Tag Archives: latitudes fine art

A Photo Trek to Slot Canyon

As a photographer, there are so many places I have always wanted to visit and photograph. This year I have created a “bucket list” of places I would like to go and Slot Canyon was one of them. It is near Page, AZ on the Navajo reservation and is within driving distance from my house so it came in high on my list. The desert southwest has a beauty all its own, unique from any other place. It has become super popular so it was crowded and tricky to get shots in this canyon without any other people but worth the effort. The lighting and shapes and color were awe inspiring. The best part of the trip was the night tour we took in the canyon led by a great Navajo guide.
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Our Earth Day – Little Things Make a Difference

Flying Honu_24x36_We think about the earth every day around here!  Sharing it’s wonder and beauty is what we are all about.  I recently went to Santa Barbara’s Natural History Museum and saw a little acrylic box with jellyfish swimming around.  On closer inspection I realized it was a display showing how plastic shopping bags look in the ocean.  I was truly shocked at how bad of a problem this is for our sea life and for us.

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Did You Know?

  • Each year plastic kills more than a million sea birds and 100,000 mammals and sea turtles who mistake it for food, such as jellyfish.
  • 52% of sea turtles and 60% of sea birds have ingested some form of plastic.
  • Plastic toxins end up in fish, which end up on our plates, which end up inside our bodies.

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The simple box of water with bags in it at the museum, really made me realize that even my occasional plastic shopping bag can end up in the ocean and harm our sea life.  So when it was time to re-order plastic bags for the gallery, I set out on a quest to find something better.  We are thrilled with our new reusable cloth bags and by the response so far, our Latitudes Family is too.ClothBags

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tasha 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.

Learn more at http://www.seeturtles.org/ocean-plastic/ and https://www.norwexmovement.com/the-trashy-12/

Fine Art Handcrafted Wood Prints- Photos on Wood

Looking for that perfect piece of art for your wall? Has your wall been empty for too long because you just cannot find the right thing? Latitudes artists Stephanie Hogue and Steve Munch have created something super special with their photography: Handcrafted Wood Prints. Because they are handmade by Steve’s brother, wood artist, Michael Munch, each one is a unique art piece. The wood grain and carved edges add a rustic and textured quality to the photograph. This special printing technique also adds a painterly effect to the image, often leaving the viewer to wonder if it is a photograph or a painting. Latitudes Handcrafted Wood Prints are really something special and will be the perfect conversation piece on your wall. They can be made in all sizes from small 12″x18″ up to 48″x72″ as the largest. Browse our images online and just give us a call to get your wood piece started!! 805-642-5257

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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
Stephanie And Tasha at Latitudes Fine Art Gallery

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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Newborn Baby Gray Whale Near Anacapa Island

A rare encounter with a newborn baby gray whale this past week left us in awe as we watched it learn to swim and frolic in the water with its mother. Judging from its size and swimming ability, we figure it was only hours old…days at most.


As wildlife and nature photographers, we spend many hours searching, observing and waiting for the right moment, lighting, composition, etc.  This was a day when all the stars aligned and we were there, ready to capture it. The only thing to overcome at that point is the excitement and adrenaline knowing that we have something very special happening in front of us. That is when we are grateful for all the preparations we have made to be ready for the moment. It is fun for us to share the beauty we see that many cannot ever see first hand.