Plein Air Painting Weekend with Libby Smith and Kevin Gleason
Saturday, June 26 & Sunday, June 27, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Free with admission | Adults $5, Children 17 & younger free
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to announce an upcoming Plein Air Painting Weekend with artists Kevin Gleason and Libby Smith taking place Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Smith’s demonstration will take place on Saturday and Gleason’s demonstration will be Sunday.
Inspiring visitors to get outdoors is at the heart of the Wildling Museum’s current Valley Oak Gallery exhibition, Art from the Trail: Exploring the Natural Beauty of Santa Barbara County. Libby Smith and Kevin Gleason are among the 27 local artists featured in the show, which celebrates the outdoor treasures of the Central Coast. The two artists will be bringing their talents to the museum for live painting demonstrations, providing visitors with a behind-the-scenes look at how artists bring outdoor inspiration to the canvas.
The goal of the exhibition, in partnership with Healthy People Healthy Trails and the Santa Barbara County Trails Council, is to raise awareness of the wealth of trails located in Santa Barbara County and to inspire visitors and community members to explore them, while encouraging a healthier lifestyle.
Trails highlighted in the show range from the South Coast, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Maria Valley, and Lompoc Valley regions including trails located at Carpinteria Bluffs, Goleta’s Lake Los Carneros and Ellwood Mesa, to La Purisima State Historic Park, Lake Cachuma, and many more.
Please email info@wildlingmuseum.org or call (805) 686-8315 with any questions.
Grateful thanks to Exhibition Sponsors:
About Libby Smith
Libby Smith, Spring House Aqueduct (La Purisima Mission State Historic Park), Oil on panel, Courtesy the Artist.
Libby Smith was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in Los Angeles, California. She moved to Santa Barbara to attend UC Santa Barbara, where she received a BA and MFA with an emphasis in drawing. Smith taught painting and drawing for 31 years at Santa Barbara City College and for 7 years at the SBCC School of Extended Learning. In 2016, she retired from teaching and now works primarily outdoors on landscape painting, often with several friends. She and her husband live in Goleta and enjoy exploring California and the southwest in search of camping and painting locations.
Explore more of Libby Smith’s work on Instagram: @libbysmith051.
About Kevin Gleason
Kevin Gleason, Fall Colors – Ellwood Bluffs, Oil on linen on panel, Courtesy the Artist.
My art combines two of my greatest loves: exploring beautiful wild places on foot and drawing with a paintbrush. When I am out scouting places to set up my easel, I am searching for a combination of two things – an intriguing natural subject that speaks to me on a literal level mixed with a sense of light and atmosphere that tugs at me emotionally.
I was lucky to grow up in South Lake Tahoe with miles of wilderness, mountains, lakes, and creeks literally in my backyard. I then came to Santa Barbara for college and again experienced living in a beautiful setting, this time with oak woodlands and the Pacific Ocean. Besides being a landscape painter, I teach art at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta.
Explore more of Kevin Gleason’s work at www.kevingleasonart.com and on Instagram: @kevingleasonart.
Event Press
Wildling Museum Plans Plein Air Weekend, Santa Barbara News-Press, June 11, 2021
Plein Air Painting Weekend Offers Inspiration to Get Outdoors, Noozhawk, June 10, 2021