The Peaceful Sea Art Exhibit at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum August 11 to December 31

Continuing its celebration of coastal living, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) is thrilled to present The Peaceful Sea: Paintings by Kevin A. Short, an exhibition featuring more than 30 seascapes and ocean-themed landscapes by the renowned contemporary painter and Santa Barbara native. Thanks to the generous support of Mimi Michaelis, June G. Outhwaite Charitable Trust, Alice Tweed Tuohy Foundation, the Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, and American Rivera Bank, the presentation will be on view to the public from August 11 through December 31, 2022.

Short began his art training with a toy watercolor set and a pile of crayons, drawing on leftover butcher paper in the middle of the kitchen floor. He went on to formally study oil painting at the University of New Mexico, Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

Now internationally recognized for his contemporary landscapes of the Pacific Coast, Short is considered a particularly intelligent observer of the ocean who paints the surfing and coastal subcultures using his signature heavy, impressionist brushstrokes and rich, saturated color palettes.

Short grew up along California’s coast. Born in San Diego and raised in Santa Barbara, he developed his love of the ocean through sailing, fishing, and spending long days in the surf. The Peaceful Sea: Paintings by Kevin A. Short presents a selection of the artist’s paintings that capture this lifelong passion. It conjures specific moments in time, both imagined and remembered, and celebrates all the living colors of the sea.

“There is magnetism in looking at glare and the effects of sunlight—something magical and calming that somehow makes our troubles seem smaller and our thinking become clearer,” says Short of his work.

Emily Falke, Director of Collections and Curator at SBMM, says, “Short’s paintings are imbued with narrative and emotion. They chronicle our experiences as a coastal community, depicting all the outdoor joys available to us--paddling, boating, surfing, swimming, just being at the beach—and pay tribute to the beauty of the ocean and the culture that has helped form this part of the world.”

Short’s book TRESTLES (2007, privately printed printed)—which captures the spirit of California’s famous Trestles surfing area and sounds an urgent call for nature conservation in the area—features lavish illustrations of the artist’s paintings and text by Mike Evans. The monograph will be available for purchase at the Maritime Museum’s store.

About the Artist
Kevin A Short’s paintings have been featured on the covers of the Los Angeles Times and the Surfer’s Journal. The Pasadena Museum of California Art (MCA) selected Short’s work, for the landmark exhibition, In The Land of Sunshine, numbering Kevin as one of the California Coast’s most influential narrative painters. Other notable shows of his work have been held at the Irvine Museum in California, the Carnegie Art Museum, and the California Surf Museum, featuring Kevin’s paintings of Pt. San Mateo -Trestles. In addition to these shows, Short’s work is in the permanent collections of the Irvine Museum, the Hilbert Museum, the First Foundation Bank Sprint Nextel Art Collection, US Steel Corporation, and the Scripps Cardiac Center Collection.

Location: 113 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara

Website: sbmm.org/santa-barbara-event/the-peaceful-sea-kevin-short

Channel Islands Maritime Museum to Present Chouinard Arts Exhibition through Early Fall 2022

The Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) presents its latest exhibition, “Chouinard Arts.” Original student works of the famed Chouinard Arts Institute will be displayed through the early fall of 2022.

On loan from local collector Ms. Joy Roy, the nine-piece collection brings a wide variety of maritime subjects to life. The pieces are heirlooms of her grandfather, the artist Stan Johnson, who attended Chouinard and traded these small works amongst his classmates more than 80 years ago.

All of the pieces date from the 1930s and include early works by Arthur Beaumont and Millard Sheets, both of whom had long and distinguished art careers. Arthur Beaumont would become a renowned WWII maritime artist, and his depictions of battleships and naval battles were featured in National Geographic Magazine. Beaumont is best known for his later watercolors of ships and harbor scenes. Millard Sheets was one of the earliest of California Scene Painting artists and helped define the art movement. Many of his large-scale building-mounted mosaics from the mid-20th century still exist in Southern California.

Founded in 1921, the Chouinard Art Institute was a leading professional art school in Los Angeles until it was absorbed into CalArts. It was established for the training of fine art practitioners and commercial artists. By the 1930s, the motion picture industry was recruiting Chouinard alumni in increasing numbers for various departments, from art direction to costume design to animation. Many of Walt Disney’s earlier animated films, including Bambi and Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, featured the creative works of several “Chouinardians.”

About the Channel Islands Maritime Museum: Founded in 1991, the Museum’s galleries feature rare and beautiful maritime paintings dating back to the 1600s, world-class models of historic ships, rotating thematic exhibitions, and interactive exhibits. The Museum is open Thursday-Monday from 12 pm to 4 pm. Located at: 3900 Bluefin Circle, Oxnard CA 93035. Admission is: free for members, $7.00 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 youth (ages 6-17 years), free for children age 5 years and under. www.cimmvc.org

Whale-Focused Exhibits and Programs at Santa Barbara Maritime Museum April 14 to July 31

Did you know that whales are superheroes? Whales help maintain the stability and health of the ocean and minimize some of the worst impacts of climate change. The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) presents a multi-faceted collection of events and programs to inform the community about the many wonders of whales. Kicking off with an unusual immersive experience that allows audiences to see the underwater environment through the eyes of a child, these events and programs range from in-school art and science lessons, children’s and professional’s art exhibits, a new permanent exhibit, and a lecture — all of which are designed to provide something for every member of the community! These related exhibits and programs open at SBMM on April 14, 2022!

Thanks to the generous support of our donors, four exhibits will open to the public beginning April 14, and a free Zoom lecture will take place on April 21. Although their subjects are often similar, each event, artist, and exhibit brings a unique perspective, technique, style, information, and medium to a better understanding of whales and the role they play in mitigating climate change. The various components include:

• “A Whale of a Tale,” a unique multi-sensory immersive experience that highlights the undersea world with life-size reproductions of artwork submitted by local children in grades K-6. This work, combined with the sounds of whales as they sing to each other and dramatic, vivid lighting, recreates the feeling of seeing it all through the eyes of a child. April 14-May 15, 2022.

• Whales Are Superheroes! Saving the Planet One CO2 Molecule at a Time, an exhibit of children’s whale and ocean-related artwork produced in SBMM-led school art and science classes. On display from April 14-July 31, 2022.

• The Wonder of Whales: Two Artists’ Perspectives by John Baran and Kelly Clause, showcases the work of two local artists depicting whales and other marine life in a variety of media. On display from April 14-July 31, 2022.

• Whales Are Superheroes! is a new permanent exhibit that uses creative graphics and incorporates text, images, and drone footage to illustrate how whales help maintain the stability and health of the ocean. Opens April 14.

• “Santa Barbara Channel’s Whales and Their Climate Connection” is a free Zoom webinar presentation by renowned marine biologist Holly Lohuis about whales, their influence on the ecology of the ocean and the Santa Barbara Channel, and the status of the application to have the Channel designated an International Whale Heritage Site. April 21, 2022.

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Since 2000, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum has featured many artifacts and stories to share the history of the Santa Barbara Channel with more than 40,000 visitors annually and provides year-round experiential maritime history and marine science education for local youth. Featuring the impressive First-Order Fresnel Lighthouse Lens from Point Conception, SBMM's current exhibits explore the History of Oil in Santa Barbara Channel & Chumash Use of Asphaltum, the Honda Disaster, and Wives and Daughters: Keepers of the Light.

SBMM is located at the historic Santa Barbara Harbor at 113 Harbor Way, Suite 190, Santa Barbara. Visit sbmm.org or call (805) 962-8404 for details.