Pick of the Week….is the fall edition of the Beverly Hills artSHOW this Saturday and Sunday, October 17th and 18th, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in Beverly Gardens Park on Santa Monica Boulevard, from Rodeo Drive to Rexford Drive. This is always a fun weekend, enjoy the the art, the gardens, the sunshine, food trucks, a wine garden and more.

I wrote an article about the event for my column, “Art Hopping with Kathy Leonardo” in the Westside Today. Read article HERE!

Special exhibits include: Drenched, Dehydrated, Driven by Wind: Weather in Art, which will highlight nearly 20 artists portraying dramatic weather conditions in various media, as well as a special 3-D installation that provides an interactive experience in an outer space landscape.

Photographer Michael Lohr, who chronicled the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, will show these startling images, along with other “wild weather” photographs.

Contemporary artist Sona Mirzaei will be showing selections from her new collection “Super Men.” The new series combines pop art, street art, urban art and collage in one capsule.

She explains, “It is all pop culture and images that we have seen over the last century of human civilization. I started this series this year and I think playing piano has got me started thinking differently. Henceforth, I have been going back to figurative, collage, mixed media, dimensional creations that I did in college. To really get the experiment channel working in a totally different direction, being challenged, taking risks, and creating something new that hasn’t been done before is fascinating and makes you feel energized.”Other artists contributing to the Weather feature include painter Carole Steinberg, who will be painting a Southern California storm on site, and Elsie Sims, the accomplished woodcut artist, who will present gale-struck coastlines of California. Susan Handau will use layers of materials and techniques to make a desert-soaked landscape for show visitors, and newcomer Lamar Waters will exhibit his mixed-media paintings depicting drought, drowning and deliverance. Painter Kristin Brin and photographer Ira Meyers exhibit frozen vistas in the chillier category of Arctic Affairs, and jewelry maker Deidre Greene will show her Polar Ice line.

Long-term weather effects are portrayed in the Weathered artworks of three photographers: Roy Kerchkhoffs captures weather-beaten lands from the ocean to the desert; Jen Rosenstein, known for rock and roll photography seen in Rolling Stone, EMI and Vanity Fair; will exhibit landscapes shaped by intensive weather and even disaster. Photographer Zale Richard Rubins, of the City’s Fine Art Commission, depicts gorgeously weathered pieces and places.

A 3-D installation staged by Debi Cable, an exhibitor at Burning Man and Electric Daisy Carnival, will portray Altered Landscapes – Wild Weather on this Planet and Beyond. Be prepared for a meteor shower in this immersive experience.

See installation by Debi Cable

The show features 240 regional and national artists in the fine art categories of Painting, Sculpture, Drawing, Printmaking, Mixed Media and Photography, along with the fine craft categories of Ceramics, Glass and Jewelry. View the complete Artist List for the October 2015 show.

In addition to art, a wine garden, food trucks, a beer garden, live entertainment, and family activities will be offered. All show artists will be on site to talk with visitors about their work. All art is for sale, and patrons come from Southern California and beyond to shop, collect and savor this art-filled weekend.

Category awards and major show awards, including the Best of Show and Most Original Work, will be announced in a Sunday afternoon ceremony, at the show’s center, in front of the Lily Pond.

The 2015 artSHOW sponsors and media partners include: David Frank Design, Engel & Volkers, the LA Weekly, the Los Angeles Art Association, Fabrik Magazine, LA Art Party, Yelp, Whole Foods Market, Paley Center for Media, and the Beverly Hills Conference and Visitor’s Bureau. Food and Beverage support come from Whole Foods Market, Premiere Events, Beck’s Beer and Hint Water. The show’s charitable partner is Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and its sister organization, Healing Art with Kids.

For general information about the October 2015 Beverly Hills artSHOW, visit www.beverlyhills.org/artshow or call (310) 285-6830. For media inquiries, contact Dana Beesen at dbeesen@beverlyhills.org or call (310) 285-2530.