SHELLY CONE, Author at Santa Maria Sun

Explore wine country

Donalee Nelson’s latest works feature what she loves about life on the Central Coast

by SHELLY CONE August 31, 2011April 12, 2023

This month, Shepard Hall Gallery in the Santa Maria Public Library will be host to a body of works that create a sense of place that should be familiar to locals. Donalee Nelson’s exhibit—“Got Wine?”—explores the vineyards that roll on hills across the Central Coast landscape, the lush wine that fills glasses, and the incredible […]

Music, Arts & Culture

Town Center Gallery offers free art lessons

by SHELLY CONE August 24, 2011April 12, 2023

The Town Center Gallery will offer free Saturday art classes once a month through December. The classes are made possible by a grant from the Santa Maria Altrusa International Foundation. The next class, “Drawing Trees with Pastels,” will be led by Michael Corob on Sept. 17. Classes are limited to 15 students, and pre-registration is […]

Music, Arts & Culture

Free books mark Literacy Day

by SHELLY CONE August 24, 2011April 12, 2023

Altrusa of the Central Coast will celebrate International Literacy Day on Thursday, from 5 to 7 p.m., on Sept. 8 at the Santa Maria Town Center. International Literacy Day is celebrated the world over, but in Santa Maria, Altrusa will offer an afternoon of board and card games and hand out as many books as […]

Music, Arts & Culture

Ruggles’ murals to be first fall exhibit at Foxworthy Gallery

by SHELLY CONE August 24, 2011April 12, 2023

An exhibit of mural-sized paintings and drawings by artist Joanne Beaule Ruggles, titled “Hanging by a Thread: Mother Earth in Peril,” will be the first exhibit of the fall semester at the Allan Hancock College Ann Foxworthy Gallery and will be on display through the end of September. The works came out of Ruggles’ experience […]

Music, Arts & Culture

Tour d’Art

Lompoc Valley Artists open their art studios for all to see

by SHELLY CONE August 24, 2011August 17, 2023

It’s true that every piece of art has a story to tell, but there’s also a bigger story behind each piece. That story can only be told from the place inspiration happens: the artist’s studio. [image-2]Take a peek at such places with the Lompoc Valley Artists Studio Tour. This year, 11 local artists’ studios […]

Music, Arts & Culture

Loop by loop

Rug hookers enjoy the long process involved in creating their works of art

by SHELLY CONE August 24, 2011April 12, 2023

Rosemary Morrison loves her craft. If you couldn’t tell by looking at her, you could see it in her boxes of craft supplies, or the bookshelves stacked floor to ceiling with a vivid collection of dyed wool and rug-hooking magazines. “This is a craft house,” she explained recently. On the table sat several patterns she […]

Music, Arts & Culture

Camp with the family at Circle V

by SHELLY CONE August 17, 2011April 12, 2023

The Circle V Ranch family camp will run Aug. 26 to 28 across from Cachuma Lake in the Santa Ynez Valley. Circle V Ranch Camp Director Ray Lopez announced that cabins and tent spaces are still available for this all-ages camping experience. Circle V Ranch traditional summer camp sessions are for children ages 7 to […]

Music, Arts & Culture

Celebrate the opening night of My Fairytale in Solvang

by SHELLY CONE August 17, 2011April 12, 2023

PCPA Theaterfest and the Solvang Centennial Committee will be host to the Opening Night Celebration benefit reception for the American premiere of My Fairytale, offering guests the exclusive opportunity to meet the show’s creative team, including Stephen Schwartz (composer), Philip LaZebnik (book), Flemming Enevold (creator), Scott Schwartz (director), and Mark Booher (PCPA artistic director), while […]

Music, Arts & Culture

Making scents

A national perfumer will teach a class on designing customized perfumes at C Gallery

by SHELLY CONE August 17, 2011April 12, 2023

Sarah Horowitz-Thran remembers the first moment she fell in love with perfuming. She walked into an offbeat apothecary-style perfumery called Essence in Boston on famed Newbury Street in the late 1980s. “I remember all the rows of bottles and the colors,” she said. “It was very spiritual, and Enya was playing in the background, and […]

Music, Arts & Culture

Compete in the Literacy Council spelling bee

by SHELLY CONE August 10, 2011August 17, 2023

The Central Coast Literacy Council will hold its main fundraising Spelling Bee at 1 p.m. Sept. 17 in the Santa Maria Town Center. CCLC is looking for 40 teams of two people each to compete. Each team is sponsored by an organization or business in the community. CCLC offers literacy training to adults in need. […]

Music, Arts & Culture

Everybody Can DANCE expands

by SHELLY CONE August 10, 2011August 17, 2023

The nonprofit Everybody Can DANCE of Santa Maria is expanding its program to offer dozens of new classes in hip hop, jazz, modern, contemporary, ballet, Dancer’s Bodyshop, yoga, and Pilates, as well as classical ballet for ages 2 to adult. New instructor Jonathon Calderwood has a bachelor’s degree from U.C. Irvine and will teach yoga, Pilates, […]

Music, Arts & Culture

Tri City foursome takes honors

by SHELLY CONE August 10, 2011April 12, 2023

A foursome of women representing Santa Maria’s Tri City Sound Chorus earned fifth place honors during Sweet Adelines International Region 11 Summer Sizzler Novice Quartet Competition held July 29 in Bakersfield. Highlights included Tri City Sound Chorus members Ann Silva (bass) of Santa Maria and Orcutt residents Susan Scheetz (tenor), Karen Eckman (baritone), and Jennifer […]