Sometimes she pairs prisms with the glasswork, casting the full visible light spectrum over her artificial spectrum, bathing a gallery in joyous, chaotic light. Though primarily a painter, she’s also been capturing California’s light with stained glass, amplifying it even further with her color schemes. But I think I was able to channel that into the work and get more focused,” she added.Ĭain sees her strength as a colorist and hand-mixes vibrant shades of pink, red, and purples that scream loudly, but pleasantly, even when accompanied by blues and blacks. “I grew up on a dirt road and my nerve endings are not made for the city. I thought I was going to die of a heart attack every time.” “Los Angeles was insanely big to me, even just driving here. “I moved here in 2007 and things got a lot bolder,” Cain said. Though she had already been showing work for a decade, once Cain relocated, her work took off.ĭetail view of Sarah Cain, “We Will Walk Right Up To The Sun” (2019), stained glass framed by soldered zinc, 10 x 150 feet, produced by the San Francisco Arts Commission for the AirTrain station at San Francisco International Airport (photo courtesy the artist) Her move to Los Angeles was inspired by friends and gallerists who saw the city’s personality in her abstract paintings. Sarah Cain, on the other hand, has always been drawn to bright, warm, and emotive colors, even when working in her hometown of Albany, New York. All three of these women spent significant portions of their lives in Pasadena, and Barker herself paints from the foothills of San Gabriel, less than five miles from this hotbed for esoteric art. The mystic glow also features prominently in desert-transcendentalist Agnes Pelton’s paintings, the drawings divined by occultist Marjorie Cameron (who was simply known as Cameron), and the fantastical landscapes of contemporary painter Ariana Papademetropoulos. It’s a way of connecting with my spirituality.”īarker’s connection to faith via sunlight is a common practice shared among many Southern Californian artists. “It’s a way of trying to ground myself and start the day on the right tone. “I like to watch the sunrise as much as possible,” painter Hayley Barker, who uses purple and pink tones to accentuate the luscious green gardens that overtake Los Angeles bungalows, told Hyperallergic. Hayley Barker, “Last Morning at El Centro” (2023) (photo courtesy the artist) It combines the two polar opposite climates into a non-existent place that emits warmth, reverence, and wonder. It’s a Southern Californian feeling that leans towards San Diego’s beaches and the Mojave desert. The idea of California light doesn’t evoke foggy San Francisco, misty Big Sur, or the snow-capped Sierras. Notably, all these artists live and work in Los Angeles. Painter Mario Ayala’s hyperrealistic works show how light radiates through Chicanx culture. Sculptor Gisela Colón traps its prismatic iridescence in her monolithic cone sculptures. Contemporary artists like Sarah Cain, Hayley Barker, and Gay Summer Rick feature the ways in which its colors bend and move through their murals, stained glass windows, and paintings. Those who don’t relish their features recognize the rubbery petals that wreak havoc are about to dry up once the blooming season is over.įor the time being, like them or not, the neon purple Jacaranda will continue to thrive along South Pasadena streets.As art evolves, so do the methods of capturing this illustrious light. So, are you in favor or disfavor of the Jacaranda?įor those in favor, savor the opportunity to view them, as the lavender blossoms will soon be gone. The Jacaranda is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Central America, Mexico, South America, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and in Asia, especially in Nepal. PHOTO: Bill Glazier | News | Jacarandas blossoming along Fremont Avenue In 1972, Glendale declared them their official tree and they’re a pleasant sight at Central Library in downtown Los Angeles after the City of Costa Mesa sold 11 of them. Fullerton once hold a Jacaranda Festival, which drew large crowds. Yet, that can’t take away from their splendor and beauty. While South Pasadena fashions itself as a City of Trees, some are all in favor if this particular species weren’t among them. Others shake fists after they leave a mess on sidewalks and in yards and patios they say is impossible to clean. However, there’s a love-hate relationship with them, with many residents crying foul when the leaves fall, leaving a sticky substance on cars below.
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