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See Santa Barbara’s iconic natural spaces through the eyes of the artists who have played an integral role in saving them.
Artists have long been outspoken advocates in the fight to preserve Santa Barbara’s natural spaces. The Oak Group, a collective of artists, uses their paintings to raise awareness and funds for conservation efforts. Some of these paintings were created years ago, but because of their persistent advocacy, the scenes that inspired their artwork remain largely unchanged today.
Carpinteria Bluffs
Along with a coalition of organizations including the Citizens for Carpinteria Bluffs and the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, the Oak Group has been advocating for the bluffs for decades.
When Oak Group co-founder Arturo Tello first began attending planning meetings for the Carpinteria Bluffs, he noticed that prospective developers would present their plans on posters in the back of the room. He started bringing paintings of the beautiful bluffs and placed them next to the development plans to show what would be lost if developers were allowed to build.
In 1998, the coalition raised over $4 million, and the Land Trust purchased about 50 acres. In 2016, the Land Trust purchased an additional 21 acres. There are still about 30 acres of unprotected land that remain open to development, and Carpinteria residents continue their fight to preserve it.
Arturo Tello, Artists Passage, Carpinteria Bluffs, 1990, oil over acrylic. – Courtesy of Arturo Tello
“There was a certain poignancy to painting a place that was in danger of being lost,” Arturo Trello says. “And now, there's a different kind of poignancy when I paint a place that has been preserved in perpetuity.”
See for yourself: You can reach the Carpinteria Bluffs trails through the parking lot at the end of Bailard Avenue or the parking lot at Viola Fields.
Gaviota Coast
One of the last unprotected and undeveloped pieces of coastline in Southern California, the 76-mile and 200-acre Gaviota Coast is a priority for a number of conservation groups. The Oak Group held three shows to benefit the Gaviota Creek restoration project in 2019 and 2020.
Ann Sanders, Gaviota Coast, 2019, pastel. – Courtesy of Ann Sanders
“The location is Molino Canyon. The place represents unspoiled coast to me, a treasure in our neighborhood.”
See for yourself: At the El Capitan, Refugio, and Gaviota State Parks, you can enjoy the area’s pristine beaches. From Gaviota State Park, you can hike to Gaviota Peak.
More Mesa
A 300-acre open space comprising coastal bluffs and oak woodlands, More Mesa is near and dear to the many community members who hike, cycle, ride horses, and go birding here. Most of More Mesa is owned by a private investor and remains vulnerable to development, but the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County was able to purchase and preserve 36 acres in 1991. The community is still working to purchase the remaining 264 acres to prevent future development.
See for yourself: The east entrance to More Mesa is at 1095 Mockingbird Lane, and the west entrance at 5200 Shoreline Drive.
Linda Mutti, More Mesa Treasure, 2021, pastel
“More Mesa is a gorgeous open space that I love to explore. My daughter and I were walking and bird watching there a few years ago. In one direction you can see and smell the ocean, while in the other direction you are faced with the stunning mountains. When my daughter stopped to talk to fellow walkers, I turned and saw the most beautiful scene. I knew I had to paint it.”
San Marcos Foothills
This 300-acre open space located between the Los Padres National Forest and both Santa Barbara and Goleta provides panoramic views of the coastline and the mountains. The County of Santa Barbara preserved 200 acres in 2005, and in 2021, community members and conservation groups including the Oak Group raised $18 million in three months to save the remaining 100 acres from development.
See for yourself: The primary public access point is located at the end of Via Gaitero Road.
Rick Garcia, Mustard Glow at the San Marcos Foothills, 2022, oil on board
“San Marcos Foothills was one of those places I just happened upon when I first moved to Santa Barbara back in ’82, so I’ve seen it through many variations of seasons. Seeing it as green as it was in ’22 was a nice change after many years of drought. I was very glad we were able to help preserve it from development. Painting a location really helps create an emotional bond between myself and the land, and I hope it shows in the finished work.”
Douglas Family Preserve
These 70 acres of undeveloped meadows and cliffs overlooking the beach were once known as the Wilcox Property, because this was the site of the Wilcox Nursery from 1949 to 1972. It almost became a resort and residential community. But in 1996, after Santa Barbara residents rallied to raise $2 million, the Trust for Public Land purchased the land and named it Douglas Family Preserve in honor of actor, producer, and UCSB graduate Michael Douglas, who gave a substantial donation to the effort.
See for yourself: Enter from Arroyo Burro Beach or Borton Drive.
Skip Smith, Path of Freedom, 2004, oil
“This specific location describes the entrance to the park — the initial impact you have as you enter. I viewed this place with amazement because the community of Santa Barbara had rallied, fought, and won a many-year battle to raise awareness and funding and votes for its protection.”
Arroyo Hondo
The 782-acre canyon, which lies between Refugio State Beach and Gaviota State Park, is rich in biodiversity. The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County purchased the land from the Hollister and Chamberlain families in 2001 and still manages it, carrying out restoration work to preserve native plants and ecosystems. Oak Group artists and spouses John Iwerks and Chris Chapman were preserve managers at Arroyo Hondo shortly after its purchase.
See for yourself: Open on the first and third weekends of each month; reservations are free but required at sblandtrust.org.
John Iwerks, Last Light, Arroyo Hondo, 2004, oil
“Arroyo Hondo is a deep canyon bounded by coastal hills on both sides. Shadows linger long both morning and evening due to the topography. Chris and I were the first preserve managers at Arroyo Hondo Preserve, so we lived there from 2002 to 2005. My studio was within the barn, which was just a few feet away from this view. Each evening I would see this cast shadow rising on the east slope as the sun went down over the west slope, so my motivation was an everyday experience, our home environment.”
Sedgwick Reserve
The namesake of this former ranch, Duke Sedgwick, purchased the land in 1952. The Oak Group and other conservationists launched the “Save the Sedgwick” campaign in the early 1990s to buy the land from heirs and donate it to UCSB. The 6,000-acre ranch is now a conserved space, as well as a research and educational facility, managed by UCSB.
See for yourself: Open to the public through scheduled events. Researchers and educators can make reservations to visit.
Chris Chapman, Figueroa Canyon, 2022, oil on canvas
“I have painted different views along that road in every season over many years. Revisiting heightens one's awareness of all the changes, in color, clouds, heat, frost, winds, rain, and snowy mountains. It makes me feel grateful and alive. The process is an homage, a discipline, and a sport — racing light, keeping upright, and not dropping the gear you have carried.”
Goleta Slough
The Goleta Slough Ecological Reserve is 440 acres of estuary and wetlands that leads into Goleta Beach. It is a designated State Marine Conservation Area and Environmentally Sensitive Habitat and is home to numerous endangered and threatened species.
See for yourself: There are a number of trails from which you can catch a view of the slough. From Goleta Beach County Park, take the Obern Bike Path or Fairview Bike Path going north.
Marcia Burtt, Sunrise, Goleta Slough, 1998, acrylic
“Stunning or subtle, looking in any direction, on days of sunshine, fog, storm, or calm, at any season or any time of day, and during any phase of the moon or tide, there is something at Goleta Slough calling out to be captured. … Like affection for anything we love, the more we observe and attend to it, the more our love grows. I’ve been fortunate enough to have spent many hundreds of days standing and looking, watching migrating birds, seasonal changes of plants on the bluffs, the effects of king tides and storms, the moonrise move surprisingly from behind eucalyptus trees to the northeast one month and way out over the water to the southeast another time.”
Upcycle Trash Into Sustainable Art
If you’re interested in bringing an easel out to one of Santa Barbara’s nature preserves, you can find secondhand and recycled supplies at Art From Scrap. You can also donate materials you want to get rid of.
