Amadeus

www.theoldglobe.org, Photo by Jeffrey Weisser

Beautiful breezy San Diego weather greeted us upon arriving at the Lowell Davies Festival Theater at San Diego's Balboa Park. This is an outdoor venue however extremely comfortable, clean and cozy. The seats are cushioned and the theater seems to offer good views from any of their seats. If you tend to get cold I would suggest taking a small blanket.

www.theoldglobe.org, Photo by Jeffrey Weisser

The overall performance was great!! Sound quality, visibility from our seats and actors' performances were excellent!! I had no complaint of the overall play however my friend commented she would have enjoyed more of Mozart's music throughout the performance, perhaps playing in the background during a couple of scenes. I agree it would have enhanced our experience. Despite this we enjoyed the play and I would strongly recommend seeing Amadeus. Kudos to Jay Whittaker who portrayed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Miles Anderson who played Antonio Salieri.

www.theoldglobe.org, Photo by Jeffrey Weisser

I would only make a couple of suggestions to the Theater (however I was told by an attendant that this is a common complaint): WHEN you announce intermission, make sure you notify people that they will not be allowed back in the theater with the drinks they purchase during intermission? OR a LARGE sign stating drinks are not allowed in the theater would be helpful. My friends and I purchased three hot chocolates only to have to toss them in FULL because they were too hot to drink on the spot and not allowed to take them back in with us. A little disappointed.

www.theoldglobe.org, Photo by Henry di Rocco

I recall my experience at Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach just last month, also an outdoor theater. Drinks and food could be purchased and are allowed to be taken to our seats. Which made for a more enjoyable evening. The venue was also clean and well maintained and I think the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre should consider a visit to the Festival of the Arts to see how well this idea works and how happy this makes the patrons! ;)

Amadeus by Playwright Peter Shaffer and Directed by Adrian Noble is playing at the Lowell Davies Festival Theater at gorgeous Balboa Park from Sunday, June 12 - Thursday, September 22.

Pageant of the Masters: Only Make Believe

I went to the Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach, California for the first time last night. I was there to see "Pageant of the Masters: Only Make Believe" and had no idea what to expect of the performance. I avoided reading about the show prior to going, in order to experience the night with untainted eyes and ears. I was really surprised how much I ended up liking the event.

Upon arriving, I was impressed with the collection of artists exhibiting their work in the Festival of the Arts patio area. Many contemporary "award-winning" artists displayed their paintings, illustrations, jewelry, sculpture and various art works. A ceramics artist demonstrated wheel throwing, while in another corner of the 'courtyard', print artists demonstrated printing techniques. This was among the few things I saw while I strolled around the patio waiting for "Only Make Believe" to begin. The venue was packed but comfortable enough for me to walk around and view the many artists' works on display. Although many images come to mind, there were a few artists which really stood out: Bradford J. Salamon, Tom Swimm and David Milton. You can find participating artists by clicking here! The art work was an unexpected treat, separate from the "performance" I was there to see but equally as enjoyable.

When the time came to enter the Irvine Bowl we were lead by MANY helpful volunteers until we arrived at our seats. As soon as the show began we were treated to a wonderful performance of colorful paintings, sculptures and illustrations recreated by the performers which posed in each setting. It's live art but most importantly it's tastefully recreated. I think the less I say about the event the better you will experience it for yourselves. Photographs are not allowed and although I was a little upset about that I'm slowly getting over it. One of the highlights of the event was the orchestra which accompanied the performance. Excellent musicians brought the experience to a whole other level.

The performances run nightly from July 7th- August 31, 2011. If you decide to visit make sure to take something warm to cover up with because the venue is outdoors and it can get rather chilly in the late hours of Laguna Beach. I also recommend bringing binoculars however binoculars, blankets and seat cushions can be rented out. Even if you are lucky enough to get great seats the binoculars will help to study each backdrop like studying a painting up-close, I highly recommend them!

Some of the master artists whose work was recreated were: Henri Rousseau: Le Rêve (The Dream), Alphonse Mucha: Sarah Bernhardt Poster Illustrations, John P. Falter:
Trick-Or-Treating in the Burbs and Salvador Dali: The Sacrament of the Last Supper. Again these are only a few of the 19 recreated scenes.


You should definitely check out this photo gallery of behind the scenes of Pageant of the Masters.

Festival of the Arts

San Diego Museum of Art

Balboa Park. San Diego,Ca.

The museum is located in San Diego, California's historic Balboa Park. The park boasts beautiful landscape and architecture. Ever since I was a teenager I have visited Balboa Park's various museums, sat in the grass to draw and have previously been a member of the Art Museum. So I may be slightly biased when I say this Museum and it's location are stunning! My visit today did not disappoint.

"Life and Truth: French Landscapes from Corot to Monet", Ended today July 10, 2011. Although the size  of this collection was slightly disappointing the art was not. I enjoyed the few gorgeous landscapes of Corot, Courbet and others in this mini-exhibit. Even if you missed this collection there are other equally wonderful landscapes to  enjoy from the museums permanent collection.

"From El Greco to Dali: Great Spanish Masters from Perez Simon Collection", is an extremely beautiful and unique collection. The temporary exhibition features some of Spanish greats: Murillo, Zurbaran, El Greco and others. I wasn't expecting to see the collection today and was happily surprised. It's a must see!

Other exhibitions currently on display:

Mannered Bodies: European Prints of the Late Renaissance, Now Through July 25, 2010 

Gustav Stickley and the American Arts and Crafts Movement, Now Through September 11, 2011

One of the gallery rooms.

Outdoor sculpture.

Outdoor sculpture by Henry Moore.

Current and Upcoming Exhibitions

A couple of must sees!! (It's more like my own wish-list) ;)

~Bowers Museum~
"Japanese Masterpieces from the Price Collection." Saturday, June 18 - Sunday, July 17, 2011
"California: The Golden Years." Ongoing

"California Legacies: Missions and Ranchos." (1768-1848) Ongoing

~San Diego Museum of Art~
Current exhibit of interest, "Life and Truth: French Landscapes from Corot to Monet." Just a couple of more weeks left and this wonderful exhibit will be over. I plan to visit it ASAP!

~Norton Simon Museum~
It's said to house a lot of impressionist art work, I am excited to go check this museum out. Also on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art at the Norton Simon Museum is, Vermeer's "Woman with a Lute" from July 08,2011- September 26, 2011.

[Edited to add: LACMA... Tim Burton Exhibit... a definite must! May 29–Oct. 31, 2011]

 
ION: Illustrator Dan Dos Santos, I love his illustrations!

Art Inspiration

Huntington Library Exhibits:

It takes unique art to inspire me... and that is exactly what the sculptures on exhibit at the Huntington Library did. The exhibit, "Three Fragments of a Lost Tale -Sculpture and Story by John Frame", is a mysterious and eerily beautiful exhibition. It showcases photography, a stop-motion animated film and an amazing display of figurative sculptures. The exhibit ends June 27, 2011 and I am not sure if or where it will travel from there. If you have missed it I recommend looking up the artist John Frame and his unique art work. Want more on John Frame! 



Three Fragments of a Lost Tale from John Frame on Vimeo.
A small collection of William Blake prints will also be running until June 27, 2011 at the Huntington Library as well. This is titled, "Born to Endless Night: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints by William Blake Selected by John Frame."There are so many other works of art and excellent exhibits currently at the Huntington unfortunately I did not take many photographs on this visit but a return visit is soon to come.

(Excuse the quality of the photos they were taken with my a tablet. Photographs from my past visit can be found here.)

Mexico Exhibits: I visited various museums and fine art facilities during my last two trips south of the border. I wish I could have spent the entire day at each museum enjoying each art piece thoroughly but vacations are never long enough. Of course photographs will not give any of the art work justice however I hope these links will encourage you to visit Mexico and explore all the art and culture it has to offer. ~MUNAL ~Soumaya ~Museo Dolores Olmedo ~Palacio de Bellas Artes

{UPDATE: Please see my Mexico: Art and Culture post on June 25, 2011}