Reimaging Santa Barbara Architecture in Abstract

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is welcoming a new artist and exhibition into its quaint Victorian home. ABSTRACTED by Carolyn Hubbs — featuring a selection of abstract paintings based on her plein air sketches done in the Santa Barbara area — will be on display at the Architectural Foundation Gallery through November 2. There will be an opening reception at the gallery on Friday, September 6, 5-7 p.m. 

This is Hubbs’s first solo show in Santa Barbara, but her work has been featured at the Elverhøj Museum in Solvang and Santa Barbara’s Sullivan Goss Gallery. She has also had her work exhibited in the LACMA Rental Gallery Los Angeles Vita Art Center, in New York, and internationally in Portugal and the Netherlands.

Hubbs’s artwork encourages viewers to reenvision the world around us through her collection of vibrant abstract paintings in acrylic. The collection will feature both her field sketches of the Santa Barbara environment and architecture as well as the corresponding acrylic paintings. Hubbs will also be giving informal walkthroughs of her exhibit on September 28 and October 19, both at 2 p.m.

Her work aligns with the foundation’s mission to promote quality in architecture, art, and design. Through the various exhibits on display and the foundation’s public tours, educational programs, and scholarships, they have been working to spread awareness and appreciation of Santa Barbara’s built environment. Thus, it’s only fitting that the foundation is in the Acheson House, a Victorian-style house at the corner of Victoria and Garden streets in Downtown Santa Barbara.

The foundation regularly hosts public tours, including the Saturday Sabado Tour, a weekly walking tour that identifies the unique architectural styles around Downtown Santa Barbara by pointing out buildings and landscape history. They also offer various programs for students in elementary through high school.

Hubbs’s exhibit is not one to miss, especially for those with an interest in architecture and art history, the latter being the degree with which Hubbs graduated with from Mills College in 1965. Her studies took her to study at the UCLA Extension School with Charles Garabedian. Now, in Santa Barbara, her work explores and appreciates the natural landscape and architecture in the area.

In addition to the exhibition events, the Architectural Foundation Gallery (229 E. Victoria St.) is open to the public on Saturdays, 1-4 p.m., and weekdays by appointment. For more information about Hubbs’s upcoming exhibition or about the various events and programs that the foundation offers, visit afsb.org.