Pasadena Museum of California Art

Joy, Richard Schmid, Pasadena Museum of Californa Art

This small gem of a museum must be the best kept secret in Pasadena, maybe in all of California. My cousin, who lives in Pasadena, had never heard of it. But, let me just shout it from the rooftops: the Pasadena Museum of Californai Art is a great museum and worth a special trip to see it!

This month, the main exhibit is the 100th annual Gold Medal Juried show of the California Art Club. Modern masters, whos artwork wins competitions, ribbons, and graces the pages of the top art magazines, these artists had artwork in this show. I walked around the exhibit like an over excited child "Ooh, pretty" as one painting caught my eye from across the room. Then, a mere turn of my head and another captured my attention. I collected names of masters whose workshops I will look for and take as soon as I can. 

And, I had about 20 minutes to just stare and study Richard Schmid's painting "Joy" as you see in the photograph above. The light, the ease of brushwork, the detail without really being detail, but just a fold of paint, a touch of palette knife, wow!!! 

I'm gushing. But, this show was gush-worthy.