Sunset on the Rincon at Carpinteria Gallery

Who knew that a botanist would have a successful entry into an art show in the artsy area of Santa Barbara? My wife Jeannie is an artist of western landscapes and has submitted material to shows in Florida, North Carolina and here in the Santa Barbara, CA area - with many successes. (She never calls them 'rejections' as they are simply one judge's opinion.) Me? I entered a photo in a show along with her entries about six weeks ago and learned about rejection - while she had a pastel accepted. However, this show her two pastels were not accepted, while my 'Sunset on the Rincon' was chosen!

We've certainly had some amusing moments... as I told her, it's great that ONE of the artists(!) in the family got into the show. And that Friday, 10Aug, we will go to "my" opening. Jeannie uses bold and bright colors and in our home in North Carolina, discovered that a wall in our 'dining area', painted purple was the perfect foil for her work.

While I have used Nikon film cameras for most of the previous nearly forty years (I started taking photos in the crib), I switched to a Nikon digital D70s about three years ago and have truly enjoyed it. However, the above photo was taken with Jeannie's little point n' shoot digital - a Casio Exlim EX-2750. All I know is that it has a large LCD Screen, has 7.2 megapixels, fits in my shirtpocket and has almost no hesitation at the shutter release - and took a photo of a quality to be juried into an art show.

Juror? None other than Arturo Tello, a person whom I've met at Santa Barbara and Carpinteria galleries and shows. Besides being active locally and being artistically productive, he is Gallery Manager at Palm Loft Gallery in Carpinteria. I've come to enjoy his pleasant demeanor and his art. He is also a member of 'The Oak Group' - twenty-four painters for preservation in California who contribute a portion of their special sales to environmental purchases in California. I am truly honored to have my sunset photo successfully juried by Arturo Tello.

If you'd like a cool visit (and the high temp has struggled to reach 70 degrees in Carpinteria this week) and see some fine art, come to "855 At The Arts Center" in Carpinteria - 855 Linden Ave., Carpinteria, CA. The Opening is Friday, 10Aug at 5:30pm, and the show hangs through 24Sept.