The Board of Directors and staff of the California Nature Art Museum (www.calnatureartmuseum.org) proudly announce their 25th anniversary celebration and fundraiser at Vincent Vineyards in Santa Ynez on Sunday, May 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Embracing nostalgia, guests will enjoy an array of scrapbooks, photo collages, and exhibition monographs from the early days of the museum’s founding, staff and board presentations, and a live auction to follow the delicious lunch on the patio which overlooks the vineyard. A springtime-inspired, locally sourced luncheon catered by High on the Hog promises delicious bites accompanied by the award-winning wines of Vincent Vineyard and floral birthday cake from Solvang Bakery. Key donors, board members, and founder and artist Patti Jacquemain will be honored at the luncheon.
Tickets are on sale now at www.calnatureartmuseum.org/news/25th-anniversary-celebration

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Local musician Davis Reinhart can still remember the inspiration that brought his and Sylvia Jiang’s musical collaborative its name.

“When our organization began to take shape, I remembered being in New York City when COVID hit in 2020,” Reinhart recalled. “I saw long lines of people at the foodbank there, and I likened the need for food for a community’s need to experience music and artistic expression.”

And from that, Reinhart came up with the name Muffin Music for the organization’s he started with New Zealand-born pianist and the group’s Artistic Director Sylvia Jiang in 2022.

Reinhart had a desire to play music as long as he can remember.

“I learned piano early on and was always heavily involved in that,” he said. “Then going into school I picked up the trumpet and started playing that too. Through Oak Valley (Elementary) and then Santa Ynez High, I was always a band person.”

Reinhart and Jiang met in 2018 while attending the Music Academy of the West’s Summer Festival and found they both saw a need to provide music education to artistically underserved communities. 

“Our vision really took shape thanks to grant from the then-new Arts and Culture Program and I used it for the first-ever Buellton in the Park Festival, held at River View Park,” he said.

The festival was an amazing success, bringing eight hours of free performances to the community of local musicians and dancers, as well as internationally acclaimed musicians, as people celebrated Buellton’s 30th anniversary as an incorporated city. 

“Since that event, we’ve continued an annual Residency Program which involves Muffin Music visiting local schools to run music workshops and discussions, as well as free community concerts,” Reinhart said. “Just this past year we started a new program that brings instructors and live performances to Hope Refuge, a rehabilitation clinic based in Goleta for young girls from Santa Barbara County in need. Finally, we have our annual M2 Program, offering top notchmusical training for young musicians of all musical backgrounds.” 

This year, the M2 Program is particularly exciting as Muffin Music will be collaborating with the Dunn School to run the program. The group will be offering both an M2 Camp for local youth ages 8-18 of all musical backgrounds (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) day camp, and the M2 Piano Intensive for pianists from all over the world (boarding program). Students participating will have a chance to work with each other and learn from working professional musicians and world-class teachers, one of which being Yong Hi Moon, one of the greatest piano pedagogues who currently teaches at the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University. This program will take place from July 11-20 this summer.

“I was able to get together with Dunn for this thanks to Guy Walker, who’s a graduate of Dunn and on the board of directors,” Reinhart said of the man who is also on the Santa Barbara County School Board. “He and C.J. Jackson, who owns Alisal Ranch, suggested I use Dunn for the camp. It’s got boarding facilities, and students can use that or just come to the day camp.”

Reinhart said that registration for the camps will open on May 1, and scholarships are available to attend.

Meanwhile, Reinhart and Jiang will be holding two community concerts this month, both in Santa Barbara County. The first will be at Unity of Santa Maria (1165 Stubblefield Road, Santa Maria) on Friday, April 11, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and the second at Shepherd of the Valley Church (3550 Baseline Ave., Santa Ynez) on Saturday, April 12, also from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The free concerts are open to the public.

For more information on Muffin Music, and the camps, go to muffinmusic.org. 

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As the Fossemalle Dance Studio is “bourree-ing” (a ballet term consisting of tiny steps in any direction, and in their case, forward) towards the 40th anniversary of its dedication to teaching the Art of Dance, it is announcing a special week of summer camps starting Monday, June 23, through Friday, June 27.

There will be four different camps to choose from according to age and level of expertise, each being limited to 10 students to provide proper instruction as well as attention to detail.

It will also celebrate the return home for the summer of one of the studio’s 2022 graduates, Miss Camryn Kemp, who will be instructing, as she has done before, alongside Christine Fossemalle, the founder and director of the studio.

“First it was Miss Amanda; it is now Miss Camryn who is returning for the summer to help teach the students who will beattending our summer camps. It makes me feel very content to witness their desire to contribute their talents to our cause,” said Fossemalle.

There are two camps in the morning from 9 a.m. to noon, one being a Ballet, Tap and Jazz Camp for 7-year-olds and up, taught by Kemp.

The other and most popular one will be the Nutcracker Camp for youngsters 8 years and up with some ballet expertise, which will also be taught by Kemp.

The afternoon camps will be from 1 until 3 p.m., which is a newly created Disney Camp for 5- and 6-year-old boys and girls. This is an educational and fun camp with the famous classical Disney tunes and instruction suited for that age group.

Finally, the Sleeping Beauty camp, taught by Fossemalle requires ballet expertise and is for 12-year-olds and up.

“These are exciting, fun, and educational camps that provide your children with the opportunity to discover the art of dance or enhance their technical and artistic skills, taught with tender loving care and attention to detail. It will be a week of joy, challenges, and camaraderie to celebrate our 40th year of dedication to the Art of Dance,” said Fossemalle. “We encourage prompt registration though as the enrollment is very limited.”

Fossemalle Dance Studio is at 3595 Numancia St., Santa Ynez. For more information, call (805) 688-8494 or visit www.fossemalledancestudio.com

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The Santa Ynez High School Theatre Group was able to put its stamp on a memorable Broadway play based on a popular movie, in a show that couldn’t be contained to the stage.

That show was “Andrew Lloyd Weber’s School of Rock,” which the group performed in four shows over three days from March 14-16 at SYHS’s Little Theatre. The show was based on the Broadway musical that itself was based on the 2003 motion picture starring Jack Black.

For those not familiar with that movie, the story follows Dewey Finn (played here by Harvey Ho), an aspiring rock star who gets kicked out of his own band and loses his job at the same time. He happens to take a call meant for his roommate Ned Schneebly (Signy Hansen) and ends up assuming Ned’s identity to take a teaching job at Horace Green School.

After identifying the musical talent in his students, Dewey forms a band out of the fifth-graders in an attempt to win the upcoming Battle of the Bands contest, all under the suspicious nose of the school’s principal, Rosalie Mullins (Addisynn Laliberte).

The show, in this case the matinee on Saturday, March 15, featured several musical numbers, and in some of them the actors ventured off the stage and into the aisles to perform. One example was “If Only You Would Listen,” as the Horace Green students stood along the front of stage and up each aisle, while singing about their frustration over parents’ expectations. Another was Laliberte performing “Where Did The Rock Go?,” from the back corner as Ms. Mullins begins to soften her no-nonsense exterior. And, there was even a moment when the actors tiptoed through the rows of spectators to simulate their “sneaking out” for their “Battle of the Bands” audition before the principal could catch them.

“I just like to involve the audience as much as I can, and used every bit of space that we can,” said SYHS Theatre Group director and teacher Amy Curti, who was directing her second show at SYHS. “I like that people have to turn around sometimes, and it’s not such a passive experience.”

In the production’s playbill, Curti mentioned in her director’s note that she decided on “School of Rock,” after exchanging “just a few words” with Harvey last summer, and stated that “Harvey Ho is Dewey Finn.”

Harvey’s performance seemed to bear that out; like actors before him, he was able to portray Dewey as a mischievous and rebellious protagonist, but with enough charisma and humility to convince his students to embrace their talents and rebel a little on their own. That message was conveyed with the number “Stick It To The Man,” which may have been the signature tune for the show.

“I really identified with that part of the character, because the kids are so uptight. They’re smart, but they’re kind of brain dead, like they’re not creative,” Harvey said after the show. “I really like how the [Dewey] character brings out that creative side and then gets them having fun.”

It was a familiar kind of role for Harvey, who said he’s played comedic roles before, like Mr. Macafee in “Bye Bye Birdie,” and the grandpa in “You Can’t Take It With You,” though he said the singing parts were new for him.

That was actually the kind of balance Curti sought when she picked “School of Rock” for the spring production.

“It was the first time we did a musical, and I felt it was very palatable,” she said. “And, a lot of musicals have just singing, but this one had acting too, so I thought this would ease us into it.”

Of course, the musical numbers very prevalent in the show. Curti praised the vocal talents of Addisynn for her “Where Did The Rock Go?” number, as well as Anelly Tovalin, who as Tomika didn’t say much until the second act, when with a little push from Dewey belted out a rousing rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

Addisynn expressed after the show how much she enjoyed doing a musical this semester.

“I did ‘Little Women’ back in the fall, but this was different,” she said. “You definitely sweat a lot, because with the singing and choreography we put in a lot more physical effort. But the output was great and it was worth it.”

While the actors did a lot of moving around, the audience was able to hear them clearly as many of them, including Harvey as Dewey, wore wireless microphones while performing. All that due to an outside vendor, Curti said.

“We hired Bill Gaines Audio out of San Luis Obispo, because we haven’t been able to afford our own equipment,” Curti said. However, she said the department is hoping for donations so that it can eventually purchase it on their own.

With two shows under her belt, Curti said she’s looking ahead to next year.

“We’ve already decided to do ‘Emma’ in the fall, since it’s going to be Jane Austen’s 250th birthday in December,” she said. “Then we’ll have another musical next spring, but which one it is will be determined later.”

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American disco and funk group KC and The Sunshine Band bring their “Doin’ It” World Tour, to the Chumash Casino Resort’s Samala Showroom at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 28. Tickets for the show are $59, $74, $79, $84 and $89.

Well-known for chart-topping hits such as “Get Down Tonight,” “That’s the Way (I Like It),” and “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty,” KC and The Sunshine Band has sold over 100 million records worldwide and continue to entertain audiences across the U.S.

Formed in 1973 by Harry Wayne Casey (KC) and Richard Finch, the band’s early singles “Blow Your Whistle” (1973) and “Sound Your Funky Horn” (1974) caught the attention of Henry Stone from KT Records, who requested a follow-up single and album. During this time, the song “Rock Your Baby” (with vocalist George McCrae and guitarist Jerome Smith) reached No. 1 in 51 countries, right before their single “Queen of Clubs” (also with McCrae) peaked at No. 7 in the United Kingdom. This early chain of events ultimately led to their first tour in 1975, and helped establish the band’spresence in the disco scene.

The group’s self-titled second album, “KC and The Sunshine Band,” was released in 1975, and brought hit singles like“Get Down Tonight” and “That’s the Way (I Like It),” which both went triple platinum and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Dominating the mid-to-late 1970s, the band introduced more iconic disco anthems like “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty” in 1976, “I’m Your Boogie Man” in 1977, and “Please Don’t Go” in 1979. 

The accomplished group received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus in 1976, and later won a Grammy for Album of the Year for the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack in 1978. They also won the American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Single for “Get Down Tonight” in 1976. 

KC and The Sunshine Band are the first act to score four No. 1 pop singles in one 12-month period since the Beatles. Currently featuring 14 members, the band continues their legacy and remains a staple in the disco era. 

Don’t miss an opportunity to experience KC and The Sunshine Band’s live performance, full of energy and feel-good music, in one of the most popular entertainment venues in Santa Barbara County. The Chumash Casino Resort is an age 21-and-older venue. Tickets for all events are available at THE CLUB at Chumash or online at www.chumashcasino.com. 

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Staff Report

SANTA BARBARA – The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) is proud to celebrate 25 years of preserving and sharing the rich maritime heritage of the Santa Barbara Channel. Since opening its doors on July 29, 2000, SBMM has served as a cultural anchor for the community, bringing to life the stories of the sea while fostering a deep appreciation for maritime history and environmental stewardship.

The museum’s 25th anniversary is marked by the opening of a new exhibit, “Anchored in the Community: SBMM Celebrates 25 Years.” This exhibit delves into the enduring legacy and symbolism of the ship anchor — a universal emblem of stability, hope, and resilience. From ancient stone anchors to modern cast-steel designs, the exhibit highlights the evolution of anchors as essential tools in navigating the seas. Visitors can explore:

• Historical anchors: Fabricated in the Admiralty “Fishermen” pattern, these anchors feature a central shank with a ring or shackle and a hook-like design that securely lodges into mud, rock, or coral. This pattern, adopted by the British Admiralty in 1852, echoes designs dating back to the fourth century BC.
• Symbolic importance: Beyond their practical function, anchors hold deep cultural significance, representing steadfastness and hope in maritime folklore and mythology.
• Community connection: Anchors on display include pieces from SBMM’s permanent collection, generously gifted by Dallas Clark, Walter Douglas, Bob Kieding, and William Wood.

“As we navigate the currents of change and innovation, let us never forget the timeless wisdom embodied by the ship anchor; that in the ebb and flow of life, true strength lies in staying grounded amidst the waves,” said SBMM Board President Chuck Wilson. “I have been moved and inspired by the selfless acts of our dedicated volunteers, staff, and board colleagues working together to serve in countless ways for the betterment of our museum. The state of our museum is strong and together we will continue to make it even stronger over the next 25 years.”

Over the past 25 years, SBMM has grown from a small storefront operation into a nationally recognized institution. In 2021, the museum earned accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), a distinction achieved by fewer than 4 percent of museums nationwide. Today, SBMM is celebrated as one of the top 10 maritime museums in the United States by Marina Life Magazine.

“SBMM’s 25th anniversary stands as a testament to the passion and dedication of everyone who has supported this institution over the years,” said SBMM Board Vice President Alex Weinstein. “From our humble beginnings to becoming one of the nation’s premier maritime museums, we remain steadfast in our mission to educate, engage our community, and celebrate the rich maritime history of our region. Serving on the board has been an incredible honor and joy, allowing me to witness firsthand the museum’s growth and its wonderful impact on our community.”

Mark your calendars: Special anniversary events

Gala Online Auction: SBMM is launching an exciting online auction open to the entire community! From Feb. 14 to March 5, bidders will have the opportunity to win exclusive experiences and incredible getaway packages — all while supporting SBMM’s mission to preserve and celebrate our rich maritime heritage. Sail away with great items by bidding at bit.ly/sbmmauction.

• Annual Gala Fundraiser: On March 7, enjoy a Love Boat-themed evening set in the Caribbean. The sold-out special evening honoring Hiroko Benko and Sigrid Toye features cocktails, dinner, and lively entertainment.
• Special Concert by Yachty by Nature from 5 to 9 p.m. on June 28. A 25th Anniversary Dance Party will be held, with details coming soon! 
• Other New Exhibits:
  • ‘Above Your Dreams’: The exhibit consists of paintings by Kevin A. Short, and showcases Short’s ability to capture the fleeting beauty and power of sunlight through vibrant, impressionist brushstrokes and rich color palettes. The exhibit runs through May 11.
  • ‘The Swiftest Recovery – Island Fox Chronicles’: This exhibit features photography by Chuck Graham. This collection displays a selection of stunning photographs of island foxes, captured during Graham’skayaking adventure across the Santa Barbara Channel to Santa Cruz Island. The exhibition highlights the remarkable conservation success story of the island fox, showcasing recovery and the restoration of natural balance on the island. The exhibit will run from May 22 to Aug. 31.
  • ‘Channel Islands Underwater”: This photography exhibit by Ralph Clevenger will depict the extraordinary marine environment of the Channel Islands off southern California. Giant kelp forests, rocky reefs, and shallow seagrass beds surrounding the islands provide for one of the most biodiverse ocean habitats in the world. It will run from Sept. 10 – Dec. 28.

About the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) was founded in 2000 with a mission to preserve and celebrate the rich maritime heritage of the Santa Barbara Channel and its communities. Through dynamic exhibits, hands-on educational programs, and engaging events, SBMM brings to life the stories of the sea, inspiring visitors of all ages to connect with our maritime history and environment.

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There’s a new resident in Solvang, at the corner of Mission Drive (also Highway 246) and 5th Street. She’s rather large and scary looking, but very quiet. She’s in rather cramped quarters, but she’d better get used to it — she’s going to be there at least 10 years.

Her name’s Lulu Hyggelig, and she lives inside the Michele Kuelbs Tower Gallery at the California Nature and Art Museum. She’s the latest wooden trolls created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, who at the end of 2024 had created 154 trolls around the world, all made from recycled materials.

Solvang’s new troll is special in a couple of ways: One, she’s the first permanent one to be located in California and,two, she’s the first one to be built completely indoors.

“I remember when we starting talking to him about building one of his trolls here to Solvang,” said Stacy Otte-Demangate, executive director of the CNAM. “He had done all of this works outdoors, but when he saw our circular room, he liked the challenge of getting one of his trolls to fit inside.”

Dambo likes to give each of his trolls a unique name and backstory, and with CNAM’s new resident, he was inspired by the many bakeries in town, he named her Lulu Hyggelig, and envisioned her as someone who scavenged for the local bakeries’ leftover breads and pastries and eat them back in “her” tower until she got too big to get out.

Dambo and his team arrived in Solvang on Jan. 20, and with the help of almost 50 volunteers during the museum’s temporary closure, Lulu was complete less than two weeks later. The museum reopened on Feb. 2 with Lulu on full display in the tower, portrayed as a whimsical creature trying to get comfortable in her cramped space. Also included on the room’s wall is the poem explaining Lulu’s story (which is also included on this page).

Otte-Demangate was thrilled with the result as museum patrons observed the sculpture and posed for photos in front of it. 

“I thought he did a wonderful job working the characteristics of the city, and especially the bakeries, into the character’s story,” she said. “He was able to get recycled wood from this area and even got some twigs and branches from local nurseries to make up her hair.”

Otte-Demangate said Lulu looks to be a permanent attraction at the museum, and confirms that “it will be here for 10 years at least”

People can observe Lulu and CNAM’s other exhibits during the museum’s regular hours: Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Museum is closed Tuesday and Wednesday).

To learn more about Dambo and see photos of all his trolls, as well as other projects, go to www.thomasdambo.com

Lulu Hyggelig By THOMAS DAMBO

THIS STORY HAS A HISTORY

THAT STARTS BEFORE THE PAST.

A TINY TROLL FROM FAR AWAY,

SHE SWAM THE OCEAN VAST.

SHE FOUND A COZY CITY AND

TOOK SHELTER IN A TOWER.

ON A STREET THAT SMELLED OF

DANISH PASTRIES, YEAST AND FLOUR.

AT NIGHT SHE SEARCHED THROUGH

ALL THE TRASH CANS PATIENTLY FOR 

PASTRY.

AND ATE THE CAKES THEY MADE TOO MUCH,

BEHIND THE LOCAL BAKERY.

THEN SLID BACK THROUGH THE TOWER DOOR,

BEFORE THE NIGHT WAS GONE.

AND SO SHE DID, DAY AFTER DAY,

A HUNDRED YEARS WENT ON.

BUT THEN ONE DAY, HER TUMMY RUMBLED LOUDER THAN A THUNDER.

SHE NO LONGER COULD SQUEEZE IT THROUGH THE DOOR TO FEED HER HUNGER.

TRAPPED INSIDE THE TOWER LULU LIVES A LIFE ALONE.

SO BRING A LITTLE CAKE, IF YOU 

INTEND TO SAVE YOUR OWN.

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John Iwerks has an insatiable artistic curiosity, a multifaceted artist with a love of natural landscapes. He is a graphic artist, geological illustrator, landscape painter, muralist, artist focused on geology, art teacher, stone sculptor, children’s book illustrator, chalk pavement artist, T-shirt graphic designer, and ceramic artist.

Additionally, he is a founding member of the Oak Group, a group of artists who, through their art, draw attention to the beauty of endangered landscapes and the need for their protection. He and his wife, artist Chris Chapman, were managers of the Arroyo Hondo Preserve, where they lived in an old adobe and painted the scenic views of the Gaviota Coast.

Iwerks was born and raised in Burbank, California, surrounded by art.

“I grew up in an artistic family,” said Iwerks. “My dad, Don, worked for Disney as the head of the machine and camera shop and was the recipient of an Academy Award for Lifetime Technical Achievement in the film industry. He created many of the filming innovations that were used by Disney Studio. My aunt Carlene painted, my uncle David was a portrait photographer, my sister Leslie is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, my brother Larry is a gifted landscape painter, and my grandfather, Ub Iwerks, created Mickey Mouse with Walt Disney in 1928.”

“We grew up around the Disney studio. You could use any bike that was available and cruise in the studio,” Iwerks recalled. “We’d sometimes go into the back areas where they were working on audio animatronics and watch them adjust the box that had knobs labeled ‘mouth,’ ‘shoulders,’ ‘eyeballs,’ etc. that animated the figures.”

Iwerks explained that as a kid he did cartoons and made stories out of them, “which was always fun.” He also said that in junior high he had a teacher who was very interested in what he was doing, making caricatures of the other students, and was encouraged to hang them on the wall.

After high school, he moved to Santa Barbara in 1973, where he met his mentor, landscape artist Ray Strong. Strong was a force in the California art world for 75 years, passing away in 2006. As an art educator, he taught hundreds of students over nearly six decades and helped establish several art schools, organizations, and art galleries.

“I was too late to sign up for City College but not too late for the Santa Barbara Art Institute. It was there that I met Ray Strong, who taught landscape painting,” Iwerks said. “I clicked with him. He was very supportive of young people. He would emphasize that you learn geology, so I started taking classes in geology at City College. We’d go on field trips to places like Death Valley and Cuyama and draw. I was out here in the sunshine in my shorts painting pictures for college credits!” 

Iwerks also painted in his free time.

“In the ’70s, my friends, my brother Larry, and I would take painting trips. We’d go to the desert and paint. We’d do a painting in the morning and another in the afternoon,” he said. “In some cases, we wouldn’t move for more than two miles before we camped again to paint some more. And we kept painting.”

In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Iwerks worked for two different animation companies in Santa Barbara: Big Blue Marble and Animated Cartoon Productions (ACP). 

“Ray Strong was the founder of Gallery 113, the first cooperative gallery in Santa Barbara,” he explained. “I started putting my paintings in there, then entered the Santa Barbara Art Association. Later I got into rock sculpture, carving them into shapes of animals.” 

In 1986, Strong and Arturo Tello germinated an idea to start a painting group of seven artists, which included John and Larry Iwerks. It was called the Oak Group.

“We decided that there were a lot of landscapes in Santa Barbara that were being developed, so we tried to fight artistically to preserve these areas,” said Iwerks. “The first Oak Group show was called ‘Endangered Landscapes.’ The first show was very successful. We gave 50 percent of the proceeds to environmental groups that were fighting overdevelopment. 

“We began with the Wilcox property on the Mesa above Arroyo Burro Beach, which was successful. At first the city approved the development, but the developers didn’t follow the timing of the development, so they reneged on their contract and couldn’t develop. The whole city had a fundraising event, and Michael Douglas came in and helped purchase the property, and it was given to the city. Another show was called ‘Vanishing Views.’

“On Santa Cruz Island, we worked as volunteers painting and had a show to exhibit the preserved land and donated 50 percent of the money to the Nature Conservancy.”

They have done 14 shows for the Land Trust of Santa Barbara County. Their next show will be in May. It is focusing on the protection of the remaining 27 endangered acres of Carpinteria Bluffs. It will be held at the Faulkner Gallery in the Santa Barbara Central Library.

Oak Group contributes visually, bringing attention to places that are endangered by development. Collectively the group has raised over $3 million for environmental preservation. The Oak Group started with seven artists and now has 26 members.

“We’ll be celebrating our 40th anniversary next year,” said Iwerks. “Several people from the original seven are still in the group.” 

Iwerks has done works all over the Central Coast.

“I did a mural at the Carrizo Plain National Monument. I did the illustration on the panels around the room at the Visitors Center,” he said. “I also did a permanent installation of a mural at the California Nature Art Museum of a valley oak habitat.”

Iwerks also painted the logo for the City of Solvang and did geologically themed T-shirt drawings for the Geology Department at Santa Barbara City College. In the early ’90s he began teaching landscape painting classes through Santa Barbara City College’s adult education program. 

His current classes focus on the Santa Ynez Valley. His first class will be at the Mission. His classes of 35 students last three hours. He does a demonstration for the first hour, and then he goes around to the students individually and educates and answers questions.

He and his wife recently completed five donated 30-inch x 40-inch paintings for Sansum Country Clinic in Solvang. 

Iwerks has been married to fellow artist Chapman for 25 years.

“I feel fortunate that we work well together and we like the same things and that we are able to collaborate on many projects,” said Iwerks. “That’s been a real joy, to share things, like the Carrizo Plain Visitor’s Center.”

For more information, visit chapmaniwerks.com

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Chris Chapman came into the world with the eye of an artist. She was born in Pasadena, lived at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains and attended school in Las Virgenes Canyon. As a youth she appreciated and absorbed the detail of the beauty of the natural world that surrounded her. 

Developing her innate artistic nature, she became a plein air landscape painter and a member of the Pastel Society of America and Santa Barbara’s Oak Group of dedicated land preservation painters.

“By character, I’m very observant. I see the little things. I remember walking home from the bus stop, and I’d be the only one looking up at the sky and urging my friends to, ‘Look at the sky!’ but nobody looked. I had a fanciful head, I think. I started writing poetry at 9, and at 14 I began painting. At 18 I attended college in Oregon,” she said.

She moved from Oregon to San Francisco, living there for a couple of years, but the city wasn’t her cup of tea. She returned to Oregon, where she worked as a bookkeeper for 10 years. 

However, she came back to California and the Central Coast to be with her parents and eventually found her own place in Santa Barbara.

“I started working for Mike Love as an office manager for the Beach Boys,” she continued. 

Although deep in the managerial aspects of her job during the day, she continued painting in her spare time, joining the Santa Barbara Art Association and doing oil paintings and watercolors. It was there she met her life partner.

“I met my husband, John Iwerks, at Gallery 113 and became a member of the Santa Barbara Art Association,” she continued. “John was managing Gallery 113 at the time. I had been working as a bookkeeper and became the manager/treasurer for the gallery and showed my art there.” 

In Iwerks, who was born and raised in Burbank, California, Chapman found another person whose life was surroundedby art.

“I grew up in an artistic family,” said Iwerks. “My dad, Don, worked for Disney as the head of the machine and camera shop and was the recipient of an Academy Award for Lifetime Technical Achievement in the film industry. He created many of the filming innovations that were used by Disney Studio. My aunt Carlene painted, my uncle David was a portrait photographer, my sister Leslie is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, my brother Larry is a gifted landscape painter, and my grandfather, Ub Iwerks, created Mickey Mouse with Walt Disney in 1928.”

Iwerks was also one of the founding members of the aforementioned Oak Group that Chapman was a part of.

In 1995, Chapman became interested in geology and took geology and art classes at Santa Barbara City College. She also taught a number of art classes at the SBCC adult education campus for 15 years. 

“My first class was called ‘Nature in Collage.’ I also taught watercolor, pastel, and botanical illustration. I originally thought I would become a writer because I liked to write, but I ended up being a painter of landscapes, with a little writing on the side,” she said.

While working at Gallery 113 and with the Oak Group, she and John Iwerks discovered they had a lot in common, dated, and eventually married.

“John and I were married in 1999. We camped out on the Carrizo Plain and painted on our honeymoon while on our way to the Kern River,” she said.

In 2000, the couple was asked to manage Arroyo Hondo Preserve before it opened.

“In October 2001, J.J. Hollister III negotiated the sale of the ranch to the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, and since then the Land Trust has worked with great commitment to protect and restore Arroyo Hondo Preserve’s natural and historic resources, biodiversity, and native wildlife,” Chapman wrote in her book titled, “Stories of Arroyo Hondo.”

“I did all of the organizational work of setting up visitation summaries. There were researchers, biologists, habitat restoration people, the public, and school kids — all of that had to be on a spreadsheet to itemize the visitations,” she recalled. 

However, Chapman felt she was kept from her true calling. “Here I was in a painter’s paradise and spending all my time in front of the computer,” she said. 

After about five years, she asked her boss if he could show her Dos Pueblos Ranch so she could go there and paint. 

“He gave me permission to meet with the owners, and I just fell in love with Dos Pueblos Ranch. There was a little red hunting cabin under sycamore trees and avocado orchards near a watershed with trout,” she said. “He let us move in there. We lived there for nine years. They sold the up-canyon portion to an avocado company that restored the canyon. That’s when we moved to the Santa Ynez Valley. By that time, I was painting a lot and selling with the Oak Group.” 

She was commissioned to illustrate botanical watercolors in a book called “Chumash Ethnobotany” by Jan Timbrook, and the Carrizo Plain asked for her botanical paintings for its visitor’s center.

“They were printed on wood about 4 feet tall, so I had a room with printed botanicals and a big pastel painting in the main room of rain flowing over the Carrizo,” she described. “The Wildling, now called the California Natural Art Museum, produced a film about that, which John and I were both in. We were also in another film about Ray Strong. I was also on the board of the Wildling Museum.” 

Her book, “Stories of Arroyo Hondo,” was published in 2016 and contained not only her art but short stories and vintage photographs about the history of the region. 

“I wanted to write the history of the area in a way that was engaging and that paired with our paintings to assist the docents of Arroyo Hondo Preserve,” said Chapman.

Previously she wrote a book featuring her artwork titled “Portraits of Gaviota,” which was published in 2005. 

Chapman and Iwerks are also a part of “The Tuesday Group,” a group of artists that meet every Tuesday. It was startedby two female artists who wanted to paint plein air, and it has since grown into a large group that meets weekly at a variety of art-inspiring locations.

When asked about her hobbies and her life in the Valley, it seems that her day-to-day life is her hobby, for the most part.

“Gardening and painting are my two favorite things to do,” said Chapman. “But a lot of my time is taken up withrunning our art business.”

“What I appreciate most about my life is that John and I are best friends and teammates and that we both appreciate the spiritual nature of our earth and beyond,” she concluded.

For more information, visit chapmaniwerks.com

The post A love story inspired by art, nature, preservation, and friendship appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

R & B funk band Tower of Power will make its return to the Chumash Casino Resort’s Samala Showroom at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14. Tickets for the show are $39, $49, $59, $69, and $79. 

Formed in 1968, Tower of Power is a 10-member band that has been performing and releasing music for almost 60 years. Currently featuring founding members Emilio Castillo and Stephen “Doc” Kupka, the group is known for its horn section and distinctive blend of funk, soul, and R&B. With a total of 26 studio albums, the band has featured an array of instruments over the decades, including saxophone, drums, keyboard, trumpet, trombone, and bass guitar.

Tower of Power earned the SoulTracks Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 and have had eight songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100, including hits like “You’re Still a Young Man,” “So Very Hard to Go,” and “Don’t Change Horses (In the Middle of a Stream).” From its first album, “East Bay Grease” released in 1970, to its most recent holiday album, “It’s Christmas” released in September of 2024, the group continues to be celebrated for their iconic sound and enduring legacy.

With one of the most influential horn sections in the music industry, the band has collaborated with numerous musicians across various genres, adding their signature sound to tracks by artists like Santana, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks and more. 

Don’t miss an opportunity to experience this legendary band perform live in one of the most popular venues in Santa Barbara County.

Located on Highway 246 in Santa Ynez, the Chumash Casino Resort is an age 21-and-older venue. Tickets for all events are available at the THE CLUB at Chumash or online at chumashcasino.com

The post Tower Of Power to perform at Chumash Casino Resort on Feb. 14 appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.