ojai blog - news and events in the Ojai community

The Ojai Post

in case you haven't noticed... i'm doing all of my blogging over at The Ojai Post...

Ojai Author named as book award finalist

of interest...

Local Authors Named as Finalists in the 22nd Benjamin Franklin Awards™
from PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association

He is a double cancer survivor and a trained marriage and family therapist who always wanted to be a writer; she is a formerly overweight double divorcee with a 30-year career as a writer/journalist who always wanted to be a therapist.

Ventura County residents, Patricia Alexander and Ojai-born Michael Burgos, met, fell in love, and felt compelled to write and publish a book. Called The Book of Comforts: Simple, Powerful Ways to Comfort Your Spirit, Body & Soul, it offered them the chance to merge their voices, expertise, experiences, styles and gender perspectives.

And together, they created an inspirational book that, frankly, breaks all the rules.  Every chapter is only six pages, flowing with original art on glossy paper. It’s funny; it’s tough; it’s tender; they published it themselves.

And now it’s being honored.

PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, has named The Book of Comforts as one of three finalists in the New Age/Metaphysical/Spiritual category. Patricia and Michael, who live together in Camarillo, will be flying to New York on May 31st for the Awards dinner to see if they won, of course, but mostly to celebrate their long road to this achievement. (They are also celebrating the fact that they have just signed with a national distributor!)

The Painting Experience: Life, Paint & Passion

here's an interesting event coming up...more at OjaiEvents.com

THE CREATIVE FIRE IS FUELED AT OJAI WORKSHOP

Ojai, California (March 6, 2007) -- For nearly three decades, Stewart Cubley has inspired thousands of people to recover their creative spirit using painting as a tool for self-discovery.  In 1976 Cubley co-founded The Painting Experience Studio in San Francisco and is author of the book "Life, Paint and Passion: Reclaiming the Magic of Spontaneous Expression". Cubley will be making his first trip to Ojai this month to present his popular workshop, "Life, Paint & Passion". The workshop will be held at Oak Grove School, 220 West Lomita Ave, Ojai, California.

"You don't need any prior art experience or training to participate in this workshop", says Cubley, "only the willingness to explore through color, shape or form.  De-emphasizing the finished product allows the whole person to participate in the process. Many people don't realize that art is such a powerful tool for transformation. The experience of creating purely for the exploration rather than for the result can be life-changing."

Cubley continues, "This work is accessible to everyone, regardless of whether or not you think of yourself as a painter. The workshop is a sanctuary where you can explore creativity without the pressure of performance, a place of refuge from the voices of criticism and judgment. Although we are working in a group setting, there is a tremendous sense of privacy and respect."

The 2-day intensive will be held at the Oak Grove School at 220 West Lomita Ave on April 21-22nd, 2007, Sat from 10 am - 5:30 pm and Sun 10 am - 5 PM. All materials are supplied, as well as gourmet lunches Sat/Sun. The cost is $275 plus $25 materials fee. Discounts may apply. New students will receive a free copy of Stewart's book, Life, Paint and Passion: Reclaiming the Magic of Spontaneous Expression.

To register go to www.processarts.com or call toll-free 888-639-8569.

"Weekend of Delight!"

Check out GlenMuse.com for the details on these two great events...

Friday March 9
Triple Bill World Music Concert

Incendio: Latin guitar world fusion
“whizzing through a musical virtual reality”

HuDost: alternative world rock "Country & Eastern"
a rich, eclectic blend of traditional Sufi music, Bulgarian and Balkan adaptations, Farsi, Turkish and Arabic pieces with elements of folk, pop, rock and Southern Gospel

Lisa Lynn: Celtic harp
Windham Hill and New Earth Record labels; her last 4 CDs have been among top 20 on the Billboard music charts

Saturday, March 10
"Radical Ecstasy" All Day Workshop

Based on Sufi teachings that have been evolving for over a thousand years, we work with music, sound, breath, energy, and magnetism, to develop an awakened sense of self (which in meditation is often oriented beyond life) directed toward creative action in the world.

These techniques ignite a power source in your body, emotions, and mind, to let you virtually explode with creativity in your actions, what you bring to life, and how life responds to you.

Improvisational Music and Ecstatic Dance

From a reader...

Session of Improvisational Music and Ecstatic Dance coming to Ojai March 9th
Contact:    Philip Novotny
(805)  748-3815
email:  philiption@aol.com
What:    The ŸUM Session from San Luis Obispo
Where:     Sacred Space Studio - -  410 Bryant Circle #A, Ojai
When:      Friday, March 9th   8 pm to 10 pm
Details: The ŸUM Session is an inter-play between dancer and musician, musician and dancer with an open invitation to playful, artistic, spontaneous movement.  The ŸUM Session is a practice of attaining heightened body awareness through breath, through beat, through dance, through movement.   It’s Live, continuous, improvisational music blending East / West grooves with ambient sound landscapes moving you through an energetic wave into a blissful stillness at journey's end.
No experience required...
$15 to $20 sliding scale @ the door…   

Meet The Artist...

from the artist...

Bobbi at "A Secret Beauty" will be hosting new work created by Orcas Island Artist Susan Slapin for a One Afternoon Only-Portfolio Show. Susan is a former Ojai resident.

Her paintings are relatively abstract. The work reflects the interior of the human experience, more than show a picture plane that is easily understood. The viewer can interpret their own experience, as both surfaces and mood hold their place in the paintings. These images contain strong colorfields and often inform us of the natural or spiritual world.

Work will be viewed unframed as paintings on paper or canvas, and are available for purchase. We hope you can join us and enjoy the show, and some light refreshments.

Place: A Secret Beauty
Date & Time: Saturday  March 10   1:00-6:00
Address: 960 East Ojai Avenue   Ojai
Artist's Website: www.orcasonline.com/~slapinarts
Email: slapinarts@orcasonline.com
Phone: (360) 298-2868

Auditions at the Ojai Art Center

Ojai Art Center Theater is conducting open auditions for “The Heidi Chronicles,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Wendy Wasserstein, from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 17 and 18 at the theater, 113 S. Montgomery.

Callbacks will be Feb. 19 and 21 and the play runs at Ojai ACT from May 4 to June 3.  All roles are available for actors between the ages of 20-40.  It is a smartly-crafted play dealing with the changing role of women from the 1960’s on, and the production is a tribute to the playwright, who died last year at age 55.

For questions, contact Director Steve Grumette at 649-4000 or email stevo@ojai.net.

Eggcellent Workshop...

Ojai local Bernadette sent this on over - check it out...

Ukrainian Egg Decoration Workshops

This spring get acquainted with an ancient, traditional art of the Ukraine.  Bernadette DiPietro, artist, photographer, and author has been offering these egg workshops since 1972.

This year two one-day workshops will be offered in the Ojai Valley.

For nearly 2,000 years, people from all over the world have been decorating eggs in the spring of the year.  The legends related to these decorated eggs all stem towards rebirth and the renewal of nature and life.  Each year with the first of spring, Ukrainians’ begin creating their collection of Pysanky eggs.  Then on Easter Sunday, a basket of these colorful treasures are taken to church and blessed. Afterwards the eggs are exchanged between friends and relatives. Pysanky (decorated eggs) are believed to contain special powers.  The symbolic designs represent a meaning to both the designer of the egg and the person who receives it.

Participants in the workshops will decorate in the traditional manner, combining the legends, customs, symbols, and designs of Ukrainian Pysanky eggs.  Using the batik wax method, and a tool called a kistka, they will hand decorate beautiful eggs.

The first workshop will be on Saturday, March 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts located at 8560 Ojai-Santa Paula Road in the Upper Ojai Valley.  The fee for this six-hour workshop is $175.00.

The second workshop will be on Saturday, March 31 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Ojai Center for the Arts 113 S. Montgomery Street in downtown Ojai.  The fee for this four-hour workshop is $125.00.

The workshop fee includes all supplies, registration, and a set of tools to take home after the class.  Early registration is recommended since each workshop is limited to 10 participants.

For registration and information please contact: Bernadette DiPietro at 805-646-2539 or e-mail at: bamboocottagestudio@yahoo.com

BEYOND THE CALL on PBS

Reader Renee passed on this email with a hearty recommendation.  Looks like something interesting to check out...

In an Indiana Jones meets Mother Teresa adventure three middle-aged men, former soldiers and modern-day knights travel the world delivering life saving humanitarian aid directly into the hands of civilians and doctors in some of the most dangerous yet beautiful places on Earth, the front lines of war.

More than five years in the making; nearly a year of theatrical screenings, festival showings, standing ovations and many awards, the time has come for BEYOND THE CALL to have its big TV premiere!  We are very excited that BEYOND THE CALL will air nationwide on PBS's award winning series INDEPENDENT LENS this Tuesday, January 23rd in the evening. Please check your local listings for exact time in your area.
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/beyondthecall

This will be the one-hour version. The language has been cleaned up so young people and those sensitive to naughty language can view safely. Rumor has it that BEYOND THE CALL will have additional airings on other days and times throughout this opening week (January 22 - 28), but they will be at odd hours. Check local listings.

Please keep your eyes open for the 35mm feature film version of BEYOND THE CALL, still doing the film festival circuit and theatrical run across the US and around the world through the spring, summer, and into the fall. I and the stars (Ed Artis, Jim Laws and Walt Ratterman) will try to make as many of the screenings as possible.

We are working diligently putting together the extras-packed BEYOND THE CALL DVD that will go on sale in mid February. It will be available on the film's website www.beyondthecallthemovie.com and www.wadirum.com. We are putting the finishing touches on the www.beyondthecallthemovie.com website. It will be up in time for the PBS airing. On the site you will be able to leave your email address so that we can contact you as soon as the DVDs are ready. We will not use your emails for any other reason. The initial production run of BEYOND THE CALL DVDs will be limited, so please sign up so you can be assured a DVD purchase as soon as it comes out.

Thank you so very much for your continued support and encouragement!

Any and all assistance that you can offer to help get the word out about this nationwide PBS airing through your press, organizations, websites, bloggers, etc. contacts would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Independent Lens publicist Mary Lugo at lugo@negia.net or you can contact me directly.

You can get in touch with the subjects of the film at http://www.kbi.org or http://www.onedollar4darfur.com.

Thank you,
Adrian Belic
Filmmaker

Ojai Tailor

this just in from a reader...

Jacques the Tailor at Ourovoros Gallery in Ojai

Ojai resident Jacques Malkhassian is now offering his expert tailoring services for men and women at Ourovoros Jewelry + Art gallery, located at 323 E. Matilija St. #112 in Ojai.

Trained in Paris, Jacques has over 50 years of experience as a professional tailor and he has custom made suits for many celebrities, including Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Magic Johnson and Charles Aznavour.

Stop by the gallery to see this world-class tailor at work. Jacques has a selection of suits which can be fit to your size or he can custom design clothing, suits, dresses, anything you would like. You may also bring him clothing for alterations.

Ourovoros is open Monday through Saturday from 10 to 6, and Sundays from 10 to 3. For more information, please call 805-640-3700.