S. California Street in downtown Ventura. For more museum information please go to www.venturamuseum.org.

Joseph Ross

Join historian and author Joseph Ross for a presentation and booksigning at the Ojai Valley Museum, Sunday, Jan. 10 from 1 to 3 pm. Ross’s latest book, Krotona in the Ojai Valley, is a portrait of the prominent theosophists that colored the economic, cultural and spiritual life of the unique Ojai community in the 1920's. The book also gives intimate glimpses into the life of the internationally renowned spiritual teacher J. Krishnamurti who lived and taught in the Ojai Valley for much of his life.

Ross’s interest in theosophy brought him to Ojai in the 1960s. He has been collecting letters, photographs and rare documents for decades. Author of seven books, he has recently published several more volumes of his Krotona history series, culminating with the fourth and final volume, Krotona in the Ojai Valley. The series follows the history of the Krotona Institute from its early years in Hollywood to its relocation in 1924 to Ojai, where it resides today.

The theosophical threads are widespread throughout the Ojai Valley and though the visionary theosophical leaders are long gone their spirit is very much alive here today. Come hear this fascinating and unique history from a local expert. Admission is FREE!

Peggy Dark grew up in Ventura in a family of devoted cooks, and following that tradition, eventually founded The Kitchen for Exploring Foods, one of Southern California’s premier catering firms. On Saturday, January 16 at 3:00 pm, Dark comes to the Museum of Ventura County to sign the new book “Fabulous Parties: Food and Flowers for Elegant Entertaining,” which she wrote with florists Mark Held and Richard David of Mark’s Garden. Along with food tasting, the event will include Dark’s discussion about the book, which adapts the principals of planning lavish large events to the more intimate scale and budget of home entertaining. She will also talk about how her career was influenced by her family and her hometown of Ventura.

Attendance is $15 for the general public, $10 for museum members. Call 805-653-0323 x 10 to make reservations. Because there is limited space, reservations are on a first-come, first-taken basis.

Dark, a graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara, co-founded The Kitchen for Exploring Foods in Pasadena in 1984, a catering and gourmet take-out business with a devoted Southern California following. Mark Held and Richard David are the owners of Mark’s Garden in Los Angeles, recognized in 1999 by the London Financial Times as one of the outstanding florists in the world.

Marie Antoinette
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Explore the grandeur of Versailles when artist and historian George Stuart recounts the lives of those who lived and ruled from the rooms of Europe's most famous palace. Three presentations of Stuart’s monologue If these Walls could Talk: Versailles are scheduled at the Museum of Ventura County on two Mondays, January 11 and February 1, 2010, both at 1:30 pm, and on Tuesday, January 12 at 7:30 pm.

The George Stuart Historical Figures® of King Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette with her children are also on view at the museum through February 28. The one-quarter, life-size sculptures are renowned for their expressiveness and intricately detailed costumes.

Monologue seating is limited, so reservations are required. Call (805) 641-1876 ext. 305. Admission for the general public is $15, for museum members $10, and members of the George Stuart Historical Figures® Guild may attend at no charge.

Versailles has been synonymous with elegance in fashion and etiquette since 1682, when Louis XIV made it the showplace of the French monarchy. Today the palace and its grounds remain one of Europe's most visited sites.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 89 S. California Street in downtown Ventura. For more museum information please go to www.venturamuseum.org.

Buenaventura Art Association announces a “Call for Entries” for their 24th Annual Open Competition at the Buenaventura Gallery. The exhibit will run from January 5 – January 30 with the bring-in for the artists on Sunday, Jan. 3 and Monday, Jan. 4 from 11 am – 2 pm. The awards ceremony (with $1,500 in prizes awarded) will be on Saturday, January 9 from 4 – 7 pm. Dane Goodman, Director of Atkinson Gallery, Santa Barbara City College will be the juror.

Goodman’s artworks range a variety of mediums, from installations to prints, and have shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States. Honors include nominations for the Los Angeles based Friends of Contemporary Art’s FOCA Fellowship and the National Awards in the Visual Arts. During summer 2008, Goodman served as a panelist for the National Endowment of the Arts.

Goodman states “I bring no agenda except to do the best I can in the given situation. I am open to all styles and media. I do look for a certain authenticity in the work, the something that makes the work the artist’s own and not someone else’s.”

Eligibility for the exhibition is open to all professional and amateur artists. Downloadable bring-in forms are available at www.buenaventuragallery.org or stop by the Buenaventura Gallery.

The Buenaventura Gallery is located at 700 E Santa Clara St. in downtown Ventura. Hours are Tues – Friday from 12 – 5 pm and Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. For more information and entry form, visit their website at www.BuenaventuraGallery.org.

UCLA Screenwriting Professor and Chairman, Richard Walter, shares with his participants the same unfailing foundations and principles that he teaches at UCLA, where he's chaired the legendary screenwriting department for over
27 years. Richard Walter is head of UCLA's Department of Film and
Television. His former students' screenplays include WAR OF THE WORLDS,
SIDEWAYS, and THE SIMPSONS, to mention just a few.

The Ventura Film Festival raises money for forest and ocean preservation, conservation, and restoration. Last year's Ventura Film Festival was a week long event held at the historic Majestic Ventura Theater and five other theaters in downtown Ventura, California and featured over 100 films from all over the world including Surfer Magazine's "Best Surf Film", Bustin Down the Door, and other award winning films such as MOMz Hot ROCKs, David Parsa's LIVE: A MUSIC AND SURFING EXPERIENCE, and Mango Tango.

At the recent Rhode Island Film Festival, "MOMz Hot ROCKs", which CONTINUED »

An exhibit of small, original artworks by Buenaventura Art Association’s (BAA) members will be at the Harbor Village Gallery, from Wednesday, December 16th to Sunday, January 24, 2010. Reception is Thursday, December 17, 2009 from 5 – 8pm. The Buenaventura Gallery will continue their small image exhibit at the Buenaventura Gallery until Saturday, January 2, 2010.
For your holiday shopping come stop by the Harbor Village Gallery or the Buenaventura Gallery, filled with abundant works of art, all under fourteen inches at affordable prices. The “Small Image Exhibit” consists of a diverse sled full of art work, with stunning gifts for everyone. Jolly bundles of joy consist of drawings, mixed media, and paintings in acrylics, oils, watercolors, and more. Subject matters range greatly from portraits to landscapes and to abstract renditions. For an unforgettable gift for your special ones come down and pick out a precious, original work of art!
The Harbor Village Gallery is located at 1591 Spinnaker Dr., entrance # 3 in the Ventura Harbor Village, next to the big lawn. Open everyday except Tuesday from 12 to 5 p.m. The Buenaventura Gallery is located at 700 E. Santa Clara St., in downtown Ventura. Open Tuesday through Friday from 12 to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call the gallery at 805-644-2750 or visit www.harborvillagegallery.com or www.buenaventuragallery.org

Enchanted Loom is the most recent collection from artist Larisa Strauss. Her mosaics and glaze painting will be on exhibit from Tuesday, December 8 to Saturday, January 2, 2010 at the Buenaventura Gallery. Opening reception is Saturday December 12, from 4 – 7 pm.

A bold move to go where this woman has not gone before, Strauss look towards the stars for inspiration. Her show will draw you into the mystifying beauty of Strauss’s talent and the mesmerizing subject matter she has chosen to spread her horizons with. No project too small, Strauss’s name is found in the corner of many public art pieces around town. A few examples include Marina Park entryway mural and most recently the History of Ventura County mural at the Museum of Ventura County. Strauss again holds her own with her dazzling mosaics and layered glaze paintings paying reverence to images from astounding astronomers and NASA photographs.

The English neurophysiologist, Sir Charles Scott Sherrington, referred to the human interpretation of the cosmos as an enchanted loom, “where millions of flashing shuttles weave a dissolving pattern, always a meaningful pattern though never an abiding one; a shifting harmony of subpatterns.” Insight from a timeless justification of what we see when the high powered lenses turns toward the skies, Strauss explains, “My show is an exploration of images taken from the farthest reaches of the universe, down to the minutest molecular structures of the body.”

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Experience the unique sand dunes, sculptured rocks and volcanic craters of Death Valley with geographer Dennis Napier as your tour director on a Museum of Ventura County three-day motor coach tour February 25-27, 2010.

The trip includes Death Valley National Park and Scotty’s Castle tours, the ½ mile wide Ubehebe Crater, and other sites such as Badwater, the lowest elevation in the Western hemisphere. Trip director Napier, who taught geography at Long Beach City College for 32 years, leads travel programs throughout the world.

The tour is $525 per person for double occupancy (single occupancy $655), which includes the escorted motor coach tour, tours of upper and lower Death Valley and Scotty’s Castle, 2 nights at the Furnace Creek Ranch, three meals, and luggage handling. The tour departs from Ventura, Glendale, or Mission Viejo.

To register by the Monday, January 25 deadline, contact the Museum of Ventura County’s Danielle Martell at 805-641-1876, x 305. For more details about the trip, visit: www.californiadiscovery.com.

Ventura, CA. - Young violinists and violists will compete for prizes at the 3rd annual Henry Schwab Ventura County Violin/Viola Competition. The preliminary round is at Guthrie Hall, Ventura College on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010. Contestants will play for the panel of judges, Robert Lawson, head of the VC Music Department, Irving Weinstein, concert master of the VC Symphony, and Jack Ullom, professor emeritus of Santa Barbara City College and an eminent violinist. The judges will select four finalists who will go on to the final concerto competition with orchestra on May 22, 2010. All finalists receive cash prizes.

Applications are due at Ventura College by January 8. Each contestant is asked to play a short piece by J.S. Bach of their choice, another contrasting work of their choice and a movement of a standard violin or viola concerto. Applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable $30 entry fee.

For an application go to VC website, www.venturacollege.edu to download the application form.

For further information or to request an application, call 805-525-0144.

Background on Henry Schwab: The event, the Henry Schwab Ventura County Violin Competition, honors Henry Schwab, who began violin study in New York at a young age. His talent prompted his parents to send him to Europe in 1924 to continue his training. He studied in Vienna, graduating with highest honors. His study continued in Berlin with the world-famous professor Carl Flesch and later with the Russian virtuoso, Spiwakowsky. He studied in Paris under French master Jacques Thibaud. After taking a degree from Normale de Musique, he returned to the United States for a brilliant career as a concert violinist, concertmaster, teacher and collector of instruments. Maestro Schwab passed away at the age of 100 in 2006, and his wife Miriam has established this competition in his memory.

Additional Information on the Competition: The contest has two categories: CONTINUED »

An exhibit of original artworks by Linda Peterson’s, titled “Through My Window” will be at the Harbor Village Gallery, from Wednesday, December 16th to Sunday, January 24, 2009. Artist Reception is Thursday, December 17, 2009 from 5 – 8pm.
Come fill your sense of adventure with Linda Peterson’s selection of photographs through out the past twenty years. Whether the subject is from the ordinary or exotic, one can truly feel her excitement and love for life. The photographic equipment and techniques vary throughout the body of work, adapting to each subject matter. Her images stand strong on their own as well as a collective, evolving series. Peterson’s photographs are intrinsic portals that take you into a world full of beauty, character and diversity.
Peterson was born in New York and grew up on Long Island. She attended Adelphi Suffilk, graduating with Bachelors in Social Sciences. Furthermore, she holds a certificate in interior design from the University of California in Los Angeles, and was owner of La Tigh Interiors. Interior design gave her the base of detail, composition, light and color. Her love of the arts further evolved to photography, compelling her to take workshops with field photographers. Recently, she has enjoyed taking classes at the Ventura College with Bill Hendrix.
Her work has been published in “Color Confidence” by Tim Grey, as well as, in wild life photography books, “The Lens and the Land” and “Spirit of the Chaparral”. Peterson has received several recognitions such as, top honors in the “Best Photography Journal” in 2002 and 2003 and was chosen as Feature Artist for the City of Ventura 2005 Summer ArtWalk.
Peterson’s photographs are composed of the roots of America including Texas, the Southwest, Yosemite and Montana. They also expand to locations such as, Africa, Korea, Cuba, Russia and many locations throughout Europe. Life beams in her work, among details and a soft painterly effect, known as Polaroid Manipulation. Peterson openly invites the viewer to share her experiences, look “Through My Window”, and pause for contemplation.
This is Linda Peterson’s first solo exhibition with Buenaventura Art Association
The Harbor Village Gallery is located at 1591 Spinnaker Dr. Suite 117C in the Ventura Harbor Village. Open everyday except Tuesday from 12 to 5 pm. For more information, call the gallery at 805-644-2750 or visit www.harborvillagegallery.com or www.buenaventuragallery.org

OXNARD, Calif.—Channel Islands Harbor kicks off the holidays with its 44th annual holiday Parade of Lights 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., Dec. 12, with the parade beginning at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited to enjoy a full day of holiday activities and then watch a festive display of sparkling lights pass by on decorated boats.

Kids can play in 36 tons of snow falling at the north end of Harborview Park, off Harbor Blvd. near Marine Emporium Landing, beginning at 10 a.m. There will also be a holiday artists’ market, exhibitors, live music, children’s activities, gigantic inflatable fun zone, face painting, and much more.

Santa and his reindeer will ride through the sky to mark the beginning of the parade. The parade starts in front of Peninsula Park and heads to the Main Channel, turns at Hobie Beach, loops in front of the launch ramp then heads back to Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club and repeats the route for second run. The parade can be viewed from parks and walkways that line the route as well as from most Harbor restaurants.

To participate in the parade, download an entry form from www.channelislandsharbor.org, or call (805) 382-3001 for more information. To adopt a boat to be in the parade, contact Bill Conroy at the Ventura County Maritime Museum at (805) 984-6260. Any size boat can register for the Parade of Lights.

All registered boats will receive two tickets to the Parade of Lights Awards Ceremony Brunch at Channel Islands Yacht Club the following morning, 10 a.m., December 13. Additional tickets are available for purchase, and the brunch is open to the public. In addition, parade participants can take part in various decorating contests and compete for awards.

For more information on the Parade of Lights visit www.channelislandsharbor.org.

Channel Islands Harbor serves as a center of recreation, boating, shopping and water sports activities. The harbor is home to three yacht clubs and nine full-service marinas that provide berths for 2,150 boats. It also hosts the Ventura County Maritime Museum. Located at Fisherman’s Wharf, the museum is a cultural center dedicated to the interpretation of maritime history through interactive exhibits and educational outreach.

An exhibit of original artworks by Gwenlyn Norton, titled “Celebration of Life”, will be at the Discovery Gallery from Friday, December 4 through Wednesday, December 30, 2009. The opening reception is on Friday, December 4 from 5-8 pm. during the First Friday Ventura Gallery Crawl.

Bold and exuberant artworks by Gwenlyn Norton literally jump out at you full of animated spirit and life. Dazzling, uniquely cut canvases fill the gallery with various selections of mediums; ranging from oils, modeling pastes and gels, mixed media, pencils and more. Her images are jumping boldly, zestful of texture and wrapped with crisp, chromatic edges. These bright and juicy colors dance along with the ability to transform any subject matter into a party full of excitement.

Even as a child Norton was passionately in want of experimenting with the arts and all its colors, materials, textures, and designs. She has taken classes in graphic design, calligraphy, and decorated letters. However, many of her techniques and theories have been self taught, giving a personal twist to her work. She owned a graphic business in Ventura for seven years and currently manages a calligraphy business. Her adamant desire in the arts is evident accompanied by many studies and interests.

Norton’s works have been displaced in over seventeen CONTINUED »

Lake Casitas
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Ojai Hay Bales
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Ojai
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Topas And Rainbow
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Ventura Pier
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The Ojai Valley Museum invites you to celebrate an American experience through the lens of internationally known Ojai photographer, Joseph Sohm on Saturday, December 5, 2009. This multi media mosaic, Visions of America, answers the question: How do you photograph democracy?

This benefit event for the Ojai Museum begins at 4:30 pm at the Ojai Theatre, 145 E. Ojai Ave. A celebration party and book signing will follow at 6:00 pm, at the nearby Ojai Center for the Arts, 113 S. Montgomery, featuring catered American fare by The Event Caddy and musical entertainment by Los Angeles musician, Maurice Weiss. Tickets are $55 before November 25 and $65 per person after November 25. Prepaid reservations are required. Seating is limited. Contact the museum at (805) 640-1390 for full information and reservations.

Additional website information available at: http://www.ojaivalleymuseum.org/ and http://www.visionsofamerica.com/index.html

An American Dream on the Big Screen

If you read magazines, books, advertisements, newspapers, calendars, surf the web, watch television, or buy CD’s or post cards, you've probably seen images photographed by Sohm. His images appear in National Geographic, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, CNN, ABC, the History Channel, on best-sellers including John Grisham’s King of Torts, Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, Bill Clinton’s My Life, in American embassies around the world, in the National Archives of the U.S., and in advertisements for most of the Fortune 1000 corporations. His images are published more than 10,000 times a year worldwide.

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THOUSAND OAKS, CA – The CLU Choral Ensembles and University Symphony will combine forces to present the 50th annual CLU Christmas Festival Concerts Dec. 4 through 6.

The performances will be at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 5, and at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, in Samuelson Chapel.

The free concerts, the university’s longest-running annual event, will feature a narrated performance of Christmas music. The program will include delightful lesser-known carols as well as familiar favorites sung by the CLU Choir and Women’s Chorale. Additionally, the University Symphony strings will perform Roy Douglas’ “A Nowell Sequence” based on themes from Ralph Vaughan Williams’ unfinished opera “The First Nowell.” Wyant Morton, chair of the music department and director of choral and voice activities, and Daniel Geeting, director of instrumental music, will conduct.

Donations will be accepted.

The chapel is located near the corner of Olsen Road and Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks. This is always a very popular concert so arrive early for convenient parking and the best seating.
For more information, call the Music Department at (805) 493-3306 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu/music.

SANTA PAULA, CA – A ten-year dream to establish a permanent home for Santa Paula’s renowned art collection is about to become a reality. The Board of Directors of the Santa Paula Art Museum (SPAM) announced Monday that the doors of the historic Limoneira Building, having been magically transformed into a showcase for great art, will swing open to the public on Sunday, February 13, 2010.

“We are absolutely thrilled”, said a beaming Mary Alice Henderson, Chair of the SPAM Board of Directors, as she announced the Grand Opening date. “We’ve come so far, and overcome so many obstacles to reach this point. None of this would be possible without the vision and support of so many people and organizations, not the least of which is the Limoneira Company, whose historic building will be our new home”.

History is alive as the transformation of the iconic building takes place. Chris Wilson and Chuck Teague, General Contractors on the project, have ties that reach deep into the building’s bones. Chris’ grandfather, Roy Wilson, Sr., designed the building for Limoneira’s headquarters in 1923, and Chuck’s grandfather, C. C. Teague, was Limoneira’s General Manager for over 50 years.

It has not been an easy path for the museum’s CONTINUED »

A public artist’s reception on Thursday, December 10, from 5:00 to7:00 p.m. opens the Museum of Ventura County’s winter exhibition The Magical Realism of the Americas: The Art of Master Painter Omar d’León. Paintings by this internationally recognized artist, one of the most renowned Nicaraguan painters of the last 50 years, will be on exhibition from December 11, 2009 through February 28, 2010. The exhibit includes several recent works never before shown. The free reception and exhibition are at the museum’s 89 S. California Street location in Ventura.

Fusing elements of Impressionism with magical realism, d’León earned critical acclaim at an early age. He is known for his light reflecting colors and surface textures, created by crosshatch scoring through oil and wax sometimes more then 20 layers deep. The exhibition includes photographs of this process, as well as d’León’s tools and sketchbooks.

The artist fled his native country in 1980 and has been a Camarillo CONTINUED »