Santa Paula’s Got The Look
An expedition for Love and other curiosities

Nestled in Santa Paula is the mother lode of serendipitous discoveries.  Each time I walk into the John Nichols Gallery, I find some remarkable gem that gives me the feeling that I’ve stumbled on a secret treasure trove of goodies.  Within the same space you will find antiques, fine art, books in the “Browsarium” and photographs such as Horace Bristol, Tom Leonard and Charles Spink.

You will also find works by local artist Christine Brennan, whose paintings are whimsical and allegorical, much like storybook characters without the accompanying text.  This absence of narrative frees the viewer to make up his or her own scenario for the mysterious characters so beautifully rendered by Brennan.

Works by Cornelis Botke, a prominent Santa Paula figure whose etchings were records of the rural environs where he made his studio and home on display.  There are also the expressive drawings and etchings of Kitty Botke, whose work conveys a sense of simplicity and delicacy that can only come from someone who loves to draw.  She captures a mood within a few eloquent lines and gestures.

Housed within the Nichols Gallery is the nationally recognized Santa Paula Snapshot Museum, whose aim is to ‘observe pieces of human existence through snapshots”.  Currently, there is a chilling photographic account of the St. Francis Dam disaster accompanied by reproductions of news clippings and ephemera from the tragic event.  The photographs’ anonymous creator captures the scale and horror of the effects from the flood that ravaged parts of Ventura County in 1928.

As a compliment to the Snapshot Museum, there is a collection of “vernacular” photographs for sale.  As the name suggests, there are photos of everyday, ordinary things taken (presumably) by ordinary folk.  This is truly a delight, flipping through these pictures, stopping to investigate a group of bathers in long wool swimming costumes or a landscape of unknown origin.  The fact that these photographs are “found art” removes the element of the ego of the creator and allows for a deeper appreciation for the subject matter at hand.  Each picture is like a miniature investigative story, begging questions like: “Why did someone take this photo?” or “When was this taken?”  This is a photography lover’s dream, a place to appreciate the craft and the medium’s ability to allow singular voices to come to fruition on paper.

My primary reason for visiting the Gallery was to check out the juried exhibit  , The Look of Love, an all media display focusing on all the many aspects of love-love between aren’t and child, family and beyond; between friends, between lovers.  It covers all then sensations inspired by love: elation, passion, compassion, comfort, loss, regret and redemption.  Since the competition was open to artist regardless of residence, there are works as far away as Thailand and as close as our own county.  Twenty -three pieces in all, the works range in size and medium as much as origin.

There is the flight of fancy as seen in “Neptune’s Lovers” by Caroline Mary Kleefield, a sparkling, shimmering scene of winged lover’s at the moment before touching lips.  There are finely detailed and delightfully realistic bronze sculptures by Myphuong Ly and Susan R. Kaufman.  A photo collage of a father embracing a child superimposed over sections of buildings formed into a cross brought up suggestions of a crucifix in a Aline Kessler’s “Home is Where the Heart Is.”
Jason Howard Fosler’s “Couple Kissing” looked like a page from the Kama Sutra reproduced in a cotton candy-like pink and layered over a black background.  There was a vibrating effect with the layers of pink-pigmented paper and stark background that gave the painting animation and life.  The tin shield assemblages of Tim Clare are remarkable for their stirring message and labor-intensive workmanship.  Other pieces are subtler, such as “Intertwine” by Steven Janssen, who seems to have represented an abstract of two torsos intermingled with each other in an embrace.

By far the most outstanding piece in this exhibit is Chris Fitzpatrick’s “Encapsulation of Memories.”  The sculpture consists of a pair of children’s pajamas stuffed to capacity and coated in resin.  Suspended from the ceiling with a light emanating from inside, it glows an eerie warm red light.  Fitzpatrick has imbued a simple article of children’s clothing with the pain and clinging memories of a child lost.  The message is effective at bringing home the point that love for a child is unyielding and undying, even if that child is no longer alive.

And as if there wasn’t enough to see and do, there is the added pleasure of participating in the election of winners for the various prizes to the artists in this competition.  Visitors can cast a ballot for their favorite pieces in the show at the gallery itself as well as online at JohnNicholsGallery.  Judging form the Web Sit’s poll, it seems that an overwhelming majority of the visitor’s agree that the most exceptional piece in the exhibit is Fitzpatrick’s “Encapsulation of Memories.”