5:15-6:15pm           Docents available to discuss the site
6:30 -7:15pm          Artist Presentations byLita Albuquerque, Bruria Finkel and Chris Garland
7:20-8:00pm           Outdoor Photography Practice
8:00-8:30pm           Photo projection, sharing, and commentary followed by refreshments

Join artists Lita Albuquerque, Bruria Finkel and Chris Garland, currently featured in the Gallery exhibit SkyScapes (featuring photographs from Antarctica, the California desert and Santa Monica skies), as they present their work and lead a hands-on “digital plein air” workshop. Referring to examples in the SkyScapes exhibit, participants can learn about photographic techniques and thematic considerations, then put their knowledge to work taking digital photographs capturing the colors, shadows, reflections and vistas where the sea meets the sky at close of day.

Cameras not provided. Bring your smartphone or digital camera. Participants can upload their photos to a common Facebook album for sharing and discussion. This workshop is open to all, no experience required. Smartphones are preferred for ease of upload, but digital cameras and other phones can be used (please bring your USB transfer cable).

SkyScapes is a Beach House Gallery exhibition featuring the work of Bruria Finkel, Chris Garland and Lita Albuquerque. These three accomplished artists come together in their fascination with the sky and explore its myriad of natural configurations—highlighting the sky’s beauty and its ability to inspire dreams and self-reflection.

Artist and curator Bruria Finkel has been fascinated by the sky since a very early age and has been tracking the Santa Monica sky for more than 20 years, using Polaroids and photography to capture moments of breathtaking sky images. About Smoggy Sunset with Electric Pole, she recalls, “looking at the churning sky at the end of the day when the smog created this sea of red was a memorable event…and capturing it was an exquisite moment.”

As a “tribute to the natural beauty…and the creative spirit that’s part of desert living”, Chris Garland has been developing a portfolio called “Dream Cloud Images” since 2007. It is a collection of photography focused mainly on Palm Desert and the surrounding Coachella Valley. 

Lita Albuquerque, an internationally renowned installation, environmental artist, painter and sculptor, has captured the blue of the sky at twilight over the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the day slipping into night over Malibu and the magnificent sky over Antarctica. “It inspires us and transports us to other realms, other thoughts, to dreams,” she says, “…but it does not have to be only a dreamscape: the actual sky, the atmosphere and the light of the sun, or the moon or the stars, caught by that invisible presence radiate back to us visions of untold beauty which leave us breathless.”

Stop by early for information on the Beach House by docents from the Santa Monica Conservancy.

Tickets are free but space is limited and reservations are required. If you would like to attend, please reserve online. Please plan to arrive by 6:15pm to retain your reservation. Late seating, even for reservation-holders, is not guaranteed. To adjust or cancel your reservation for this event, email beachhouse@smgov.net. We appreciate your keeping in touch!

Directions: The Beach House is located at 415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica, CA 90402 on the west side of Pacific Coast Highway, a half mile north of the California Incline and a half mile south of Chautauqua Blvd. Plenty of public parking is available - enter off PCH at the Beach House Way traffic light. The facility is easily accessible by foot or bike from the beach bike path, although the Beach closes at sunset. There is ample bike parking at racks throughout the site - remember to bring your own lock.

Parking: For weekend Beach=Culture events May-September, there is a daily $10 parking charge at the park and pay machines available in three areas of the ACBH parking lot. For hourly and weekday fees, please check the website for details.

Other events: To view & make reservations for future free Beach=Culture events, check http://annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture.

General Info: For hours, events and more, visit http://www.annenbergbeachhouse.com, or call 310-458-4904. Back on the Beach Café hours are subject to change depending on weather - call ahead.