First Honorary Members Installed In Ojai Studio Artists

The Ojai Studio Artists are welcoming back three returning artists to their ranks for 2010. And this year the group has established a special honorary member category. All members will be featured on the annual fall tour to be held the second weekend of October 9 & 10.

“We are pleased to have so many returning artists who will be participating on the tour this year,” said Patrish Kuebler, membership committee chair. “We added a new category, honorary members, with Donna Granata and Joseph Sohm as the first inductees. Both photographers are noted for their work, with Donna in the early stages of her career while Joseph has a wealth of work. We are very proud of Donna, as she was an OSA scholarship winner while an art student. Joseph has published over 50,000 images in such publications as National Geographic, The New York Times and in Al Gore’s Oscar-winning film An Inconvenient Truth.”

Artwork from all OSA members will be featured in the “Made in Ojai” exhibit taking place at the Ojai Valley Museum beginning July 29 and running through September 19, along with an exhibition at the Ojai Center for the Arts prior to the Tour.

The returning members are:

o Sharon Butler, painter, works in all mediums but prefers acrylics with which she can obtain a “beaded” three-dimensional effect to her African, American Indian, Japanese and Chinese influenced art

o Kent Butler, painter, creates colorful painting of the American west, having won numerous awards with his work in private collections in Europe, Africa and the USA.

o Mick Reinman, painter, explores the complex internal drama of the human spirit to create geo-organic forms to depict the universality of human emotions.

A sample of the artists’ work can be found on the Ojai Studio Artists website

The Ojai Studio Artists‘ mission is to encourage interest and excellence in the arts through organizing the annual Ojai Studio Tour and Made in Ojai exhibit; to raise funds for scholarships; to facilitate the exchange of information and promote art education through community outreach. Ojai Studio Artists is a California 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation focused on arts education in the visual arts.