Little Shop of Horrors, is the show that redefined the meaning of plant food. This cult classic musical is an affectionate spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies.  Seymour, a nerdy flower shop assistant on Skid Row discovers a strange and unusual plant that looks like a cross between a venus flytrap and an avocado, and discovers that it only thrives when fed human blood.  And when the plant thrives, amazing things happen for the human who is providing the food.  Its appetite for blood is nearly insatiable and Seymour is torn between keeping the plant alive and his conscience.  Will he sell his soul to this bloodthirsty plant?

Little Shop’s music is in the style of early 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop, and early Motown and includes several well-known tunes, including “Skid Row (Downtown)”, “Somewhere That’s Green,” and “Suddenly, Seymour.”  “Little Shop” provides chills, thrills, and lots of fun but is not recommended for children.

Little Shop of Horrors will play weekends from September 25 through October 30.  Ticket prices range from $12 to $17 and reservations may be made beginning September 7 by calling the box office at 661-799-2702.  The CTG is located at 24242 Main Street in Old Town Newhall.

Sleeping Beauty is based on the classic fairy tale that parents and children alike are familiar with, but this adaptation takes a much more humorous approach to the tale, while still telling the story of the beautiful princess who is cursed by the wicked fairy.

Audience members are encouraged to come in costume and be ready to participate in the fun.  There will be pre-show entertainment and the cast is available to participate in birthday parties (pending advance scheduling).  Call the theatre for information on group sales, Princess Parties, and the availability of patio parties.

Sleeping Beauty will have Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm on September 25, October 2, 3, 9, 16, 17, 23, 30 and 31.  There will be Sunday performances at 6:30 pm on September 26, October 10 and October 24.  Ticket prices range from $10 to $15.  Call the box office at (661) 799-2702.  The CTG is located at 24242 Main Street in Old Town Newhall.

This Labor Day weekend, the 2010 Last Days of Summer Art Expo will be hosted at William S. Hart Hall at the historic William S. Hart Ranch in Newhall, California. The show will be open September 4th through 6th, each day 10:00am to 6:00pm.

The 2010 Last Days of Summer Art Expo is a mixed media show featuring the best in regional photography, painting, lithography and three dimensional art. The featured artwork includes the nationally renowned collodion wet plate work of Will Dunniway and the traditional and alternative photographic work of the staff of Freestyle Photo of Hollywood, California.

Dunniway will present several of his works featuring that Crow Agency Native American of Little Big Horn executed in period collodion wet plate photography (Civil War era). These awaited works have never before been on display. Dunniway, as a teacher and artist, is a major force in the preservation of American Civil War era photographic methodology.

The work of the Freestyle Photo staff includes stunning metallic prints, lithography and chromoskedasic printing, as well as works in traditional gelatin silver. Freestyle Photo is the nation’s hub for the preservation of film photography and the advancement of new and refined alternative photographic and printing methods.

Additionally, the suburban art rebellion of show co-producers, Proxart Magazine, will be on display. This highly talented group of young people will soon celebrate the release of their third edition of Proxart Magazine. Proxart and its artists are gaining serious “art-traction” as was recently featured in extended coverage by the Los Angeles Daily News.

Other featured talents include photographer and writer, David Green; the award winning photography of Rick Russell; photographer and CalArts graduate, Christopher Velasco; the portrait photography of Keri Kilgo; and, the traditional photography of show co-producer, Tony Zinnanti. The best of the Santa Clarita Artists’ Association and Chatsworth Fine Arts Council will also be presenting. A total of 36 artists will present over 120 works.

Admission and parking are free. William S. Hart Park features sprawling grounds, a souvenir kiosk and plenty of activities for children.

William S. Hart Hall and Park is off the 14 Freeway north, via the San Fernando Road/Newhall Avenue exit. Head northwest on San Fernando Road/Newhall Avenue for approximately two miles to the park entrance.

This production was made possible by the generous support of the City of Santa Clarita Arts & Events Office and the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation.

Contact: Tony Zinnanti; (661) 313-2223 or tony@zinnanti.net

I’ve been to San Francisco. I’ve been to Austin. I’ve been to Shanghai. I’ve been to Nashville. I’ve been to Dallas. I’ve been to Honduras. I’ve been to Pleasanton. I’ve been to Vegas.

But, regardless of where I go, I come home to Santa Clarita.

Having been around a bit, I am quite confident that if any one thing is a constant characteristic of the artistic community, it’s this: We always want to do things differently. Never happy when “playing by the rules,” the arts demand thinking outside the box – there is something “artistic” about bypassing the “normal” rules in order to create new ones.

That said, what is normal for one isn’t normal for another. Example: If you lived in San Francisco, bustling streets, public transportation, tons of food, and The Embarcadero would comprise your “normal.” For those of us in Santa Clarita, chain restaurants, malls, SUVs, housing tracts, Starbucks and Vasquez Rocks make up our “normal.”

Going back to the idea that artists want to be different, here’s my point: The artist in San Francisco, well, he’s not satisfied with San Francisco because that’s normal to him. Just like the artist in Santa Clarita isn’t (always) satisfied in Santa Clarita. This is just “how things are,” and we all (always) want to change it because that’s what art does. Art doesn’t let things stay the way they are. Art challenges stereotypes. Art confronts. Art encourages. Art sparks and fuels movements.

So, I’d encourage you to keep creating. No matter where you’re at, start thinking about breaking out of your “normal” to make something new. No matter your method of advertisement or distribution, the arts in Santa Clarita will break out of the tract homes and into the public eye if we do one thing well, and that’s create.

As the first exhibition of the fall 2010 semester, the College of the Canyons Art Gallery will feature the works of three-time Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist Paul Conrad.

Regarded as one of the most distinguished political cartoonists in the world, Conrad began his career at The Denver Post in 1950 before moving on to the Los Angeles Times in 1964 where he served as chief editorial cartoonist until 1993.

At 87, Conrad is still active and producing his biting cartoons for syndication in newspapers across the country and abroad.

Despite having been honored with three Pulitzers and numerous other prestigious awards, Conrad is most fond of his distinction for being included on Richard Nixon’s infamous “enemies” list — a comment on the impact of the artist’s prolific work during that era.

“I feel that this exhibition will be a real treat for our community. Of all the editorial cartoonists working today, no one has reached the status of Paul Conrad,” said COC art gallery director, Larry Hurst. “This type of creative work requires not only technical drawing skill, but a sharp wit and profound understanding of social and political events — not to mention humor! Mr. Conrad is certainly a master of this genre.”

Featuring more than 50 drawings, the exhibition “I, Con: The Brilliant Work of Paul Conrad,” will open Tuesday, Aug. 31, and run through Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010.

A special reception will be held in the COC Art Gallery from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31.

The COC Art Gallery is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Visitors unable to visit the gallery during these hours are welcome to call (661) 362-3612 to make a viewing appointment.

All gallery exhibitions and related events are free and open to the public.

For more information regarding the COC Art Gallery or the Paul Conrad exhibition please visit www.canyons.edu/artgallery/.

The Art of Landscape Design

2 weeks ago I wrote about the idea of celebrating our collective creativity in Santa Clarita.  Everywhere you look, people are doing creative things.  Gardening is creative, as is cooking a great meal, or running a business.  I went out looking for these creative people in the community and have found my first.

For his entire life, Joe Varonin has liked working with the outdoors.  His High School Year Book predicted his path when it printed that Joe wanted to be a Landscape Designer.  Joe, now the President of TCLA, Inc., a landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning company, began landscaping as a young man working for a family friends business.  This is where he got his hands dirty and the birth of his passion for landscaping was nurtured.  Over the years, Joe has designed everything from backyards to large development projects.  “It has never been about the money.  I am more interested in the creative aspect of the work, and how people will experience what I create.”

John Dewey, a Philosopher from the 19^th Century pondered art and experience, and developed the idea that art is an experience.  It is not a performance or a painting or a sculpture, but the actual experience that someone is seeing, hearing, or feeling the work is what matters.  Mr. Varonin’s work also is created for the experience that each user will receive, so is not landscape architecture an art form?  I would say yes; yes it is.

Joe thinks about who will be using a space, what they will get out of it, and what they will remember about visiting the space.  “I create for the user.”  The overall experience that is taken away is the key to Joe’s designs.

Each space or job presents unique opportunities and challenges for him to consider.  Some spaces are great for a passive experience, while others are interactive.  Some spaces are created so the person experiencing the site can reflect on the past or their feelings.  Veteran’s Memorial Plaza (below) in Newhall was designed by Joe as such a place.

On the other hand, Bridgeport Marketplace (pictured at top), was designed as an extremely active space where even the act of driving in the parking lot is experiential.  That’s right, Joe even thinks about how you approach one of his sites.  The approaching experience is just as important as being on the site.  The mood is being set as you drive or walk up to a location.

Movement is key to the design of Bridgeport Marketplace.  From the beginning of this project, the idea of moving through the space was in the plan.  The next time you visit Bridgeport, consider how the entire space has been set up.  You are encouraged to stroll from one end to the other.  Walk in the space, around the space, and over the space.  As you do, the scene changes as you move down the path.  Starting from the sails and Douwe Bloomberg’s art piece in the water, look down to the opposite end of the space.  This entire vista has been thought about, designed, and re-designed for your experience.  “Each time you go back, you can see something different.”  These spaces are diametrically opposed to strip malls, which lack the experience component to them.  I don’t know about you, but I have never felt the urge to hang out or stroll through a strip mall.

“Design is not decorating,” Joe says with conviction.  He feels that the design work that he does is about working with spaces.  Working with a space to make it meaningful and memorable is what it is all about; this is what keeps Joe coming back for more.

Joe creates a design on a blank piece of paper like an artist uses a blank canvas.  Big trees and small trees become part of the scene, as do various color flowers in the foreground matched with flowers in the background.  Just like Matisse, Joe considers every part of his canvas.  A slope moves from right to left as it accentuates rows of shrub, walls, water features, and skillfully placed rocks.  The vista (art work) that is created can look different close up rather than from far away.  There are multiple experiences that can occur as the viewer (public) visits the space.

Again, everywhere you look, people are doing creative things.  They are using many of the same skills that an artists uses when developing a piece of work.  Go out and look at all of the creativity around us.  Consider the creativity involved in the design of buildings, gardens, and storefronts.  I challenge Santa Clarita to think about defining creativity in a new way.  Your new motto is “Santa Clarita: The Creative City.” Spread the word.  Identify yourself as creative.

-Six

Years ago my wife and I were out shopping and we happened to be at an Aaron Brothers store. My wife Diane (always one to catch me in deep thought or daydreaming) asked me what I was looking at. Diane and I have a great relationship; very frank and direct with one another. “I’m not looking at anything,” I said! She immediately responded with, “Yes you were! You were looking at that canvas.”

Finally, I admitted that I was staring at a blank 4′X4′ canvas. So she said these dreaded words: “Why don’t you buy it!” I was shocked that she was so direct and I immediately responded by saying, “Heck no!” She asked me why I was so resistant to buying the canvas and I told her it was because if I bought it I’d have to fill it with something - and that’s a big commitment.

As I said already, my wife is very direct, but her to the comment about the blank canvas caught even me off guard. “So fill it!” she said. I couldn’t believe my ears. I’ve always approached doing art as a kind of sacred thing. Everything has to be planned out exactly and once you start there’s no turning back. I thought to myself, “What nerve!” I could not understand how she could take something so special to me and make it so trivial. That she would ask me to expose myself to the world and not even bat an eye for my safety or well being.

In the end, she won. I bought the canvas, and I haven’t looked back since. The fear of the unknown haunts every artist and I guess that’s the thrill of the creative process: not knowing what’s around the corner, and suddenly discovering another side of yourself that you didn’t even know existed. All my life I’ve been the kind of person that likes challenges. I enjoy the challenge of discovering new mediums and going into unexplored territory. Sure it’s scary, but it’s more satisfying and fun because it’s scary.

I’ve tried it all: acrylic paint, oils, watercolor, mixed media, mexican folk art, airbrush, charcoal drawing, prisma pencils, mural painting, 3D sculpture, computers, photoshop, illustrator, motion design, and my latest venture, soft pastels. After 40 years not using the pastel medium, I was inspired again by teaching children how to use the it, and I figured that since I was teaching it, I might as well start using it again.

These are challenges that keep me going as an artist and as a creative person. But I guess the most fun of all is sharing your abilities with others. Teaching children and adults is my latest challenge and it, as well, is scary and fun at the same time… not knowing what’s around the corner; what a kick!

So, all of that said, I guess you could say that my shopping with my wife that afternoon was a huge milestone in my career.

This is a silhouette of an oak tree off of McBean Parkway in Santa Clarita created by Mel Carll of the SCV Center for Photography.  The image is currently hanging in the Century Room of the Santa Clarita City Hall.  You too, can create an awesome silhouette of your own.

In looking at some photos on the web today, I noticed a lot of silhouetted photos on the beach that really made me think about how little I have seen this in our local photography.  So after doing some looking into my own images, I realized that I have done some of this, but really not enough lately, so I thought I would post some basic thoughts in creating a nice silhouette.

• The basic idea is to place a strong subject in front of the bright light, which can be a person, tree, building, animal, whatever it is that interest you.
• Make sure you great light behind your subject, and that light needs to be brighter than the light hitting your subject from the front, or foreground light.
• It helps it you have a nice plain background, no clutter, nothing that could distract your viewers eye from leaving the main subject in your image.
• Do not use any flash from your camera.  You are trying to make your subject go black in the image, although you will want some detail, but just enough so that you know what the subject is.
• The most difficult part is the exposure.  Use spot metering, and point it at the brightest part of the image, as this will under-expose your subject.  If your subject is too bright still, either speed up the shutter speed or change the aperture.  So if your aperture is currently at f8, adjust to f11.  And then just continue to adjust to you get the image you are looking for.

Making a silhouette can lead to a great image, both in bright daylight, or even at sunrise or sunset.  So get out there and make some images, and if you need additional inspiration or assistance, check out our workshop schedule at the SCV Center for Photography via our website www.scvphotocenter.com.

The newly redeveloped streetscape on Main Street will serve as the picturesque backdrop for the Festival of the Arts, presented by Lockheed Federal Credit Union, held on October 2 and 3 from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.  The Festival will feature four blocks of demonstration and art activities completely free and open to the public, with a variety of artists creating artwork in multiple mediums, including, plein air painting, sculpture, pottery, and the fine art of street painting.

There are still opportunities for plein air painters to participate in the event.  For more information, please check out www.scvfestivalofthearts.com or call the City of Santa Clarita’s Arts and Events Office at (661) 286-4018.

There are times when your photographic creative juices fail you, and you just can not come up with any ideas of what to photograph, but you want to photograph.  Here are a few ideas for you to consider:

1. Your Yard:  You may think this is funny, but your  yard is a target rich environment.  Most of you are likely to have flowers, roses, herbs or plants.  These items always make great macro subjects.  And don’t forget the grass, which first thing in the morning with dew and sunlight can be pretty pleasing.
2. Your House:  To be more specific, the kitchen.  Consider those hanging pots, or the many utensils you have laying around.  If you just look around, you may be surprised what you see.
3. Park:  Most us have a park fairly close to home.  The kids play area always has some interesting objects, that might be interesting macro shots.  The kids playing, laughing and running are great photos to send the grandparents.  You may even be lucky to have a water fountain or other textures to consider.
4. Industrial Park:  Take a drive though the local business park.  Check out the textures on the building, as they can make for some interesting abstracts.  A lot of businesses have some pretty nice landscaping, so again, flowers, plants and even water treatments can make for great photos.
5. Farmers Market:  Most towns today have a local farmers market, and this can be an awesome place for photographs.  You should always ask the vendors if they mind having the produce photographed, but generally, most have no problems.

Hopefully these tips can you help you jump start your creative juices on those slow days.  Enjoy, and keep shooting.  If you are interested in other ideas, please log onto our website at  www.scvphotocenter.com and check out our many workshops each month at the SCV Center for Photography.