Debra Holladay - La Casita del Arroyo
The California Art Club and La Casita Foundation are joining forces to spotlight the natural beauty of the Arroyo Seco Canyon as well as the California Impressionist style of painting with the Plein Air Art Festival Exhibition and Sale at La Casita on Sunday, October 9, from 1 to 5 p.m.
The exhibition and sale will showcase new original works of art of Southern California’s most beloved canyon and the “Little House on the Arroyo,” created by more than 20 nationally prominent and up-and-coming artists associated with California Art Club. The organization was founded in 1909 along the banks of the Arroyo Seco, and its early artists inspired the California Impressionism or California Plein Air movement – the first art movement to be defined as uniquely Californian.
The participating artists have been working on location for the past few months to create paintings specifically for the sale, employing time-honored classical techniques that Club artists have used for more than a century to capture on canvas fleeting moments of how the California sunshine illuminates a scenic vista.
“The California Art Club is honored to return to our birthplace and have the opportunity to continue our efforts to create visual history of La Casita and the scenic beauty of the Arroyo that surrounds it,” says American artist Peter Adams, a fourth-generation Pasadenan who has served as the Club’s president since 1993.
This year’s event represents the sixth time since 2000 that the California Art Club and La Casita Foundation have collaborated to offer works of art of the environmentally sensitive Arroyo Seco and the drought-tolerant gardens of La Casita, the Pasadena landmark built in 1933 by eminent architect Myron Hunt.
The Festival will be a feast for not only the eyes, but also the palate, with wine tasting and specialties from local food vendors. Art materials will be provided for children of all ages, so they may create their own plein air masterpieces of the views surrounding La Casita.
Proceeds from the sale of the paintings will benefit the California Art Club’s educational programs as well as La Casita Foundation’s efforts to conserve the gardens and develop an art collection of contemporary and historic plein air paintings representing the Arroyo Seco.
For further information, contact the California Art Club at (626) 583-9009 or visit californiaartclub.org.
About the California Art Club
The California Art Club (californiaartclub.org), established in 1909 by early California Impressionists or plein air painters, is recognized as one of the oldest, largest and most active leading professional art organizations in the world. A unique aspect of the organization is that it includes among its members nationally renowned artists, art students, hobbyists, art scholars and art enthusiasts, in order to interject different perspectives into the dialogue about traditional arts. The mission of the Club, which is headquartered in Pasadena, Calif., is to promote traditional fine art in the fields of painting, drawing and sculpture; to produce and promote art exhibits that foster understanding and interpretation of traditional art heritage and California history; and to furnish educational opportunities in fine arts.
About the La Casita Foundation
The La Casita Foundation (lacasitadelarroyo.org) was established in 1994, with substantial funds, labor and love of the Pasadena Garden Club, which has maintained the gardens of La Casita del Arroyo since it was conceived, designed and built as a public works project during the Great Depression. The Foundation is dedicated to returning the use of La Casita as a community meeting house to the neighborhood and local nonprofit organizations. In 1976, La Casita was declared a Pasadena Cultural Heritage Landmark. The Foundation seeks to be an educational resource for the community; demonstrate sound horticultural and water conservation practices through the use of good design and available methods of water-saving irrigation; promote plants that thrive in the Mediterranean climate of Southern California; and to increase community awareness and enjoyment of the Arroyo Seco, its ecology, flora and fauna.
