Ragland paintings chosen for San Diego County Fair show

RAINBOW – Natasha and Jack Ragland said they were pleased that the San Diego County Fair at Del Mar opened this year after being closed for three years with the Covid pandemic. They were fortunate enough to each get three works juried into the show, which had approximately 2400 entries, and about 600 are selected for the exhibition space. These pieces were all created during the shutdown as inspirational treasure mapping while waiting for the ordeal to be over with.

Natasha enjoyed the weekly drive to her piano student Mary’s home on Wilt Road, which is now being sold. “Natasha composing with Havi Shanti” is a typical scene with her companion cat at the piano. “Folklorico at River Village” depicts dancers that Natasha knew as her music students who performed at the Avocado Festival, but she set them in the context of River Village, Bonsall, where she now plays piano at Peking Wok Restaurant on Friday nights.

Jack painted “Santa Margarita Sunset” to commemorate the purity of the river with the water birds as a symbol of freedom and vitality. “Balboa Reflections at Sunset” is a memory of the ducks swimming through the lily pads at the magical time of day. “El Gallo” is a portrait of one of the neighbor’s roosters who comes over the fence to scratch around in the roses looking for bugs and worms while chasing the hens around. Seeing the joy of the chickens is worth the mess they leave on the tile walkway.

Submitted by Natasha Ragland.