Category Archives: Blog

First Friday in Downtown Ventura- April 1, 2016

“Ocean Blues”

April exhibit:  April 1, 2016-April 30, 2016

Join us at Latitudes Fine Art Gallery for an opening reception of “Ocean Blues”
For the month of April, Latitudes will be featuring the ocean inspired exhibit called “Ocean Blue’s”. This special exhibit highlights the many moods of the ocean with its ever changing beauty. In conjunction with Earth Day on April 22, we will be promoting awareness and celebrating the power and importance of our oceans. Environmental photographers Steve Munch and Stephanie Hogue are dedicated to showcasing its beauty to inspire fascination and connection. With connection and awareness comes education and compassion. Though massive and powerful, our oceans are extremely delicate and impacted by our actions. Real change can happen when people are inspired.

OPENING: Friday April 1st, 2016
5pm-9pm
Latitudes Fine Art Gallery
Downtown Ventura
401 E. Main St
Ventura, CA 93001
805-642-5257

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”
Jacques Cousteau

 

Champagne on Main- April 16, 2016

SPRING STREET FAIR / 11 AM – 6:30 PM / FREE
Start your day with the Spring Street Fair starting at 11 am on the 300, 400 & 500 block of Main Street with vendors and live entertainment. Shop local artists, crafters, non-profit organizations, and commercial vendors. The street fair and entertainment are FREE and open to the public starting at 11 am! MoreCHAMPAGNE ON MAIN / WINE WALK / 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
At 3:00 pm, the Champagne on Main Wine Walk gets started! The Champagne on Main Wine Walk will showcase Champagne, Sparkling Wines, and Craft Beer sampling in your favorite downtown businesses. Each guest will receive a Champagne on Main Wine Walk wristband, tasting cup and a map of the participating tasting sites throughout Downtown Ventura. Each tasting site will have a designated area set up for Champagne on Main Wine Walk guests to sample! Champagne, Sparkling Wines, and Craft Beer sampling tasting will end at 6:00 pm.LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Live entertainment will fill the streets as you stroll through the Spring Street Fair until 6:30 PM. Come enjoy Spring in Downtown Ventura!Event will go on rain or shine!

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Super Bloom in Death Valley

I have lived in California for almost 30 years and somehow never made my way out to Death Valley. So this year, with all the buzz about the Super Bloom and the Centennial Celebration for our beloved National Parks, I thought it was the perfect time to go. I only had one day which was definitely not enough…it is a very very big place!  Being early March, the temperature was manageable but got a little toasty by mid day. We brought our golden doodle, Cali, but if I were to go back I would have to leave her at home, the trails and hikes are definitely not dog friendly. We saw quite a bit of the main sights, though I would love to come back and spend a few sunrises and sunsets…and the stars at night have got to be insane! We checked out Mesquite Dunes, Zabriske Point, Artists Drive, Badwater Basin, Devil’s Cornfield and lots more along the drive. It was beautiful to see the fields of golden flowers among all rugged terrain. We were in awe of all its majesty and beauty. We will definitely be back.

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Feeling Lucky

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Every day we are grateful. We feel lucky to live in such a beautiful community full of amazing people and breathtaking surroundings. We are certainly spoiled! We are reminded how incredible our city is, every time visitors come in and gasp at the images on our walls. We are lucky enough to be like a little “Best of Ventura” exhibit, and are honored when residents bring out of town guests to our gallery first, before taking them around town. We have the best Latitudes Family! They stop by to just say “Hi” and walk through regularly to soak in a bit of the mellow Latitudes energy. We love being a favorite hot spot and to top it off, we get to do what we love!

This month we will be focusing on gratitude and highlighting some of our favorite “Lucky Shots” and green color palette images. First Friday, March 4th, marks the start of our exhibit and it will continue to be on display all month long.

As an added bonus, we will be holding a “Favorite Lucky Shot” contest! Our collection of Lucky Latitudes images will be posted on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th. Simply share your favorite from the collection, say why it is your favorite, and tag us in the share, for a chance to win a 13”x19” matted print (a $65 value). It is that simple. Winner will be selected randomly on March 31st. Are you feeling lucky?

 

Unlock Your Heart

unlockyourheartValentine’s Day is quickly approaching.  For some, that strikes fear in their hearts, instead of inspiring love.  I propose we change this tradition.  Remove the mandatory roses, chocolate and impersonal card, and instead, unlock your heart.  It is that simple.  So often we put expectations on our loved ones, like they can read our minds.  Surprise!  They can’t, and it sets us all up for failure.  Why not set yourself up for success this year?  Tell those you love, exactly what you need to feel loved and ask them to do the same.  The answers might surprise you.

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For me, words of kindness and simple gestures that remind me I was thought of, tells me that I am loved.  For my husband of 15 years, it’s acts of service and small surprises. He isn’t one for extravagant gifts, but little love notes sprinkled throughout his day and going to his tool box to find it organized- that is what tells him that he is loved.  This year I have given him a “14 days of love” banner.  Each day is an envelope with a note, a small gift, an act of service, a date night, or a pre-arranged outing with his friends.

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How do your loved ones know they are loved?  Maybe it is about time you asked.  We hope Latitudes Fine Art Gallery is part of the key to unlocking your hearts.Vdaytable

If you need help thinking of big and small surprises, stop by the gallery.  We love making our “Latitudes Family” happy.

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IMG_5173Tasha Cleaveland is Latitudes Fine Art Gallery’s Manager and Design Consultant.  She has been working with Stephanie and Steve since 2014 and is always excited to help Latitudes customers find the perfect piece to transform their space.

Ventura Chamber Mix at Latitudes

Join Latitudes Fine Art Gallery and the Ventura Chamber of Commerce for a fun evening of networking at our gallery in downtown Ventura. We will be hosting the monthly networking and social event from 5:30 pm-7:00pm. Light refreshments and live music will make for a fun time after work. Stop by!!

When: Thursday, February 25, 2016
Where: Latitudes Fine Art Gallery 401 E. Main St. Ventura, CA 93001
Who: Ventura Chamber of Commerce MIX Event
RSVP appreciated…. but showing up is fine too!
Gallery 805.642.5257

Facebook: Click here to rsvp on Facebook

 

Pantone Color of the Year

Pantone Color of the Year -Your Color Rich Life-

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It is a new year and already it is flying by.  This year the Latitudes Family is focusing on slowing down and savoring the moments.  Stephanie is getting more time exploring new and old favorite locations to photograph, Steve is finding adventure and wonder in Kauai, and I am focusing on meeting our customer’s design needs.  This includes stopping to savor the gratitude, surrounding ourselves with beauty, and soaking in all of it.  So we were excited that for the first time ever, Pantone, the color experts, are predicting two “colors of the year”.  More color to love!  Have you ever noticed how color seems to go in cycles?  A number of years ago that fresh spring green was everywhere, then for awhile it was aqua, then neon.  From shoes, to clothes, to pillows and home decor, you can’t seem to escape it.  Pantone’s Color of the Year is not only a prediction of what trends are going to pop up in your local stores and boutiques, but also a “color snapshot of what we see taking place in our culture, that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude.”- Pantone

” a color snapshot of what we see taking place in our culture, that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude.” -Pantone

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We are all seeking something with this new year.  Maybe it is hope, adventure, certainty, freedom or just a little peace.  The color of the year captures what we are feeling and represents it with color.  It gives us a starting place to dive deep into the beauty and richness of life and surround ourselves with our emotions.

“Rose Quartz is a persuasive yet gentle tone that conveys compassion and a sense of composure.  Serenity is weightless and airy, like the expanse of the blue sky above us, bringing feelings of respite and relaxation even in turbulent times.” -Pantone

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pantone-color-of-the-year-lee-eiseman-quoteYou might be wondering how to express your emotions through your space.  A lot of people go through life and don’t realize the influence that our surroundings have on us.  How the pile of laundry screams out every time we walk by, or the physical clutter that also clutters our minds, or the artwork on our walls that never truly represented what we needed it to.  Sure you can walk past that stuff and pretend it doesn’t exist, but energetically it does.  It affects on us every single time we walk by.  Your artwork fills your space with energy.  What is it saying?  Each room has a different energetic and emotional need for each person.  You don’t want to put an intense, high-energy piece of art in your bedroom, if that is your place of solace.  Nor do you want a peaceful, relaxing piece in your office if what you really need is to pump up and produce results.

So take stock of your life, look at your surroundings and take this new year as a new opportunity to live rich with color and emotion, and step into your authentic life.

We will be highlighting Color of the Year- coordinating images during our First Friday Exhibit at our gallery this Friday, February 5th, 2016.

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IMG_5173Tasha Cleaveland is Latitudes Fine Art Gallery’s Manager and Design Consultant.  She has been working with Stephanie and Steve since 2014 and is always excited to help Latitudes customers find the perfect piece to transform their space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Savor the Moments- Tea Tasting Event – March 6, 2016

Free Tea Tasting and Community Outreach Event
at Latitudes Fine Art Gallery
TeaTasting- Beach Photo by Steve Muncha dn Stephanie Hogue
                     Hosted by Latitudes Fine Art Gallery and David De Candia
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Latitudes Gallery owner, Stephanie Hogue (left) and Tasha Cleaveland (right) , Latitudes Gallery Manager and Design Consultant

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World- Renowned Tea master, Ceylon Tea Ambassador, David De Candia

Savor the Moments” with Latitudes Fine Art Gallery and David De Candia at their free tea tasting and community outreach event planned for March 6, 2016 from 1:00-4:00 at their Downtown Ventura location, 401 East Main Street, Ventura.

Gallery owner, Stephanie Hogue, gallery manager and design consultant, Tasha Cleaveland, along with world-renowned tea master, David De Candia, invite you to focus on slowing down and taking the time to savor the moments. De Candia believes that the images displayed in Latitudes are the perfect opportunity to do this. “I look at this photo of the chairs on the beach, and all I want to do walk into that photo and sit down with a great cup of tea. That is what tea is all about, slowing down and enjoying the moments.” Life has been busy for Latitudes with the grand opening of their second gallery, in Kauai in 2015. “I think our focus for 2016 will be slowing down and enjoying the little things”, says Hogue. “I welcome the opportunity to embrace the new year and hope you will join us.”

Latitudes Art Gallery has hosted numerous tasting events including Downtown Ventura’s “Wine Walk” and “Champagne on Main”, but this is their first dip into tea tasting.

“When David asked if we would be interested in hosting an event here, I was excited. Latitudes is more than just a building with pictures on the walls. There’s an energy here, a peacefulness”, says Cleaveland. “We have people come in all the time that just get lost in the photos. They say it’s their therapy, and I agree with them.   Stephanie and Steve have a magical way of reminding us how truly lucky we are.”

De Candia and Latitudes are both firm believers in giving back. The price of admittance is simply two new art supplies – one will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Ventura and the other De Candia will personally deliver to children in Sri Lanka.

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Ventura resident, David De Candia at Maliboda Day Care Center and Elementary School in Sri Lanka
Event Details
Who: Latitudes Fine Art Gallery and world-renowned Tea Master,
David De Candia

What: Free Tea Tasting and Community Outreach Event

Where: 401 East Main Street Ventura, CA 93001

When:  Sunday, March 6, 2016 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

RSVP: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LatitudesFineArt/ or 805-642-5257

Media

For more information the media can contact the event organizer directly:
Tasha Cleaveland, 805-338-6690, info@latitudesfineart.com   www.latitudesfineart.com

General Public

Tea Lovers

Latitudes Fine Art Gallery Extended Family of Customers, Supporters and Friends

 

Big Waves at Ventura Pier…El Nino’s Arrival

 

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In one of the biggest El Ninos the California coast has seen in years, large waves have done severe damage to the Ventura Pier. With an early start on Friday, December 11, 2015 the waves started pounding and continued all day. Many pilings were torn off and washed up down the beach in the Pierpont area. We will have to wait and see how long it takes to get it repaired so we can all enjoy strolling on it again.

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Bring Home Fine Art for the Holidays!

Surround yourself with beauty and happiness.The gift of a beautiful fine art photograph will be treasured and enjoyed for years and years.