Writing Solutions

 August 25, 2006

Art has come to the San Gorgonio Pass Area

By Gail Paparian
For the Record Gazette

As the heat of summer becomes a distant memory and sultry evenings turn into cooler nights, we know the fall season is upon us. While the weather may change, one thing remains constant - it is the end of September and for the 49th time, Banning is hosting Stagecoach Days.

Events are happening throughout the month of September with service clubs hosting their events in celebration of this special community event. The official events at Dysart Park begin in earnest on Sept. 28 and continue through Oct. 1.

City crews along with scores of volunteers have been working diligently to ready the park for the coming of thousands of visitors.

The 2006 event brings back traditional and successful events such as three days of the PRCA rodeo, the very popular and expanded children's event- muttin' bustin,' music, carnival, the new food and beverage garden, entertainment and - ART.

From collaboration between the Banning Chamber of Commerce and the Banning Cultural Alliance, an art contest was created. Banning artist Sheila Bryan's “White Hat” was selected as the official painting of the 2006 edition of Stagecoach Days.

Bryan's work has been reproduced in the giclee format, allowing her to offer 200 signed and numbered paintings before and during the Stagecoach Days events.

As a testament to the growing interest in local art and artists, several of the talented people who live or have galleries or studios in the Pass Area will be exhibiting their work on Saturday and Sunday during Stagecoach Days (Sept 30 - Oct. 1 from noon on).

Many of the artists have created western-theme art in celebration of Banning's Stagecoach Days. Introducing some of the artists

Featured Stagecoach Days Artist - Sheila Bryan

Sheila Bryan's artistic accolades now include being selected as the feature artist for Stagecoach Days 2006 with her creation of her painting, “White Hat.”

Bryan's mother was an artist and early on, Bryan began painting portrait art. Her formal training included Pepperdine University, Otis Art Institute and Pierce College. She briefly taught a class, but soon realized her talents were as a painter, not a teacher.

Bryan did many commission portraits in Hidden Hills and one of her largest endeavors was for famed science fiction writer, Richard Matheson. Bryan became focused on western art when she and her husband Freddy opened their third Bryan's Barbecue restaurant in Westchester, CA.

Bryan is delighted to have been honored as the Feature Artist for Stagecoach Days and will make limited edition signed and numbered giclees of “White Hat” available before and during Stagecoach Days events. Bryan has become more involved in the art movement in Banning and “wants to increase the possibility that our little community will be a magnet for artists and art appreciation. The galleries here in Banning will grow and prosper, adding to our cultural life.”

Sara Parker

“I cannot remember a time when I didn't paint or draw,” Parker said. “My parents were ardent naturalists and taught me to respect the land and its inhabitants.”

Parker grew up on a Christmas tree farm in Michigan; recalling that the distinct season changes allowed her to observe and draw a vast and varied number of wild and domestic animals and birds.

Early on, Parker studied at the Kalamazoo Art Institute and after high school, Parker attended the University of Michigan where she received her bachelorís degree. Parker returned to art school and continued her studies at the Academy of Art in Chicago. She credits her achievements to a demanding environment with skilled and generous instructors.

Parker was accepted into a masterís program in art therapy at the Art Institute of Chicago. As part of her internship, she worked with Koko, the sign language gorilla at the Gorilla Foundation in Woodside, CA.

Parker earned her living as a muralist and trompe líoeill artist for 12 years in the Chicago area. Parker's paintings have been featured in Chicago Home and Garden and Romantic Homes.

Parker has her studio in Banning and continues to work on her craft; producing a variety of art styles and subjects. Visit her website: saraparkerstudio.com.

Rich “Pops” Lopez

Rich “Pops” Lopez has earned the reputation as a respected internationally renowned potter.

“I still have the first piece of pottery I made back in 1965,” Lopez recalls. “My first designs had Native American decorations on them; just like the ones I make now.”

From a “latch-key” kid and bouts with alcoholism, Lopez is now at the top of his craft: crediting his faith in God and the fact that he has now been clean and sober for over three years.

Lopez, who has his studio in Beaumont, credits his wife with sending him in a wonderful, new direction. “On Christmas day, 2002, my wife bought me an electric wheel and 8 bags of clay.”

It was a revelation to Lopez that after 30 years of searching, he found what he wanted to do: he became a ceramist. On that Christmas day, Lopez used all the bags of clay and threw his first piece in 30 years. Six months after this reawakening, he was selling his pots and bowls in Palm Springs at the popular Thursday night Street fair.

A casual observer initially might think Lopez' baskets and platters may look like they were created with reeds and decorated with Indian design. Closer observation shows his works are made from clay. For more information, see his website: www.pops-pottery.com.

David Fairrington

Upon viewing Master Painter David Fairrington's portraits, it is difficult to believe he has only been practicing this form of his art since 1995. “I was from an Air Force family,” Fairrington said. “We criss-crossed the country for years finally settling in Wichita Falls, Texas.” Being the perennial “new kid,” Fairrington discovered that he could draw faces with ease and expertise. It helped him earn money and achieve social acceptance. Fairrington used his skills to pay his way through college at Texas Tech.

His education was interrupted when he was drafted and sent to Viet Nam.

Fairrington became an “Army Combat Artist” based in Saigon. The artists had free reign to photograph and later, through art, chronicle the events and people of the war. Instead of recording burning villages and destruction, Fairrington became riveted with the faces he saw: he painted soldiers, villagers, children, old people, the wounded and the orphaned. The paintings now reside in the U.S. Army Center of Military History in Washington, D.C.

Fairrington returned from the war to open his own advertising agency. He successfully created more than 150 posters for the film industry. Successful as he was, he knew he wanted something else.

Fairrington sold his business and spent over a year teaching himself how to paint his sensitive portraits, landscapes and dancers.

Currently Fairrington accepts commissions for his portraits and continues to create his art. He conducts workshops focusing on principles of portrait painting, including color, composition and design theory. He accepts private teaching sessions. See more of his work at: www.davidfairrington.com.

Carson Gladson

Carson Gladson is an internationally recognized landscape artist. He is also a tenured professor and has taught painting, drawing and design for more than 35 years at El Camino Community College in Torrance, the second largest community college in the United States.

At the age of 19, Gladson won his first award for painting in a juried exhibition at the Long Beach Museum of Art. His work is part of the permanent collections of the Oakland Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Gladson's evocative and ever changing use of “mixed media” keeps his fans and supporters thirsting for more. Because of the artistic quality of his work, many corporate collectors and private individuals have made his paintings part of their collections. His works are on display in corporate offices such as: Neiman Marcus, AT&T, Toyota, General Mills, Port of Long Beach and the California Association of Realtors.

If you travel, keep an eye out at various hotels like: Sheraton, Hilton, Westin, Radisson, Marriott, Good Earth Restaurants, Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Wilshire Hotel and the Spanish Bay Resort.

Gladson's original work is available throughout the United States at galleries in: Seattle, San Francisco, Oregon, Arizona, Georgia and Florida. The Banning Center for the Arts is thrilled to have Gladsonís work on ex'ibit beginning in early September. For more information, view: www.carsongladson.com.

Nicholas Pace

Nicholas Pace feels like he's been on the road and doing art shows all his life. Looking where he's gone and what he's done, he's right! Pace's father was a technical illustrator at Lockheed. He began teaching Nicholas to draw when he was 6 and started teaching him how to paint when he was 16. At the age of 17, the touring began and he sold his first painting in Carmel, Calif.

Pace continued to tour, picking up success throughout the country but it was still a tough go. In 1989 he met his wife Barbara who encouraged him to do his own shows. Their move to Arizona with shows in Sedona and Scottsdale were not that successful. Their return to California was. Sales in Beverly Hills helped the bank account grow and more shows in Thousand Oaks and Palm Springs added to the success.

Pace was encouraged to apply for the La Quinta Arts Festival. He was accepted and it remains his highest sales show to date.

One of his focuses is on western-themed art and his work is dramatic and haunting. He is a welcome addition to Banning's Stagecoach Days.

Barbara Pace

Barbara Pace has been creating beadwork since she was a seven year old child in Indio. Her first teacher was her uncle, a Gabrielino Indian. Her exceptional talents were evident as she began designing beadwork with intricate geometric patterns.

Barbara attending college and was intent on being a botanist and a minister. She earned here Bachelor of Science degree but was drawn back to her first love: beading.

Barbara and her husband Nicholas have both exhibited in prestigious art shows such as: The Port Clinton Arts Festival in Highland Park, IL; the Carefree Art and Wine Festival in Arizona and the La Quinta Arts Festival in La Quinta.

Barbara's authentic Native American loomed beadwork begins with a pencil drawing on graph paper. Once the design is completed, the loom is strung with the desired number of threads and beads, the process of beading can begin. By following each vertical line from the design on the graph paper precisely as it was drawn, beading is accomplished by a technique similar to that of weaving a rug.

Once the design is complete, the finished product is removed by cutting the loom thread. Special knotting is used, the leather carefully chosen to fit the beadwork and sewn to create a purse. The entire process usually takes two to four months to complete.

Barbara's work is on exhibit at the Banning Center for the Arts and Nicholas and Barbara Pace will be appearing during Stagecoach Days.

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