Films
Carrizo Plain — A Sense of Place (2019)
Carrizo Plain – A Sense of Place is a short film that profiles a hidden corner of California through the words and artwork of three creative souls with a special affinity for a rare and unique landscape. Prior to the influx of Europeans in the 1800s, California’s Great Central Valley was a vast open plain. One remnant grassland of that era remains — the Carrizo Plain. In this short documentary featuring artists Chris Chapman, Bill Dewey, and John Iwerks, as well as rare plant biologist Heather Schneider, PhD, we are provided a window into some of the special qualities of this National Monument that make it so important to preserve. Through their personal sense of place, these individuals share their impressions and their creative work to reveal the special character of this hidden corner of California.
The short documentary film, produced as a companion piece to the Museum’s juried exhibition, Celebrating the National Lands of California, was featured in the Museum’s main gallery July 2019 - January 2020.
Carrizo Plain - A Sense of Place was produced by the California Nature Art Museum with the support of the Wood-Claeyssens Foundation and was directed by Jeff McLoughlin of Goodeye Films.
Elliot Lowndes filming the native flora of the Carrizo Plain in the spring of 2019. Wildlife and natural history cameraman Elliot Lowndes photographed the majority of the scenes in Carrizo Plain – A Sense of Place. His work has appeared internationally online and in broadcast outlets, including the BBC and Nat Geo TV. Image courtesy Good Eye Films.
Chris Chapman works en plein air amid the phacelia on the Carrizo Plain in April 2019. She paints plein air landscapes and botanical illustrations, and is also a member of Santa Barbara’s Oak Group, a collective of artists known as “painters for preservation.”
Chapman has visited the Carrizo Plain throughout the seasons to capture its scenic beauty since the early 1990s. She works in watercolor and pastel to render images of both the landscape and native California plants of the Plain. Learn more about Chris Chapman at: chapmaniwerks.com. Image courtesy Good Eye Films.
John Iwerks stands with a dramatic interpretive mural he produced in the early 1990s. Located at the Carrizo Plain National Monument Visitor Center, the mural was a just a portion of his three-year effort that included interactive and interpretive displays. Discover more about John Iwerks’ art at: chapmaniwerks.com. Image courtesy Good Eye Films.
Bill Dewey has been photographing the Carrizo Plain for over thirty years both from the air and on the back roads of the Monument. His work is a remarkable tribute to the beauty and mystery of the Carrizo Plain. Learn more about Bill Dewey and his aerial work at: billdeweyphoto.com. Image courtesy Good Eye Films.
Press for Carrizo Plain - A Sense of Place
New Film Shows Beauty of Threatened Super Bloom Site, KCRW, January 23, 2020
Santa Ynez Valley Nature Film Selected for 2020 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Santa Ynez Valley News, January 6, 2020
Santa Barbara International Film Festival Recognizes Wildling Museum Documentary on Carrizo Plain, Noozhawk, January 2, 2020
Ray Strong – A Legacy of Art and Preservation (2019)
Painter, muralist, organizer and educator, Ray Stanford Strong played a significant role in the late 20th century resurgence of landscape painting in the plein air tradition. During the last two decades of his life, Strong was key to the formation of the Oak Group, a collective of Santa Barbara, California artists with a shared concern for our disappearing natural landscapes.
This 22-minute film explores the legacy of artist Ray Strong as told by his fellow “artists for preservation,” the Oak Group. This film was produced in conjunction with the Wildling Museum’s exhibition Ray Strong: A Collector’s Passion, which was exhibited February 2 – July 8, 2019.
Ray Strong – A Legacy of Art and Preservation was produced by the California Nature Art Museum and was directed by Jeff McLoughlin of Goodeye Films.
videos
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