Hidden Meadows Art Guild finds art and more in Ramona
Although I do not reside in Hidden Meadows, I’ve been privileged to be a member of the Art Guild for almost 2 years. I was so happy to host the October field trip in my home town of Ramona.
Ten members of the group arrived at my small horse ranch on Sunday, October 22nd for light refreshments, a tour of my jewelry studio and some horse and dog interaction. Dog petting was unavoidable, horse petting was optional.
We soon headed out to the ‘main’ event on, what else, 438 Main Street, Ramona. The 2 Create Gallery is a contemporary art gallery only about 2 years old. They house the work of many talented local and out of town artists in many mediums. The artist/owners Molly and David Begent are leaders in promoting the arts, artists, and many other worthwhile endeavors in the “Valley of the Sun.” The Gallery not only sells beautiful work, but they provide ongoing art classes as well. For more information, do visit their website at 2creategallery.com
You may remember the record-breaking heat we had during October, and this Sunday was no different. So after the gallery walk, off we went to the Salerno Winery westward on the 67 for some refreshments and more art. We arrived just in time to witness two artists installing (building) wonderful life-size ‘trees’ made of heavy aluminum wires in the Opera House. Yes…there is an Opera House on the property among the grape vines. The opulent venue was furnished in an old world European style. The artist couple took a break to speak with us about their custom work. Daniel and Ludmila Montalvo are from Mexico City and provide both commercial and residential custom wirework sculptures. To view more of their beautiful work, their website is danielmontalvo.org.
Salerno is much more than a winery. Jaime Chaljon, Salerno Winery’s proprietor, is an avid art collector who has amassed a world-class collection over the past 25 years. Chaljon has added more than 30 of his favorite pieces to the vineyard’s sculpture garden, including works from Jorge and Javier Marín, Heriberto Mendez, Abel Ramirez, Rafael Levy and many more. So while some of us took turns sipping wine and listening to live music on the terrace, all of us eventually took in the walk to see the beautiful sculptures, carvings, and glass work, and garden chess set.
Although the day was hot, the ocean breezes, good company, chilled sangria, and beautiful art made for a lovely outing in my little horse town. I was so happy to share it with my fellow artists.