Frank Ordaz, Between Heaven and Earth, oil, 30 x 30.
Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, CA
July 9-September 10
For the second consecutive summer, the California Art Club will host its long-running Gold Medal Exhibition at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California. The event, on view July 9 through September 19, will display more than 170 juried paintings and sculptures from members of the esteemed organization. This 112th annual show continues the Club’s focus on contemporary-traditional art with many of the works representing the Golden State in landscapes of its diverse terrain, figures, city scenes and more.
Artist Brian Blood will be represented by his marina painting MORNING FOG, MONTEREY, while another scene with its eyes to the coast is Dennis Doheny’s CLOUD VEIL, CATALINA ISLAND. The figurative painting BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH is from Frank Ordaz’s series of traditional works that show his appreciation for the lands and people of the Southwest. Mian Situ’s piece ENCHANTMENT depicts the figure from an aerial vantage point; it shows not only the beauty of the figure’s clothing and the objects surrounding her, but also the mastery of Situ’s technique.
Brian Blood, Morning Fog, Monterey, oil on linen panel, 36 x 30.
The Club will host a ticketed exhibition preview and artists’ gala at the museum on Saturday, July 8, starting at 5 p.m. Attendance to this event allows for the first chance to see the Gold Medal Exhibition. A slate of programming will complement the show, allowing guests to have interactive experiences beginning in June.
The first set of events is the “Learn from Master Artists” series that will take place on three Family Days: June 11, July 16 and August 20. According to California Art Club, “Budding artists of all ages can learn about representational art forms from master artists” who are members of the organization. Each day, respectively, will focus on a different traditional art genre—portraits, plein air landscapes and sculpture.
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- John Cosby, Winter Flow at Blackstar, oil, 30 x 40.
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- Warren Chang, Man with Dog, oil, 18 x 24.
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- Dennis Doheny, Cloud Veil, Catalina Island, oil on linen, 24 x 30.
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- John Kosta, LA River Painting 77 – Puddles, oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 30 x 30.
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- Kim Lordier, Baby It’s Cold Outside, pastel on board, 24 x 36.
Art historian Jean Stern will be on hand July 9, at 1:30 p.m., for a lecture where he will “explain the key elements that art experts and savvy collectors consider as they view representational works” including composition, form, color, drama and more. Stern will use paintings from California Art Club members as examples throughout his program.
Mian Situ, Enchantment, oil, 32 x 38.
On nine Saturdays throughout the run of the show, exhibition artists will host spotlight talks beginning at 11 a.m. Museumgoers can ask questions about the work to learn about their inspirations and techniques firsthand. Keeping the fun going throughout the run of the exhibition, California Art Club will host a closing day Paint/Sculpt-Out on September 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Taking place in the Key Courtyard, the event will have select artists setting up their easels and creating new works inspired by live models in traditional folk costumes.
For complete information on how to purchase tickets and for event schedule updates, visit the California Art Club and Bowers Museum websites. —Rochelle Belsito
contact information
www.bowers.org/gold
www.californiaartclub.org/goldmedal
This story appeared in the June/July 2023 issue of Southwest Art magazine.