We’re in the final days of the River’s Journey anniversary show at the Wildling Museum in Solvang. The show will come down on September 4th. The museum is offering a $50 off coupon with the purchase of a painting AND a free catalog from the original exhibition. Thanks to the museum for another chance to grace the walls and thanks also to the participating artists!
wildling museum of art and nature
The River’s Journey group Rose Compass: (artists left to right) Pamela Zwehl-Burke, Connie Connally, Nicole Strasburg, Nina Warner, Holli Harmon and Libby Smith
The River's Journey Reunion at the Wildling Museum
Celebrating the five year anniversary of The River’s Journey the Wildling Museum is hosting a small reunion exhibit in the museum shop gallery. Six pieces from each artists are represented as well as the exhibition catalog.
Bradbury Dam, 2016, original gouache by Nicole Strasburg
Into the West, 22x60”, oil on panel
Five year Anniversary of The River's Journey Exhibit at the Wildling Museum of Art Nature
Is it possible? Five years ago this month the Wildling Museum in Solvang, California celebrated the opening of the exhibition The River’s Journey. The show focused on the 92-mile long Santa Ynez River watershed. Six artists spent over a year translating the largess of Santa Barbara County’s water source into small intimate gouache paintings (and a few large oils!).
The artists, myself, Holli Harmon, Nina Warner, Connie Connelly, Libby Smith and Pamela Zwehl-Burke, embarked on this project in August of 2016 working steadily through drought and rainy seasons leading up to the exhibit. A catalog was created to document the project and three further venues in the city of Santa Barbara followed the success at the Wildling.
I’m still in awe of the trajectory of the exhibit and the wonderful experience of sharing the journey through these images, for more than a year, in four locations. What a ride! Thanks to the Wildling Musueum, Santa Barbara City Hall Gallery, Sullivan Goss and The Ridley-Tree Museum of Art for hosting this project.
Thank you to the artists who came along for the ride and made gorgeous paintings honoring the river. We appreciate the contributors who wrote essays for the beautiful catalog designed by Leslie Lewis Sigler. I’m still smiling and in awe five years later.
*catalogs can still be found through the Wildling and in my online shop.
Excerpt from The River’s Journey website/blog
Bio/MASS: Contemporary Meditations on Nature at the Wildling Museum
Thank you to Caleb Wiseblood for the wonderful article in the Santa Maria Sun this morning.
READ all about the new exhibition at the Wildling Museum of Art & Nature. Exhibition includes artists Scott Chatenever, Dorothy Churchill-Johnson, Catherine Eaton-Skinner, Lynn Hanson, Karen Kitchel, Maria Rendon, John Robertson, Sommer Roman, Carol Saidon, and Nicole Strasburg.
Springtime at the Wildling Museum of Art & Nature
Spring time means new beginnings. A new iteration of the Fox Tales windows arrives at the museum before the re-opening in April. The Wildling opened their doors again April 17th with two new shows and a refresh of the papercuts “wintering” windows. There are cubs at play and new color for daylight hours. STILL, the best viewing times are after dark when there is drama at play.
Wildling Museum of Art & Nature
1511 Mission Drive, Solvang California
Springtime Fox Tale large papercuts
Springtime Fox Tale large papercuts
Springtime Fox Tale large papercuts
Springtime Fox Tale large papercuts
Opening at the Wildling Museum this April!
Weather Patterns project. 24 included in the Bio/Mass exhibit at the Wildling
Bio: Relating to life and living beings
Mass: A large body of matter crowded together
Artists are observers and interpreters of what they see around them, whether it is a social concern, the natural world, the built environment or their own unique vision. Often artists work in series, exploring a particular topic as they deeply observe their subject over time. For artists, this repetition can serve both as a meditative practice and a means of learning and understanding.
In this exhibition, artists were chosen who create work in series, examining some aspect of nature. They may be examining patterns in nature or the same location over a long period of time. Some combine and recombine singular elements that accumulate into a fascinating and revealing artwork or body of work.
These artists have transformed their fascination with deep observations of their individual environments into works that help us to see the beauty in the details of our world, celebrating both quiet and dramatic moments in nature.
Featured Artists
Scott Chatenever, Lynn Hanson, Dorothy Churchill-Johnson, Karen Kitchel, Maria Rendón, John Robertson, Sommer Roman, Carol Saindon, Catherine Eaton Skinner, Libby Smith, and Nicole Strasburg.
Outside In at the Wildling Museum
Art Through the Window: A Conversation with Holli Harmon & Nicole Strasburg
In case you missed it, you can still watch the zoom presentations for The Nature of Clouds and Wintering: A Fox Tale on the Wildling Museum YouTube channel.
Thank you to the Wildling Musem as well as the Santa Barbara News Press, Santa Maria Sun and Lance Orozco with KCLU News for the wonderful coverage and support of the new installations at the museum.
Thank you to Caleb Wiseblood for his wonderful article in the Sun.
A Fox Tale @ The Wildling Museum in Solvang
Wildling Museum unveils new Tower Gallery exhibition by Holli Harmon and window installation by Nicole Strasburg, encouraging sidewalk viewings during closure
Tower Gallery Exhibition: Holli Harmon: The Nature of Clouds | On view: Now through Fall 2021
Window Installation: Wintering: A Fox Tale by Nicole Strasburg | On view: Now through Spring 2021
Location: Both installations on view from sidewalk, Wildling Museum, 1511-B Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93463
Accompanying the new Tower Gallery exhibition is a window art installation titled Wintering: A Fox Tale by artist Nicole Strasburg. The series of papercut fox silhouettes was specially designed by Strasburg to bring joy and wonder to passersby during the museum’s extended closure.
“We wanted to create something exciting for the windows that would let everyone know we were only hibernating, not closed forever,” says Strasburg. “With my love for animals and the fox being the Wildling Museum mascot, it seemed fitting to do something with a fox theme.”
Strasburg’s intricate papercutting technique transformed the museum’s windows into a dramatic winter landscape once lit.
“Wintering and hibernating are not always a dormant time, it’s also a time of great imagination and rejuvenation, a time to recharge,” says Strasburg. “Designing and cutting the paper images as well as configuring the armature to hold the creation were a wonderful way to pass the time in quarantine with the added benefit of bringing attention to the museum.”
THE RIVER'S JOURNEY: REVISITED
White Rock at start of the Rey Fire, 2016 2.5x7” Gouache on Arches Board
There is still time to see The River’s Journey in the city of Santa Barbara in our historical City Hall.
This show is a smaller version of the Rose Compass exhibit hosted by the Wildling Museum last Winter.
On First Thursday, March 7 from 5-7pm there will be one last reception to celebrate this leg of our four venue exhbition. You can also see the last iteration of the show at Westmont Ridley Tree Museum on the Westmont campus in Montecito. That exhibit will remain on view until mid June of this year.
Check out the website and stories of the journey at rosecompass.com.
There is also a wonderful exhibition catalog that goes with the show. Find a copy in the shop or at a local bookstore.
AT LONG LAST
in Gouache
at long last
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