Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/12808
4A – Daily News – Thursday, July 1, 2010 Pastimes The Fifth Annual Mossbrae Music Festival will present an event, benefiting the Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce, featuring John Lee Hooker, Jr., and his band in concert at the Dun- smuir City Park’s botani- cal gardens Saturday, July 24. Hooker continues the legacy of his legendary father with his own style of blues — a style he calls “two parts Rhythm and Blues, one part jazz and down home blues.” Twice nominated for a Grammy Award, Hook- er’s CD releases include: Live in Instanbul, All Odds Against Me, Cold as Ice, and Blues with a Vengeance. Bill Wasserzieher of Blue Revue describes Hooker Jr.’s delivery as “so dead-on that listeners might begin to wonder whether the tales he tells are true. It’s more likely that they represent the work of an artist who knows that good singing, playing and storytelling add up to great music.” “This event will be very upbeat and exciting,” said Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce Director David Clarno. “We look forward to drawing peo- Arts & entertainment John Lee Hooker Jr. to play Dunsmuir Painting shadows Courtesy photo by Frank Vigil ple to Dunsmuir from all over the Northern Califor- nia, Southern Oregon area and beyond.” Event gates open at 3:30 p.m. Allison Scull and Victor Martin will perform at 4:30 p.m. and Hooker begins at 6 p.m. Food, beer, wine, soda and water will be avail- able, but no coolers or picnic baskets are allowed. Bring a blanket to sit on the grass. Tickets are $27.50 pre- sale and $33 at the gate. Those 16 and younger can attend free with parents. For details call 235-2177 and see www.dunsmuir.com. Tee shirts will be available at the concert. Whiskeytown offers kids’ programs Whiskeytown National Recreation Area offers a variety of family friendly ranger-guided activities for everyone through Labor Day weekend. Introducing two new programs for toddlers. It’s All About Nature! – Story Time for Preschoolers is scheduled 3-3:30 p.m. Fridays. Learn about the natural world of Whiskeytown through the art of story- telling followed by a hands- on activity with a ranger. The program is aimed pri- marily for preschool-age children. Meet at the Visitor Center near the south side of the parking lot. No park- ing pass is required at Visi- tor Center during this free program. Toddler Ranger is offered at 11 a.m. Sunday and lasts 30 minutes. Chil- dren 3 to 6 years of age can learn more about nature and the park during this special program with a ranger. limited to four reservations per phone call. Special Access Kayak Program is offered for those hesitant to join a kayaking adventure because of limit- ed mobility, advanced age, disability, developmental issues or illness. Join a vol- unteer "kayak buddy" for a relaxing evening paddle on the lake. Meet at the Oak Bottom Amphitheater. Kayak Tours last two hours. Explore the quiet coves around Whiskeytown Lake while you learn more about the natural and cultur- al values of the park. All participants must know how to swim and children must be at least 6 years old. Daily tours are available and times vary from morning to evening tours. For reserva- tions up to two weeks in advance, call 242-3462. Ask about arranging for a group tour for a minimum of 12 people for your friends and family, business, or community group. Moonlight Kayak Tours are offered each month dur- ing the summer. Space is Junior Ranger is held 10- 11 a.m. Saturdays. Children 7 to 12 years of age can make new friends during a special activity that explores the marvels of Whiskey- town. Meet at the Oak Bot- tom Amphitheater. Junior Firefighter starts at 11 a.m. Saturdays. Learn about the important role that wildfire plays in our Nation- al Parks during this hands- on activity. Meet at the Oak Bottom Amphitheater. Walk In Time includes gold panning and is 3-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sun- days. Discover how prospectors Charles Cam- den and Levi Tower re- shaped the landscape to cre- ate a home for their family and an oasis for the many travelers during and after the California Gold Rush. After a tour of the 1852 home built by Camden, enjoy a leisurely stroll through the apple orchard then try your hand at finding gold the old-fashioned way. Meet at the Tower House Historic District parking lot. Evening Programs start at 9 Fridays and Saturdays. Talks, slide shows and other activities are offered during this one-hour program. Top- ics include history, wildlife and issues related to protect- ing the park’s natural and cultural resources. Meet at the Oak Bottom Amphithe- ater. Water Safety Demon- stration starts at various times depending on staffing Saturdays and Sundays. Join a ranger and lifeguards for this water-safety demon- stration at Brandy Creek Beach. Visitors must display a valid day use pass or other park pass on all vehicles in the park. Call the 246-1225, visit www.nps.gov/whis or call Clinton Kane at 242- 3451 for the latest informa- tion. With the sizzling sum- mer sun upon us, bright sunlight shining down creates deep, dark shad- ows. How can one paint shadows that are not just globs of black on paper or can- vas? We might equate dark with black and some objects might need to be black, such as wrought iron patio furniture. However, color is relative to its surroundings. Color can change when applied next to other colors. A gray house sud- denly became purple when it was being repainted yellow. It was weird. Any dark color, brown, blue, green turns blackish next to a lighter color. Just about any com- bination of reds, blues, and or yellows, if strong enough, will give you darks. If needed, black can be purchased in several shades; Mars Black, Ivory Black, Bone Black, Car- bon Black and the one I use when I need it (rarely) is Payne’s Gray. The later two are in blue shades. Black house paint from a store is often just an intense green? Using straight black paint will give an artificial look to your painting. Several coats of Payne’s Gray for a dark back- ground will bring a sub- ject forward. For every- thing else I use a mixture of colors. Black hair is very dark when made from Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna. The question is, what feeling do you want to convey? Cool and inviting with dabs of various col- ors here and there added to suggest the unknown. Use warm and soft colors to create a secluded retreat for your viewer to mentally escape for a moment or, dark and mys- terious. Your choice could define your personal style. Summer shadows look inviting when painted with purples and blues. These colors can be muted or neutralized by adding their complement. This is an important point to darkening a color. Pur- ple is muted by yellow, blue with orange, red with green; their opposites on the color wheel. After being muted, shadows can be further darkened with a touch of black. After the Dana Eker Beginner’s Easel shadow has dried, remove some of the watercolor with a wet paint brush dipped in clear water to lighten some of the foliage in the shadow area, to suggest light reflecting off of the ground. This tech- nique can also be used to lighten vague shapes of lawn furniture under a shade tree, or define the texture of tree bark. Make it interesting by dabbing in some of the back- ground colors. We you are out in nature notice how shad- ows are deepest under- neath the lightest color of a leaf and then fades off. Under a tree nearest the trunk, the shadow is dark- est and lightens outward on the ground with patch- es of sunlight shining through the leaves and boughs, bouncing here and there onto tree branches or the grass below. As always, I recom- mend doing some sample squares or circles on paper or canvas to experiment mixed darks together and see how they can be used. These test colors can then be referenced to make the shadows in your paintings cool and inviting. Dana Eker is a watercolorist living in Red Bluff. She is a member of the Red Bluff Art Gallery. E-mail Dana at danaeker@hotmail.com. You may view her work at redbluffartgallery.com/da na_eker.htm or danaeker.com. Write to Dana Eker, P.O. Box 9194, Red Bluff, CA 96080. Trio of exhibits opens Friday A trio of new art exhibits will open at the Red Bluff Art Gallery Friday, July 2, with a Reception for the artists 5-8 p.m. A second reception, complete with live music, will be held noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 3. Popular sculptural eccentric Jay Murphy opens in the Main Hall with his sculptures and paintings. Murphy will be showing about 17 new pieces, including pieces with themes like Terrarium Lizard, Pursuit of Happiness, Royal- ty in Brickware and Son of Ra. “My creations are composite of many cultures, the many great artists of history and what my subconscious tweak contributes. An artist canít entirely avoid all the influences from his or her experiences and that bleeds into creations that are totally unique,” Murphy said. Art Professor Tonya Gregg reveals a bit of her inner-self with colorful and dramatic paintings with a mostly-motor- cycle theme. She will be showing a collection from two series, bikers and a random fun series. Gregg attended the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts Gifted and Talented Program at Furman Uni- versity. She has won numerous awards and holds a BFA degree from the Maryland Institute, College of Art and an MFA from the University of Chicago.Her paintings have been in national and international solo, juried, and group shows. Rounding of this trio is the very accomplished and inter- esting Eugenie Hirsch. Hirsch brings new intricacies and hidden meanings in her paintings that often appear as mys- tical mazes. Her work has been a favorite at the gallery for several years. Saturday will feature live music with Ira Walker. The gallery is at 601 Walnut St. Food, drink and live music are featured at the First Friday Art Event. Everyone is welcome. Dress is casual. More information is available at www.RedBluffArtGallery.com or at 529-1332.