Arts & Life
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
A painting by John N. Harris of Groveland, Fla. has been chosen as the winner of the 2025 California Duck Stamp Art Contest.
The painting, which depicts a cinnamon teal, will be the official design for the 2025-2026 stamp.
The judging was held at the end of June. The judges were immediately struck by the realism of the painting, almost as if the bird were alive. They noted the spot-on dimensions, specifically the shape of the head, and the perfect, finely detailed feathers.
This attention to detail was also seen in little additions throughout the painting, such as the faint reflection of the teal’s eye in the water, its indistinct leg visible beneath the surface, and the patches of bubbles in the swells.
The watery background, with enough detail to provide an interesting visual element in itself, put the teal center stage, highlighting its cinnamon color and making it pop for a stamp.
Harris, who is now a three-time winner of California’s Duck Stamp Art Contest, was excited for this year’s stamp. He had never painted a cinnamon teal before, though they had been on his radar for some time.
“Over the last few years, we've had a few cinnamon teal overwinter at our local Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, so I was able to observe a couple individuals and take some beautiful photographs of them,” he said. One particular bird, however, caught his eye. “The color was amazing when the sun hit it right and it just glowed. How can an artist have any better inspiration than that? He was an absolute jewel to watch, feeding and jousting with all the local blue wings.”
Harris’s first goal was to make the setting and water as realistic as possible. “I really wanted to make it look like you could just dip your hand right into it,” he said.
Once that was done, he started on the bird. He began with the eye to bring life to the painting and inspire him moving forward. It took a few tries, but he eventually created an eye that looked natural and alive, and the rest of the painting fell into place.
“I knew it was one of my most outstanding waterfowl paintings yet. It will be a great honor to have my artwork help conservation work and protect waterfowl and habitat in the great state of California once again.”
Artists from around the country submitted entries for the contest, sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW.
Frank Dolphens of Omaha, Neb., placed second, Jeffrey Klinefelter of Etna Green, Ind., placed third and Brian Murillo of Norwalk, Iowa, received honorable mention.
The top four paintings will be displayed at the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association’s Annual Classic Wildlife Art Festival in Sacramento July 12-13.
Since 1971, the California Duck Stamp Program’s annual contest has attracted top wildlife artists from around the country. The contest is open to artists from all 50 states in order to ensure a wide pool of submissions. All proceeds generated from stamp sales go directly to waterfowl conservation projects within California.
In the past, hunters were required to purchase and affix the stamp to their hunting licenses. Today, hunters are no longer required to carry the stamps because California’s modern licensing system prints proof of additional fees paid directly onto the license.
However, CDFW still produces the stamps, which can be requested on CDFW’s website at wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/collector-stamps.
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- Written by: Middletown Art Center
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — Middletown Art Center, or MAC, is hosting a retrospective of Alana Clearlake’s art work.
Alongside the solo exhibit in the larger gallery space is a group show Intimate in the smaller gallery at MAC.
The exhibition opens Saturday, July 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. and is free to the public.
Clearlake is an artistic gem hidden in the slopes of Cobb Mountain. She is a prolific artist — a painter, sculptor, jeweler, enamel worker and felt maker. Her work has been published in Craft in America Magazine, and has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the US and internationally. Clearlake has contributed work to every MAC exhibit since it opened in 2015.
Among works featured in the show is Clearlake’s opus work “Hard Rain“ comprising 16 felt painting panels that are a progression of climate conditions and intensity. Spanning just over 17 ft. the piece is a masterful labor of deep concern, and of love of family, and the planet that took her about a year to complete. Her execution of rain, storm, and sea are brilliant, sensitive, and dramatic. The rendering of light and transparency in the opaque medium of felt is striking.
The exhibit also features needle and wet-felted sculptures that integrate natural materials like devils claw, horns, shells, and manzanita. Some hang from the ceiling, while others float on the wall or sit on flat surfaces. Earlier works include colorful enamel sculptures, vessels, and jewelry, as well as watercolors.
The works span 1970 to 2025. The colors are vivid, and the shapes, textures, and organic materials used are a unique synthesis of her consciousness, artistry, and temperament.
The exhibit will be on view through Sept 8, Thursday to Monday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by appointment.
A conversation with artist Alana Clearlake will take place in mid-August, with the date to be announced.
The Middletown Art Center is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging the public in art-making, art education, and art appreciation. It provides a platform for the expression of a plurality of voices and perspectives, fostering an inclusive and accessible space for all.
MAC is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Hwy 29 in Middletown.
To learn more about MAC’s programs, events, and ways to support their efforts to weave arts and culture into the fabric of life in Lake County, visit middletownartcenter.org, text or call 707-355-4465.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — The Middletown Area Merchants Association will present the next in this summer’s series of free movies in Middletown Square Park on Saturday, July 12.
The featured movie is the hit family favorite, “Inside Out 2.”
The movie will be shown beginning at sundown.
Come early to enjoy an evening in Middletown.
Bring chairs, blankets and a picnic to the park at the library and senior center at 21266 Calistoga Road.
Snacks, popcorn and drinks will be available for purchase.
The July movie is sponsored by Star Gardens Nursery and Harbin Hot Springs, and hosted by Lake County Jazzercise.
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- Written by: Tim Riley
‘F1: THE MOVIE’: RATED PG-13
Age is not always a factor in the entertainment business. For instance, William Shatner is in his tenth decade and dealing with health concerns but he’s apparently still active in the industry.
The charismatic Brad Pitt is closing in on being able to collect Social Security benefits and his latest role is that of a race car driver tempting fate. Age is not slowing him down; he hardly looks like someone now in his seventh decade.
Pitt’s Sonny Hayes has seen better days as a racer. Surviving an accident on the track that nearly ended his life and career, Sonny turned into a nomadic racer-for-hire for the past three decades, living out of a crummy van during his travels.
Once a promising Formula 1 racer during the 1990s, Sonny has been dubbed “the greatest that never was,” a perhaps unfortunate portrayal but one that motivates him to seek redemption once former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) convinces him to come back to Formula 1 racing.
While most of the filming’s time is occupied, or so it seems, with heart-pounding Grand Prix racing action, a primary tension comes from the uneasy relationship between Sonny and budding racing star Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), who’s arrogant, cocky, and impetuous but undeniably talented.
Known to have spent his off-track time gambling and never going anywhere without a deck of cards, Sonny’s blithe, rash and self-deprecating attitude that masks his self-confident infallibility would naturally clash with Joshua’s irritation at sharing the track with what he deems a racing dinosaur.
Sonny’s old friend Ruben is the owner of the APXGP team, which is struggling at the track and on the verge of financial collapse unless things get turned around. Ruben must also appease a board of directors, including member Peter Banning (Tobias Menzies), who may have his own agenda.
With his return to the Grand Prix circuit, Sonny must also endure media scrutiny that is dismissive of his abilities. Sonny proves to have a sly sense of humor at a press conference by responding to a series of questions with only one-word answers.
Viewed as an interloper way past his prime, Sonny displays a streak of carefree independence and a stubborn ego that is at once endearing and frustrating, and yet, he eventually wins over the pit crew and the APXGP technical team.
Despite multiple failed marriages and his rebellious reputation, the Brad Pitt charm and winning smile comes into play with Sonny’s flirtation with Kate (Kerry Condon), the team’s technical director in a sport dominated by men.
The romantic angle is a minor subplot, which seems to do nothing more than allow Brad Pitt to exude his sex appeal, and also serves like a short break in the action so that everyone can catch their breath.
Knowing that Sonny is supposed to be the mentor to the reluctant Joshua is central to their relationship, which is rocky and initially fraught with jealousy and contempt. You can probably guess how their rapport on a professional level will eventually evolve.
Sound also plays a major part in conveying the racing thrills. Nothing beats the roar of the engine as the race cars barrel down the track. Adding to the sound mix is the throbbing score by composer Hans Zimmer, which he describes as a hybrid between electronics and orchestra.
“F1: The Movie” is a high-octane spectacle for its thrilling race scenes that dominate the screen, but it is also emotionally charged with the characters of Sonny Hayes and Joshua Pearce working through the travails of being an ostensible team.
One can easily imagine Steve McQueen’s anti-hero persona and his love of auto racing would have once made him perfect casting in the Sonny Hayes role. The same could be said for motorsport enthusiast Paul Newman.
McQueen and Newman played race car drivers in “Le Mans” and “Winning,” respectively, that looked realistic, with some actual race footage during Le Mans in France for the McQueen film.
“F1: The Movie” goes a step further with filming during real Grand Prix weekends to deliver a propulsively authentic racing experience that is arguably unmatched by similar cinematic endeavors.
That Brad Pitt and Damson Idris were trained to drive race cars at speeds up to 200 miles per hour is so amazing that Tom Cruise, master of his own daring stunts in the “Mission: Impossible” films, would be impressed by this feat.
Director Joseph Kosinski wanted to make the best racing movie ever made, knowing his actors would have to drive the cars to be authentic. If nothing else, “F1: The Movie” proves that the director’s mission was successful.
Fans of auto racing will find that the pulse-pounding, gripping thrills of Formula 1 race cars running at top speed are best experienced on the big screen. If ever a film was made for IMAX, “F1: The Movie” stands out as a winner.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
