Allied Artists go ‘On Location’ at Santa Paula museum
“We like to say we’re painting it forward,” says Timothy Kitz, a longtime member of the plein air painting club known as Allied Artists of the Santa Monica Mountains and Seashore. For Kitz and all of the group’s members, their objective is simple: “We’re painting to preserve the environment and we’re having a lot of fun doing it.”
On July 13, the Allied Artists debuted their newest exhibition of 72 paintings, “On Location in the Santa Monica Mountains and Seashore,” at the Santa Paula Art Museum.
All of the artworks in the exhibition are scheduled to be for sale. A percentage of sales will be donated toward conservation of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Allied Artists of the Santa Monica Mountains and Seashore was founded in the early 1990s to support the hardfought conservation of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area established in 1978. The recreation area encompasses more than 156,000 acres that stretch east to west from Griffith Park in Los Angeles County to Point Mugu State Park in Ventura County.
With 46 miles of beaches, 500 miles of trails, and a vast array of native flora and fauna and culturally significant sites, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is one of the largest urban national parklands in the United States. It’s an oasis in the center of urban and suburban Los Angeles.
“There’s no other place like this on Earth,” says Kitz. “There are beaches, mountains and canyons. It’s perfect for painting.”
The group meets up to paint at a different site within the recreation area on the second Saturday of each month. The works that the artists produce during these paint-outs are exhibited quarterly at various locations with a percentage of sales benefitting local and national conservation organizations.
“On Location in the Santa Monica Mountains and Seashore” is set to be on view at the Santa Paula Art Museum from July 13 through Nov. 3. The Allied Artists will host several talks and painting demonstrations during the run of the show with dates to be announced soon.
For more info, visit the museum’s website at www.santapaulaartmuseum.org.
The Santa Paula Art Museum occupies two historic buildings located at 117 N. 10th St. and 123 N. 10th St. in downtown Santa Paula. Regular museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Regular admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, and free for students and museum members. Contact the museum by calling 805-525-5554 or by e-mailing info@santapaulaartmuseum.org.