Painting Workshop: Abstract Still Life

Abstract still life painting workshop led by artist Paige Patterson Wilson held at AFSB Gallery.

Paige Patterson Wilson’s current exhibition at the AFSB, Abstract Trompe L’oeil, highlights her deep interest in the interplay of colored surfaces.

The artist will present a related workshop on Saturday, October 26 from 1 – 3 pm. Participants will experience her working process by creating their own box/collage still life and translating it into an abstract painting.

Please bring a small cardboard box. All other materials will be provided.

Meet other local artists and art enthusiasts in your community.

All levels welcome!

KDA Gallery Opening & Holiday Party

KDA Gallery Opening & Holiday Party!

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to present you the annual Kids Draw Architecture Gallery Opening & Holiday Party on Saturday, November 24, 2019, from 2 – 4 PM.

This year KDA held their sketch sessions at the Alameda Park Bandstand and Santa Barbara Middle School.

The exhibition will feature a collection of drawings from KDA’s 2019 program showcasing a representative cross-section of illustrations from all age groups and drawing abilities and will be on display until January 4, 2020.

Events like this exemplify how the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara continues their mission of educating the public on the built environment. So please come join us to celebrate and congratulate our current calendar artists and support this vibrant educational program!

The Dark and Mysterious Past of the L.A Cecil Hotel

Check in at your own risk at 604 Main St.

More cursed than haunted, downtown L.A.’s Hotel Cecil (604 Main St) got such a bad rap that it actually changed its name to Stay on Main. So many bad things have happened here—there’s literally an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to its violent history. The first recorded death by suicide is in 1931, followed by a long string of similar deaths in 1932, 1934, 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1940.

At some point in the ’30s, one man was pinned to the exterior wall by a truck. A woman murdered her newborn in the building in 1944, and the pattern of suicides continued into the ’60s. In 1962, a woman jumped from the ninth floor window and landed on a pedestrian, killing them both. It’s worth noting that two of the women who died by suicide apparently jumped while their husbands were asleep in the room.

In 1964, tenant Goldie Osgood was brutally murdered, a crime which has remained unsolved. Next, in the ’80s, the infamous serial kill Richard Ramirez (the “Night Stalker”) stayed at the hotel and in the 1990s, Austrian serial killer Jack Unterwege lived there. Other weird things kept happening but the weirdest is definitely the disappearance and death of 21-year-old traveler Elisa Lam.

A few weeks after Lam went missing, her body was discovered in the rooftop water tank after visitors and tenants complained about a funky taste. They later found odd footage of her in the elevator from the night of her disappearance. It’s difficult to make out what she’s doing; it looks like she’s either playing hide-and-seek with someone outside the elevator, or she’s frightened and attempting to hide from someone but the doors won’t seem to shut. Authorities ruled the death accidental drowning—but because you need a key to access the roof, many suspect foul play.

The 1987 U2 performance, with the hotel featured as a backdrop, was filmed and commercially released as a music video for the release of the band’s song “Where the Streets Have No Name”.

The hotel is also known as the inspiration for the Coen Brothers 1991 film, Barton Fink.

It was also the inspiration for American Horror Story season 5, “Hotel”.

It was the setting for the The NoSleep Podcast season 3 episode, “The Cecil Hotel”.

The hotel can be seen in the background of Blink 182’s video “The Rock Show”.

We’ve checked it out, and all survived.