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Embark on a musical trek to kingdoms long for- gotten and bustling towns now vanished when the Guy Mendilow Ensemble takes the stage at Red Bluff's State Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20. Tales from the Forgotten Kingdom will be the season opener for the Tehama Con- cert Series. Follow the stories of vag- abond queens, pauper poets and lovers lost to the sea, all set to spellbinding arrange- ments of old Sephardi songs worthy of symphonic film scores. Wrap these tales up with lush soulful harmo- nies evoking Flamenco's gutsiness and the longings of Fado, all combined with heart-pounding percussion and intricate soundscapes. Journey through the Bal- kans to the Mid-East begin- ning in Sarajevo and wind- ing through Salonica and Jerusalem. Tales from the Forgotten Kingdom is a sonic adventure master- fully brought to life by the award-winning quintet of world-class musicians with members hailing from Is- rael, Palestine, Argentina, the UK and the USA. This ensemble of internation- ally savvy world musicians delivers a richly textured global experience of haunt- ing beauty. Become a new or renew- ing adult concert series member when you pur- chase a $60 season pass at the membership table in the lobby on concert night. Your season pass takes care of this concert plus five more concerts. Adult one-time, non- member tickets at the door are $30. Students under the age of 25 who live at home are admitted for $10. The Concert Series offers an economical family plan as well. Ask at the member- ship table, call 727-8727 or visit TehamaConcertSeries. org. GuyMendilowEnsemble to k ic k off s er ie s at S ta te COURTESYPHOTO Guy Mendilow Ensemble will perform Sept. 20 at red Bluff's State Theatre. TEHAMACONCERTSERIES Several months ago a few local artists got together to discuss the concept of a new art event — Open Studio Te- hama County artist tour. The purpose of the event, scheduled for early Decem- ber, is to offer the public the unique opportunity to visit actual studios of local art- ists, to see their working processes, equipment and tools, ask questions and to learn of the many talented people of the county. For the artist it is an opportu- nity to share their passions and perhaps sell their work, as for many their art is their livelihood. This self guided tour will feature at least 14 artists in 13 locations from Red Bluff to Cottonwood. The event will be held 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 4 and 5 and noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 6. There is no cost to attend. Artists interested in par- ticipating are urged to call Vicki Allwardt at 527-7449. The deadline is Sept. 15. Participating artists al- ready registered include Dennis and Vicki Allwardt, Priscilla Aragon, Fran- ces Becker, Rhonda Botts, Randy Holbrook, Yellie Lawrence, Connie Maxey, Jamie Means, Jay Mur- phy, Sandi Palmer, Bruce Ross, Patty Tompkins and Lee Warner. Their work in- cludes a full range of fine art, jewelry, decorative art, pottery, spinning and weav- ing, ceramic sculpture and wood and ceramic bowls. The Tehama County Arts Council and the Cal- ifornia Arts Council Arts Plate Program is spon- soring the first Open Stu- dio. The hours and locations will be printed on a flier that will be available in stores during the Art Coun- cil's Art Walk in November. Open Studio venues are long running events in many counties. Information is available at https://www.facebook. com/OpenStudioTehama- County. OPEN STUDIO Ev en t to o ffe r gl im ps e in to c re at iv e pr oc es s Red Bluff Art Associa- tion's September Artist of the Month is Brenda Bal- lantine, who uses art as an adjunct to her profession. "Brenda is a delightful person and wonderful art- ist that has worked really hard to juggle her college education and her talent with art," said president Kathy Brehm. "We are so happy to have her as a RBAA member." Raised on a dairy five miles from Orland, the fifth of six girls, Brenda milked cows before and after school. After chores and homework, she loved to design clothing for young adults. Following marriage, she put away her art supplies and focused on raising five daughters. At fifty, Brenda began an educational journey. "I only took one art class at Shasta College, but started my day playing music while enjoying free- dom to explore with differ- ent mediums and color," she said. "Later I stud- ied at Simpson University and graduated with two Bachelor of Arts, Organi- zational Leadership and Psychology. I continued learning, enrolling at the University of San Fran- cisco." She graduated with a Masters of Art in Coun- seling Psychology. Brenda is currently licensed as a Marriage & Family Thera- pist Intern. In addition, she has a combination of three and half years in a Doctorate program in Clinical Psy- chology. She has spent thousands of hours work- ing with clients. She affirms that no mat- ter the challenges people face, art is a powerful ther- apeutic tool to help them. She watches clients be set free while facing fear of an empty canvas or white pa- per, then creating art ex- pressing their feelings and emotions while releasing pain and anxiety. She also attributes another part of her education to members of Red Bluff Art Associa- tion. "When I faced my own fear and visited Red Bluff Art Association, I was amazed how I was welcomed" Brenda said. "There is freedom from fear, no competition, no judgment, just friendly artists excited to be to- gether. One day I arrived and asked if someone could show me how to draw. I was on a mission to draw a portrait for a fa- mous man named Rich Lit- tle. It was to be a thank- you gift for helping us with a fund raiser. He too is an artist and had donated some of his drawings to- ward the cause. When I explained my situation I was directed to contact an Association member, Sandi Palmer, who has an art studio in Cottonwood. She is an awesome artist who showed me tips and techniques, more impor- tantly she helped me be- lieve in myself that I could be a real artist. Eventually the time came to drive to Las Vegas and deliver the picture to Mr. Little. I was nervous. What if he didn't like it? Fortunately, he was surprised and pleased. Smiling, he said, 'I'm going to hang this in my house.' Afterwards his wife and I became good friends. The picture seen here was taken minutes before I was to present it to Rich. Can I tell you how nervous I was." Brenda is now combin- ing the knowledge she gleaned from Art Associa- tion, Doctoral Life Coach and Consultant training, Counseling Psychology with Health Emphasis, and her Organizational Lead- ership training, creating a new career as a "Heart Mender Specialist." She works with clients to get to the heart of the matter and relieve suffering. "I use art as one of the tools to help set people free," she said. "In addition, I highly rec- ommend others come and visit the Red Bluff Art As- sociation and find out what wonderful surprises lay in store for them as well." Brenda is also a pub- lished author, her book is titled, Pitfalls From Put- Off's: Memoirs of a Pro- crastinator. She facilitates the Red Bluff Authors' Writers group once a week. She encourages writ- ers to include illustrations within their books adding the creative touch. Writers looking for talented artists able to create customized and unique illustrations can contact Brenda for re- ferral information. To set up an appoint- ment for a free consulta- tion with the Heart Mender or to contact Brenda, visit BallantinesHeartMender. com or xtremecounselor@ gmail.com. The association meets at 10 a.m. Thursdays at the Tehama District Fair- ground, 650 Antelope Blvd. in Red Bluff. For more in- formation, call 529-1603 or visit redbluffartassoica- tion.com or at Facebook. com/redbluffartassocia- tion. RED BLUFF ART ASSOCIATION Ballantine is artist of month COURTESY PHOTO Brenda Ballantine shares her charcoal depiction of Rich Little. THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER17 DOORS @ 6:30 PM • SHOW @ 7:30 PM HISTORIC STATE THEATRE 333 OAK STREET, RED BLUFF, CALIFORNIA A+E » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, September 10, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5