Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, February 18, 2017

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Mountain View News Saturday, February 18, 2017 


Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis


“Love of beauty is taste, the creation of beauty is art.” 
Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. 

Art is knowing which ones to keep.” 

Scott Adams

If you took my advice and went to Sierra Fusion for 
lunch, brunch or dinner, you’ll have seen some really 
splendid art on the walls. A painting of koi which 
look so real they might just jump into your water 
glass, an extraordinary landscape which put me in 
mind of the Monterey coastline, a Japanese Samurai 
warrior and an exquisite painting of flowers, done 
in the pointillist style of the Impressionist painters. 
The artist, Mike Dukes, sat down with me as Sierra 
Fusion was filling with the lunch crowd and we had a 
delightful chat. Mike is a local guy, lives in Monrovia 
and has spent most of his life in the Sierra Madre-
Monrovia-Arcadia area. Mike’s Dad played pro 
baseball and Mike went to Cal Poly Pomona mostly 
to play baseball but majoring in art for three or four 
years, moving on to the Pasadena Art Center in 1995.

 Mike is a member of MAFA – Monrovia 
Association of Fine Arts and will be participating 
in their July Art Walk at Night on Myrtle. Fifty or 
so of Mike’s paintings are hanging in homes in our 
area and he has also painted several large murals; 
one on the side of a garage which is an awesome and 
enormous landscape at 8’ x 20’! That’s one big piece 
of art, friends and neighbors. Under the tutelage 
of Kevin Stewart Magee, with whom Mike worked 
and studied for five years or so, he was involved in 
the prep work and painting of a number of murals 
for the Bristol Farms Stores. Several of these stores 
have closed and my immediate thought was, Yikes! 
would some non-art lover paint over these fabulous 
one-of-a-kind murals? Nope, the work was prepared 
somewhat like wallpaper so it could be steamed off, 
rolled up and taken back to the studio. Another 
case where planning ahead is a really great idea. The 
mural is still up in the Bristol Farms in-store cafe in 
So. Pasadena so if you’re down there, take a look.

 One of Mike’s goals is to get his work into some 
of the galleries in downtown Los Angeles and as 
he subscribes to the concept of Never Give Up, we 
expect he’ll make it. Asking Mike where he’s been that 
had a profound effect upon his art, he immediately 
said Italy! Specifically, Venice and Verona. Santa 
Fe. Recently he had occasion to spend some time 
in New Orleans and loved the French Quarter, the 
architecture, all those wrought iron railings and the 
spirit of Mardi Gras, which sort of lives there all the 
time. The palettes of the painters there reflect the 
spirit of the city – vibrant, inspiring. Three visits to 
London, with inspiration there from the history of 
great painters. German Impressionists were also an 
influence.

 Of course, seeing as how we have two of the most 
inspirational places anywhere right here locally: The 
Arboretum and the Huntington Library, Mike takes 
full advantage of those places and, in fact, will be 
entering work for the Library show in March. The 
Library recently hosted an open house for artists to 
see what the space is like as two shows are planned, 
one in March and one in summer. A panel of 
judges will decide who will be showing, but Mike is 
confident he will be one of the artists.

 Looking through Mike’s portfolio, one comes 
away with the impression that he is a truly eclectic 
artist who can excel in just about any medium: 
portraits, anatomy studies, some amazing wildlife 
pieces. He has also worked with the National History 
Museum, incorporating dioramas into his work. 
One of his greatest pleasures is working with clients 
to create the exact piece of art they want. People will 
approach him with their ideas and he will begin 
the work, frequently consulting with the expectant 
and excited client to be sure the piece is going the 
way they want it and ready to make the changes 
necessary to have the painting, which will hang in 
someone’s home or office, end up being exactly what 
they had in mind. Mike had brought along several 
of his canvases and I had a tough time picking one 
to feature here. One he brought is a self portrait with 
various trophies poking enticingly out of the canvas. 
Not being able to decide, we have this delightful 
seaside painting filled with colorful umbrellas, Mike 
Dukes himself, and the self-portrait with trophies. 
If you’d like to talk to Mike about his work, here’s 
his email address: MDD73MDD@yahoo.com. 
You might also catch him at Sierra Fusion where 
he occasionally works with Edward Ungrue in the 
catering side of the business. Take a few minutes to 
visit Sierra Fusion and look at Mike’s work. You’ll be 
glad you did!

 My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 “A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter” 
is available from me!

 Kindle readers, give yourself the gift of: 

A Treasure Map, A Drunken Owl & 47 Rattlers in a 
Bag – True Tales of Early California

 It’s on Amazon.com on my book page!

 Follow me on Twitter, too! https://twitter.com/@
playwrightdd

SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER

During this time period, the Sierra Madre Police 
Department responded to approximately 2 56 day 
and night time calls for service . 

Tuesday, February 8 

At about 1:16 a.m. patrol officers conducted a traffic 
stop in the 200 block of Lima Street. Following a 
series of field sobriety tests, officers determined 
that the driver was driving under the influence 
of Alcohol/Drugs and impaired. The driver 
was arrested for this violation and transported 
to Pasadena jail for booking. The vehicle was 
impounded. Case referred to the Pasadena DA’s 
office for filling considerations. 

Wednesday, February 9 

A victim of a theft from vehicle filed a report with 
officers in the stations lobby, stating that his vehicle 
was parked outside his residence on the street in 
the 200 block of Grove Street. Sometime between 
2/7/17 at about 7:00 p.m. and 2/8/17 at about 9:00 
a.m., unknown suspect(s) removed a Rigid brand 
light bar that was attached to the front of his vehicle. 
Case forwarded to Detectives 6:27 p.m. A non-
injury traffic collision was reported in the 00 block 
of N. Mountain Trail Ave. There appeared to 
be minimal damage to both vehicles. Parties stated 
they were not injured and did not need medical 
attention. Both parties exchanged information.

SENIOR COMMUNITY COMMISSION SEEKING 
OLDER AMERICAN NOMINATIONS

Sierra Madre, CA – January 30, 2017 - The City of 
Sierra Madre Community Services Department 
and the Senior Community Commission are 
seeking your collaboration The honor is a long-
standing tradition in Sierra Madre and bestowed 
upon exceptional individuals, age 60 or older, who 
have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to 
community service. The individual selected by you 
or any organization must live in Sierra Madre. 

 All submissions are due prior to, or no later than 
Thursday, March 23, 2017. Recommendations 
are now being accepted for this recognition and 
will only be eligible for new candidates who have 
not been honored in prior years. Forms may be 
picked up and returned to the Hart Park House 
Senior Center located at 222 W. Sierra Madre 
Blvd., or please mail and/or walk in to Sierra 
Madre City Hall, c/o Older American Nomination, 
Community Services Department, 232 W. Sierra 
Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024. 

 The Commission will review nomination forms 
and select an honoree at their regularly scheduled 
meeting open to the public in the City Hall Council 
Chambers on Thursday, April 6th at 3:00 p.m. 

 The honoree will also be recognized at a city 
reception held in their honor on Friday, May 12th, 
2017. Further details will follow. 

 Previous Honorees: Dick Johnson, Joan Crow, 
Jerry & Nan Carlton, Pat Alcorn, Fran Garbaccio, 
Ken Anhalt, Eph Konigsberg, Russ Anderson, 
George Throop, Loyal Camacho, John Grijalva, 
Joylouise Harte-Smith, James Heasley, Midge 
Morash, James Tyler, Isabella Paegal, Bonnie 
Garner, Rose Fafach, Ed Wellman, Celeste 
McCleary, Dorothy Tillquist, Doris Webster, Elsie 
Dammeyer, George Mauer, Karl Teigler, Laurie 
Cooper, Lucille Flanders & Ann Tyler. For more 
information, please contact the Hart Park House 
Senior Center (626) 355-7394; or the Community 
Services Department at (626) 355-5278. www.
cityofsierramadre.com/cityhall/departments/
community_services_department/ 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com