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“Scapes and Scope” in 3 Movements by curator jim ellsberry

9/22/2021

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This current exhibition "Scapes and Scope – Visions of Land, Sea, and Urban Space" brings together a variety of artworks depicting land, sea, and urban settings. You will experience over 115 paintings by moving in and out of three distinct, yet related, displays in the Art Center’s gallery. The exhibit begins – and welcomes the viewer - in the first room.
Room 1 – Traditional 
​Here you leave behind the loud and busy outside, and you are invited to simply relax and enjoy beautifully rendered representations of scenery around us. In this room, land and sea paintings are done in traditional, representational styles. But you will also see hints of impressionism and contemporary painting mixed in.
Picture
“The Sea Cave and the Southern Shoreline” by Rick Humphrey, oil on canvas, 35 x 60 inches
A key painting here is by California artist Rick Humphrey. It depicts the southern side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The view is looking south from what is today the Terranea Resort, once the same location for Marineland of the Pacific. Rick has a strong attachment to this area and is an advocate for preserving its remaining open spaces.
​
Room 2 – Contemporary 
​As you enter our second room, the paintings are not unfamiliar. Still representational, they bring much more of the “Urban” scape to our show. But viewers are also invited to imagine and “…see beyond the usual,” in the words of the great American painter Robert Henri. 
​
​A prominent part of this room is a painting by California artist Mark Beck. It’s an example of how art can make a strikingly bold statement.  The painting is based ​on a landscape by the Hudson River School painter Asher Durand called “Kindred Spirits.”  It is about crises in America, from climate to ethnic and racial disparities. In my view, it also offers hope that comes out of continued and heightened awareness.
Picture“The Hike” by Mark Beck, oil on canvas, 50 x 62 inches

​

Room 3 – Modern Expressive 
Picture
“Western Sky” by Susan Stone, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches

​​When standing in the second room, you can look into Room 3 where you are presented with the painting on the left. This work is by another California artist, Susan Stone. Although it reminds me of work that came out of the New York School (abstract expressionism), it also presents an imaginary scape of – in Stone’s words – "unfettered sky, land, and water." You might even say it is a depiction of time - sunrise to sunset. It’s a painting that reminds us to be joyful and aware of color and the beauty around us.

​I hope this information will be helpful as you move throughout this exhibition we call “Scapes and Scope – Visions of Land, Sea, and Urban Space.” Most of all, I wish to thank the artists who have participated in the show. As well I wish to thank the outstanding staff of the Huntington Beach Art Center for all their hard work in helping make this happen.  
​
​- Jim Ellsberry
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WATERCOLOR PAINTING WITH ARTIST COUNCIL MEMBER DON PIRCH

9/1/2021

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Picture
"Franciscan Prayer Garden" 2021

​Artist Council member Don Pirch is exhibiting in the upcoming Scapes and Scope Visions of the Land, Sea and Urban Space on view at the Huntington Beach Art Center September 18 - October 23. The artist shares some of his recent watercolors depicting Mission San Juan Capistrano in this intimate look at the artist's process and perspective. 

​The 2021 watercolor is a perspective view of the Franciscan Prayer Garden inside the mission. Don performed extensive research of the site, both online and in-person. Taking photos of the garden and sketching it by hand, the artist captures a sense of place in his rendering of the mission's building materials and foliage.
​
"I like the crispness, color variety and relative values of all the objects, says Pirch.

"I e
xperimented with a variety of watercolor brush configurations, sizes, and brush shapes. All this to obtain the desired visual effect I need to emulate the observed site material conditions."
Picture
"Return of the Swallows" 2019
Picture
Architectural Detail. Masonry Arch. 2019

"This site is a gold mine for painting architectural features," according to Don.  Two of the artist's recent artworks were selected for display in the Scapes and Scope juried exhibition. Please visit the exhibition online or in our galleries located in downtown Huntington Beach.​
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  • HOME
  • About
    • The Muse: HBAC Blog
    • HBAC Free Zoom Backgrounds
    • Virtual Gallery Tour
  • Exhibitions
    • Upcoming Exhibition: Childhood Classics: 100 Years of Children's Book Illustration
    • Upcoming Exhibition: Emerge: Share your Shot
    • Past Exhibitions
  • Events
  • Education
    • Adult & Teen Classes
    • Youth Classes
    • Preschooler Classes
    • Art at HBAC Summer Camp
    • Prospective Instructors
  • Memberships
    • Artist Council >
      • Project Room BookShop Submission
      • Past Artist Council Events
      • Artist Council Directory
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Volunteer
  • Store