An Evening with Derek Harrison – Santa Barbara Fiesta Poster Artist
Katherine Murray-Morse
An artist’s journey! It was an art crowd that convened at the Santa Barbara Club for the Art Foundation of Santa Barbara’s Members Art Exhibit and talk by this year’s Santa Barbara Fiesta Portrait artist Derek Harrison. Every year members of the Santa Barbara Club loan artwork from their collection or their own artwork to adorn the walls All attendees and members also get to vote for the 3 Best in Show and 2 Honorable mentions.
An evening with Derek Harrison, Santa Barbara portrait artist with studio in El Paseo, provided an inside look at his journey. Starting as a tattoo artist in Colorado, he came to Santa Barbara, then morphed those skills into gallery shows and eventually portrait painting, finding Jeremy Lipking, a great realist and romantic portrait painter with whom he studied. With Lipking, he developed his focus on plein air and painting from life throughout the west. Connecting with gallery owners Ralph and Diane Waterhouse 10 years ago, Derek had his first solo show in 2020 and with other commissions, it led to teaching at Westmont and L.A. Academy of Figurative Art. To pay it forward, Derek recently taught a two-day workshop for Santa Barbara High School VADA (art) students, to hone portrait painting and business skills - the brainchild of Trustee Maria McCall funded by the Art Foundation through a grant awarded by the Barker Foundation, Dana Newquist, Trustee.
Fritz Olenberger, Fiesta El Presidente, who introduced Derek, had specific requirements for the poster, with a photo of a dancer in a blue dress, he wanted an “S” curve shape to prevail. Changing the dress color to red, Derek substituted his live model and “muse” Kate Maddaloni, herself a rancher, dancer and painter, becoming the face of this year’s poster. Harrison commented “she’s the star, I’m just the hired hand.” According to Anne Luther, artist: “It's the most gorgeous poster I have seen in my 25 years in Santa Barbara. His realist work just takes my breath away!”
The member exhibit, fitting for the Santa Barbara Club, the oldest private club in Santa Barbara, included works by well-known early Santa Barbara artists Fernand Lungren, Alexander Harmer and Ed Borein, as well as contemporary artists Thomas Van Stein, Ray Hunter and John Wullbrandt. Several members including Trustee John Doordan loaned portraits done by Derek Harrison. In addition, there was a wall for art with Asian influence, with some spectacular pieces loaned by Art Foundation President Frank McGinity, Ramona Pacela and Keith Moore. Whereas other members shared their own artwork.
Following the elegant reception and presentation, guests enjoyed a three-course gourmet dinner in the garden.
Among those art lovers attending were Fritz and Gretchen Olenberger, Dana and Andrea Newquist, Maria McCall, Katherine Murray-Morse, Diane and Ralph Waterhouse, Anne Luther, Keith Moore, Jeremy Tessmer, Jane Dini, Ramona Pacela, Robert Castle and Fran Morrow, Caroline and Bob Williams, Frank McGinity, John Doordan, Nancy Newquist-Nolan, Christine Holland, Lynn Kirst and Sara Pelton
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