The Santa Paula Society of the Arts is currently having “Flamingos” by Jesse Arms Botke restored. The painting is being completely cleaned and repaired by Carol Kenyon, owner of South Coast Fine Art Conservation in Santa Barbara. Gunderson reports that the beautiful gold leaf of the painting is intact, but in many areas of the painting paint has flaked away. For many years “Flamingos” was hung in the Barbara Webster School cafeteria. More recently it has been hung in the offices of the Santa Paula Elementary School District, and it will return there when the restoration is complete.Both the Historical Society and the Society of the Arts have restored the frames and re-matted a number of the watercolor paintings in the Santa Paula Art Collection. Acid-free mats now separate the paintings from their glass coverings and prevent moisture build-up and mold growth.The Society of the Arts pays for their restoration projects with part of the artists’ entrance fees for the annual Santa Paula Art Show. The Society of the Arts also uses a percentage of the commissions they receive from art sales made both at the annual library show and at their ongoing art exhibits which hang at the Blanchard Library, the Department of Motor Vehicles and First Western Bank. The Historical Society encourages donations to its “Adopt-a-Painting” program.Both the Santa Paula Historical Society and the Santa Paula Society of the Arts hope that Santa Paulans whose lives have been enriched by these paintings will join them in their efforts to restore and protect these treasures for future generations.Donations to the Historical Society’s “Adopt-a-Painting” program are 100 percent tax deductible and any amounts are accepted; contributions can be made in memory of, or in tribute to, a loved one. Checks payable to the Santa Paula Historical Society, with “Adopt-a-Painting” specified on the memo line, can be mailed to Santa Paula Historical Society, P.O. Box 842, Santa Paula, CA 93061.
Painting restored to original beauty by the Santa Paula Historical Society
July 18, 2001
Santa Paula News
“Canyon Orchards,” a Ralph Holmes painting of the Anlauf orange orchard and the majestic mountains to the northeast of Santa Paula, has been restored to its full glory. “Badly cracking paint and paint separating from the canvas has been repaired.
“Canyon Orchards,” a Ralph Holmes painting of the Anlauf orange orchard and the majestic mountains to the northeast of Santa Paula, has been restored to its full glory. “Badly cracking paint and paint separating from the canvas has been repaired. Lots of grime and graffiti have been removed,” reports Bill Orcutt, board member of the Santa Paula Historical Society. Members of the Historical Society have now returned the painting to its home at the Santa Paula Memorial Hospital.This painting preservation project was undertaken by the Santa Paula Historical Society as a memorial to Richard Cummings, who died in 1999. Cummings, a Santa Paula native, was a citrus rancher, and for many years a member of the Board of Directors of Sunkist. He was also a Santa Paula Historical Society board member. At his death, Cummings’ family and friends gave money in his honor to the Historical Society’s “Adopt-a-Painting” program, and “Canyon Orchards” was chosen for professional repair and restoration.The Santa Paula Historical Society has recognized since its inception the need to protect and preserve Santa Paula’s history. Its first art preservation project was the cleaning and restoration of the large Botke murals in the atrium of the Santa Paula High School Auditorium.In the early 1990s, the Historical Society created, under the leadership of Janet Beach, Bill Orcutt and John Nichols, the “Adopt-a-Painting” program. Since that time a number of families have chosen to honor loved ones by adopting one of the many paintings in need of repair in the Santa Paula Art Collection and paying for that painting’s restoration.The Santa Paula Art Collection is a wonderful collection of almost 350 “plein air” style paintings owned by the City of Santa Paula, the Santa Paula Elementary and High School districts, the Santa Paula Memorial Hospital, and the Blanchard Community Library. Many of the paintings were winners of the annual Santa Paula Art Show, founded in 1937. “Canyon Orchards” was purchased in 1940.Santa Paula school children, library patrons, and visitors to City Hall and the hospital have enjoyed these works of art for years. But the years, and occasionally the visitors, have taken their toll on the artworks. Graffiti, and varnish applied by an over-zealous custodian, were recently removed from Cornelis Botke’s “Elysium Fields,” which hangs at the high school. Thanks also to the “Adopt-a-Painting” program, other works have been repaired and returned for future generations to enjoy.The Historical Society is not alone in recognizing the importance of preserving Santa Paula’s fine art treasures. The Santa Paula Society of the Arts has joined the cause as well. “We have such a legacy here,” emphasizes Virginia Gunderson of the Arts Society, as she explains the importance of caring for the artworks.
