"Not all of us are painters but we are all artists. Each time we fit things together we are creating - whether it is to make a loaf of bread, a child, a day."
- Sister Corita Kent
Hi Everyone,
I am writing to say hello and wish everyone a happy July.
I thought it would be a good day to write to everyone today & share about the morning.
Early today, I rode my bike to where a new herd of goats were grazing at the Ojai Preserve behind Krotona. This large & open preserve hugs the main road, North Ventura Avenue/ Ojai Road. It's our primary road in & out of the Ojai Valley.
This area on the land is not normally occupied by goats.
So, how did these herd of goats appear suddenly appear?
There is a noteworthy organization in Ojai called Shepherdess Land & Livestock. Shepherdess Land & Livestock Co. is a 100% woman-owned targeted grazing business based out of Upper Ojai
providing vegetation management services, consultation, education, and training.
Cole Bush is the founder of this local enterprise.
During Ojai's Fourth of July Parade, the goats made quite the debut!
The goats were loud & lively~ a bit scattered too!
They did their best to follow suit & one could observe Cole holding the hay in front of them to encourage them along the way.
The Shepherdess team included a loyal herding dog nearby to keep things in order.
The whole scene was a bit chaotic, charming & heartfelt- all of it just absolutely perfect!
Cole Bush has an artistic eye for natural beauty & also owns Shepherdess Holistic Hides, a collaborative project with designer, Laura Schoorl. Together they purvey natural sheep hides & that are mindfully sourced, etc. When I saw their natural sheep hides, it reminded me of the authentic New Zealand Sheep hide I laid on as a baby.
I find Cole's work noteworthy as it addresses and resolves community needs, inspires natural resources, while also cultivating an artisanal, natural product.
So, after Saturday's Fourth of July Parade,
I decided to visit the goats this morning.
Interestingly, as I was pedaling closer to the land, something that looked like an easel caught my attention.
Tucked away near a grouping of trees, I spotted a man painting the landscape.
I thought to myself this is a golden morning with the grazing groats and someone is painting it.
I rode my bike closer to the trees & parked it against a wooden fence.
Walking into the field & I approached the man, and asked if I could take photos of him painting.
He said, "Yes, of course!"
Simultaneously I wondered, who is this painter, tucked away on the edges of the field painting the grazing goats?
After introducing myself, I had the pleasure of meeting & having a conversation with Mr. Dan Schultz.
Dan Schultz is a fine arts artist & painter located in the Ojai Valley.
He has a popular showroom & studio located in the heart of Downtown Ojai, next door to Tortilla House.
We had a long conversation & talked about the Ojai community and what it's like to live here.
Dan shared what it’s like to be an artist in Ojai for the past 10+ years, home-schooling his two younger boys with his wife, and his training as an artist. Dan also teaches adult landscape painting courses for adults (no experience required).
I asked Dan if he offers a class for children or the youth.
He smiled and said, "I don't have a class for children.”
He continued, "I would need help to corral the kids!"
I laughed and said, " I don't know how to paint, but I can certainly help work with the children."
We exchanged contact information as it could be interesting and good to develop & offer a variety of different artistic courses & intensives (taught by a variety of instructors/ experts) to the children and youth in the Ojai Valley outside of their school programs. For example, I have developed a creative origami course including a study & activity plan which can be customized depending on the age, number of weeks, etc.
Later, while riding my bike home, I thought about how much art & creativity was visible across a variety of avenues just in those moments at the Ojai Preserve. The ideas, the art, the landscape, the work of Cole and Dan- all presenting beauty in their varying different ways.
I was deeply inspired by my talk with Dan & realized I wanted to learn how others express their creativity.
I recognized that I am an artist, too.
I create origami crane art & I am a photographer- all of these a service to others.
In my recent creative studies, I watched a short documentary on Sister Corita Kent.
One of my teachers, Risa D'Angeles, often references Sister Corita's work.
Risa was a student of Sister Corita in the early 1960s.
Corita was a nun, an artist, a serigrapher, an innovative teacher, and advocate for social justice.
Corita's quote at the beginning of this letter are good words to ponder upon.
"...We are all artists. Each time we fit things together we are creating - whether it is to make a loaf of bread, a child, a day."
I have attached some photos of Dan taken this morning as he was painting the grazing goats ( & a photo of myself on the bike path too.) I wanted to share them with you.
Love,
Lauren