By Rebecca Nordquist
San Clemente Times
With hundreds of local artists in San Clemente, where does San Clemente stand as an art community?
In late 2007 two San Clemente art galleries closed. Gail Roff International Fine Art closed its storefront in October, citing a slowed economy and the fact that San Clemente wasn’t ready for that “quality of work,” according to owner and resident Gail Roff. Two months later, Kirk Saber packed up WestEdge Gallery and relocated to Solana Beach. He finally left because he couldn’t afford the increased rent and other factors, including elimination from the Art Walk San Clemente.
While Roff and Saber’s galleries didn’t find success in town, other galleries have found their niche featuring local artists: Gallery 104, San Clemente Art Supply’s Green Flash Gallery and Sunset Gallery, among others. Casa Romantica also supports professional, emerging and student artists, and local restaurants and shops, including BeachFire, The Frame House and Salon Bleu, display local art for sale. There’s also the San Clemente Art Association—which has almost 400 members, runs regular events at the San Clemente Art Gallery and gives scholarships to school-aged children.
“We’re just on the verge of reaching a critical mass where we could be visibly more of an art community—like in Laguna you drive down the main drag and there are art galleries everywhere and here there are not,” said Patti Herdell, owner of San Clemente Art Supply, who noted she and her husband, Richard Herdell, are expanding the store because of the evident growth in the art community. “We’re not there yet: We just need a little more momentum to push us over the edge.”
The need for momentum is one thing everyone can agree on—and that momentum includes a collective awareness and support of the arts, more venues for artists to sell work and cohesion among artists. There’s no question: San Clemente has an abundance of photographers, painters, ceramists, stained- and fused-glass artists, and welders. The list goes on, but outside of the San Clemente Art Association and individual efforts, there isn’t an umbrella public network for San Clemente artists.
“I’ve done so many different kinds of art: I can look and see how it’s done,” said 30-year resident Kathryn Stovall Dennis, an all-around artist who helped coordinate the tile work at BeachFire and created the stained- glass windows for the San Clemente Library. “I can identify the materials and process, but a lot of these artists I don’t know who they are and that’s too bad. It would be nice to have a network. We need to support each other.”
In the early 2000s, Stovall Dennis, in conjunction with the city, attempted to establish an art council that intended to organize gallery tours, art shows, public art projects and more. “It would bring public awareness to our artists,” she said. “Anytime you nurture art and expose art, it’s a good thing for the entire community.” The council didn’t happen, despite much interest, because as Stovall Dennis said, artists aren’t typically organized. “I wouldn’t mind trying again,” she said. “It’s an exciting prospect; there are so many [artists] in town.”
And many of those artists, including Rick Delanty, who taught art at San Clemente High School for 30 years, and Dave Donaldson, who owns BeachFire, are driving forces in building up the art community. In May 2006, Delanty put on the South Coast Artists Show with 21 artists, and it received “great reception,” he said. “The whole idea was to give local artists a venue to show and give the community a chance to see who’s under their nose.”
That’s most of the battle: getting the artists’ work out to the community and, in turn, getting the community to embrace the art—and purchase it. “A lot of people in San Clemente save all of that money to travel to Europe to look at artwork when there are artists in their backyard,” said Saber. He points out some local artists who rented space from him at WestEdge Gallery, including Ruth Yuhas, Herman Sillas and Deanne Williamson, who still live in San Clemente and work hard to make a living.
“There were a lot of artists who came and went because they couldn’t afford to have space,” he said, noting that he rented to six to eight artists at a time for $200 a month. “It sounds little, but a sale of two or three paintings can be the difference of making it and staying afloat. If you only have $100 to spend, go spend it: Buy a piece of original art.”
Delanty says the groundwork for the San Clemente art scene is laid and all it needs is a little push. “If you don’t work together, you can’t do this,” said Delanty.
And the end result—what Stovall Dennis calls “an infusion of culture and art”—would only benefit the community, another point artists, associations and organizations agree on. “When you bring beauty and thoughtfulness and creativity into a person’s life, it’s hard to define what it means positively,” said Jan McKay, executive director at Casa Romantica, “but I don’t think anyone would argue that there are cultural spin-offs in the community when there’s a thriving art community.”
Events Around Town
Dan Scharf’s “Full of Life” Reception
Friday, June 13, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. Gallery 104, 104 S. Ola Vista, 949.218.0903, www.gallery104.com
Seventh Annual Paint San Clemente
June 14–June 21: Plein Air Competition throughout the city. June 14, 1:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Quick Draw Speed Painting Competition. At 4:30 p.m. PSC Kick-Off Party, where Quick Draw paintings are for sale. June 21: Outdoor Art Fair, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. (11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Plein Air Painting Preview) and Collectors’ Gala Reception, 6 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Tickets $35; call 949.366.1601. All events at San Clemente Art Gallery, 100 N. Calle Seville, 949.492.7175, www.scartgallery.com
Fearless Art Event
Saturday, June 14, 5:15 p.m.–10:45 p.m. This show features 10 local artists who work at Trader Joe’s. San Clemente Art Supply’s Green Flash Gallery, 1531 N. El Camino Real, 949.369.6603, www.scartsupply.com
“The Art of Wine—Pressing Matters: 500 Years of Wine in Art from the Sterling Vineyards”
June 18, 7 p.m. Opening night reception, $20 per person with reservations required. Runs through August 10. See page 22 for more information. Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, 415 Avenida Granada, 949.498.2139, www.casaromantica.org
Art Walk San Clemente
Thursday, June 26, 5:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. The last Thursday of every month through September on Avenida Del Mar and surrounding area. www.artwalksanclemente.com
Rick Delanty’s 12th Annual Home Studio & Gallery Summer Show
Friday, June 27, 6 p.m.–9 p.m.; Saturday, June 28, 1 p.m.–9 p.m.; and Sunday, June 29, 12 p.m.–7 p.m. 2510 Via Durazno, 949.492.8995
Artist’s Alley
Sunday, July 6, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. The first Sunday of every month through September. 215 Avenida Del Mar, 949.492.4395
Village Art Fair
Sunday, July 6, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. The first Sunday of every month, except January, on Avenida Del Mar. 949.218.5378, www.villagesanclemente.com
Art Spots
BeachFire, 204 Avenida Del Mar, 949.366.3232, www.beachfire.com
Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, 415 Avenida Granada, 949.498.2139, www.casaromantica.org
Gallery 104, 104 S. Ola Vista, 949.218.0903, www.gallery104.com
San Clemente Art Gallery, 100 N. Calle Seville, 949.492.7175, www.scartgallery.com
San Clemente Art Supply’s Green Flash Gallery, 1531 N. El Camino Real, 949.369.6603, www.scartsupply.com
San Clemente Surfboards & Art, 2208 S. El Camino Real, 949.361.5885, www.sanclementesurfboards.com
Sunset Gallery, 538 N. El Camino Real, 949.492.4395, www.sanclementesunsetgallery.com
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