Something tells me it's all happening at The Bar...

Uh, that would be...The ARTbar...!

Located in the historic district of Santa Ana, California in the Village for Artists Santora Building you can immerse yourself in nearly every imaginable media of art where a diverse and eclectic gathering takes place. When you find yourself here on the First Saturday of each month you can meander through the many galleries, sipping your wine and snacking your way through a creative wonderland...but the best 'snack' is the eye-candy that virtually leaves your head spinning.

When I came upon 209 N. Broadway near the corner of 1st my eye and camera lens was immediately drawn to the architecture...it's in the blood I suppose, since Grandpa Andrea Mamola was known for his beautiful work - the Santora building was not one of his (his work was in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara). The Santora building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed in Moorish style by Frank Lansdown in 1926 the building was restored in the 1980's. If the building was the only manifestation of art I was to see I would have gone home happy.

We (myself, daughter and granddaughter) were here to enter the spot that lies beneath the ornate iron work...We were here for The Stampington Event at The ARTbar.

And now we get to the nitty-gritty...When you have the opportunity to meet and speak with the multi- talented actress/photo-artist Angela Cartwright it is worth leaving the beach where the fog horn is sighing and the temp's are in the mid-70's to travel the fifteen miles inland where the temp's were just shy of 100 degrees :) Angela was here to sign copies of the book she conceived with the people at Stampington & Company for a Somerset Studio Publication - TRANSPARENT ART. If you are an artist, or a lover of art -- grab a copy of this book and be swept away...

It's always interesting for me when meeting someone like Angela - someone I felt I grew up with since Make Room For Daddy, and of course who we all fell in love with again in The Sound of Music (I admit, I rarely watched Lost in Space...apologies Angela!). An actress like Angela feels 'bigger than life'...and then...if we are fortunate... we find them to be extremely genuine, open and kind. Angela is all of these qualities and more. In the photo below: my granddaughter, Marissa...Angela...my daughter, Jill. (Be sure to read Jill's Blog for her perspective of the artful evening!)

We were drawn to (no pun intended..oh, okay..it was intentional!) the amazingly colorful art of Traci Bautista. Traci's work (and personality) is an expression of pure freedom and joy-- and you cannot avoid getting caught up in it. Jill and Marissa truly 'connected' with Traci, and her art .... Marissa left the event with a demo sketch signed by Traci :) Pick up a copy of Traci's new book...Collage Unleashed...eat it with a spoon...I will go out on a limb and tell you it's BETTER than chocolate! :)

The Stampington & Company Event at The ARTbar presented the opportunity to meet the people behind the scenes. Holding one of its first ever live jury art recruitments artists from all over the area came to enter their work in hopes of being selected for publication. By the evenings end nearly 175 pieces of art were submitted. And I was one of 'em :) Initially there were to be ten pieces chosen. With what looked like a treasure chest of creativity gone wild the editors decided to extend their limit as they pondered 2 hours past the original deadline announcement. When all was said and done (whoops Angela...it just came out...honestly!) the piece I exhibited was chosen. If you backtrack in my Archeological Digs on the sidebar to May look for the post titled Show & Tell... you will see my mixed media Storybook Clock. When I know more details, and what Stampington publication it will appear in I will let you know :)

The photo above of Marissa and Jill is taken at the front entrance of The ARTbar. The story of Jill''s jeans cannot be told or illustrated better than the way she told it on her blog. It is worth the read! And yes, the jeans will be in a Stampington publication as well :)

What are these figures on the Santora Building....gargoyles? ...or were they icons for the muse of each artist that would one day enter this historic building....? All we can do is wonder...