B.W. COOK -- The Crowd

*B.W. COOK’S column appears Thursdays and Saturdays.

Marion and Lula Halfacre, the husband and wife team behind Traditional

Jewelers in Fashion Island, opened their posh retail establishment after

hours last week -- not to showcase their jewelry but rather to become a

stylish gallery for the art of Ilona Primas.

The works on display in Newport Beach were inspired by the artist’s

experiences while living in Japan with her diplomat husband, Gunther

Primas, who is now the Austrian consul general assigned to Los Angeles.

Ilona Primas’ pieces are contemporary, mixed-media creations varying

in size from small to quite grand and formidable. They express her

interpretation of old Japan meeting the new century. Composed of gold

leaf, a variety of Japanese paper and acrylic paints, her art appears

subtle yet has an explosive quality rich with imagery and texture in

relief that is quite three-dimensional, even on the flat surface of a

canvas.

The reception, hosted by the Halfacres, was presented by the Orange

County Office of Protocol as an extension of its hospitality in this

region. The protocol office’s foundation is primarily involved in the

expansion of local business within the framework of international

development.

The evening, however, was not about business; its focus was art and

culture.

Guest of honor Ilona Primas looked smashing in a long, flowing,

Indian-inspired summer gown of turquoise silk gauze. She wore massive

sterling jewelry, accented with enormous blue topaz stones.

“My husband brought me these pieces from a recent trip to Mexico,”

explained the artist, whose work has been exhibited from Austria to

Japan, Portugal and here in America.

In the crowd, more than 150 guests representing the protocol

foundation sipped summer wine and nibbled fresh fruit and cheese. They

included glamorous Orange Coast resident Eva Schneider and her husband

Fred, along with Ann Marie Ballin, Susan Beechner, Milton and Jane Grier

and Ethel and Joe Hunt.

Ilona and Gunther Primas will depart Los Angeles soon, returning to

Austria for his new diplomatic assignment.

Perhaps the artist will create canvases dealing with her personal

vision of Southern California.

* * *

The Orange County Rescue Mission will host its annual dinner gala

tonight at Donna and John Crean’s Newport Beach estate known, of course,

as The Village Crean. The dinner and auction will raise funds to benefit

the Orange County Rescue Mission’s “Operation Hope.”