39th Annual Fine Art Show

California Images & History

April 24, 25 & 26, 2015

Civic Center Plaza, 245 E. Bonita Ave., San Dimas, CA [map]

VIEW VIDEO on Vimeo from this Exhibiton (opens in new tab)
courtesy KWST San Dimas Community TV.

VIEW ALBUM from this Exhibition on Flickr (opens in new tab)

Flickr montage

The Festival made two significant changes to the April 2015 Annual Art Show:

The first change was the adoption of a new theme: California Images & History. All the work in the gallery, paintings and sculptures, contained a connection to California and the many thousands of its treasures. This theme offered endless possibilities: landscapes, seascapes, historical landmarks, ranches, farms, agriculture, oil wells, goldrush, railroads/transportation, missions, ghost towns, national parks, movie industry, bridges, pioneers, recreation, education, facilities, and wildlife. California’s one of the most beautiful states in the nation, if not #1, with a rich history and diverse features. By allowing western art that reflected our history, the 39th Annual Fine Art Show was well received by our patrons, collectors, and the visiting public.

The second change was the addition of a Plein Air Event on Saturday, April 25. The site is the World Headquarters for the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation Campus in San Dimas (see photos to the right). Among other uses, this property was the first campus of Cal Poly Pomona. Twenty exhibiting artists participated in the event. The Festival was honored to have Jean Stern as the judge for the Best of Show ($250 cash award). Mr. Stern is the Executive Director of the Irvine Museum and a renowned authority on California Impressionism. The twenty paintings were auctioned at 2PM at the San Dimas Civic Center.

[For more information about what led to these changes, please download this PDF and feel free to contact us with any questions or feedback.]

The list of Exhibiting Artists is included in a sidebar on the right of this page. Scroll down for a Schedule of Events.

For more information, contact us at (909) 599-5374 or via email at

Back Bay by featured artist Ralph Waterhouse

 

Plein Air Event

Mr. Jean Stern was the judge for the Plein Air event during the Festival’s California Images & History show. Mr. Stern is the Executive Director for the Irvine Museum and is a renowned authority on California Impressionism.  He has single handedly secured a presence for the Irvine Museum since its inception in 1993, as well as helped them to acquire one of the most impressive collections of California Impressionism which include paintings by Edgar Payne, Granville Redmond, and William Wendt, to name a few.  

As the judge for the Plein Air event, Mr. Stern made his personal selection for the Best of Show, an award that also carries a $250 cash award.

Congressman David Dreier generously offered the installation of the painting, Puddingstone Dame/Bonelli Park by William Scott Jennings (above), from his personal collection to be the centerpiece of the Festival of Arts, California Images & History, Spring Show. The painting was on display at City Hall.
 
Puddingstone Dame/Bonelli Park best exemplifies the power and beauty of Plein Air art, which was an important new component to the Spring show. On April 25th, twenty artists converged on the Tsu Chi Foundation grounds to create works of art in the style of en plein air. After four hours, the newly painted canvases were auctioned off.  Trams were available to transport the public to the Tsu Chi Foundation and back to Civic Center Plaza every 30 minutes. 

 

Master Craftsmanship in Wood

Live Demonstrations

Osvaldo Orellana is a master sculptor and we enjoyed watchign his live demonstrations on his Stagecoach masterpiece during the 39th Annual Fine Art Show.

Osvaldo can turn a bloc of wood into a delicate carving that is both sensitive and complicated. But, his latest work is the epitome of craftsmanship. It has depth; mathematical precision; and, integrity of design, plus the structure that is the stuff of architects. In fact, Osvaldo had studied architecture as a young man at the Valparaiso Catholic University in Chile. Perhaps it is for this reason that Osvaldo employed an inventive approach in which his woodcarving resembles, the ‘exploded diagram’.

His sculpture is a wonder to look at! When pulled apart it resembles a puzzle. Pressed together, the layers reveal a stage coach robbery with passengers, a wounded man, a woman fending off robbers with her umbrella, carpet bags, dogs racing, and horses fleeing.

Osvaldo’s remarkable and inventive techniques were born out of necessity. Since the thick pieces of wood he needed for his sculptures were unavailable, he resorted to creating his own by gluing 1 3/4" thick wooden planks together. The end result is a complicated masterfully crafted treasure.

Osvlado was born and raised in Rancagua, Chile. When he was six years old he showed his artistic promise by carving the top of a wooden broomstick. In the 1980s Osvaldo fled first to Mexico and eventually landed in the United States where he sought political asylum from the violent Pinochet era. Undaunted he found work as a janitor and continued his lifelong passion as a sculptor. As he says, “There are opportunities if you want to work.” And, Osvaldo Orellana has created his own opportunities with his remarkable talent.

Schedule of Events

Download Flyer (PDF)
Download the flyer or scroll down for the calendar of events.

Admission was free with the exception of Premier Opening and Awards Dinner.
Parking is always free.

Friday, April 24

  • Premier Opening (* reservations required)
  • Reception: 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm
  • Purchase intents: 6:30 pm
  • Sales begin: 8:00 pm

Saturday, April 25

  • Gallery: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
  • Trading Post: 9:00 – 5:00 pm
  • Plein Air: 9:00 – 12 noon (free transportation to & from Civic Center)
  • Auction of Plein Air art: 2:00 pm (scroll down for more info)
  • Student art awards: 3:00 pm
    (Student art from five local High Schools on display all weekend.)
  • Awards Dinner: 6:00 pm (* reservations required)
    (Art was judged in four categories with Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for each category, plus a Best of Show award. The Gallery Judges for this year were Peter Adams, Gary Geraths, and featured artist Ralph Waterhouse; learn more in the Gallery Judges sidebar.)

Sunday, April 26

  • Gallery & Trading Post: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
  • Play with Clay with Richard Myer: 11 am –  noon
  • Art Seminar by Ralph Waterhouse (see image below): 11:30 am
  • Quick Draw: 1:00 pm, followed by
  • Quick Draw Auction: 2:15 pm
  • Show Closes Sunday 4:00 pm

In addition to the above lineup, master sculptor Osvaldo Orellana conducted live demonstrations on his Stagecoach masterpiece during the show. Scroll up for details.