by: Amanda Trei
June gloom has arrived in Lompoc, but it clearly skipped the Cypress Gallery. Inside, Claudette Carlton’s Watercolor Works delivers a bright antidote to the gray skies outside.
If you leave the gallery with any single takeaway this month, it should be that it is never too late to try something new. Claudette was 30 years old when she first picked up a pencil to see if she could draw, and another 30 years passed before she took her first watercolor class at Allan Hancock College.
Today, as our June featured artist, she brings a lifetime of gathered moments to paper. From her “Sleepy Yorkshire Village”, reflecting her years living in England, to “Foxen Canyon Windmill’, inspired by motorcycle rides with her husband, Claudette’s work proves that creativity has no expiration date.
Clearly inspired by personal adventures and the world around her, Claudette demonstrates an impressive range of subjects. Historic building renderings like “Lompoc Museum” share wall space with livestock portraits such as “The Queen”, whose decorative border adds a fitting sense of royalty to the chicken at center stage. Scenic landscapes like “Lighting the Way” capture a moody coastal sunset, with a lighthouse standing ready to guide travelers through the coming night.
Making our way to the back room, Linda Gooch’s mixed-media “Grape Arbor at Arroyo Hondo” can easily be mistaken for a photograph, while Vicki Andersen’s acrylic “Ranch Barn” captures the warmth and vibrance of what I can only assume was a perfect California day. Sunlight spills across the barn and surrounding landscape, giving the piece a gentle glow and a sense of quiet stillness.
Diane Atturio's watercolor “Mexico” is among the largest works currently on display. Bright red poppies rise from cool blue-green vessels, resting atop a boldly patterned textile whose vibrant colors and intricate designs give the piece both warmth and energy.
Mixed-media artist Jasmine Gonzalez, under her Manic Creative moniker, takes viewers in a different direction with “Breathe Babe”. The abstract composition layers color, texture, and unexpected imagery into a work that rewards a second look, revealing new details each time the eye returns to it.
Meanwhile, V.C. De Mille’s mixed-media “Save Our Oceans” utilizes trash collected from local beaches. More than a work of art, it serves as a reminder that we are stewards of our environment and that small actions can make a meaningful difference in preserving our coastline.
Taken together, this month’s collection is a celebration of observation, experience, and possibility. Whether inspired by distant travels, local landscapes, cherished memories, or community concerns, each artist brings a unique perspective to the gallery walls.
If June gloom has you searching for a little sunshine, you may find it waiting inside the Cypress Gallery. The Watercolor Works exhibition remains on view at the Cypress Gallery through June 28, with gallery hours Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Cypress Gallery is operated by members of the Lompoc Valley Art Association, a 501c(3) non-profit organization committed to expanding and supporting access and exposure to the arts in the Lompoc and Santa Ynez Valley. Find us online at facebook.com/CypressGallery or www.lompocart.org.
CAPTIONS
1. Claudette Carlton “Sleepy Yorkshire Village” Watercolor
2. Claudette Carlton “Foxen Canyon Windmill” Watercolor
3. Claudette Carlton “Lompoc Museum” Watercolor
4. Claudette Carlton “The Queen” Watercolor
5. Claudette Carlton “Lighting the Way” Watercolor
6. Linda Gooch “Grape Arbor at Arroyo Hondo” Mixed media
7. Vicki Andersen “Ranch Barn” Acrylic
8. Diane Atturio “Mexico” Watercolor
9. Jasmine Gonzalez Manic Creative “Breathe Babe” Mixed media
10. V.C. De Mille “Save Our Oceans” Mixed media