California’s long, dry spell came to an end in 2019 when the rains came, not in floods, but in perfectly timed storms that filled our local lakes and ponds and soaked the hills and mountains. In response, the landscape came alive with grasses and flowers, some which hadn’t been seen for decades. Jim Hubbell was inspired to paint these hills around his house, capture their beauty, and share their gifts with the rest of us. “The Year It Rained In Wynola” features a dozen of Hubbell’s magnificent watercolor paintings, along with new works in iron sculpture and stained glass. On exhibit at the Santa Ysabel Art Gallery, the accompanying exhibit catalog is available for purchase, a visual record of the year Wynola drank deeply from the passing clouds.
If you haven’t been to Santa Ysabel Art Gallery yet, you’re missing one of the San Diego region’s most charming experiences. Occupying a small house on the road to Julian, where highways 78 and 79 intersect, the gallery opened 25 years ago and has been home ever since to the works of James Hubbell. Even after James’s major exhibitions, such as “The Year…”, close, a dozen or more of his works occupy a sunlit room in the gallery.
Santa Ysabel Art Gallery is located at 30352 Highway 78 at the intersection of Highway 79 in Santa Ysabel, seven miles below Julian. Gallery hours are Thursday through Monday,11 AM – 5 PM, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. For more information call (760) 765-1676. The exhibit closes this Sunday, March 1, 2020 but you can order the catalog or view some selections below.
