By Laurence Pons 

Senior art students have started exhibiting art work at the gallery at Overton Hall.
Here are Kyle Stewart and Greg Miles as they were hanging their work.

Kyle Stuart

Greg Miles

Carla Guzman, Stephanie Shulstad, and Professor Terry Spehar-Fahey presented their piece “Three Graces” in the Festival of Scholars on Friday, March 28, 2008. The three, two senior students and professor, worked on a project where they painted a three person self-portrait side-by-side. The idea formed from interest in group painting and the mentor/student relationship among artists and the presentation covered the set-up, challenges and obstacles the artists faced, discussion of the similarities and differences among the three paintings as well as images of each artist’s piece showing the progress from sketch through final work.

Photo by Carla Guzman 

There’s a nice piece here in the Ventura County Star about the bottle installation for Earth Day. Art Department faculty member Michael Pearce is collecting water bottles to hang within an oak tree in the Simi Valley Town Centre. Michael is being helped by CLU students, who have collected hundreds of the ubiquitous plastic bottles. 

If you’re interested in following the blog Kitty refers to in the article, click here for the Bottle Installation archive. 

CLU student Megan Hindman helps remove labels. 

By Laurence Pons

Another article sings the praises of Brian Stethem’ s photography exhibition. And it is the cover story of the Time Out supplement of the Ventura County Star! Dated Thursday, March 20, 2008 and written by Karen Lindell the article is enitled: “A melancholy mood permeates Fillmore photographer’s new exhibit”

The article highlights the quality of the work presented in this exhibition and the importance of documenting places of personal, historical or mythical significance. California’s history is in the making under our very eyes with these pictures. Acting as a witness, Brian’s camera records places in Ventura County, just before these landmarks are being erased.

Brian also recounts the extraordinary stories surrounding his photographs, like the circumstances of his shot of Area 51. ” “It took us a long time to find it,” Stethem said of the unmarked but well-maintained dirt highway. After a 13-mile drive down the road, Stethem said, he encountered a gate with a menacing “turn around, don’t pass this point” sign. Lights flashed, and he heeded the sign’s warning when military guards started to move toward him. By that time, it was dark and he couldn’t photograph the sign, but did manage to snap a photo by using his car’s headlights to illuminate the highway.”

To read the full article click here: http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/mar/20/uncommon-vision/

The previous article was entitled: Strong lines, shapes dominate Fillmore man’s photographs http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/feb/15/strong-lines-shapes-dominate-fillmore-mans/

If you haven’t seen the exhibition yet you have a few more days :

Uncommon Places by Brian Stethem at the Kwan Fong Gallery
Thursday, Feb. 21, through Thursday, March 27
Admission is free. The Kwan Fong Gallery, located in Soiland Humanities Center, is open to the public 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Here’s a long Ventura County Star article on Brian’s Uncommon Places exhibit.

Congratulations Brian! 

By Laurence Pons

Bret Bays, Jillian Friend, Erin Kim, Molly Marshall, Sheena McLendon, Greg Miles, Krista Planinac, Tiffany Slattum, Kyle Stuart Karly Watland and Jennifer Whealen, art major students will be presenting their work to the public from April 25 to May 17, 2008 at the Kwan Fong Gallery. A few weeks ago I interviewed them about how they felt preparing for their first exhibition.

Greg Miles

“The way I got to the painting I am doing now is through dreams and having hard times.  I came up with the idea in class feeling I wasn’t able to express myself to the fullest.

By Greg Miles

“It is going to be based on emotions and the five senses and being able to connect with the audience. The emotions I am exploring are: being anxious, waiting for something to happen, or something has happened and reflecting on that particular moment.” Read more »

The CLU Art Department will participate in the 2008 Thousand Oaks Open Studio tour. Visit the University to see what we do and where our professors work.

Larkin Higgins, Michael Pearce, Terry Spehar-Fahey, Barry Burns, and Lynn Creighton are participating in the event. A campus map will be available showing where to find the studio spaces included in the tour. Sculptor John Storojev is also participating, but will be at his own off-campus studio.

There are two events to note on your calendars – the Open Studio Tour exhibit at the Kavli Theater in T.O. then the tour itself.

Thousand Oaks Open Studio Tour Exhibit, Artists’ Reception at the Kavli Theater – Sunday April 20th, 3pm – 5pm (Directions to the Kavli Theatre in the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza here) 

Thousand Oaks Open Studio Tour – May 10th, 10am – 3pm. (Directions to campus here)  

Laurence Pons (our delightful Kwan Fong gallery blogger) has posted some more photographs of the Ilowitz reception here.

By Laurence Pons

From now on when you come by the Kwan Fong Gallery or walk past the Humanities Building or Overton Hall, you’ll be able to admire the wonderful artwork of Theodora “Teddy” Ilowitz, a 5-foot black stone sculpture called “Benin”. Last week in the Ventura County Star, Kitty Dill announced the inauguration of the piece in an article entitled: “CLU to celebrate first piece in sculpture garden”.

Teddy posing for photographs in front of her piece Benin.
Read more »