Artists in Focus – to see all, click HERE.
This is a selection from the current collection of Focus On The Masters artist documentation. Click on the picture or artist name to view the portrait, biography, media presentations and website of the artist.
All artists’ portraits are by Donna Granata. The photographs and artworks shown on this website are copyrighted by the artists and may not be reproduced without permission from the copyright owner. By entering this website, you agree to these conditions.
Joe Cardella
Mixed Media Artist/Publisher
Joe Cardella (1945-2018) was a unique artist in his own right; he created ART/LIFE, a limited edition fine art magazine, that ran from 1981 - 2006. Each issue was comprised...
Cindy Pitou Burton
Photographer
Adventure drives the life and photography of Cindy Pitou Burton. She began her career as a photojournalist for the New York Times, soon expanding her contacts to CBS, NBC and PBS and magazines...
Karyl Lynn Burns & James O’Neil
Co-Founders Rubicon Theatre
The Rubicon Theatre Company has established itself as a major cultural force in Ventura County and beyond. Respected by audiences and critics alike, the Rubicon stages a rich...
Robert Brown
Actor
Robert Brown began his acting career in New York City by studying and working with some legendary actors and directors, including the Erwin Piscator’s Dramatist Workshop at the New School for Social Research, Rod...
Boris Brott
Conductor
Can executives of Fortune 500 companies make beautiful music together? Can a “hog” riding Canadian inspire classical music audiences? We know that the answer is “yes”! Maestro Boris Brott is a recipient of the Order...
Ernest Brooks II
Photographer/Environmentalist
Ernest H. Brooks II, a noted professional photographer, educator and ambassador for the photographic industry, has won international acclaim for underwater photography and audio/visual...
Charlotte Bronstein
Actress/Writer/Director/Educator
Charlotte Bronstein (1918 - 2003) Charlotte Bronstein spent 50 years acting, writing and directing for television, film, radio and the stage in the United States and Canada. Her...
Horace Bristol
Photographer
Horace Bristol (1908 - 1997) Horace Bristol brought the plight of humanity into the homes of millions of people through his compassionate eye and sensitive heart. He is respected as one of the greatest...
Christine Brennan
Painter
Often dreamlike and enigmatic, Christine Brennan’s work features a host of symbolic and allegorical references. Brennan’s images draw from the unconscious leading the viewer into richly-lit narratives that...
David Blackburn
Woodworker
In David Blackburn’s own words, “wood art is the tree that never dies.” David’s pathway to exquisite woodworking has not been a straight line. It began as child’s play and grew through a tour in Viet Nam,...
Song Byeok
Song Byeok was invited to Ventura, CA as a Global Artist of Distinction in 2018, and his story is one of stony resilience in the face of oppression, and art as a form of political protest. Born into a working-class family in a town outside of Pyongyang, North Korea, Song once worked as an official state propaganda artist. His patriotism turned to disillusionment, when the famine of the 1990s hit.
Carol Shaw-Sutton
Fiber Artist
Carol Shaw-Sutton has earned numerous awards, including two National Endowment of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowships. She is Professor Emerita of Art from California State...
Khaled Al Awar
Gallerist
Khaled Al Awar, a 1970 emigrant from Lebanon, moved to Ojai in 1982 from Chicago with his wife, Sheryl. He established the Primavera Gallery which featured international and local artists, both individually and in group shows.
Burns Taft
Conductor/Musician
Recognized as a gifted musician and respected music educator in Ventura County, Burns Taft was the music director of the Master Chorale of Ventura for over 30 years. His academic credentials include from...
Beatrice Wood
Ceramist
World renowned for her exquisite luster glazes and whimsical figures, Beatrice Wood’s fascinating life beckoned the most avid art historians to her door. She was one of the last survivors of one of the...
Audrey Sanders
Mixed Media
The work of Audrey Sanders, in her own words, “takes a middle ground between painting and sculpture.” She “compares her non-objective works to rhythmic linear relationships between order and chaos, architectural...
Katherine McGuire
Painter
Katherine McGuire, artist and advocate for the arts, captured quintessential Ventura landmarks with meticulous attention to architectural detail, not at all surprising when you consider that she...
Bert Collins
Painter
Bert Collins is a noted Ojai Valley artist, painter and teacher who has won more than 200 awards during her lifetime. Her realistic scenes contain naturalistic color and fine detail. She is a member of the Santa Barbara Art Association and the Ventura County Pastel Artists Association. Galleries in cities such as Palm Springs, Newport Beach and Beverly Hills have represented her.
Carlisle Cooper
Painter
Often, after meeting Carlisle Cooper, one was amazed at his avant-garde painting style. One would expect him, as a Southern gentleman, to have a very traditional approach to his work.
In reality, he was one of the finest colorists. Mr. Cooper (as he is known to his legion of students) taught and inspired artists at Ventura College for more than 40 years.
Pierre Boulez
Composer/Conductor
(1925 - 2016) The French conductor and experimental composer Pierre Boulez was known for his carefully crafted, complex compositions, including Pli selon pli, a portrait of the poet Stephane Mallarme for...
Emily Bernstein
Clarinetist
Emily Bernstein (1959 - 2005) At the time of her death, Emily Bernstein was the principal clarinetist of the Los Angeles Opera. She also played first chair with the Pasadena Symphony under the direction of Jorge Mester
Barry Berkus
Architect
Barry Berkus (1935 – 2012) Which came first, the architect or the collector? How does art influence architecture? Should a home be designed from the outside in, or the inside out? Barry Berkus was a Santa...
Dawn Arrowsmith
Painter
Dawn Arrowsmith’s paintings are meditations in color. It has been said that each is a kind of minimalist luxury – pure, distilled, economical, but also rich, luscious, erotic. Her work is intuitive, greatly...
Janet Neuwalder
Sculptor & Installation Artist
Janet Neuwalder specializes in clay and ceramic processes. Some of her installations are modeled after anthropological displays often found in Natural History Museums...
Shamsia Hassani
Born April 1988, is the first female graffiti artist of Afghanistan. Through her artworks, Shamsia portrays Afghan women in a male dominant society. Her art gives Afghan women a different face, a face with power, ambitions, and willingness to achieve goals.