Nicholas Pasqua is OC based and uses the art form of photography to artistically frame the world. Photography has been a gift that’s expanded his awareness of allowing to look more deeply at the world around him and with that gift, he hopes to inspire others in picking up a camera to frame the world as they see it.
My name is Cortland McCullum and I'm an Aquaholic Nomad. As a water and adventure photographer, my photos range from my home of Southern California, to the beauty of the Islands of Hawaii, and throughout countless places around the world. Most recent of which being along the Gold Coast of Australia. I find myself never sitting anywhere for too long, constantly on the go, and capturing everything along the way.
Sometimes life’s most simple pleasures make the strongest statement, like shopping at an outdoor market or sipping coffee at a street café. Wendy Johnson creates her artwork precisely this way. Simple subjects, shapes and colors to create the essence of the “joie de vie.” Time spent in Provence Tuscany has enabled her to readily transport the viewer to the lands of quaint villages with fragrances of lavender and flowering thyme in the air. In 1990, she opened an atelier and gallery, “The South of France,” in the burgeoning artist colony of Newport Beach, California. Wendy’s paintings are in private and corporate collections throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Chris Ammon was born in Los Angeles and studied Economics at California State University, Long Beach. He first learned to use a camera when he was 3 years old. The ocean always fascinated him and he learned SCUBA while he was still in high school. In 2002 he traveled through the United States by bicycle and again through Europe and New Zealand in 2005, taking tons of pictures. Upon returning from his travels Chris built a darkroom in his apartment and taught himself to shoot, process and print film. In 2008 he was offered a video contributor contract with Getty Images Image Bank Film. Since then he has produced footage content used in advertising campaigns and broadcast media by companies like Apple, Warner Brothers, BBC and Vice Media among others. Working as a filmmaker taught Chris how to shoot and build narratives and helped him develop an intuition for visual storytelling that is crucial to his work as a still photographer. In 2009 he worked as a photojournalist for a small town newspaper in rural Illinois. Over the last 7 years he has produced three major bodies of work, The Farmhouse Zodiac, Book of San Gabriel, and Dark Seas. Chris’ storytelling approach is inspired by ancient mythological archetypes and the symbolism of the hero’s journey.
SoCal born and raised, I’ve got quite the love for both beach and mountains, and try to get out to them as often as I can. Photography came as a medium to capture the many adventures that life would give me, and it’s turned into an amazing opportunity to connect with people around the world. I sometimes think photography is my passion, but I think people are, photography just lets me meet those people.
Long before Alta was a coffee house, the building was actually a boat building business owned by Robert Dorris Boat Works. Robert began vacationing in Balboa with his family in the ‘20s when he was small and, remembering the area fondly, eventually made Newport Beach his permanent home and work place. Robert was a talented naval designer and he began building boats at a very young age. His reputation was stellar and he had some very interesting contracts with the likes of the OC County Fire District, Lifeguard Rescue boats, and even Walt Disney. We hope that you appreciate and enjoy this carefully curated tribute to Robert Dorris, the original owner of this quaint cottage and what was then a sand lot and wood shop.
Morgan Johnson is an artist located in Newport Beach, CA. After graduating from Biola University with a Bachelors degree in Communications in spring of 2016, she made the decision to pursue a career in fine art. Since making that decision, Morgan has worked with a variety of different businesses designing customized artwork in order to enhance the businesses' environment. Such businesses include Madison Salon and Common Room Roasters in Newport Beach, Wilson Sporting Goods, and coffee shops and school districts up in Northern California. Morgan has participated in multiple art shows in the Southern California area, including a RAW artist showcase and solo showcases. She is currently pursuing the art of tattooing at True at Heart in Lake Forest, CA. On the side, Morgan continues to paint murals and different commissions for her clients.
Aku Ratsula is a seventeen-year-old Orange County based photographer focused primarily on city and street photography. Starting out taking pictures of friends, he eventually began experimenting with various styles and mediums, and found interest in capturing the various perspectives among us. Much of his outlook on the world and photography is influenced by his Finnish heritage. Visiting the country often has allowed him to experience many other countries as well, and his taste for urban photography was eventually born. Each of his pictures carry their own story, which is why he finds the most value in this medium of art. He looks to capture the world and its various perspectives. You can contact him at aku.ratsula@me.com
There is mystery in art. How was it done, how long did it take? What were you thinking? Was a special technique or material employed? Were you at the beach when it happened? Does the art take you away to a distant space when you spend time with it? Away, to the depths of the ocean or the depths of your thoughts.
The world of the miniature, where the viewer is omnipotent and all-seeing, where ordinary objects in time and space of the common perception become transformed and elevated in esthetic stature, to an essential role in the collective whole.
Un-Identified objects whose real identity is a complete abstraction of reality, where an object’s only identifier is that it is art or said to be art.
What it may have been before as un-known now is known. In its treatment and juxtaposition to other elements the distance between a scrap pile or mountain trail to a pristine gallery becomes small. l declare that I’m an artist therefore I am. The work is based on a process called “Intuitive Collecting”. This body of raw material of un-identified displaced elements is therefore transformed. Art.
Ali Hartwig's photography is a reflection of her passions: exploration, adventure, and Southern California beach culture. Using photography as an excuse to travel and to document the world around her, Ali allows her creativity and zeal for the unexpected to shape her visual narrative style. Balancing an aesthetic of exploration and experimentation, her photography is an expression of wonder, an attempt to capture those elusive moments when you lose yourself.
Solmar Lee, 21, grew up in Orange County, California. Always having a passion for capturing the world, he began using his time taking any volunteer or paid jobs to gain experience and make new connections in the Art World. After shooting numerous family portraits and Marches, he began focusing on what he found more interesting. After posting some of his work on social media, he noticed he was receiving a lot of attention which lead to printing and distributing his work to friends and family. Many others around the area noticed his talent and invited him to local art showcases, art walks and placed his work in local coffee and ice cream shops. Solmar was also published in a book named “The Ear” and has shot for well-known non-profit organizations such as Young Life, A21, and The March of Dimes — giving his time and eye for a good cause. The more mentally and spiritually he grew, the more he began to recognize the art of the world that is all around us. And rather than tell you about his life, he would be more inclined to show you.
Mike Borchard is a professional photographer based out of Southern California. Born and raised in Newport Beach, Mike is heavily influenced by a strong connection with the ocean and natural world. Much of his work is landscape-centric and examines the ways that humans interact with their surrounding environments.
While much of his time is now dedicated to commercial projects, when home, you’ll likely find Mike up early or out late chasing light in the California Mountains and Oceans.
On display is a collection of images all made within last year or so. Some are from far-flung corners of the globe, while many are just right down the street at Blackies!
Skye Schmidt is a Southern California-based professional photographer and dancer. A recent graduate of the University of California, Irvine, Skye is excited to be pursuing two passions as her careers. She enjoys photographing for Festival Ballet Theatre, where she is also a company dancer, the Irvine Barclay Theater, Veggie Grill, Laguna Dance Festival, and private clients. What first sparked Skye’s love for photography was the nature in her own backyard, and after that, the challenge of capturing the perfect dance moment. In her March/April collection, you can expect to see exquisite outdoor dance moments and whimsical botanical photos, many of which are Skye’s personal favorites.
Born in 1961 in New York City, I was raised in the Bronx, but lived most of my life in Southern California. I've been married for 28 years and have two children. My art is primarily the result of my need to paint and is both a challenge and a cathartic outlet.
I do not confine myself to one medium in art. My latest passion has been working with watercolors. I read this quote that holds true for most artists: “When you buy something from an artist, you're buying more than an object, you're buying hundreds of hours of errors and experimentation. You're buying years of frustration and moments of pure joy. You're not buying one thing, you're buying a piece of a heart, a piece of the soul, a piece of someone else's life.”
For more information, contact Kim at kimpickard50@icloud.com
Deborah Harold is a local artist whose paintings show her love for the California landscape and lifestyle. Using deliberate and painterly strokes, her work has a recognizable energy and her palette is fresh. Having painted for over 20 years, Deborah continues to push herself in new directions to communicate her story through her art.
"Before the After" is my most recent collection of work — photographs which reflect the process of responding to an image waiting to be made. These photos, which often appear out-of-focus, were made in the moment of intuition that occurs as I feel a subject or scene and lift my camera to respond. They are not meant to capture the thing itself, but rather the essence of what is drawing me to it. Every photographer knows this moment, which can never be planned or thought out — it is a moment of feeling, the irresistible draw to create. It is the shimmering instant when feeling moves to action.
This body of work is taken from my archives, twenty years of photographing around the world. As I searched for new themes and threads in the work, this is what emerged.
Amy Kawadler received her BFA in Photography from Massachusetts College of Art. She relocated to Newport Beach the day after graduation with $300, backpack and one camera. She worked as a photographer in a variety of industries and today Amy is overseeing strategic marketing, curatorial and event management for the photography and cinema communities at Canon Burbank. She sits on the advisory board of The Palm Springs Photo Festival, a preliminary judge for the PhotoBook Now contest and has taught photography at Julia Dean Workshop, Santa Fe Photographic Workshop, PhotoExperience.Net, and Fredric Roberts Photography Workshops among other institutions. She has been published in PDN, Glamour, SI, and NewsPhotographer Magazines. She continues to pursue her own photographic work within the world of corporate life.
Dolores Lusitana is a photographer, designer, and producer living in Venice Beach, CA. When not working on her own projects, she works collaboratively and administratively with other artists to help realize their creative visions via her professional moniker, Situation Book.
The WATERCOLORS series emerged from a late afternoon walk along the Venice Canals, seeking respite from too many hours behind a computer screen. The Canals are a car-free walkway connected by arched bridges and lined with homes that span an array of internationally influenced styles and colors — each of them reflected in endlessly shifting patterns in the waters below. Despite the static foundational elements that define the environment, the subtle, unpredictable forces of nature silently convene to create change. Combined with the given temporal state of mind, those seemingly invisible forces reshape the watery landscape to make each moment unique, fleeting and obsolete. These images are testament to our ever changing perception of reality, within and without, and to beauty sometimes only realized through reflection.
Ali Hartwig's photography is a reflection of her passions: exploration, adventure, and Southern California beach culture. Using photography as an excuse to travel and to document the world around her, Ali allows her creativity and zeal for the unexpected to shape her visual narrative style. Balancing an aesthetic of exploration and experimentation, her photography is an expression of wonder, an attempt to capture those elusive moments when you lose yourself.
Salt Lake City based artist, Paige Kershaw, creates paintings inspired by her native West Coast roots. Paige’s art is created by blending small strokes to create a smooth blend of bright hues. By adding water between the layers, she is able to transition the colors seamlessly. Her creations are inspired by the sea, so adding water to her creative process is crucial. By doing this, drips are formed along the uppermost layer of the canvas to make the paintings feel as if they were fished right out of the ocean.
The paintings are all abstract resembling different elements of the deep sea. Whether it be the seashells tucked underneath the jetties, the deepest blues of the water, or the magnificent citrus hues of the sunsets, these paintings will instantly create a coastal feeling in your home, no matter where you are. Paige’s pieces are bound to turn any house into a beach bungalow by highlighting the unrecognized beauties of where the land meets the sea.
Nicholas Pasqua is a self-taught photographer based out of Newport Beach. With no formal training, his photography has taken a path of its own. He believes everything in life, whether alive or not, moving or still, has a special moment and it’s those moments he strives to capture. Nicholas feels photography is a medium which opens one’s eyes with an awareness to rediscover the world around them, and with that gift he hopes to impact you as much as the art form has impacted him.
