I am sitting in the shade of military-grade netting that has been – carelessly but effectively – erected to protect us from the relentless midday sun. The camouflaged men and sole woman are readying their weapons. Hip Hop blares in the background; more distraction than entertainment, but it also aids in dulling the soundtrack of […]
A plump grotesque porcelain figure in the Asian style – the head nods, the hands bob up and down, and the tongue lolls in the smiling mouth – this is a magot, which is a late 17th century term for such seated ‘oriental’ figures. Many of these figures were said to be modeled after the […]
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Her Produce has some green and red okra at the farmers market right now and let me tell you, if you haven’t tried okra before go and grab some of this delicious fruit. That’s right – it’s technically a fruit as it is a flowering plant with edible seed pods. Grown mainly in warm climates, […]
Sometimes, taking time away to be quiet and introspective is exactly what’s called for. This might be simply when you’ve been working hard and need a break. Or, in response to a significant event like a big birthday, a career change, or when the kids leave home. It might be precipitated by a health issue, […]
Legendary Decorator, beloved villager, and Charlie Munger muse Penny Bianchi is herself a striking figure – a living, breathing design element in her own right. The indescribable Bianchi casually radiates charm, wit, joy – and the fauvist Je ne sais quoi one experiences when falling into a painting by Chagall. To madly understate it, there […]
As a Santa Barbara wine expert, I’ve learned that the finest vintages are best enjoyed with inspiring company—and that’s exactly what I found with the Association for Women in Communications, Santa Barbara. Serving on the board has been an absolute delight, immersing me in a vibrant community of brilliant women who are as passionate about […]
Ariel Leira is a multidisciplinary visual artist and writer who grew up amongst the trees of Montecito, documenting her TRAVELS through glowing, abstract photography and heartfelt poetry. She was a lifer at Crane Country Day School – where we met in fifth grade – and graduated from Santa Barbara High School. Leira’s artistic proclivities began […]
Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe has been serving as a delegate at the Fourth Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization on Sept. 22-28 in Incheon, South Korea. He has served as a college president for more than 25 years (18 at Westmont) and received his invitation through the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities. Beebe joins […]
JE has a beautiful wrought iron Spanish Colonial Revival Torchiere floor lamp, hand wrought in a time frame from the 1920s to 1930s. When it was created, electricity for lighting the home was a relatively new invention. The first commercial application of the first electric lightbulb was in the 1870s; because of the brightness of […]
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Nicole Belton’s art studio, located at 1019 West in Inglewood, feels like walking into a museum of trees frozen in time. Dream-like hills and extending branches captured in a submerged composition (Skyview Drive); a tree in a moment of transition, poised before fading into a muted, decaying terrain (Ash). For the past six years, Belton […]
The research of a Westmont sociologist who examined the effects of church attendance has garnered national attention. According to the study of U.S. adults, regular weekend attendance of a religious service creates an immediate increase in positive emotions as well as a decrease in negative ones. Researchers found there was no change in the emotional […]
Actress Virginia Madsen got an Oscar nomination for her role in the 2004 film, Sideways. Twenty years later, she’s still feeling the impact, and enjoying it. “It changed my life,” she told me during a recent conversation. “And it’s still so alive, this movie. It became a cultural phenomenon, and there are very few movies […]
KT doesn’t know it, but she has a 1930s ladies evening bag in the tradition of 17th-century Viennese petit point, a style of needlework that originated with the early French Court as a pastime for Royal women. As the Chinese style of needlework was slowly being discovered during the 17th century, the Petit Point stitch […]
‘Lola in the Mirror’ Brisbane is the setting in Trent Dalton’s Lola in the Mirror. Our hero is a 17-year-old “houseless” girl living in a broken car with her mother, who has never told the teen her real name. She promises to reveal the name when she turns 18. When tragedy strikes before her birthday, […]
