Uniion Tribune 2006

Door thrown open

on annual Borrego Springs art show

By Ruth Lepper
March 18, 2006

BORREGO SPRINGS – The door of an old Arizona jail will play an important role in the Circle of Art show March 25-26 in Borrego Springs.

A photograph titled “Presidio Jail Door,” taken by Jo Ann Ginepra, is the featured art on the poster commemorating this year's show.

Ginepra, of Scripps Ranch, has been a professional photographer for more than three decades.

At the show, artists will sell a variety of works, including oil paintings, watercolors, photography, sculpture, ceramics, pottery, jewelry, fabric art and fashions.

“We have a lot of interesting new people coming,” said Beth Hart, who is chairing Circle of Art this year.

The event will be at Christmas Circle, a park-like setting in the center of the town's commercial area.

Errol HR Etienne, a world-renowned artist from Canada, will exhibit his watercolors.

Robert Copple, an oil painter from Seal Beach, includes Circle of Art in the 50 shows in which he participates each year.

Russell Peters, of Valley Center, will show his creations of blown glass and ceramics.

Several other artists are coming in from Washington, Oregon and Idaho to be a part of Circle of Art, Hart said.

Local artist Leisel Paris will exhibit her reversed painting on glass with subjects that include religious icons, desert animals, Southwest scenes and American Indians. This type of work has been her specialty for more than 30 years.

Paris also will sell hand-crafted jewelry she creates by combining Tibetan pendants with beads. The jewelry has a Southwestern flair with a European style.

Paris also paints glass ornaments, delicately trimmed with 24-karat gold highlights.

The Circle of Art is sponsored by Basic Assistance for Students in the Community, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships for residents of Borrego Valley. Proceeds from the show will be used for the scholarship fund.

Organizers select about 70 exhibitors for the show each year.

“It depends ultimately on quality of the artists,” said Robby Hoffman, vice president of the sponsoring agency. “Seventy works for us; it's comfortable.”

Ginepra described her finished poster images as “plein-air photography,” because of the similarity of the photos to plein-air paintings. The poster is available at local businesses and will also be sold at the show.

Posters from previous years will be available as well, featuring works by artists Marjorie Reed, Carol Duffy, Andre Blanche, Dillie Thomas, Dusty Kinman, David Salk, Nancy Lynn, Lee Jayred, Dorothy Cochran and Sunny Daniels.

Posters also can be ordered through www.circle-of-art.org.

Many of the poster artists return to the show each year to display other examples of their work at the outdoor fine art show.

Ruth Lepper is a freelance writer in Ramona.

source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060318/news_m1m18borrego.html

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TOWN FOCUS: BORREGO SPRINGS
Painter enjoys

being part of Circle of Art

By Ruth Lepper
March 16, 2005

DAN TREVAN / Union-Tribune

Artist Carol Ravy will be one of many displaying works at the show.

What: Circle of Art Juried Art Show & Sale

Where: Christmas Circle, off state Route 22, Borrego Springs

Admission: Free

Information: (760) 767-0042

BORREGO SPRINGS – Carol Ravy is selective about where she displays her art.

The Circle of Art show in Borrego Springs tops her list.

Ravy will join more than 70 artists in the 16th annual Circle of Art on March 26-27 at Christmas Circle, a park in the center of town.

Artists will sell a variety of media, including oil paintings and watercolors, photography, sculpture, ceramics, pottery, jewelry, fabric art and fashions.

Local photographer Paul Johnson will have his colorful prints of desert scenes for sale.

Reverse painting on glass by Leisel Paris will add a colorful display with her Southwest scenes, American Indians, desert animals and religious icons.

Oil paintings by Gail Anne will feature horses, farm animals, wildlife and desert landscapes.

The contacts Ravy makes at the show each year sometimes mean commissions for more of her paintings, or requests to conduct workshops for other artists. She also meets prospective students for art classes she teaches through the Palomar College Community Education Program in Borrego Springs, Warner Springs and Ramona.

Ravy works in all media but specializes in watercolors and acrylics, mostly choosing flowers and landscapes as subjects.

"Once in a while, I do an oil," she said. "I started with oils and did oils for nine years."

Whenever she displays her work at an outdoor show, Ravy paints, giving demonstrations throughout the day.

"Not everybody does that," she said.

She has shown in the Circle of Art for the past three years as well as in its earlier years. She also shows at the Santa Ysabel Art Festival in May and Julian's Menghini Art & Music Festival in September.

Ravy has been painting for 30 years. She was encouraged to pursue her talent by a neighbor who was an artist.

"My next-door neighbor, Marie Kay, was an oil painter, and one day she called me over," Ravy recalled. "She had everything sitting out on her kitchen table to do oils, and she said, 'Carol, it's time for you to learn to paint.' I just fell in love with it. She changed my life."

For this year's Circle of Art, Sunny Daniels, a professional artist from Oregon, was selected to paint a scene for the official poster. Her subject is bighorn sheep, with a background of pictographs. Poster prints will be available at the show. Signed prints are $35, and unsigned prints are $25.

The Circle of Art is sponsored by Basic Assistance for Students in the Community, a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships for residents of Borrego Valley. Proceeds from the show will go toward scholarships.

For more information, call (760) 767-0042 or go to www.circle-of-art.org .

Ruth Lepper is a freelance writer based in Ramona.

source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050316/news_m1m16tfbor.html

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