Catalina Island Wild Side Art Show

The Wild Side Art show conducted at Catalina Island on Sunday, October 23, attracted many art lovers to the place from all over the world. The Catalina Island Conservancy’s Sixth Annual Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show offered a big chance to the art lovers to admire and buy the works of ten nationally recognized plein air artists. The art works showcased the interpretation of the artists of the wild lands of Catalina Island, Two Harbors, and Avalon.

The show was sponsored by Catalina Island Conservancy and was conducted at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Balboa. This year, there were four new participants in the show, artists Debra Huse, Laurie Kersey, Brian Blood and Kathleen Dunphy. These new artists joined the roster of the returning artists namely Don Demers, Kim Lordier, Matt Smith, Andy Evansen, John Cosby, and Ron Rencher.

“Thanks to the artists as well as the Catalina Island Conservancy supporters and art lovers who joined us, Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show was another successful event to support the Conservancy’s unique use of art for conservation’s sake,” said Tony Budrovich, who is the Conservancy President and CEO.

The show featured newly created works that are painted in the plein air style, which means painting nature, while being in nature. Proceeds from the sales of art works benefits the Catalina Island Conservancy’s education, conservation, and recreation programs, and also support the permanent collection of plein air art that document the conservation efforts of the organization and progresses made in habitat restoration. Many paintings that were acquired on previous shows are on display for the public in the Nature Center of the conservancy in Avalon Canyon.

Most of the artists who took part in the painting traveled to Catalina Island many times to paint in the plein air style, because the island is the best place to provide the right ambience and back setting for plein art. Laurie Kersey and her artist husband, Brian Blood, were painting on the Catalina Island near El Ranch Escondido and she said, “it was so peaceful that I remember hearing the flapping of bird wings as a couple flew overhead.”

 

The Catalina Island Conservancy also said that the, “6th Annual Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show was a great success! We have a few remaining paintings that we are offering for sale online until November 18, 2016.”