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MODERN IMPRESSIONIST MAGAZINE

I was honored in 2024 to be the subject of an article about my inspiration, edited by Michael Dorogi of the fine art magazine, Modern Impressionist. In it, I explored my different sources of inspiration, particularly the God of Creation, Whose universal artworks I study for my own creations, and Who has provided me with the gifts to do so.

click here for articlehttps://userfiles.faso.us/7221/28020.pdf

Casa Romantica's New Space, The Studio, Connects Resident Artists with the Community

           BY Ashley Ryan

• Jun 18, 2025

Renovations have revitalized this San Clemente cultural center, creating new opportunities for local artists to connect with the Orange County community.

When a landslide tore apart the landscape around Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens more than two years ago, closures allowed staff at the San Clemente landmark to really take a look at the space and what it had to offer the community. One of the biggest changes to come out of the lengthy renovation process, which is still in progress, is the addition of The Studio, an innovative space focused on fostering creativity while also connecting artists with the local community.

“While we had a lot of amazing ideas, we were limited with our budget as we recovered and that made us become really resourceful,” said Kylie Travis, executive director of operations and programming for Casa Romantica. “We wanted to use what we had in art, history and antiques to enhance the guests’ experience and The Studio was added as an additional engagement point for our guests that actively supports our arts community.”

Kylie Travis, executive director of operations and programming, said that The Studio residency program has been well received so far. Photo courtesy of Casa Romantica

Designed to provide space within Casa Romantica for artists to create, showcase their work and interact with the public, the residency-style program began in January with an inaugural exhibition by San Clemente-based landscape artist Rick J. Delanty.

“For our initial launch, we wanted to pilot with an artist that has a strong presence in our art community and a great relationship with Casa Romantica, so it was an obvious choice to pitch the idea to Rick and have him be our inaugural artist,” Travis said. “Moving forward, we are looking for local artists whose work blends seamlessly into the historic nature of the main salon.”

Now, Delanty’s residency has ended and the center is looking ahead with a new exhibition. Through this program, artists are given space not just to create, but also to connect – with the community and with one another. Rather than simply looking ahead, The Studio is helping to shape what’s next in the local arts scene.

A Storied Start

Before the Main Salon reopened in October 2024, the room now known as The Studio was filled with cabinets that held Casa Romantica’s collection of antiques. But, in an effort to put more of its permanent collection on display, many of the heirlooms were relocated to other areas, freeing up space for this new venture.

“We had wanted to add more art spaces throughout the property and it fit in that space very organically. It was like it was meant to be,” Travis said.

Delanty – who has lived in town for the last 50 years and been creating for the same length of time – spent more than three decades teaching drawing and painting classes at San Clemente High School. Now retired, he considers his landscape impressionist works to be a full-time job, making this residency program perfect for his current stage of life.

“When the Casa directors, Jacqui (Groseth, executive director of resource development and administration) and Kylie proposed the concept, I was immediately intrigued by the opportunity to represent my work again at this cultural and artistic center, right here in my hometown and 10 minutes from my own studio,” he said, adding that he instantly began dreaming up landscapes he’d like to explore during his time at Casa Romantica.

From Jan. 24 through June 1, Delanty produced eight original paintings and several drawings, each featuring “some aspect of the Casa, its architecture and gardens,” he said. An opening reception was held at the end of February, with The Studio’s underwriters Mark and Bonnie Larsen in attendance, and Delanty also painted on-site on Fridays, participated in a plein air-themed Family Sunday in May and attended other Casa Romantica events throughout his tenure.

“From the first day in The Studio, I experienced interest and support from everyone I met,” he said. “I had the opportunity to interact with visitors, to discuss the artworks and my process in creating them. As artist-in-residence, I scheduled a once-a-week painting session on the grounds and in the gardens. My experience outdoors at the Casa was similar to plein air painting invitationals in which I have participated, and to teaching – painting while discussing the process.”

In addition to interacting with visitors, Delanty was able to sell artwork during his time in The Studio, displaying pieces he created during his residency as well as before it started. Notably, he sold two large-format paintings, including an award-winning piece from the 2023-2024 PleinAir Salon competition depicting a nearby beach trail and the San Clemente Pier, which sits just below the bluffs where Casa Romantica is perched.

“There was a point where we were selling a few pieces back-to-back, so our artist-in-residence had to keep bringing inventory in, but that is a great challenge for both the artist and the Casa,” Travis said.

Delanty was the ideal choice to get the program up and running, as his position in town has made him a regular visitor and friend of the heritage center over the years. “The Spanish Colonial casa suits perfectly the act of creativity and the art of design,” he said. “I knew from previous shows in the main gallery at the Casa that the cultural center draws visitors from all over the world, and I welcomed the potential cultural, intellectual and artistic interchange.”

PHOTO 1: Landscape artist Rick J. Delanty with an award-winning painting at the opening reception for his inaugural residency at The Studio. PHOTO 2: On Fridays through April and May, Delanty visited Casa Romantica to paint live and interact with visitors. PHOTO 3: A close-up look at some of Delanty’s artwork. PHOTO 4: Delanty with underwriters Mark and Bonnie Larsen during the opening reception. Photos courtesy of Casa Romantica

Passing the Torch

Delanty’s time wrapped up as June began, but Casa Romantica has already been able to see the impact the program is having, not just on the artists but on visitors as well. “It’s been so well received,” Travis said. “Our visitors have shared that they love to have an additional room to take in art and especially like that the artist is working on-site and they can interact with them.”

Residencies are planned to span between two and six months, with no endpoint in sight. The only real stipulation is that the artist puts in time at the center so that guests can meet them and experience their artistic process up close.

Visitors can now undergo a similar journey with Elaine Twiss, a longtime acrylic painter who also lives in town. “The time I have been given at … Casa Romantica hopefully will be used to inspire and bring pleasure to those who view my work, and also to expand my following,” she said, noting that she feels The Studio is the perfect place for her to exhibit her detail-oriented pieces. “The space has character and charm.”

Twiss’ residency kicked off June 10 and will run through Sept. 7, showcasing her ability to present magnified perspectives of everyday objects, from seashells to vintage matchbooks, wine corks, alarm clocks and cherry jars. “The intense detail of objects just seems to jump out at me,” she said. “After discovering realism … I knew that was the path I would pursue.”

Once she has selected her subject, Twiss spends time gathering and arranging the objects before photographing them. It’s from these images that she creates her paintings, incorporating several layers of paint and an extreme attention to detail so as not to make any mistakes. “Using acrylic paint in this way leaves no room for error, as once it is applied it cannot be lifted or removed to make corrections,” Twiss said.

Although she has shown her work at Laguna Beach’s beloved Festival of Arts, as well as several other juried exhibitions and galleries throughout the country, this is her first residency, but she feels just as prepared for the experience as she has for any other. “As a working artist, I feel I must always be prepared to exhibit on short notice because you never know when an opportunity will present itself,” she said. As a self-taught painter, she is honored to help shape the program and hopes to be an influence to those who come after her.

Framing the Future

There’s no doubt that Casa Romantica is in the process of undergoing a transformation, elevating its artistic offerings and overall programming while at the same time enhancing its grounds and interiors. But The Studio serves a unique purpose: helping the community reconnect with art in South Orange County.

While nearby Laguna Beach is filled with galleries and offers world-renowned summer arts festivals, there are few venues where visitors can watch masters at work. The true beauty of this residency lies in its ability to not just highlight artwork and creativity, but to start a conversation and bridge the gap between the artists and the public.

“Our mission is to inspire and educate our community in history, arts and culture and what I love about this new program is that we educate the community by bringing the artist on-site to answer questions and work in front of the public,” Travis said. “So often, artists can be reduced to simply the results of their art and much of their process is not shown. This residency provides our guests with the opportunity to engage … and see the reLative process happen in real time and it is … (an) opportunity for our artists to actively be supported by the community.”

Although The Studio is still relatively new, Travis has already identified ways that these connections can be further developed, from master class workshops to additional evening events with the artist in attendance. “Rick Delanty was so great about bringing the community in. (He) planned paint-outs with local artist groups and visited the site so much. It set a great standard for future artists,” Travis said.

At its heart, The Studio’s artist-in-residence program is a reminder that art isn’t just about creation – it’s about connection. By providing ways to cultivate dialogue between the visitors and the artists, it invites the community into the creative process while inspiring community members to embrace emotion or even their own individuality.

“Art is still about sharing: ideas, culture, personalities, appreciation and awe,” Delanty said. “My experience at The Studio underlines my idea that personal expression can impact others .… There is more gratitude out there than we think there is. Beauty is wherever we look for it.”

The Studio at Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens

When: Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays through Sundays; closed Mondays

Where: 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente

Cost: Included with $8 admission; free for children 12 and under, or for all ages on the first Sunday of the month

Contact: casaromantica.org/exhibitions

From an article in artist/author Christopher Volpe's column, INSIDE ART

1/21/2025

Subject Matter: Why Not?

by Rick J. Delanty

August 2018

                      “Sketch everything, and keep your curiosity fresh.”  --John Singer Sargent

                        “The more I paint, the more I like everything.”   -Jean-Michel Basquiat

As do you, I love to paint. I love nature, the experience of being outdoors. And I love many of the things I see around me, from morning to night: the sky, the light, clouds, people, water, plants, the city.  And then I travel, and see more new things. So I want to paint them all! I usually find my easel set up in front  of a landscape, but not always. There are just so many things to see, to enjoy—life will not be long enough for me to paint all of my ideas!

But wait a second: before I get trigger-happy, perhaps I should consider the advice of those more seasoned than myself when it comes to selecting subject matter to paint. Let’s see: “Paint only in series, to explore a subject thoroughly.”  “You don’t want any failures—only paint what you’re good at.” “Build your brand by painting one thing, so your collectors will know what to expect from you, and buy that.” “Practice so you can build a formula for making a quality product—that way you’ll know exactly what to do every time you come to the easel.”

There’s some wisdom in those words, for those who appreciate routine, want to avoid making mistakes,  are satisfied with their current work and don’t have the need to try anything new. After all, the choice of subject matter is personal, and one could reason—just as in the case of a musician—that the choice of “the wrong song” could end tragically.

I’ve painted the landscape most of my life. It’s not that that subject is part of my “brand,”really. And the subject is so vast that I will never be able to paint it just the way I intend during each and every session.

I must say here that I’m not creating a product, though, but original art. If I’m going to spend my life painting, then I’d like my paintings to mean something. And in each of those paintings I would like there to be more going on than just a rendition of an object, or several objects. How about mood, or emotion, the particular way light plays on a surface, or simply the creation of a striking design? Pierre Bonnard held that , in any painting, “The principal subject is the surface, which has its color and laws over and above those of object.” Edward Hopper left us word that all he “ wanted to do was paint sunlight on the side of a house.” In setting my own course in choosing exactly what to paint, I am beginning to believe that, as Theresa Bayer puts it, “The subject is a means to an end, the end being excellence in artistry.”

When I look at the work of other artists, I am always intrigued not only by what they paint, but how they paint it. It appears that Richard Diebenkorn was curious in that way, too, when he said, “One wants to see the artifice of the thing as well as the subject.” Contemporary artist John Burton echoes the counsel of J.S. Sargent above when he advises the artist to “Draw everything, so you’ll be afraid of nothing.”

You might have seen some of John’s  unusual concept pieces and world-building paintings that he has

created, along with Bryan Mark Taylor’s ideas along those same lines. Both artists produce wonderfully large landscape paintings as well. But it is not so much their subjects that attract, or is the hallmark of their work: it is the years of perfecting their craft that comes through, be it a painting of a space vehicle, or a pinnacle in the wilderness. It’s that confidence from the daily solving of painting problems both technically and intelligently that we see in their works, no matter the subject.  Jim McVicker is another versatile master- artist who comes to mind, and who also paints a variety of subjects: boats, portraits, figures, cityscapes, still lifes, et al. He isn’t afraid to try a new subject beause well,  he’s just not afraid to try it. As Jim has said, “There are a lot of things you could be afraid of in this life, but painting is not one of them.”

When you come to think of it, creating a painting is not a life-and-death matter, on the level of a surgeon operating on a heart, or a weapons specialist defusing a bomb (although I know that I have at times approached blank canvases in this manner). I want to be free within my own mind to try new things, to discover more of the world and why it appears the way that it does. And I also desire to improve my artistry, by expanding my repertoire.

This year I have intentionally done four things in my work as an artist that I have done very little of in the past. I went to New York so I could paint some cityscapes. I returned to watercolor painting as an “adjunct medium” and joined the National Watercolor Society for an upcoming show. I created three large-scale acrylic paintings, the largest I have ever done. And this month I took a still-life painting workshop with the still-life master, Jim McVicker. I am believing that these forays outside my Main Line will have cognitive, instinctive, and technical impacts  across my body of work.

Bottom line: when we choose a subject to begin a painting, there are at least two levels of reality operating. One is the physical subject of the painting that we see (the Model). The other reality is the Design that we feel and create from that subject.  In Art of course, the Design is superior to the Model.  No need to have anxiety about trying a new model, if you can design it the way you wish. At the very least, we could gain information or develop a renewed confidence that could be applied to our larger body of work.

So let’s go—it’s time to try something new!

This painting trip began with an invitation to the 30th Maritime Exhibition, presented by the Coos Art Museum near Coos Bay, Oregon. I was honored to have three of my paintings included in the exhibit. Lynn and I flew from the small Orange County Airport to the smaller airport in North Bend and arrived at the Museum, to enjoy a beautiful show at the historic museum.

The diminutive airport that put us in proximity to the Museum was also carrying us toward three incredible State Parks on Oregon's southwestern coast: Sunset Beach, Shore Acres park, and Cape Arago. We spent several days in a row exploring sites for painting. As we did so, we drank in the se air, the sound of the jays in the branches, and breezes through the trees, and the saturated color of the foliage, flowers, and finery of the Shore Acres rose gardens.

The trip underlined the value of travel: meeting other people who appreciate Life, the experience of new places, and the joy of doing something new and different together. Again I was impressed by the abundance of nature that we have discovered coast to coast, and the life-giving Beauty that I discover everywhere.

LETTER TO A COLLECTOR  (October 2023)

I am so glad this painting is in your home.

Here is a bit of explanation regarding my intended purpose in this painting, and its significance to me.

Inspired by Ephesians 1:3, the painting is about blessings, with an eye to Life’s spiritual aspect, beyond the visible and physical.

________________________________

From a Bible commentary:

The apostle Paul is writing to the Christians in Ephesus so that they may know who they are in Christ. We began this series asking the question about our identity.

Who do you think you are? In our last lesson Paul taught us that we are saints, which means we are set apart from the world and called into relationship with Christ. Christians are also described as full of faith or faithful. The life of the Christian is shown in complete trust in God for all things and in every area of life. This leads us into the next picture of who we are in Christ.

“ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” (Ephesians 1:3–4)

Blessed Be God

Notice that Paul begins with praise for the Father. The Father is worthy of praise and honor. All commendation belongs to the Father. Notice that Paul is blessing the Father because the Father has blessed us with everything spiritual blessing found in the heavenly realms. We praise God because he has benefited us with every spiritual blessing and every spiritual benefit necessary for our spiritual well-being. We are so easily earthly focused. Paul wants us to see the riches of the blessings that we have. The blessings that we truly need are not cars, wealth, and possessions. Our spiritual well-being is on the line. We are condemned sinners in the hands of the God who judges justly. We are worthy of God’s wrath upon us for our disobedience. But praise be to God that he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that provides for our spiritual well-being. God is blessed because we are blessed right now with every benefit that comes from God. We must put our eyes to the spiritual realms and see what the Father is bestowing upon us. Therefore, our highest response to all this must be to hold our gifts up to God in praise and thanksgiving. I want to notice something very important. Our blessings reside in Christ. These blessings are not found outside of a relationship with Christ. Becoming saints is critical for without being in relationship with Christ, then we are not blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.

_____________________________

How does your painting “Heavenlies” relate to these spiritual blessings?

The painting pictures two worlds, physical and spiritual—a path leads from the physical and beyond it , into the heavens.

The trees represent the family of man, not static, but changing, and even being buffeted by winds (of war, of change, of aging, of life’s circumstances).

Overall is the blue and clouds of heaven, from which those trees receive sun, light, and rain. The heavens have what the trees need, but for the soil in which they are planted.

That “soil” is faith in the One Who provides, without which “blessings from heaven” would have no effect.

On the surface, the painting pictures Calafia State Park—to me, it pictures our relationship as believers to our Saviour and provider of all that we need.

3/24/2022 3:15:44 AM

Rick J. Delanty new ARC Associate Living Master by the Art Renewal Center

The basic foundation for my entire body of work is Romans 1: 19-20--^" For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made."

In the rocks, the star, the sun, the wind, one may see the divine attributes of God. The world was made by the Lord the Creator, for us. It is that natural fact that I celebrate in my worldly creations, that represent--for me, His supernatural creations, certain existence, and love for me.

I have listened to this song by artist Amanda Cook several times over the year, and find inspiration in it not only for my work, but for my life. You may find it inspiring, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwYuKlbk6BQ