Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA) and L Street Fine Art Gallery together celebrate the work of outstanding San Diego-based artists as they individually interpret the California Dream in partnering exhibitions.
As extensions of “California Dreaming” — the international juried exhibition that traveled to Italy in 2014, returned for exhibit at OMA, and is currently on view at the Riverside Art Museum through early summer 2015 — the dual San Diego Dreaming exhibitions spotlight creative interpretations specific to artists of San Diego County.
Located in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, L Street Fine Art Gallery’s San Diego Dreaming exhibit features 30 San Diego-based artists through July 5, 2015. Those hailing from North County communities include: Rebecca Bauer of Cardiff; Rita Shulak of Carmel Valley; Richard Dowdy, Diane O’Connell, Robert Pendleton and Rosemary Valente of Carlsbad; Julie Ann Stricklin of Del Mar; Robert Avon Lees and Jim Hornung of Encinitas; Shuang Li of Escondido; Mark Jesinoski, Anita Lewis and Glen Maxion of Oceanside; Connie McCoy of Rancho Santa Fe; Amber Foote and Helen Shafer Garcia of Vista.
Participating artists from other communities within San Diego County include: Bre Custodio, Paula Des Jardins, Amber George, Ken Goldman, Kirby Kendrick, Sherry Krulle-Beaton, Margaret Larlham, Chris Martino, Joe Nalven, Robyn Oliver, Robin Raznick, RD Riccoboni, Julianne Ricksecker, and Michael Taylor.
The partnering San Diego Dreaming exhibition at OMA, which continues through June 21, includes the work of 40 prominent San Diego-based artists, juried by Malcolm Warner, Executive Director of the Laguna Art Museum.
The original 2014 California Dreaming invitation to submit artwork exploring the celebrated lifestyle, influences, and environs of Southern California was met with enthusiastic worldwide response.
According to OMA Executive Director Daniel Foster, “Although initially unanticipated, it became glaringly obvious in the process of jurying the “California Dreaming” exhibition that a complimentary exhibition exclusively focused on talented San Diego artists would be an enriching extension of this popular theme. These shows reflect OMA’s mission to produce outstanding and relevant exhibitions focused primarily on San Diego and Southern California artists and audiences.”
Corresponding to their international exhibition forerunner, the San Diego Dreaming dual exhibitions are composed of original contemporary works that creatively interpret Southern California’s iconic culture, specifically through the eyes of San Diego artists.
Encinitas artist Robert Avon Lees verbalizes his perspective: “San Diego is inspiring to a dreaming visionary person. My art gravitates to the subject of science as well as to mystical and metaphysical insights. I see San Diego as a place to incubate and prosper and dream. There is just something in the air that fosters this creative multi-disciplinary cross-pollination. The environment nurtures thoughts and visions. My California dream painting is abstract with forms and colors as a metaphorical way of expressing different emotions, movements and qualities of life.”
A combined total of seventy San Diego-based artists portray their highly individualized interpretations of the “California Dream” in the dual exhibitions at Oceanside Museum of Art and L Street Fine Art Gallery.
An artists reception for San Diego Dreaming will be held at L Street Fine Art June 6 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Through July 5, the exhibition will be on view at L Street Fine Art, located at 628 L Street, San Diego CA 920101. For more information visit lstreetfineart.com.
For more information on the partnering San Diego Dreaming exhibition at Oceanside Museum of Art visit oma-online.org.
To learn more about the California Dreaming exhibition at Riverside Art Museum visit riversideartmuseum.org.
2 comments
San County is so lucky to have such a great arts writer, believer in the Arts as Kay!
Thank you, Kira! We are very fortunate to have in our midst a champion for social justice and creatively uniting diverse communities through the arts as you are.
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