BBH Gallery Sign July 2008
Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery Monthly

News, articles, and opinions from the world of California’s heritage art and beyond

1580 Eastshore Road, PO Box 325, Bodega Bay, CA 94923, 707-875-2911 (map)
Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays, Noon until 5:00 PM (or prearranged appointment)
email: Art@BodegaBayHeritageGallery.com | www.BodegaBayHeritageGallery.com

In this issue: (click on each article or scroll down)
Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery Notes Museum links: Current exhibits
relating to Early California Art
Please forward our newsletter link to your art loving friends.
http://bodegabayheritagegallery.com/BBH_Gallery_Monthly_July_08.htm
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At Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery
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H.M.S. Bounty Visits Bodega Bay
There is news to report from The Shipping News corner of our newsletter. The Bodega Bay U.S.C.G. Station reports the square rigged replica of the famed H.M.S. Bounty on a voyage to the Northwest decided to avoid some stong headwinds and high seas, dropping its two 900 lb. anchors in Bodega Bay June 10, 11, and 12.
HMS Bounty Visits Bodega Bay
Avoiding high seas and strong headwinds, the replica of the H.M.S. Bounty, anchors in Bodega Bay
The Bounty was built in 1960 for MGM Studios' Mutiny on the Bounty starring Marlon Brando. Since then, the new Bounty has starred in several feature-length films and dozens of TV shows and historical documentaries. The studios commissioned the ship from the shipwrights of Smith and Ruhland in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia - a new Bounty to be built from scratch. Completely seaworthy and built just the way it would have been 200 years before, the new Bounty was constructed from the original ship's drawings still on file in the British admiralty archives. Her overall length is 180 feet, she weighs in at 412 tons, carries 10,000 square feet of sail, 10 miles of rigging, was constructed of 400,000 board feet of lumber, and its main mast towers 115 feet above its deck.

After filming and a worldwide promotional tour in the early 1960's, MGM berthed the ship in St. Petersburg as a permanent tourist attraction - where she stayed until the mid-1980s. In 1986 Ted Turner acquired the MGM film library and the Bounty with it. He used it to promote his enterprises, and filmed Treasure Island with Charlton Heston in 1989. In 1993, Turner donated the ship to the Fall River Chamber Foundation, which established the Tall Ship Bounty Foundation to operate the ship as an educational venture.

In February of 2001 H.M.S. Bounty was purchased from the Foundation by HMS Bounty Organization LLC. She was in dire need of repairs at the time. It was decided to take her to Boothbay Harbor, Maine "Samples Shipyard," Later to be known as Boothbay Harbor Shipyard. When it was ready for the final refit it was only fitting to bring her "home," where Bounty was "on the rails" once again preparing for "A Round The World Voyage" - her first stop would be the United Kingdom.

Today the ship's mission is to serve as an active history teaching classroom and maritime ambassador. The HMS Bounty Organization LLC is dedicated to keeping the ship sailing and using her as a vehicle for teaching the nearly lost arts of square rigged sailing and seamanship. The Organization operates a variety of programs on board including sail training programs for the general public, group leadership and teamwork training, a Sail Away Summer Camp program, and dockside educational programs for elementary and secondary school children.

Wherever this grand lady of the past goes, she reminds us of the beauty and majesty of sailing. I'm certain many of the artists we have in our gallery would have loved the opportunity to paint her as she lay at anchor in Bodega Bay. To learn more about this seagoing museum, see http://www.tallshipbounty.org Top of Page

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` Californias Point Montara Lighthouse
Formerly shining on Cape Cod, Now
California's Point Montara Lighthouse
Runaway Massachusettes Lighthouse
Found in California
(Deserts Cape Code for the the California Shore)

Many an eastern artist has escaped the tranquil landscapes and seascapes of the eastern U.S., and has chosen to cast his or her gaze upon the grandeur of California and its Pacific Coast. But, those artists are not the only ones to abandon the eastern shores for westward vistas.

It seems that an old Massachusetts lighthouse that scanned the foggy shores of the Atlantic for forty-four years abandoned the East for the California Coast. MSNBC reports that California’s Point Montara Lighthouse, now beaming westward out over the Pacific some twenty-five miles south of San Francisco, used to earn its keep guiding fishermen and the leisurely sailing elite into Massachusetts Wellfleet Harbor on Cape Cod. Today, the venerable old lighthouse helps navigate ships heading northward to San Francisco’s Golden Gate and also serves as a scenic youth hostel.

The missing lighthouse was tracked by sleuthful Massachusetts lighthouse historians. Colleen MacNeney in the June issue of Lighthouse Digest reports that newly discovered correspondence records that the cast iron structure was first erected in 1881, and, after forty-four years of service, was disassembled in 1925 by the Coast Guard and taken to Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco Bay. Later, the old structure was resurrected and put into use at Point Montara. MacNeney goes on to write that there is no documentation of how the lighthouse made its way west, but it is assumed it was dissassembled and taken by rail.

We at the Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery Monthly think that it must have made a more dignified passage by a three masted tall ship around the Horn, but then again, the traveling lighthouse may have just wanted to see America’s midlands along the way. Either way, think of its possible list of firsts ... the first lighthouse to work both coasts, the first to travel around the Cape, or the first bi-coastal lighthouse to roll through Chicago. If there are any inspired authors, song writers or poets out there, perhaps here is a well weathered metaphor for all who wish to (or need to) shine their light in a new direction.
See the SF Chron for more
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USCG Photo Mayo Beach Cape Cod 1915
1915 U.S.C.G photo
from Cape Cod's Mayo Beach
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The Louvre and the Guggenheim in the United Arab Emirates?
(Guggenheim Guadalajara Project on Hold)

No, this is no traveling exhibition. It seems that both venerable rock-solid institutions have sold their brand names. The Louvre and the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates will be opening their doors in 2012.
The Louve Abu Dhabi
The Louvre Abu Dhabi
The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (architect's model)

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is to open soon. Its stunning new building resembling the flying saucer from The Day the Earth Stood Still cost a mere 108 million to construct, but the UAE is paying the Louve 520 million to use its name. Additions to the agreement include management expertise, art loans and special exhibitions bringing the deal to nearly 1.3 billion dollars.

The Art Newspaper of London reports that the number of works lent from the Louvre collection will be small, beginning with 300 in 2012, and decreasing during the first ten years of operation. During those ten years, the Louvre Abu Dhabi will be acquiring its own collection. The agence France-Museum will be the operative partner, supervising all aspects of building the museum and training its curators. The contract states that an aquisitions policy and ethical charter will be drawn up, stressing that all acquired works must demonstrate unimpeachable provenance. Also, nothing else within the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iran or Iraq may be set up using the name of the Louvre.

The Guggenheim Foundation already has museums in a half dozen locations, including New York, Bilbao (in northern Spain), Venice, Berlin, Las Vegas, and a new one set to open in 2011 in Vilnius, Lithuania. But the Abu Dhabi edition will be the largest of the Guggenheims, nearly 8 acres under many slanting roofs. And unlike its counterparts, this Guggeheim will not present art of a challenging nature. All works will respect Abu Dhabi’s culture and national Islamic heritage. There will be no nudes or works of a religious nature.

Guggenheim Vilnius Lithuania
Set to open in 2011,
the new Guggenheim in Vilnius, Lithuania
In a related story, the Guggenheim had been considering opening a museum in Guadalajara, Mexico, but the project seems not to be moving forward. Major enthusiasts for the museum in the region envisioned a museum comparable to the Guggenheim Bilbao, with a $170 million dollar construction budget and a twenty dollar admission. But both are beyond what the Mexican government and private backers are willing to support. The Guggenheim Foundation seeks to construct architecturally significant satellites to host their large scale traveling exhibitions. Top of Page
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Footsteps Above Our CeilingTerrapin Creek Logo and Sign

. Terrapin Creek Exterior
Bodega Bay's new Terrapin Creek Cafe
Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery is located down the left drive and then around to the right

Liya Lin and
Chefs Liya Lin and "Andrew" Truong Forlon

Owners “Andrew” Truong Forlon and Liya Lin bring impressive San Francisco restaurant credentials and youthful energy to Bodega Bay. Truong has served as sous chef at Bacar, and his wife Liya worked as a cook at Ducca and Michael Mina. But like many of Bodega Bay’s urban renegades before them, they have left congestion behind and have come north to Bodega Bay to open their new cafe.

Before taking a turn at the stove, Chef Liya Lin was observed precariously perched on top of a ladder, dipping a brush and painting Terrapin Creek's logo and name high above their front door. Because of this daring artistic feat, the spirits of the artists in our gallery below bestowed their collective approval. You may find both Andrew and Liya greeting you at the door and applying their true artistry in the kitchen, offering their creations for your dining approval and pleasure.

So, make plans & reservations to come to Bodega Bay. Visit the gallery, take home an artistic treasure and stay for an exceptional and memorable lunch or dinner. The Terrapin Creek Cafe website has their menu, a tantalizing slide show of some of their delights, hours, and more information. http://terrapincreekcafe.com Top of Page

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An Anonymous British Buyer Laughs Last:
Rembrandt at Auction
Rembrandt Laughing
Rembrandt Laughing Self Portrait

One of the more interesting sides of the art world are those stories of huge deals made at auction, where a wise buyer quietly and quickly sinks their talons into a mislabeled treasure. Here’s one of those eagle-eyed stories.

Such was the case this past October in Great Britain. An auction house there labeled a 9 1/2 x 6 1/2 inch portrait of Rembrandt laughing as a 17th century knockoff, and set its estimate for the work at $3,500. For the last one-hundred years, the work had been in the estate of an English family. Prior to that, the whereabouts were unknown. The final sale price was considerably larger than the auction house estimate - hammered down at four and a half million. But even at that price, the painting is said to be worth between thirty and forty million.

Poor photos of the painting which failed to capture the work’s luminosity or depth lead the auction house to assume the painting to be done by one of Rembrandt’s students or imitators. But after careful study and analysis, the brush strokes, contour, materials and monogram all indicate it is an original work of the master.

The monogram used to sign the painting is RHL, a rare monogram used by Rembrandt for only a year or so, and stands for Rembrandt

Harmenszoon of Leiden. In its catalogue assessment, the auction house reported the monogram to be only “HL.” But after analysis, it was determined that the initials had been painted onto the wet paint and that the direction of the brushstrokes matches that of other known Rembrandt signatures.

The painting was displayed in the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam through June 29th of this year, but it is not known where the painting is headed next.

Rembrandt made the self portrait in 1628 when he was in his early twenties and living in his hometown of Leiden. At that time, he was gaining a reputation as an artist, and was experimenting capturing his image using mirrors.
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Gallery Notes
  • The booklet of our Historic Painters of the Carmel Art Association and Other Master Painters of the Sea is available. Pick one up at the gallery or send us your mailing address.
  • Please share our newsletter link with art loving friends in your e-mail address book. The old saying goes, the best advertising is word of mouth, but perhaps in this day and age, the best advertising is a shared e-mail link. http://bodegabayheritagegallery.com/BBH_Gallery_Monthly_July_08.htm
  • See what's new in our gallery's collection. Visit our "Recently Aquired" page.
  • If you run across some interesting news from the art world, let us know. We may put it in the next issue.
  • Our Archives page has links to our previous gallery exhibits and monthly newsletters. Top of Page

What is featured at our neighboring galleries?

Local Color Gallery Local Color Gallery
Gallery Exhibit: through August 16th
Judy Butler & Jody Shipp (right)
Blue Whale Center
(same Building as Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery)
1580 Eastshore Road, Bodega Bay, 707-875-2744
http://www.localcolorgallery.com Top of Page
Judy Butler and Jody Shipp
Ren Brown Collection The Ren Brown Collection
The gallery was established in 1989 and specializes in contemporary art from both sides of the Pacific. On Hwy 1 just a short stroll from the other two galleries.
Current Show: work by Daniel Kelly, Katsunori Hamanishi, Ryohei Tanaka, Seiko Tachibana, Robert DeVee & other gallery artists.
http://www.renbrown.com/ Top of Page
West County Design Center West County Design offers fine wood tables, polished concrete vanities,
counter tops and furniture, glass, ceramic, wood, metal, custom
and limited edition art and furniture for home & office.
Of special note, the photography of Jerry Dodrill is on exhibit as well.
14390 Highway One • Valley Ford, CA 94972 • 707.876.1963
(Across from the Valley Ford Hotel and Rocker Oysterfeller's Restaurant)
http://www.westcountydesign.com/
Christopher Queen Gallery Christopher Queen Galleries in Duncans Mills on the Russian River
Bohemian Reverie: 18th Annual Exhibition
Sunday July 13 - through September, 2008, check the website for details.
During any visit and not just this special show, make certain you view
the Early California treasures in the room upstairs!
http://www.christopherqueengallery.com/earlycal.html Top of Page

Also in Duncans Mills is the Quercia Gallery
featuring the sculture of Bobbi Quercia and paintings of Ron Quercia

This month ... "Dreamers and Gardeners" by Gretchen Butler
June 1 - August 31
Open Wed through Sunday, 11 - 5

707-865-0243 http://www.querciagallery.com Top of Page

Jeanette Legrue

NEW IN TOMALES (Opening July 4th Weekend)
Legrue Art Gallery

exhibits the works of Jeanette Legrue,
widely exhibited award winning artist and teacher.
For aspiring and recreational artists, workshops are available.
http://www.legrue.com Top of Page

The Quicksilver Mine Co. 6671 Front St. (Hwy. 116)
Downtown Forestville PHONE: 707.887.0799
Coming Exhibit -- THE FOX'S WEDDING Pamela Blotner
Artist Reception: Saturday June 28, 4—6pm
http://www.quicksilvermineco.com Top of Page

Linda Ratzlaff Graton Gallery
9048 Graton Road, Graton, California (707) 829-8912
Current Show: Interpretations
Works by Linda Ratzlaff, Jan Saia, & Rebecca Gates / June 24 - August 6
http://www.gratongallery.com/ Top of Page
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Links to Current Museum Exhibits
Relevant to Early California Art
and beyond
Oakland Oakland Museum of California
Permanent gallery of historic art
(undergoing renovation until 2009)
The Art and History of Early California Dec '07 - ongoing
http://www.museumca.org
San Francisco de Young Museum
de Young Museum: American Painting Collection
http://www.famsf.org
San Francisco California Historical Society
Fine Arts Collection ...
http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/collections/fine_arts.html
San Francisco Legion of Honor
Women Impressionists: Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Eva Gonzalès, Marie Bracquemond
June 21, 2008 — September 21, 2008
http://www.famsf.org/legion/index.asp
Monterey Monterey Museum of Art
Early California Collection
http://www.montereyart.org
http://www.montereyart.org/collections/early_ca_painting_framed.html
Ukiah Grace Hudson Museum
Grace Hudson permanent collection
http://www.gracehudsonmuseum.org
Sacramento Crocker Art Museum
Permanent Exhibit: Early California Art
http://www.crockerartmuseum.org/exhibitions/permanent_california.htm
Moraga Hearst Art Gallery
Saint Mary's College of California
Carl Sammons, California Impressionist Landscapes
from the Donna Walsh Sumner Collection
http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/arts/hearst-art-gallery/current-exhibits/index.html
San Diego San Diego Museum of Art / Balboa Park
Georgia O’Keeffe and the Women of the Stieglitz Circle
May 24–September 28, 2008
http://www.sdmart.org
Santa Rosa Sonoma County Museum
Rotating history gallery
http://www.sonomacountymuseum.com
San Diego Timken Museum of Art / Balboa Park
American Collection, Dutch, Flemish,
French, Italian, and Russian
http://www.timkenmuseum.org
Sacramento Capitol Museum
150 years of urban portraits
capturing the growth of California’s towns
http://capitolmuseum.ca.gov
Palm Springs Palm Springs Art Museum
Permanent Collection: American 19th-Century Landscape Painting, and American Desert Painting
http://www.psmuseum.org

Reno Nevada Museum of Art
EDWIN DEAKIN: Painter of the Picturesque
May 03, 2008 - October 05, 2008
http://www.nevadaart.org/exhibitions/exhibition_display.php?id=108

Oceanside Oceanside Museum of Art
Fifty Works from Fifty Years, 1900-1950 artists, such as Maurice Braun, Charles Fries, Charles Reiffel, Belle Baranceanu and Ethel Greene
http://www.oma-online.org

Irvine The Irvine Museum
Abundance of Color: California Flowers in Art
through August 23, 2008
http://www.irvinemuseum.org

Seattle, Washington Seattle Art Museum
Inspiring Impressionism: The Impressionists
and the art of the past
June 19 through September 21, 2008
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org

Portland, Oregon Portland Art Musuem
The American Art Collection (permanent collection)
http://www.pam.org
  Fort Worth, Texas Kimbell Art Museum
The Impressionists
Master paintings from the Art Institute of Chicago
June 29 - November 2, 2008
http://www.kimbellart.org

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