Buenaventura Art Association announces their 3rd annual scholarship competition titled “The Buenaventura Art Association Emerging Artist Cup.” This competition is open to students attending college or university in Ventura County. First Place is a $1,500 scholarship, Second Place is a $900 scholarship, Third Place is a $600 scholarship as well as five Honorable Mentions of $500 scholarship.. All winners will also receive a free one year membership in the Buenaventura Art Association. In addition to the above mentioned prizes their will also be five non-cash awards for Buenaventura Art Association memberships.

The competition runs from March 4 – March 23 with an opening reception/awards ceremony on Saturday, March 7 at The Harbor Village Gallery in the Ventura Harbor Village. Students are requested to bring their work to the Harbor Village Gallery on Sunday, March 1 from 3 – 6 pm; Monday, March 2; or Tuesday March 3 from 11 am to 2 pm. Entry forms are available at either the Buenaventura Gallery, The Harbor Village Gallery or online at www.HarborVillageGallery.com.

The juror for the competition is Bob Privitt, Professor Emeritus from Pepperdine University. Privitt was a Professor of Fine Arts at Pepperdine University from 1979 to 2002 and director of the Pepperdine University Art Gallery. He’s in public collections at the University of Tulsa, Indiana University, Oklahoma Art Center, Pepperdine University and more. He’s won numerous awards in national competitions and has been a scholar-in-residence for the Borchard Foundation in Brittany, France. He’s featured in The California Art Review and Sculpture: Technique, Form, Content. CONTINUED »

“Awesome Art” will be on display for all to enjoy from February 12 through April 5 at the Ojai Valley Museum. The exhibition, showcasing art by Ojai Valley students from Nordhoff High School, Thacher School, Besant Hill School, Ojai Valley School, Villanova Preparatory School and Oak Grove School, has become an annual Ojai Valley Museum tradition.
“Awesome Art” is very popular with students from all schools and all grade levels, as well as their families and teachers. As for the public, they appreciate witnessing the wide range of emerging artistic talent in the Ojai Valley.

The creation in 2005 of the “Marion E. Smith Excellence in Arts Awards” by Karen O’Neill and Michael Burgos in memory of their mother, has given a great momentum to arts programs. Marion E. Smith, who passed away in 2003, had been a long-time resident of Ojai, and a docent at the museum for many years. “She loved helping students,” remembers Marian Newman, Chair of the event, “and encouraged their efforts in academic, cultural, and other endeavors.” Several award winners from previous years were accepted to prominent universities and art institutes as they pursued careers in the arts. CONTINUED »

Charles Morris won in the Fashion/Editorial classification (which includes glamour) for a portrait of former Miss California Teen, Taylor Atkins, entitled “The Look.”

Two photographs by KSSP Photographic Studios have received merit awards at the quarterly print competition held by the Channel Islands Professional Photography Association (CIPPA) on February 9. Carmelita Miranda won a merit award for her print entitled “Colorful Neighbors” in the Landscape classification. Charles Morris won in the Fashion/Editorial classification (which includes glamour) for a portrait of former Miss California Teen, Taylor Atkins, entitled “The Look.” This print tied in points for best in category.

CIPPA is a local affiliate of the Professional Photographers of California. In recent state-wide print competition, CIPPA photographers secured top photographer awards in seven of the 20 categories. Many of the best photographers in the state work in Ventura County.

Professional photographers compete in print competitions to see how they compare with other photographers and to improve their techniques . Merit judging is performed by three independent judges from outside of the group. The judges do not know who took the photographs being judged. Only about 1 in 5 prints earn a merit award.

Principal photographers at KSSP are Carmelita Miranda and Charles Morris. KSSP is a full service photography studio specializing in portrait, wedding and quinceanera photography (and video). KSSP is the Fillmore High School photographer..

For further information, please contact KSSP Photographic Studios at 524-6400 or visit http://ksspphotostudios.com.

Louise Lofquist will solo with the Ventura College Symphony Orchestra performing Chopin’s Twenty First Opus on March 14.

VENTURA: Pianist Louise Lofquist, professor at Pepperdine University, solos with the Ventura College Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, March 14, 2009. The program begins at 8 p.m. in the Ventura College Theatre. There are no advanced ticket sales for the concert. Tickets are purchased at the door the evening of the concert for a cost of $5 students, seniors and students and $10 for general admission.

Ms. Lofquist is playing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2. It is a brilliant work written when the composer was young and living in Poland. He used the Concerto to full advantage in creating his reputation as a genius composer and performer. The Concerto is widely admired and loved.

Ms. Lofquist holds several advanced degrees and is known as one of California’s best collaborative pianists. In addition, she is a vocal soloist.

Ojai music teacher and Ventura College student David Gorospe leads the Ventura College Symphony Orchestra percussion section. He is conducting the orchestra in Egmont Overture by Beethoven. This music tells a fabulous story of oppression, revolution and freedom of the Dutch people in times past. As such, the tale attracted the attention of Beethoven who cared deeply about social issues.

Beethoven ‘s Symphony No. 1 established him as a major composer in Vienna. It is the last piece in the March 14 concert. Compared to his predecessors, Beethoven takes the symphony form to new heights. It is more daring than any before him. In it, he introduced a new musical form called the Scherzo or “joke.” The youthful exuberance of the Symphony ushered in a complete new era of music.

Dr. Burns Taft is director/conductor of the Ventura College Symphony. The public is invited to attend the concert.

For additional information, please contact Dr. E. Burns Taft, Professor of Music, 805-654-6400 ext. 3210, or Alisa Sparkia Moore, Esq., Public Information Officer, 654-6462, asmoore@vcccd.edu.

Ventura, CA - Ventura Improv Company is having its annual Valentine’s Day comedy show on Saturday, February14th at the comedy group’s theatre in downtown Ventura.

The show is a special celebration of Valentine’s Day with a focus on the ups and downs of love and relationships — or the lack thereof. Singles, couples and everyone in between are welcome. The price of admission includes sparkling wine or cider, flowers and chocolate.

“We’ve developed the Valentine’s show tradition over the past few years. The improv can be funny and touching, and the audience appreciates the special perks,” says Judy Gottlieb, Vice President of Ventura Improv Company. CONTINUED »

After almost 20 years, the California Gold Coast Watercolor Society (CGCWS) has decided to merge with Buenaventura Art Association. “I think this will be a great merger for both organizations,” said Kristy Vantrease, co-President of the CGCWS. Christine Beirne, Executive Director of Buenaventura Art Association concurs: “I’m looking forward to the art and new energy that the Gold Coast members will bring.”
The founding members of the CGCWS were eight local artists: Gayel Childress, Barbara Greene and Elaine Rogers all from Ojai’ Jacqueline Walker and Sheila Allen from Santa Paula; Sally Miller from Ventura; Margy Gates from Oxnard and Jacquelyn Cavish from Port Hueneme.

Buenaventura Art Association celebrates 55 years this year and welcomes our new members. Buenaventura Art Association is located at 700 E Santa Clara St in downtown Ventura with locations at the Ventura Harbor Village, inside the Ventura Vistors and Convention Bureau and Community Memorial Hospital.

The Ventura College Theatre Department presents “Witness for The Prosecution” by famed mystery writer Agatha Christie. “Witness for The Prosecution” will open with a preview performance free to the public on Thursday, February 19 at 8pm, and continue with performances on Friday and Saturday, February 20 and 21 at 8pm, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, February 26, 27, and 28 at 8pm, and Sunday, March 1 at 3pm. Tickets, which may be purchased only at the door, are $9.00 general admission and $7.00 for students, staff, and seniors.

The story line is as follows:
A naïve young man is accused of murdering a wealthy “elderly lady” he has befriended. His alibi is dependent on the testimony of his wife, who may or may not be telling the truth. A mystery witness produces evidence to discredit the wife. Who is telling the truth and what is being covered up? A courtroom drama and a thriller as only Agatha Christie could write, with multiple twists and turns right up to the end. CONTINUED »

"Upper Ojai" by Kristina Grey.
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"Still Life with White Vase" by Nancy Whitman.
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Kristina Grey and Nancy Whitman will display their art in a show at Fox Fine Jewelry from March 17 through May 12, 2009. Artists’ Reception will be Saturday, March 21st, 6 – 9 pm.

Kristina Grey, a Disney veteran who worked on Sleeping Beauty, has devoted her life to art as a vehicle for healing. She has used art therapeutically with male inmates, abused adults in a psychiatric unit, and in private practice. She has been painting, drawing and sculpting all of her life, with dozens of awards and shows to her credit. Her art, intuitive and inspired, is loose and colorful, a blending of post impressionist and abstract expressionists.

Nancy Whitman topped off her graduate art degree by studying in Paris, France. She fell in love with color and exuberant broad strokes as she was influenced by Matisse, Jawlensky and the Fauves. Her larger, free-flowing colorful pastels reflect the sheer beauty of nature that surrounds her as she paints in her studio in Upper Ojai.

For information on the show, contact Debbie Fox at (805) 652-1800.

Fox Fine Jewelry is located at 210 East Main Street, in Historic Downtown Ventura, Across the street from the Mission. (805) 652-1800. Hours are Monday – Thursday, 10:30 – 6p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 10:30 – 10 p.m.

Ventura, California - Country and Western singing star and song-writer Keith Anderson, whose 2008 hit “I Still Miss You” reached No. 2 in the Billboard country charts, will headline Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation’s 19th annual Gold Dust Gala, a benefit event on Saturday, April 18, at Ventura’s Seaside Park.

Tickets and sponsorship packages can be purchased online at www.golddustgala.org, or by calling the Foundation office at 805/667-2881.

Proceeds from the Gold Dust Gala are used for breast cancer detection and treatment, cervical cancer screening and vaccination, and needed diagnostic equipment that benefits women in our community who lack access to life-saving exams. In 2008, over 80 women who qualified for this program were cared for by Community Memorial Health System. CONTINUED »

Buenaventura Art Association announces a “Call for Entries” for the second exhibit on the ground floor of Ventura’s Community Memorial Hospital in March 2009. Works will be for sale and a reception for the artists will be held as well. The exhibit is titled “Healing Arts” however; artists are encouraged to submit abstract interpretations of healing arts as well as literal renderings.

Submit works to Buenaventura Art Association for consideration. Criteria: jpeg only. No more than 400 pixels in any direction and no larger than 200 kb. Each jpeg must be identified w/artist name, title of piece. No more than 3 entries per artist. Deadline: Feb. 16, 2009. There are no entry fees; however non-BAA members will be subject to a 40% commission if piece is sold.

Mail your CD’s to: Buenaventura Gallery, 700 E Santa Clara St., Ventura, CA 93001.or email cmhexhibit@buenaventuragallery.org. More information on the website, www.BuenaventuraGallery.org

Please Join Us for a wonderful fundraising reception for 'Music For Heart Foundation' with proceed from sales going to fund heart surgery for indigent children and babies!

February is Heart Month and Carol Hilton & Ann Mulligan, owners of Great Rooms, Furniture Showroom & Design Studio announced today that they will host 'Great Rooms Opens Their Heart for Music For Heart Foundation'. The reception/fundraiser will see proceeds of sales going to the Music For Heart's program of funding surgery for children and babies with Congenital Heart Disease.

'Great Rooms Opens Their Heart for Music For Heart Foundation' will take place on Sunday, February 22, 2009 beginning at 3:00 p.m. at 651 Via Alondra, Suite 703, Camarillo, CA 93012. The event will mark the first collaboration for Great Rooms and local charity, Music For Heart Foundation and will raise much needed funds for the fifty-five (55) heart surgeries Music For Heart has committed to for May, 2009. CONTINUED »

Buenaventura Art Association’s 23rd Annual Open Competition brought entries from all over Ventura County. Juror Dennis Reed, Dean of Humanities/Arts at Los Angeles Valley City College had a tough time picking the approximately 125 pieces of art to be exhibit out of the 350 pieces submitted.

Amani J. Fliers of Thousand Oaks won “Best of Show” for her digitally enhanced photograph “Genocide B4”. The prizes in two-dimensional works are as follows: 1st Place, Jack Halbert for “California Streamin;” 2nd Place, Agnete “Chippy” Scharling Todd for “Bodily Apparatus;” 3rd Place, Susan Seaberry for “Brendon;” Honorable Mention, Karen L. Brown for “A Message to the Moon;” and Honorable Mention, Erik Reel for “1211 – Was the War Good for You?” The prizes in three-dimensional works are as follows: 1st Place, David Blackburn for “Buckeye Triangle Box;” 2nd Place, Bob Privitt for “Beyond Toys: Target;” 3rd Place, Joanne Duby for “Sands of Time;” Honorable Mention, David Blackburn for “Haiku Bench;” and Honorable Mention, Christine Watté for “Perseverance.”
The Buenaventura Art Association celebrates 55 years of great art this year. Buenaventura Gallery is located at 700 E Santa Clara St. in downtown Ventura. Hours are Tues – Friday from noon – 5 pm and Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. For more information, visit their website at www.BuenaventuraGallery.org.

Rubicon Theatre Company’s Fashion Forms PLAY’S-IN-PROGRESS series continues with a reading of Lee Tannen's I Loved Lucy, a new play based on Tannen's best-selling book of the same name, will be presented at 7pm Feb. 9, 2009 at Rubicon in Ventura, CA.

Directed by Sheryl Kaller, (Adrift in Macao, Dangerous Beauty) the reading will feature the talents of Mary Beth Peil (Sunday in the Park with George, Dawson’s Creek) as Lucille Ball with Joseph Fuqua (Hamlet, All My Sons) as Lee Tannen.

I Loved Lucy, according to press notes, "tells the story of the intimate relationship between Lucy and Lee (who was distantly related to Lucy) during the last decade of her life, a period which has come to be known as the 'lost Lucy years,' a time spent mainly at home out of the television spotlight and around a backgammon table. It's a candid, funny and poignant look at arguably the most recognizable face on the planet told by a man forty years her junior who became her best pal and closest confidante at the end of her life." CONTINUED »

Teng Shu-Ming’s solo exhibition, “Mist & Cloud” will be at the Buenaventura Gallery from Feb. 3 – Feb. 28, 2009 with an artist reception on Saturday, Feb. 7 from 4 – 7 pm. The “Mist & Cloud” is Teng’s 12th solo exhibition. Teng’s paintings are steeped in Sumi ink and Chinese watercolor tradition that date back thousand of years. However, the infusion of color adds a contemporary twist to her pieces.
Teng Shu-Ming has been a cover/featured artist in Ventura Life & Style Magazine has exhibited her work internationally. Her subject matter is reflected in her travels throughout China, Europe, South America and Africa. She often paints on location and her husband not only assists her in carrying her paints and easel, he guards her from wild animals! CONTINUED »

Vonder Gray exhibition of paintings will be at the Discovery Gallery from Feb 5 to March 5, 2009. There is an opening reception on Friday, February 6 from 5 – 8 pm. for First Friday’s Ventura Gallery Crawl.

Gray brings her appreciation and admiration for her natural surroundings to the canvas. Offering insight to her muse, Vonder expresses “the thickness and texture of the paint and the energy that (goes) into its application, echo the textures and energies I find around water.”

Gray spent most of her life on the east coast. Growing up on Long Island and attending the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston, the Montserrat School of Visual Art in Beverly, MA and the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Almost eight years ago, Gray relocated to art centric Ojai and then to Ventura in this past year. She is a resident artist at the Sea Breeze Art Gallery and Studios in Ventura and has been a member of the Buenaventura Art Association upon moving to Ventura. Since she was a little girl, Gray says she always knew she would be a painter and has been showing her art work since the 70’s. Private collectors hail from California to Copenhagen, from LA to London. This is Gray’s first solo exhibition with the Buenaventura Art Association.
The Discovery Gallery is located at the Ventura Visitor’s Bureau, 101 S. California St in downtown Ventura. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5 pm; Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. For more information, call the Buenaventura Art Association at 805-648-1235 or visit their website at www.BuenaventuraGallery.org.

an Exclusive Look at the Beauty of Santa Barbara’s Underwater World

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Join Brooks Institute at its Gallery 27, located at 27 E. Cota St. in downtown Santa Barbara, as it presents Under the Sea, a stunning multi-media exhibit detailing the elegance and fluid motion of life captured underwater. This unique exhibit showcases the work from the undersea photography students as well as work from the collections of two of its underwater graduates, Kelly Kirlin and Katie Ward. This exhibit will be on display from February 5 – February 27, 2009 and March 9 – March 27, 2009. An artists’ reception will be held on February 5 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. during the First Thursday art walk.

For more than 45 years, Brooks Institute’s undersea class has engaged students in this distinctive and creative environment. Back in the 1960’s, Brooks Institute’s founder and his son, Ernie Brooks and Ernie Brooks Jr., took students diving off the coast of Mexico. This popular excursion turned into a full-time course with an official diving boat that Ernie Brooks kept in the Santa Barbara Harbor called “Just Love.” The students would travel to the Channel Islands and document the beauty of the undersea world. For more than 15 years, Brooks Institute faculty member, Ralph Clevenger, has continued the tradition by teaching these classes in this extraordinary photographic setting. It is from the work of his students that he selected images and videos to be displayed for this exhibit. CONTINUED »

“Near and Far: Landescapes” originals in oil by Nancy Horwick at the Harbor Village Gallery
in addition, Mardi Gras exhibit by the members of Buenaventura Art Association.

The quiet observer translates to canvas in Nancy Horwick’s “Near and Far: LandEscapes”solo show at the Harbor Village Gallery. The exhibit runs from January 18 to March 2, 2009. Artist Reception is Friday, January 23, 2009 from 5 – 8pm.
Shake off the Holiday Blues, dust off that party dress and grab the noise makers and beads for HVG’s “Mardi Gras: Eat, Drink & Be Merry” exhibit! Life is a celebration and it’s nothing but fun and colorful pieces of art work at the Harbor Village Gallery from January 18 – March 2, 2009. An artist reception will be held on FAT TUESDAY, Feb. 24 from 5 – 8 pm. (Note: the gallery is normally closed on Tuesday, but will be open for the reception).
Horwick’s painterly images are a friendly sigh of optimism. Horwick returns to the elegance and beauty found in works of earlier masters, bringing a balance between the technical and emotional aspects of artistic expression. With a concern for the environment and the future of young artists, Horwick needs no shock value to catch your attention. She gently sets you in a peaceful place by the water or a top a hillside for a relaxing view of the valley below. CONTINUED »

Oxnard, Calif. – The tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain return to Oxnard Tuesday, Feb. 3 offering dockside tours, three-hour sailing adventures, and a new activity, “Tours Aloft.” The ships are scheduled to arrive at approximately 4 p.m. at Channel Islands Harbor Marina, 3900 Pelican Way off Victoria Avenue, in Oxnard. The ships will fire a cannon salute to the city and tie up for a six-day visit. Both vessels make annual visits to the community.

For the first time in Oxnard, the ships will offer Tours Aloft, a new activity for guests dockside and during public sailings. For a suggested donation of $20, visitors can climb aloft in a harness for a mini-excursion to the highest yard on the main mast, as high as 70 feet off the water. Trained crew members will secure climbers into a full-body harness, and connect them to a fixed belay system. Climbers are encouraged to climb only as high as they are comfortable. (Due to equipment design restrictions, maximum weight for tours aloft is 220 pounds.) CONTINUED »

Relief Cut Print by Laura Powers
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Hear Catherine Day Barroca discuss her new direction in bas-relief painting on wood, and prints on paper, at a free public reception, 2:00 p.m., Saturday, February 7, at the Museum of Ventura County, 89 S. California Street in Ventura. At 2:30 and 3:30 p.m., Day Barroca will discuss her work in the museum’s current exhibition, With the Grain: Catherine Day Barroca. Museum visitors will also be able to touch copper plates and woodblocks, and see prints she made from them.

The reception also marks the opening of The Student Prints, a related exhibit of work by students taught by Day Barocca. It includes a decade of exceptional work from the Ventura College Print Shop, where Day Barroca was herself once a student. Both exhibitions are open through March 22.

Day Barroca, born in Panama, raised in Oxnard and Germany, is now a Ventura resident. Her work is often inspired by her multicultural heritage and travels, and reflects her interest in family, nature, and the historic Ventura Avenue community of Ventura. In 2001 she completed “Portrait of a Neighborhood,” a 100-foot-long mural in the interior of the Casa de Anza Library on Ventura Avenue.

The Museum of Ventura County is at 89 South California Street, in downtown Ventura. The museum is open Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free admission, except for some events. For information, please call (805) 653-0323 or go to http://www.venturamuseum.org.

VENTURA: The Ventura College Spring 2009 Arts and Lecture Series starts with the screening of the 2008 documentary The World We Want on Friday, January 23 in the Second Floor Reading Room of the Library and Learning Resource Center (LRC) on the Ventura College campus. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and talk with Patrick Davidson, the director-screenwriter-producer of the film prior to the screening. The discussion will start at 6:30 p.m.; the film will be shown at 7:00 p.m. followed by a question and answer period.

The World We Want is the first feature length film from Patrick Davidson, an award winning writer-producer-director, well known and respected for producing high quality, socially conscious, and engaging entertainment. The captivating documentary tells the inspirational stories of teenage activists throughout the world fighting to improve their communities, countries and lives. Shot in high definition on location in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Russia, Senegal and the United States, the film follows the students’ battles for changes that include banning teenage gambling, lowering taxation on artists, creating a town constitution, securing clean drinking water and more. The World We Want documents the young citizens’ struggle to convince local and national leaders to enact their ideas while capturing the teenagers’ dedication, determination, and empowerment as they work together to change the world.

The Hollywood Reporter says, “What appears to be another routine, feel-good, youth-oriented doc morphs into a motivational how-to for young activists as it gains momentum and impact. The World We Want recently world premiered at AFI Fest, where it shared the audience award for best documentary feature….The film profiles teenage participants in Project Citizen, a school-based international civics program administered by a California nonprofit and funded by the U.S. Department of Education and others. Active in all 50 states and 65 countries internationally, the initiative educates students about local and national governance while involving them in real-world problem-solving. Eight international groups of youthful activists … participate in local projects and compete to win recognition as “Program of the Year.” Davidson … traveled around the world capturing the kids’ lives and their struggles to improve their communities. He lets the kids speak for themselves, their families and their hometowns. Particularly affecting are the personal accounts of young people seeking communal reconciliation and advancement in war-torn Colombia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.” CONTINUED »