Six artists joined together, aligned around the lesser-known medium of gouache (an opaque watercolor pronounced "gwash"), to tell the story and challenges of the Santa Ynez River and Watershed. Locally, we have all been touched in some manner by the long-term and continuing drought in the Santa Barbara region. While somewhat relieved by the winter rains of 2016/2017, the drought likely will be continuing and as of January 2018 Lake Cachuma, which provides water for Santa Barbara and other communities, is already under 39% capacity and dropping.
From their bark and leaves to their ecosystems and inhabitants, each tree is unique. The tri-counties (Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County) are home to a diverse range of tree species that make our landscape beautiful. For our 2017 Nature Photography Competition we asked photographers to explore the life cycle of trees, those who call it home, the threats they face, and their individuality.
One could travel through the alphabet when the Wildling showcased a diverse artistic representation of animal species from African saddlebills to zebras and everything in between. The artworks ranged from realistic to abstract and represented many different mediums.
The Wildling Museum of Art & Nature presented its newest exhibition Private Collections of the Santa Barbara Region, comprised of artworks borrowed from the private collections of its members. Visitors were able to experience artworks that were not on public display, and they will got an inside look into how and why collectors choose their pieces.
From bowls and urns made on a lathe to fine handcrafted furniture, this exhibition has amazing examples of what can be created from local and exotic wood. View a breathtaking 1853 rosewood piano has been repurposed with extreme creativity by Ken Frye into a breathtaking cabinet intermingled with bowls made from a tree that once stood on 2nd Street in Solvang. Explore the exhibit and learn about woodworking methods and interesting facts about wood.
As a fascinating counterpoint to our woodworkers exhibition, we presented the photography of David Paul Bayles. "David Paul Bayles left Los Angeles in the mid seventies for the Sierra Nevada mountains to work one season as a logger. He fell in love with the physicality, the camaraderie and the dangerous work. One season became four as he worked setting chokers, bumping knots and skinning cat. To this day he struggles to answer how he could love trees and forests even as he loved the work that brought them down.
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature has a small and diverse permanent art collection. The works in this exhibition are the majority of our painting collection with a few of our special prints included. Almost all of the works were received as gifts, for which we are very grateful. Works date from as early as 1918 to the 2010s and represent sweeping vistas like Henry Breuer’s large panoramic painting to more intimate moments, like Ray Strong’s small canvas of a flowering plum tree.
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature and the Southern California Artists Painting for the Environment (SCAPE) presented Places of the Heart, a juried exhibition and sale celebrating treasured places in the tri-county area. Guided by input from the community, members of SCAPE painted in locations through the San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties. The plein air works showcased the amazing natural features of our region and the talent of the SCAPE artists.
Answering the call to artists, over 100 entries were received in response to 2016's theme of Where Land Meets Water. The judges carefully selected the top works to create an exhibition displaying a wide range of interpretations of the theme. From puddles to ice to the ocean, the photographers found amazing examples of the connection of land and water.
Celebrating the National Parks of California explored nine national parks located within the state of California through a juried exhibition: Joshua Tree, Yosemite, Redwood, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Lassen, Pinnacles, Death Valley and Channel Islands (there are a total of 27 monuments, parks, seashores and more administered and preserved by the National Park Service. The show celebrated and discussed wilderness, nature and preservation of the parks and provided an opportunity for artists to display and sell their work. Fifty-one artworks in a wide range of mediums and styles were included in the diverse show .
Karen Sinsheimer at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, this exhibition was a tribute to Karen’s skills and legacy as a curator of photography as well as her volunteer efforts to the Wildling Museum in the capacity of a long-time exhibitions and art committee member.Karen’s discerning eye helped to amass an important collection of photography at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, an amazing legacy for the greater Santa Barbara community and she helped the Wildling find artists for exhibitions and the permanent collection.
