Paintout at Ventura Farms

Last Saturday, the Autry National Center's Masters of the American West Committee, in association with the California Art Club, hosted their 7th Annual Plein Air Paintout and Luncheon at the incredible Ventura Farms in Thousand Oaks, California.  This was the second time the event was held at Ventura Farms, the Arabian Horse ranch and retreat owned by David Murdock, the Chairman and owner of Dole Foods.

Nearly 40 artists from the California Art Club (http://www.californiaartclub.org) and from the Autry's Masters of the American West Fine Art Exhibition and Sale (http://theautry.org/get-involved/masters-of-the-american-west) spread out across the grounds of Ventura Farms to paint scenes taken from the immaculately groomed estate.

Just one of the lushly landscaped gardens

Conchita O'Kane works on her painting

John Geraghty, Special Advisor to the Masters of the American West and
grandkids chat with exuberant Russian painter Alexey Steele
and Olga Vlasova.

Guests wandered around the gardens, talking with artists, enjoying the estate and chatting with other patrons.  One of the most stunning aspects of the grounds are the huge, sinuous river boulders that Murdock had excavated and shipped from the River Kwai in Thailand.  They dot the entire estate and are a remarkable presence.  Weighing several tons each, some of these stones stand twenty to thirty feet tall and each one has a life if its own.

The boulders along the promenade

Morgan Weistling working with a model

Autry's new CEO Dan Finley and his wife Jennifer meet Ernie and Donna Schroeder

Z. S. Liang paints the Chinese pavillion

The grounds include a large pond that holds several thousand Koi fish.  An oriental bridge connects the grounds to an island where a Japanese pagoda rests.  This scenic setting has been featured in several movies over the years.  Also, a smaller Koi pond is inside of the Chinese Pavillion along with fabulous examples of carved jade art and other Asian masterpieces.

CAC President Peter Adams paints the pagoda scene at the Koi pond

Dan Pinkham painting high above one of the several rose gardens

Smaller Koi pond inside of the Chinese Pavillion

Carved jade panel inside the Chinese Pavillion

Lunch was served in the Conservatory, a giant hothouse filled with hundreds (if not thousands) of orchids and a central area with marble floors ... definitely the nicest greenhouse I have ever seen.

Lunch in the Conservatory

A tiny sample of the orchids in the Conservatory

All in all, it was an amazing afternoon that is hardly describable.  Thanks to David Murdock for his generosity in opening his wonderful estate to all of us.

I posted all of my images from the event online at: http://s563.photobucket.com/albums/ss72/jarea6020/Autry%20Paintout%20at%20Ventura%20Farms%202010/  Enjoy them.

That is it for this post and as always, if I can be of any assistance to you or any of your friends, family or colleagues with any of your real estate needs (residential, commercial or otherwise) or if I can help find a real estate professional for you to work with in your local community, please let me know.  It would be my pleasure to help.

Jim Rea
Keller Willliams Palisades