“Fresh Takes: Paintings of Hidden San Diego” shows off the artistic beauty of San Diego County highlighting places that may not usually get a second look. The exhibit by Plein Air painters Margaret Larlham and Danny Griego is on display through Feb. 26 at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA).
Griego’s paintings share scenes from off the beaten path. It wasn’t a series he consciously started, he found he liked portraying views others had overlooked.
“Along the way I get to meet people who are happy to have their neighborhood painted,” Griego said. “A lot of comments I get are from people who pass by a certain place and have never thought it would be a subject matter full of life and color.”
The exhibit brings together six years of paintings into one place.
Larlham said that what sparks interest for her is often the way light transforms the mundane into mystery.
“There is such unruly dynamism reflected in each wild space and plant one sees,” Larlham said. “I am especially attracted to the activating presence of water in all forms: streams, rivers, lakes, clouds, and sea.”
One of her pieces that speaks to “hidden San Diego” and the precious resource of water in this semi-desert region is called “Noah’s Inverted Ark,” showing the 5-million-gallon underground water tank construction in Mission Trails.
“I saw the construction glowing in late afternoon light on my walk in Mission Trails one evening, as an ark at rest on a mountaintop,” she said. “I was struck too by awe and the oddness of a ‘ship’ filled with water in that dry place. It is a testament to the complex ways that science, engineering and civic and artistic responsibility can and do solve the problems facing us in these times.”
An exhibit at a performing arts center is the perfect fit for theses artistic friends as they both share a background in theater. Griego is a scene painter on the faculty of University of California, San Diego. Larlham was formerly professor of theatre and a director of children’s plays at San Diego State University.
The gallery at the PCPA is open to the public select hours Tuesday through Saturday (see powaycenter.com for hours), but on Wednesday, Feb. 22 guests will have the opportunity to meet the artists who find the unexpected beauty in overlooked locations hidden throughout San Diego. The PCPA will host an Art on View reception with Larlham and Griego from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Entry and parking is free, discounts are offered for beer and wine discounts purchases, and “lite bites” will be provided. Visit powaycenter.com for more information.
In this photo: “Fresh Takes: Paintings of Hidden San Diego” shows off the artistic beauty of San Diego County highlighting places that may not usually get a second look.