True Colors
Local creatives who amaze and inspire us
Local creatives who amaze and inspire us
Written by L.D. Porter | Photography by Sam Frost
Row upon row of large prickly pear cactus paddles hang from a wood frame on the wall of textile artist PORFIRIO GUTIÉRREZ’s studio at the Bell Arts Factory in Ventura. From these paddles the artist will extract tiny insects—cochineals—to produce the beautiful carmine red dye that enhances his extraordinary weavings. The deep blue hues in his work come from indigo, a plant-based dye that also requires effort to reveal its beauty. In fact, every color he uses has a natural source and a laborious process behind it. It is also a sacred tradition. For Gutiérrez hails from a long line of indigenous Zapotec weavers and textile makers centered in the village of Teotitlán del Valle, near Oaxaca city in Mexico, and he is dedicated to preserving the knowledge of his ancestors.
“My work reinterprets the traditional textiles and redefines the techniques of natural dye and the designs as well.”
But he is also an artist, not a copyist, and his interpretation of traditional Zapotec iconography (often referencing intricate patterns adorning the ancient Mesoamerican site of Mitla) is a truly contemporary one. “I wanted to create a language that specifically expresses my understanding as a contemporary indigenous artist, and as a Zapotec Mexican American as well,” he says. “So my work reinterprets the traditional textiles and redefines the techniques of natural dye and the designs as well.” This includes the form of his signature woven into each of his pieces: It’s a stylized G that turns into a P, with a tail that calls to mind the Zapotec symbol for the cycle of life, a geometric spiral of steps, each representing a stage of life.
Gutiérrez travels widely giving lectures and demonstrations, and recently co-curated the exhibition “Wrapped in Color: Legacies of the Mexican Sarape,” currently on view at the Arizona State Museum at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He also holds dye workshops at his Ventura studio. PORFIRIOGUTIERREZ.COM.
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Holiday Must-Have
Montecito locals Alex Dessouky and Seth Epstein are making a play to bring relaxation back to midday with their new Ysidro grapefruit sake spritz
Montecito locals Alex Dessouky and Seth Epstein are making a play to bring relaxation back to midday with their new Ysidro grapefruit sake spritz, which is light and refreshing enough for a lunch break but sophisticated enough to slow down and savor. Drinkysidro.com. J.A.
Ysidro is available at Bettina and Merci at the Montecito Country Mart, as well as a subscription delivery online.
Good Trouble
Artist Baret Boisson is a rebel with a cause
Baret Boisson in her Carpinteria studio.
When Baret Boisson first picked up a paintbrush some 20 years ago, she had no idea what to paint. She wanted to depict something inspiring, she says, and she decided on Muhammad Ali, including some of his sayings with her portrait of the boxer. Then she painted Martin Luther King Jr. A couple of canvases of Abraham Lincoln followed. That was the beginning of her Inspiring Greatness series, which now encompasses dozens of important figures in politics, sports, and the arts—Barack Obama, Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman, Billie Holiday, Malala Yousafzai, and Greta Thunberg, among many others. Some of the works are on cigar boxes, a medium that, along with the hand-lettered biographies she includes, accentuates the tactile, colorful folk-art vibe of her painting.
As Boisson’s portraits began to be noticed, she received commissions. The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis asked her to do a special exhibition, for which she created The Nine, multiple large and small panels that pay homage to those killed in a Charleston, South Carolina, church in 2015.
At the time she had just moved to Santa Barbara, a relocation prompted by a visit to a friend and the supportive community she found. “I was wanting to leave Los Angeles,” Boisson remembers, and trying to decide where to go. Europe was one possibility; she’d been born in Florence and spent her teenage years in New York. But in Santa Barbara “I saw an incredible community of women and thought ‘I want that.’ They were intelligent, sophisticated, and well-traveled.”
She now has a live-work studio in Carpinteria, where she paints not only her signature heroes, but also individual portrait commissions (often for weddings) and abstract pieces as well.
About a year ago a woman who had bought an Aretha Franklin cigar-box portrait asked if Boisson would paint one of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The artist depicted the Supreme Court justice in a black robe with a lace collar surrounded by her inspiring life story. “I didn’t think about prints at the time,” she says, but after RBG died, Boisson posted a photograph on Instagram and was surprised by requests for reproductions, which her client graciously allowed.
The high-quality prints (11 x 14 in., $100, and 16 x 20 in., $125) are now available on her website, with a portion of the proceeds going to Planned Parenthood. “It seems like everyone wants to hold on to what RBG represented,” says Boisson. baretboissonart.com. Joan Tapper
Heading North
Paso Robles, California’s Central Coast wine destination, beckons
A two-hour drive north of Santa Barbara, the California Central Coast wine region of Paso Robles is a counterpart to Santa Barbara wine country. In contrast to Santa Barbara County’s vineyard sprawl, Paso boasts a central downtown—a highly hospitable home base from which to explore rural wine-tasting routes, thanks to the skill and passion of the makers, designers, and artists behind its restaurants, bistros, bakeries, bars, breweries, boutiques, wineries, and lodgings. A getaway here presents a multitude of edible and potable delights within walking distance.
Eat With the late-2019 opening of their restaurant, Les Petites Canailles, the husband-wife team of Julien and Courtney Asseo brought French fare to town. With most of his formative years spent in his native France, brief periods in Paso, and a 10-year stretch in Las Vegas, chef Julien moved his family to the Central Coast after working in Michelin-rated kitchens such as those of chefs Joël Robuchon and Guy Savoy. 1215 Spring St., Paso Robles, 805-296-3754, lpcrestaurant.com.
Blending comfort food and craft cocktails—including whimsical whiskey creations by the award-winning bartender Robin Wolf—The Hatch Rotisserie & Bar serves sumptuous wood-fire cuisine. 835 13th St., Paso Robles, 805-221-5727, hatchpasorobles.com.
Scooping cow’s milk ice cream alongside their signature sheep’s milk variations, Negranti Creamery in Paso’s Tin City makers complex lures with such flavors as cinnamon honey and black coffee and chip. 2989 Limestone Way, Paso Robles, 805-369-2663, negranticreamery.com.
Drink Opened in September, The Alchemists’ Garden is a new bar and restaurant fronting Paso’s Downtown City Park. The brainchild of five local hospitality industry pros—Tony Bennett, Andrew Brune, Quin Cody, Alexandra Pellot, and Norin Grancel—the open-late locale features botanically based cocktails crafted with house-made and specifically sourced ingredients, paired with Paso-native chef Danelle Jarzynski’s global menu of thoughtful culinary adventures. One-of-a-kind design elements complement the imaginative food and drink offerings, served in a leafy indoor-outdoor setting. A recently launched, monthly Sunday “Botanical Brunch” might include gluten-free duck poutine, house-cured ocean-trout gravlax toasts, and libations such as “Egyptian’s Breakfast,” the bar’s rendition of a Bloody Mary, or the “Flower Bath,” its take on the sparking classic French 75. 1144 Pine St., Paso Robles, 805-369-2444, alchemistsgarden.com.
Dreaming of exotic escapes? The team behind Eleven Twenty-Two Cocktail Lounge & Speakeasy has helped with the August launch of their Tik-Easy outdoor tiki experience. Wednesday through Sunday, island-inspired bites accompany cocktails that include the requisite frozen versions of the time-tested piña colada and daiquiri, in definitive 1122 style. 1122 Pine St., Paso Robles, 805-238-4141, eleven-twentytwo.com.
Stay, Shop, Play Paso Market Walk is a new downtown public marketplace boasting a dozen food and drink purveyors set among water-wise gardens and grassy commons. It also houses The Lofts: six luxe suites with Paso-style finery and the comforts of home. 1803 Sprint St., Paso Robles, 805-720-1255, pasomarketwalk.com.
The Inn Paradiso provides a refuge for those seeking rustic yet modern, out-of-town overnights. Midcentury furnishings, art, original photography, and antiques mingle eclectically in structures built from old-growth wood and hand-forged metal, on the 2½-acre property complete with six luxury guest accommodations. 975 Mojave Ln., Paso Robles, 805-235-2706, innparadiso.com.
Tetto, the rooftop bar at new downtown hotel, The Piccolo, affords Paso locals and visitors both wine country and city-center vistas. The 24-room boutique hotel shines a custom-crafted chandelier on Paso’s rich history, yet comes equipped with contemporary comforts including design details by local artisans and makers. 600 12th St., Paso Robles, 805-226-5920, thepiccolo.com.
Downtown Paso’s equestrian-inspired portrait of luxury, Hotel Cheval, has a new sibling property just a few blocks away: the Stables Inn, a “Western chic” motel conversion featuring a pod- or family-friendly Bunkhouse. 730 Spring
St., Paso Robles, 805-296-3636, stablesinnpaso.com.
Anna Ferguson-Sparks
Style
Designer Kendall Conrad has created an embossed pendant to benefit Project Zero
Winter Classics
“Covet is a reflection of my personal style and aesthetic, influenced by the uniquely beautiful town of Santa Barbara, where I grew up and live,” says luxe knitter Kate McMahon. “My designs are both feminine and boyish, earthy and refined, unexpected yet familiar.” covetbykate.com.
Turn the Tide
Designer Kendall Conrad has created an embossed pendant to benefit PROJECT ZERO, a global network of scientists, marine activists, and cultural movers and shakers who are working to protect and restore our life-support system—the ocean. Each pendant comes with your own unique maritime coordinates, signifying your adoption of one square kilometer of the seas that Project Zero is working to protect as it steadily makes progress against the climate crisis. KENDALLCONRADDESIGN.COM. WEAREPROJECTZERO.ORG.
A Natural Touch
As technology continues its seemingly relentless pace, our personal comfort resides in the makers movement, a wonderful source for handmade items that add individuality to our everyday lives. The work of textile artist G Roslie is an appealing example. Using natural linen hand dyed with botanical plant and earth pigments, she creates clothing and art designed to inspire quiet reflection.
Originally from California, G and her husband, Ry Roslie, are a self-described nomadic couple who recently relocated here from Colorado. “Santa Barbara is a warm-welcome embrace for the weary soul,” G says. “I’m so grateful to be part of this beautiful community.” They hope to recreate their now-shuttered Denver gallery/boutique, Slo Curio—a popular destination that sold G’s works as well as Ry’s biomorphic light fixtures—somewhere in town. Until they do, G’s items can be found on their websites. groslie.com; slocurio .com. L.D. PORTER