The Adventure Continues… Getty Villa

Last Wednesday I took a look at the Central Garden located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles; this week, it’s the beautiful art and architecture of the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades. I feel like this episode really only whets the appetite for everything that is available to view in this amazing art collection — it makes me rather […]

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Castle of dreams

Ever since I saw an old black-and-white photo on a brochure promoting historic sites around Lake County, I’d been eager to go in search of the lost gem that was the Lucerne Hotel — sometimes referred to as “The Castle.” I’d actually built it up in my mind, certain that it was hidden away at the top of a steep, […]

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The Adventure Continues… Terra Cotta

I don’t do this very often, but this week I’ve decided to repeat an episode — one that I originally featured way back in May 2017. For the past few Mondays I’ve been sharing photos with you that I found in the Hicks Album from the Feats of Clay XXIII exhibition, one of the last years the event was held inside Gladding McBean. The images have raised a few questions about the terra cotta factory; and the fact that the company no longer offers tours to the public makes this look inside all the more wonderful. I hope you enjoy seeing Huell’s visit to Gladding McBean as much as I have. My original post: Lincoln is a little town not too far up the road from my house, and I’ve never spent much time there at all. So I was very surprised when I first saw this episode of California’s Gold to realize there is such an important and historical company located there. From the Brooks Brothers emblem to light standards for a bridge in Moosejaw, Canada, these guys create art for public spaces, and every piece is created by hand. Step back in time with Huell to the olden days of making pottery the Gladding McBean way. The 118-year-old company in rural Lincoln, near Sacramento, is the nation’s only remaining major manufacturer of terra cotta. From decorative to functional, McBean’s terra cotta is acclaimed for its distinctive style which graces […]

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Negro Bar makeover

It’s actually been a couple of months since I checked out the completed renovations at the beach/picnic area of Negro Bar State Park — but ever since I shot these images I’ve been meaning to go back through my archives and find some of my earlier photos of the area as it’s looked at various times over the past seven […]

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