Forest and Highway Celebrated in Art

Highway 2 - the journey and the destination at La Canada Flintridge Public Library

The opening reception for Highway 2 - the journey and the destination on March 2 was standing room only. Twenty eight artists showing 46 pieces of original art were joined by food, music and a presentation of After The Fire, a visual study of the Angeles National Forest as it has recovered over the last decade from the 2009 Station Fire.

This is the fifth Highway 2 show since its inception in 2014, and the first time the show included a competitive element. Seven judge’s choice awards were given by graphic artist Anton Gonzales; Babs Fine for Overall Artistic Excellence with her multi-media work “Off The Road”, Ella Ritts for Representational Excellence with “Mountain Paste”, Gayle Ren’e for Representation of Wildlife with “Leap of Faith”, Janelle Louie for Overall Photographic Excellence with her first gallery show entry, “November Sunrise”, Katherine Kean for Composition in Landscape with “Angeles Forest Storm”, Kimberly Ann for Photographic Visual Impact with “Yucca”, and Wendy Walker for Excellence in Composition with “Poppy”.

Most works in the show are for sale. The portrait “Hands” by Fred Morledge of musician Randy Emata sold at the reception. People interested in purchasing works from the show may obtain a price and artist list from the library, or by contacting the host organization, Redbird, at redbirds_vision@hotmail.com.

The Highway 2 show offers an opportunity for emerging artists to display their work in a gallery setting alongside established and respected local artists such as Jennifer Zapp, Katherine Kean, Nora Koerber and Kathryn Hansen.

Running through March 30, the show celebrates the many ways we embrace and relate to the Angeles National Forest and its world class highway, the Angeles Crest, which stretches through canyons and over ridges to an elevation of roughly 7,900 feet before descending into Wrightwood and out into the desert beyond. Pieces in the show range from $75.00 to $4,200.00, with a number of wonderful watercolor studies and photographs in the $200.00 range.

There are a few pieces which reflect the culture of the highway and its people, and which are not for sale; Frank Profera’s “Don’t Cross The Line” is a powerful statement about life-saving highway etiquette, included in the show at the request of Redbird.

The La Canada Flintridge Public Library is open Monday through Wednesday from 10 AM to 8 PM, Thursday from 10 AM to 6 PM and Friday and Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM> The library is closed on Sundays. The gallery is used for a number of children’s programs; please check the library schedule when planning your visit to insure access to the gallery. You can view the library schedule at https://lacountylibrary.org/la-canada-flintridge-library/

Participating artists in this year’s show are Sonny Putro, Randy Emata, Michael Dee, John Schiavone, Corina Roberts, Kelvin Pajatin, Kathryn Hansen, Katherine Kean, Babs Fine, Fred Morledge, Donald Dorson, Nora Koerber, Kimberly Ann, Catherine Saldana, Gayle Ren’e,
Jennifer Zapp, Scott Jones, Janelle Louie, Chris Hauser, Wendy Walker, L. HUNT, Xu Zhang, Frank Profera, Joey Andrews, the 111 Breakfast Club, Christopher Ammon and Ella Ritts.

Artists wishing to participate in future Highway 2 shows or other locally themed art opportunities can send jpeg work samples via email with Highway 2 in the title to Redbird via redbirds_vision@hotmail.com and/or join theFacebook group Highway 2 - the journey and the destination.