Leave the land better than you found it, as the ranchers’ saying goes.
For four decades, the Oak Group has used art as a vehicle for environmental preservation. This fall, the group of plein air painters will celebrate their 40th anniversary with Abiding Legacy, an exhibition and sale for the California Rangeland Trust.
The exhibition will be open for the month of October at the Santa Barbara Central Library’s Faulkner Gallery. Visitors can expect to see landscape paintings depicting protected ranchlands throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
The California Rangeland Trust partners with ranching families across California to conserve working landscapes. To date, the organization has helped protect more than 433,000 acres of California rangeland.
For this project, Abiding Legacy, Oak Group artists turned their attention to 10 properties protected through California Rangeland Trust conservation easements, including Hearst Ranch, Hanson Ranch, Spanish Ranch, and several other properties throughout the Santa Ynez Valley.
“On The Move – Arbolado Ranch” by Rob Robinson | Photo: Courtesy 
“Ridge Trail, Rancho Arbolado,” by Kerri Hedden | Photo: Courtesy 
“Glorious Gaviota, Hanson Ranch” by Jeremy Harper | Photo: Courtesy 
“Taking a Break – Padre Ranch” by Ann Sanders | Photo: Courtesy 
“Wait Your Turn, El Chorro Ranch” by Ray Hunter | Photo: Courtesy 
“San Lucas Alfalfa” by Rebecca August | Photo: Courtesy 
“San Lucas Rangeland” by Kerri Hedden | Photo: Courtesy
Participating Oak Group artists will be present during the first Thursday, October 1, from 5 to 7 p.m., There will also be a reception on October 2, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., at the Faulkner Gallery.
The exhibition is at 40 East Anapamu Street and will also be available to view online from October 2 through November 30.
You must be logged in to post a comment.