Spring Arts Preview- Visual Art

Spring is in the air and photography seems to be the look of the season in Santa Barbara’s art scene. From awe-inspiring nature scenes to motor-racing photographs, there is a trend in local galleries and museums focused on the lens. But don’t forget about paintings, as they’re not to be missed.

The 18th Annual Individual Artist Awards

This year, the Santa Barbara Arts Fund recognizes winners and honorable mention recipients working in the four categories of paper, clay, digital art, and acoustic guitar with a stipend, individual exhibitions, and this group show. The artists included are Philip Koplin, Ethan Turpin, Nina de Creeft Ward, Laura Langley, Chris Judge, Andrew Jackson, and Margaret Morrison. Through Sat., Mar. 31, open Tue.-Fri., noon-5pm. The Arts Fund, 205 Santa Barbara St. Call 965-7321 or visit artsfundsb.org.

Edgar Ewing

Sullivan Goss, An American Gallery has a lot planned this spring, including exhibitions of work by Jay Mercado, Miriam Slater, Mariusa, James David Thomas, and Nicole Strasburg. The most notable show of the season is a survey of mid-century modernist painter Edgar Ewing. The Los Angeles-based artist’s large-scale works experiment with cubism and abstraction from both microscopic and topographic viewpoints. Ewing’s obsession with ancient Greece imbues his work with a great sense of mystery and sensuality. Sat., Mar. 31-Sun., June 3, open Mon.-Sun., 10am-5:30pm. Sullivan Goss, An American Gallery, 7 E. Anapamu St. Call 739-1460 or visit sullivangoss.com.

Fragile Environments

In Fragile Environments: Photographs of Antarctica and the Everglades, Roger Craton and Clyde Butcher explore the similarities between two seemingly opposite geographical environments: the Florida wetlands and the South Pole. They capture the immense beauty, but impending fragility, of locales facing parallel threats of global warming, pollution, and human intrusion. Sun., Apr. 1-Sun., June 17, open Wed.-Sun., 11am-5pm. Wildling Museum of Art, 2329 Jonata St., Los Olivos. Call 688-1082 or visit wildlingmuseum.org.

Wanderlust

Influenced by Edward Steichen, photographer Mark Edward Harris captures scenes from his wandering travels throughout the world. From picturesque landscapes to poignant portraits, Harris presents the interconnections of our global culture. Sun., Apr. 1-Tue., May 15. East/West Gallery, 14 Bond Ave. Call 963-4041.

Jesse Alexander

The Patty Look Lewis Gallery will welcome legendary motor-racing photographer Jesse Alexander to the gallery, along with an ongoing exhibition of gallery artists William Dole, Selden Spaulding, Bill Tierney, and Patty Look Lewis. Opens Thu., Apr. 5. Patty Look Lewis Gallery, 25 E. De la Guerra St. Call 6873452 or visit pattylooklewis.com.

Ansel Adams Over Time

Drawn from the SBMA’s permanent collection, this show spans from the 1920s through the ’70s. Displaying iconic images of the grandeur of the American West alongside early work, the exhibit exposes Adams’s evolving artistic vision and increasingly influential style. Sat., Apr. 7-Sat., June 23, open Tue.-Sun., 11am-5pm. Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St. Call 963-4364 or visit sbmuseart.org.

Davis Birks

Strata: Recent Works by Davis Birks at Edward Cella Art+Architecture will be the first solo U.S. exhibition in 15 years for this minimalist artist. Birks is exhibited regularly in both Mexico and Europe, but Santa Barbara art connoisseurs are in for a treat with his distinctive style and process. Birks’s large format paintings, which have been compared to topographic maps, are abstract explorations of organic structures. Thu., Apr. 26Sun., June 3, open Tue.-Sun., 11am-5pm. Edward Cella Art+Architecture, 10 E. Figueroa St., Ste. 3. Call 9625900 or visit edwardcella.com.

Jakob S. Boeskov’s Dad

Dad displays recent work by Danish artist Jakob S. Boeskov, who uses filmmaking, drawing, sculpture, and performance to expose complex social issues such as male behavior, war, politics, biotechnology, and globalization. CAF has commissioned a video in which Boeskov re-enacts his father. Sat., Apr. 28Sun., June 24, open Tue.-Sun., 11am-5pm and Sat., noon-5pm. Contemporary Arts Forum, 653 Paseo Nuevo. Call 9665373 or visit sbcaf.org.