Cal Lutheran exhibit features alumni art
"Building Blocks," a painted bronze sculpture by Glen Tarnowski.
"Building Blocks," a painted bronze sculpture by Glen Tarnowski.
Graduates span 5 decades and work in various media

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University is exhibiting a collection of art by alumni in honor of a 50th-reunion celebration for its first two graduating classes.

“Coming Home: Alumni Art Exhibit” opens Thursday, Oct. 16, and continues through Thursday, Jan. 8, in the William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art on the Thousand Oaks campus.A giant, winding, interactive tunnel sculpture by Grant Toland ’06 of Ventura will be installed outdoors from Oct. 6 through Nov. 8.

Several of the artists will discuss their work during a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17. The opening was scheduled to coincide with Homecoming and Family Weekend, when alumni will return to campus and members of the Classes of 1964 and 1965 will celebrate the 50th anniversaries of their commencements.

The exhibit features a variety of works by alumni who graduated between 1965 and 2009. Michael Lynn Adams ’72 of Woodland Hills has exhibited his paintings throughout the world, including at Salon International and Oil Painters of America National.Samantha Fried ’06 of Calabasas paints everyday scenes ranging from children at play to a woman window-shopping.Craig Fulladosa ’79 of Palmdale specializes in ceramics with natural colors and incised decorations and is also a photographer and graphic artist.

Ben Hengst ’07 of Thousand Oaks is a classical figurative painter who earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at the New York Academy of Art. His father, Timothy Hengst ’72 of Thousand Oaks, uses Adobe Photoshop to explore color, texture, transparency and the interplay of images in his original photographs. James Huchthausen ’65 of Cambria works with fused and stained glass, and his pieces can be found in galleries across the United States and in the United Kingdom.

Abstract artist Margaret Knight ’98 of Tustin creates acrylic paintings and photographs in a style she characterizes as chaotic, raw and unedited. The works of glass artist John Luebtow ’67 of Chatsworth have been exhibited in the Detroit Institute of the Arts and the Los Angeles County and Tucson museums of art. Christopher Marshall ’03 received a Master of Fine Arts in painting from the New York Academy of Art and now works out of a studio in Brooklyn.

Catherine Ferguson Miller ’80 of Newbury Park submitted a painting of the view from outside Cal Lutheran’s art building that she created as a student. Shelly Moore ’06, a Thousand Oaks resident whose work has appeared in the American Museum of Ceramic Art, sculpts clay busts with incomplete heads. Mixed media artist Paul Neuhaus ’83, a Minneapolis architect, creates drawings with both two- and three-dimensional appearances and uses architectural materials in art.

Linda Lindberg-Van Nortwick ’83 of Rolling Hills paints horses, flowers and Scandinavian figures on the earthenware platters and bowls she creates. Andrea Pappas ’05 of Thousand Oaks works in a variety of mediums, and the exhibit features several of her block prints. The allegorical works of painter and sculptor Glen Tarnowski ’83 of San Clemente are in many permanent collections including the national galleries of Victoria and Australia.

The Rev. Gregory Uthus ’75, pastor of Hill Avenue Grace Lutheran Church in Pasadena, is a painter and sculptor. Carol Virak ’66, who owns a gallery in Washington, will have a series of acrylic paintings and a graphite-and-pastel drawing featuring swans in the exhibit. Figurative artist Aihua Zhou ’09, who was born in Beijing and now lives in Thousand Oaks, creates plaster and bronze statues and pastel, charcoal and pencil drawings.

Rachel T. Schmid curated the exhibit. University Advancement, Alumni and Parent Relations, and the Ann Peppers Foundation Arts Education Series are sponsoring the free exhibit and reception.

The gallery, which is located in William Rolland Stadium at 160 Overton Court, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 805-493-3697 or email rollandgallery@callutheran.edu.