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. The original exhibit was 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.

2018

The hill
near our home cried
but shed so
few tears.
We forgot
to give thanks
for what
we had.

Then came 2019
it rained.
Not in floods
but timed.
Volcan Mountain
the hill with the
yellow road
awoke
to wait for 60 years.
I have wanted
to try to paint
these hills,
to spread their gifts,
their song
in awe
life’s endless gifts.

Purchase the Catalog

Catalog Photos by Laurel Costa

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