Bearing Witness, Studio Artists, and More

Brian Kuhlmann has been a professional photographer for more than 40 years, working in a wide array of fields. His photography has been featured in many advertising campaigns for big-name brands – Coca-Cola, Coors and Corona, just under the letter ‘C’ – splashed across the pages of innumerable publications and hung on the walls of exhibitions all around the country. His portfolio includes action shots, portraits, nature scenes and even still lifes, plus a workplace series capturing people on the job or pausing to pose.

Now, with his debut on the Santa Barbara Studio Artists tour this Labor Day weekend, Kuhlmann is collating several different bodies of his work for the first time to share with visitors to his Westside studio. He’s calling the presentation “Witness,” which represents a recent shift in his state of mind whenever he raises his ever-present camera.

“Starting out (as a pro) you’re just racing and racing and going and going,” Kuhlmann said. “Suddenly I found when I’m looking back at the work that means the most to me, it was when I slowed down and really observed.”

So for the weekend, Kuhlmann has been drawing from several different collections, which blends pictures of trees against the night sky, the latter created via extremely long exposures to capture the changes as the earth rotates, which fashions highly stylized scenes of vanishing landscapes; and the timely “Horses,” natural scenes of rescued wild mustangs at Freedom Reigns, the Gilroy ranch of Montecito resident Alicia Goetz, among others.

Though the subjects of the bodies of work are decidedly different, they’re connected by what Kuhlmann calls a deceptively simple question: “What becomes visible when we slow down enough to truly pay attention?”

“With the proliferation of digital and how easy it’s become to be a photographer, I’m not satisfied with simply taking a good photograph anymore,” he said. “I’m looking for one that says something. It’s the point of view that matters.”

Kuhlmann said how visitors to his studio this weekend view his photographs is also paramount. Just appreciating the craft isn’t good enough anymore.

“I’d like people to look at my work and not be the same person when they walk away,” he said. “Hopefully, it changes them a little bit.”

Open Doors All Weekend

Several longstanding Montecito-based SBSA members will also be participating once again in the Santa Barbara Studio Artists Tour over the long weekend, including Danuta Bennett, whose surrealism and symbolism often touch on fantasy and mythology; Susan Tibbles, who works in mixed media assemblage and collage using found and fabricated objects; and abstract porcelain sculpture artist Joan Rosenberg-Dent. Almost two dozen others will open their work spaces in downtown Santa Barbara, the Westside, and Goleta.

Collectors, gallery owners, fellow artists, art enthusiasts, and the merely curious can get a sneak preview of the full slate of participating artists at the official Opening Reception and Exhibition from 5-8 pm on Friday, September 4, at the Community Arts Workshop, which is also where tour passes and studio maps will be available all weekend. As always, each artist will have one painting or other work on display there to help appreciators plan their self-guided tour over the next three days. The work stays up all weekend. Most of the artists will also be on hand and refreshments will be served.

Tickets cost $25 and cover both the reception and three-day tour. Passes can also be purchased online. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to this year’s selected nonprofit, Adam’s Angels, an all-volunteer organization that extends help to community members in need across the entire South County.

Visit www.SantaBarbaraStudioArtists.com.

Ventura Adventures

Rubicon Theatre Company has dramatically scaled back on last year’s ambitious 30-shows-in-30-days introduction of Ventura LIVE!, turning instead to just a handful of offerings. But the charming church-turned-intimate theater in downtown Ventura still has some shows well worth the trip down the 101. The Folk Legacy Trio returns to share stories and American folk songs laced with unforgettable harmonies for two nights, September 4-5, when the trio will once again celebrate the “living library” of the great folk era of the 1950s to early 1970s, touching on songs made famous by The Weavers, The Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary and many more. But they’re not a cover or tribute band, as both George Grove and Rick Dougherty, Lifetime Grammy Award recipients, played for decades with The Kingston Trio and The Limeliters, while Jerry Siggins was the longtime lead singer of The Diamonds. Friday’s show has a VIP option that includes preferred seating and a private reception that also boasts a short singalong.

Next Thursday, September 10, brings Mike Beck performing his one-man show The Ponies: A Celebration of the Horse in Songs and Stories, which combines original songs, classic favorites and stories of his life’s work in pursuit of forming a harmonious connection between man and horse. The heartfelt and humorous evening celebrates the timeless bond between horse and human, drawing on Beck’s lifetime spent studying with legendary horsemen Bill Dorrance, Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt, plus years as a working cowboy throughout the American West, performing as a perennial favorite at the prestigious National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, and decades leading horsemanship clinics.

The series closes on September 11 with the RTC debut of Brush Arbor, the award-winning “positive country,” gospel, and bluegrass band that has been around for more than half a century. Honored by the Academy of Country Music as Vocal Group of the Year and Touring Band of the Year, in its time the group has shared stages with Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Marty Robbins, Charlie Rich, and The Everly Brothers, and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry.

Visit https://rubicontheatre.org/events for details and tickets.

Make Plans for Mariposa

Single tickets for the Music Academy of the West’s Mariposa Concert Series and its quartet of performances go on sale September 9, meaning potential subscribers wanting to guarantee seats to all four events need to act soon. The chamber music concerts featuring at least one MAW alum at each event take place monthly, October-February (skipping December), at Hahn Hall on the Miraflores campus.  

Visit https://musicacademy.org/mariposa.