29/03 Simply Sunsets by Barbara Holbrook

The Signal Hill Library is featuring the work of local photographer
and graphic artist Barbara Holbrook as the first installment of this
year’s Artist of the Quarter.

Simply Sunsets, Holbrook’s latest collection of digitally stimulated
photography, explores the diversity of expression in one of nature’s
most cyclic events: sunset.

Using a subject matter that borders on the mundane, Holbrook
harnesses the skyline’s ritual reminder that the universe’s most
unique qualities are often locked in the routine. To further localize
this view, she expresses her work in the context of a familiar
Southern California landscape.

“Sunsets are like people, no two are exactly alike,” says Holbrook.
“It’s fascinating how they can change from moment to moment. Like a
best friend you’ve known for years, a sunset can still disclose new
secrets – a different angle can reveal additional layers of beauty
and fresh points of interest.”

After living and traveling nomadically into her 20s, Holbrook made a
home of Signal Hill five years ago. Since then, she has experimented
with an array of digital and photographic techniques. Her artistic
body of work includes pieces produced using resources ranging from
complex digital processes and computer creations to the deceptively
simple toy cameras known as Holgas.

Although she still travels frequently, she uses the topography of her
newfound home as her primary source of inspiration and expression.

“I think the multiplicity of human nature is mirrored in the natural
world around us, whether you’re in the desolation of the dessert or
the warm heart of a bustling city,” she says. “I want my pictures to
be a reminder to notice and appreciate those differences.

Sponsored by Friends of Signal Hill Cultural Arts (FOSHCA), the
quarterly exhibits at the Signal Hill Library highlight the work of
various artists from Signal Hill and Long Beach. The current show
will by on display through April 5.

The Signal Hill Library is located at 1770 East Hill Street. For more
information, call (562) 989-7323.

21/03 Mr. D’s Tiki Carving Workshop

Are you ready to take up a new hobby? Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s resident Tiki Carver, Jim DePompei, will offer a workshop to teach participants the art of tiki carving. Learn about the cultural history and significance of the tiki and then carve your own “ku” (God of Strength) from palm wood.

This class will be offered on Sunday, March 25 from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. The workshop fee is $39 ($36 Friends members) and includes a set of chisels. Pre-registration is required as space is limited. This class is open to anyone age 10 and above. No previous wood carving experience is necessary.

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive in San Pedro.

For reservations, further information, or to receive a calendar of events, please call (310) 548-7562

21/03 Paint the night with Music!

On Saturday, March 24th, come join Michelle Mangione and Catheryn for an evening of music and art at the Mirage Cafe. The show will run from 8-10pm.

For those of you who haven't seen Michelle perform, this is a great venue to see a truly talented musician-songwriter as she performs songs from her recently released album, Life Beneath the Sun.

Catheryn is a realism artist, well known for her award-winning painting "Eyes of Pride," featured at the Orange County Fair.

The Mirage Cafe is locate at 539 E. Bixby Rd., Long Beach, CA. 562.424.4774

02/03 First Fridays

First Fridays is expanding! Come join us at the next event on Friday March 2, 2007 and see even more art.

THOR’s Antiques presents Kasra Paydavousi, a sculptor working in expressive bronzes of the human figure. THOR’s Antiques is located at 4122 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807.

Four Olives Café presents painter Carol Swanson. Ms. Swanson’s works feature still life, seascapes, and abstracts and will be displayed throughout the month of March. Her reception will be Wednesday, March 6, 2007 from 7pm-9pm.

Featured artists at the Oasis Gallery at Chroma Glass Designs:

Michele Vavonese, painter



The paintings I do usually have fairly mundane central subjects such as; drapes, doors, walls, windows and stairs. But to me these objects become characters – they mix in with the moods and themes of my paintings. I may have a whimsical sofa with velveteen stripes, happily floating in a bright room or a baroque chair with dramatic lighting and wild wallpaper.

I feel emotion and movement and life in the work I do. I enjoy creating my paintings and sharing them.

Jamie Kivisto, painter



Kivisto's paintings all tie in to a universal vision that can be enjoyed by everyone. One of the most recognizable traits in her work is the ambiguity that automatically triggers each viewer to create his or her own narrative. While Jamie begins to tell the story in the piece, it is one of her greatest joys to hear from her viewers their own interpretation of her work. Most of her paintings are of the human figure and her subjects are often captured in bars and other social gatherings. The figures are rarely posed; in fact Jamie most often paints people in their uninhibited and most humanist state. Consequently, the viewer is sucked into a place of voyeuristic observation.

The artists’ work will hang for the month with a reception, free and open to all, on March 2. Light refreshment will be served, 7-10pm.