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Mountain Views News Saturday, October 17, 2015

MVNews this week: Page 3

Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 17, 2015

Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side

by Deanne Davis

108 N. Baldwin Ave.
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
(626) 355-8350
www.creativeartsgroup.org
Contact: Kristin Naran
For immediate release:
Who: Creative Arts Group
Where: 108 N. Baldwin Ave., Sierra Madre, 626-355-8350
What: Annual Art Festival
When: Nov. 6, 7-9 pm, Nov. 7, 10-5 pm, Nov. 8, 11-4 pm
Creative Arts Group will kick off its 2015 Art Festival with a gala opening
and reception Friday, November 6th from 7-9 p.m. where Steven
Rushingwind, an award-winning, indigenous flute musician, will be
performing. The work of more than 60 artists will be on display and for sale
in the Jameson Gallery and art center, including the work of watercolor
artist Pete Morris, “The Metro da Vinci”, who will be demonstrating his work
all throughout the weekend. Ten new artists will be added to this year’s
show which includes fiber arts, blown glass, ceramics, jewelry, metal arts,
painting, mosaics, silk painting, and more. The festival continues Saturday,
November 7th from 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday, November 8th from 11
am to 4 pm and is located at 108 N. Baldwin Ave. in Sierra Madre. For
more information contact Creative Arts Group at (626) 355-8350.
“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee,
the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain,
and feel the wind.

Live your life to the fullest potential and fight for your
dreams.” Ashley Smith

Once in a while one gets to meet people who are so
neat, so filled with great ideas to create beauty of
every kind all around them that it’s a delight to just
sit with them and listen to a few of the things they’ve
done to improve the world. I’m hoping you’ve gotten
up to the Gooden School to visit the Kelly Watson
Reading Garden and relax for a moment on those
fabulous benches hand painted by Two Drops of
Blue, which is really Jennifer Lindstrom and Milo
Ominetti. Here’s something you might not know, the
red cardinal on the bench is in special honor of Kelly
Watson, who loved those birds. Jennifer and Milo
have been collaborating on art, music and life for the
last twelve years and they agree that after they merged
their talents, their skill levels went up dramatically.

We sat for a few minutes right next to the mural
of poppies which Jennifer and Milo created for the
Poppy Cake Baking Company right here in town.
If you haven’t been in to Poppy Cake lately, you
should go, check out the poppy mural and give in to
temptation!

In addition to beautiful benches for children to sit
together, read and dream a little, Jennifer and Milo
have dedicated much of their time and talents to
L.A. Works, a volunteer organization whose major
function is to create an incredible background to
learning in schools all over the city where it’s gray,
functional, and no fun at all. Jennifer and Milo create
a pattern and sketch it on a bare wall, classroom
trailer, or any space that needs livening up, and other
volunteers come in, sometimes as many as a thousand
of them to fill in a really big space, and in just a few
hours, create dragons and solar systems, jungles, a
library wall filled with ‘castles, dragons and books,
Oh My!’ A huge representation of “We are the world,
we are the children.” And color, color, color! Children
walk into their classroom in the morning, come out
just a few hours later to see that their school has been
totally transformed into an exciting place to learn, to
play, to enjoy.

Murals are their favorite expression, but they
have so many other areas where they shine: Color
consultation, faux wall finishes, scenic work. They
do movie sets, where they can take a big bare room
and transform it into a mansion, a western bar, a
restaurant. An ordinary kitchen can be whatever era
is needed, from a pump and a wood burning stove
to space age modern. These guys are amazing! They
enjoy transforming kids’ bedrooms into exciting
places where dragons prowl the wall, a fairy sits on a
flower, or gorgeous fish swim along the wall; maybe
you’d like a blossoming cherry tree coming in from
your door and blooming along two or three walls,
goldfish in your bathroom, a rooster in your kitchen,
Jennifer and Milo can do it for you.

I asked them what their house is like, working on
the concept that usually artists and craftspeople create
beauty for everyone else and none for themselves.
Wrong! They exchanged smiles and said they paint
it every couple three months and currently have fish
on the bathroom ceiling and piano keys going up the
stairs.

That’s not all, friends and neighbors, Milo is a folk
singer/songwriter with his own band, Milo & The
Pickpockets. I treated myself to a YouTube Video of
Milo and his band doing, “Missing Sierra Madre.”
They’ve got an album, too! Look them up on You
Tube, Reverbnation and FaceBook, very mellow
sound.

Jennifer is also a canvas artist in her spare time,
when she’s not at various events doing face painting,
glitter or henna tattoos. She’s always at the Wistaria
Festival doing faces and glitter tattoos and she will
be in front of Belle’s Nest on Baldwin on Halloween
face painting anyone who would like a face to match
their costume. And here’s something you’ll want to
know, the glitter tattoos won’t come off if the wearer
happens to get suddenly sweaty.

Google Jennifer Lindstrom and Milo Ominetti, or
LA Works and see examples of their beautiful work.
What joy they bring to school children when they
completely change their environment. Go take a look
at those benches and meet Jennifer in front of Belle’s
Nest on Baldwin on Halloween.

Have a wonderful week, pray for rain and cooler
weather and look for scarecrows!

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

“Tablespoon of Love, Tablespoon of Laughter” is
available there…

An excellent wedding gift. Teachers would love it, too!

Creative Arts Group will kick off its 2015 Art Festival
with a gala opening and reception Friday, November
6th from 7-9 p.m. where Steven Rushingwind, an
award-winning, indigenous flute musician, will be
performing. The work of more than 60 artists will
be on display and for sale in the Jameson Gallery
and art center, including the work of watercolor
artist Pete Morris, “The Metro da Vinci”, who
will be demonstrating his work all throughout the
weekend. Ten new artists will be added to this
year’s show which includes fiber arts, blown glass,
ceramics, jewelry, metal arts, painting, mosaics, silk
painting, and more. The festival continues Saturday,
November 7th from 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday,
November 8th from 11 am to 4 pm and is located
at 108 N. Baldwin Ave. in Sierra Madre. For more
information contact Creative Arts Group at (626)
355-8350.

The Sierra Madre Kiwanis Club Presents:

THE RENAISSANCE OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE CULTURE

On Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at noon, the Sierra Madre Kiwanis
Club has invited as their guest speaker Dr. Wen Chen who will give a
presentation on traditional Chinese culture. The lecture will discuss
Chinese wisdom and traditions have been passed down for over 5000
years, regarded as gifts from the heavens.

With the communist party destroying that rich traditional culture
during the past 60 years, the it has resulted in social, political
and economic problems. More and more Chinese work toward a
renaissance of their traditional culture. One manifestation is Shen Yun Performing Arts from New
York. Through exceptional dance skills, fascinating stories and legends, the dynamic backdrop,
a full live orchestra that combines western and Chinese musical instruments, and hundreds of
breathtaking costumes, Shen Yun brings China’s traditional values to life.

Dr. Wen Chen has participated in the production of multiple TV culture programs in New Tang
Dynasty Television, including “Journey to the East”, “Learning Chinese is Fun”, “Hello Korea”,
“1000 Steps of Fun in Taiwan” and “Zooming in China”. She is also an active member of Amnesty
International, focusing on human rights issues in China.

Since 2011, she has given more than 50 presentations to Kiwanis and Rotary clubs about Chinese
culture, political situation and human rights.

Dr. Wen Chen received her Ph.D. degree in Biology at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in
2000. She currently works for Caltech as an Associate Biologist. She has been volunteering for NTD
Television on community outreach and education since 2008.

The luncheon will begin at noon and the cost is $10 for non-Kiwanis members. The program will
begin at 12:30 and is free. Reservations are required for lunch. Please call 626-355-0728

About Kiwanis

The Sierra Madre Kiwanis Club has been serving the community of Sierra
Madre since 1927! Our club includes women and men who want to “give
back” to our community, and make it an even better place to live. We focus
on helping children and seniors of Sierra Madre, providing help where it’s
needed with service projects and other contributions. We are a part of
Kiwanis International, a global organization of volunteers dedicated to
changing the world, one child and one community at a time.

For more information visit our website at: http://sierramadrekiwanis.
com or join us on Facebook at /www.facebook.com/
Kiwanis-Club-of-Sierra-Madre

GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY

AT THE COMMUNITY PLANTING DAY!

Sierra Madre, CA. – October 14, 2015 - After
months of landscape demolition, grading and
irrigation work, the Community Planting Day is
finally here! The Sierra Madre Garden Club and
City of Sierra Madre are seeking eager volunteers
to help replenish the landscape outside City Hall
with beautiful drought-resistant plants. The event is
part of a joint community project aimed at saving
water and demonstrating the beauty and economic
benefits of native plant gardens!

Rain or shine, members of the community
will be gathering in downtown Sierra Madre on
November 7th to plant 200-300 plants on the
grounds surrounding City Hall and the Police
and Fire Station. The project was made possible
through generous grants and donations from the
community. As the City was unable to contribute
financial resources to the landscape project, the
City of Sierra Madre owes a special debt of gratitude
to those organizations and individuals who stepped
in to bring this project to life. Including, but not
limited to:

The Sierra Madre Garden Club

The Sierra Madre Community Foundation

FormLA Landscaping

LA County Board Supervisor Michael D.
Antonovich, Fifth District

San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District

The Sierra Madre Senior Community
Commission

The Neiby Family

Glenn & Amy Putnam

Richard Wilson

The Community Planting Day will take place
outside City Hall on November 7, 2015 from 9:00AM
– 12:00PM. Volunteers for the event are advised
to bring adequate gardening gear including: hats,
gloves, sunblock, as well as digging and trenching
shovels. The San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water
District will provide water and Girl Scout Troop
2991 will be on hand with refreshments.

For more information, visit the City’s website at:
www.cityofsierramadre.com.

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