News release
The Santa Clarita Artists Association will hold its 31st Annual Art Classic as a “Virtual” experience. The public can view all of the artwork on the www.SantaClaritaArtists.org website a week prior to the virtual awards ceremony that will be held on Zoom, 7-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17.
“Even in these extraordinary times of social distancing, and not being able to hold public events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we wanted to continue the tradition of this annual event,” said Art Classic chair Nancy Gallardo. “So, through modern technology we are able to host the virtual event.”
“Our members will be exhibiting their original artwork in nine different categories,” said co-chair Susan Zavala. “With all of us having been on lock-down for many months, it has allowed artists to work on more art than ever. Members will be able to enter two to three pieces each. Art has been essential in being a creative outlet in these trying times. Therefore, we expect to see some rather unique art.”
The evening of the “Virtual” Art Classic awards ceremony will be hosted by the SCAA board. Announcements will be made of awards for all art categories, the Huff Perpetual Award and Outstanding Service Award for their individual members’ contributions to SCAA. The City of Santa Clarita will also present their prestigious ‘City Excellence Award’.
Here are the judges:
• John Nichols was a black and white darkroom photographer for more than 30 years. Eighteen years ago he made the leap to both color photography and digital printing. The darkroom is now a wine cellar and he prints both grayscale and color on paper and canvas with state-of-the-art Epson printers using archival pigmented inks.
Nichols was selected to be documented by Focus on the Masters in 2010, a nonprofit art appreciation program that documents, preserves and presents the works of accomplished contemporary artists. Their archives include oral histories, videotaped interviews, photographic portraits and examples of the artists’ work.
Nichols’ photographs are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Ventura County; Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center; University of Austin, Texas; Jackson Wheeler Collection (promised gift to the Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard); city of Ventura; Ventura Community Memorial Hospital and numerous private collections.
• Ginny Speirs: “Still life has been a popular subject for most of my time as an artist from the trompe l’oeil paintings on furniture and walls to the boards and canvases I paint today. Travels in Italy and France inspired my central theme of produce and flora. Since moving to Santa Barbara more than 21 years ago, I’ve been inspired by the area’s organic objects just outside my studio door and at our local farmer’s market. I strive for the magnified view of a vegetable, fruit or succulent; pointing out the exquisite details in the lines, forms and colors. I portray a ‘portrait’ of each of my subjects: chickens, cows and hummingbirds. Painting the beauty of the somewhat mundane object is an inspiring challenge. Everything that I paint continues to live in my oil painting,” said Speirs.
For more information, visit the SCAA website at www.santaclaritaartists.org or call Nancy Gallardo at 661-400-1014 or Susan Zavala at 661-609-1450, or email: [email protected].
