He called seven of his neighbors who are artists, and in three weeks they put together their first show in October. It was up for 10 days and featured about 45 paintings ranging from the human figure to still life and landscapes. They were done in various media — from pen and ink to oils, he said.
“It was an interesting show with a lot of variety,” he said. “The country club seemed happy with the results, and I said let’s plan another show.”
They are now 20 members strong and call themselves the Artists of the Canyons. About half are Delu’s neighbors and the other members come from Burbank, Studio City and Sierra Madre.
And the country club now allows the members to do plein-air painting on the grounds on Mondays when it is closed to golfers, Delu said.
The paintings really add to the ambience of the country club, said Kyle Marshall, the country club’s superintendent.
“Our members and the public love it,” he said. “It sparked interest for the next show. In March, we’ll be showing paintings the group did of Chevy Chase Canyon and the golf course.”
Titled “Chevy Chase Landscapes,” the show will open on March 4, and there will be a reception for the artists on March 7.
What makes the area so interesting to paint are the nooks and crannies created by the canyons and mountain vistas surrounding the country club, said Burbank artist Bruce Trentham.
“It’s a nice area in that it has developed suburbs along with large areas of open space, and that’s interesting for my type of painting — landscapes in pastels,” he said. “To contrast that, there is the country club, which is manicured and more refined as opposed to a wild area of the hillsides.”
The clubhouse has an interesting Spanish architecture, and there is also a variety of architecture in the homes surrounding the country club, he added.
