The painted garden

Young Chang

For Tim Clarke, a Capistrano Beach painter, the beauty of Sherman

Library and Gardens in Corona del Mar has served as a muse.

It has inspired him to place different palettes of light and sights on

his canvas as early as 25 years ago, when he first started painting

there. Over time, it has become a physical benchmark to which he keeps

coming back to check his progress.

And when he’s away -- in Italy, France or Germany, for example --

Clarke compares foreign forms of beauty with his muse.

Today, he zooms in on Spain. His current exhibit marks the local

garden’s 35th anniversary and will hang in Cafe Jardin through April 18.

Titled “Paintings of Sherman Gardens and Andalusia Spain,” the show is an

innovative comparison of two not-often juxtaposed places.

Without looking at the titles, the 35 works done in watercolors and

oils don’t immediately give away whether the scene is of Spain or Corona

del Mar. Paintings depict Spanish architecture created under Moorish and

Persian rule, the mood of a Spanish bar, even chubby stone cherubs atop

doorways in little Spanish villages.

Local images include the “Sherman Gardens Passageway,” which will be

recognizable for most visitors, the garden’s flowers, cafe and even its

miniature Far East-style bridge over a micro-stream.

“The quality of light is similar,” Clarke, 49, said of the two worlds

set oceans apart. “When an artist talks about the quality of light,

they’re not just talking about the intensity or the color, but the angle

on which it slides in and hits the land.”

Andalusia and Sherman Gardens also share a cleanliness of air, he

added, a warm sun and a versatile sky that changes color depending on the

mood of the sun.

“It’s a comparison. It’s kinda fun isn’t it?” Clarke asked. “Sherman

Gardens was built from a Spanish model and inspired by Spanish

architecture and gardens, so to paint Sherman Gardens and then to paint

Spain makes sense. It’s kinda like a movie star paying homage to an actor

in a film.”

Wade Roberts, director of the garden since it first opened 35 years

ago, understands why painters, poets, writers and other artistic types

like to produce their work here.

“It’s really an oasis of beauty,” he said. “We’re very unique in that

it’s a very fine-tuned horticultural display garden and not just a

collection of plants.”

The location’s subtlety also adds to its intrigue.

“We’re known around the world and we’re listed and so forth, but we’re

kind of a secret place because it’s not as easy to get into as some of

the places in the middle of Anaheim, and maybe that’s good,” Roberts

added.

Founded in 1966 by Arnold D. Haskell, the garden was named after Moses

Hazeltine Sherman, a central figure in earlier Southern California times

who was integral in forming the Los Angeles Consolidated Electric

Company.

The library was built to house the history of Southern California

dating back between 100 and 120 years.

For Clarke, the library, the garden and the few, quiet visitors all

contribute to making Sherman Gardens his version of a local studio.

Traveling away, in turn, makes his arrival home that much more

significant.

“When you come back home, you see your home maybe for the first time,”

he said.

Today he small-talks with the garden’s caretakers -- Wade, John,

Gabriel and Curt -- who have worked there about 15 to 20 years. He said

he’s painted every square inch of the “magical” property from every

angle.

“I can go there and be in incredible peace, which is conducive to

painting,” he said. “And it is one of the most beautiful places in

Southern California, which is conducive to painting. And once I get

there, I feel I have no excuse except to paint, which is conducive to

painting.”

FYI

WHAT: “Paintings of Sherman Gardens and Andalusia Spain”

WHERE: Sherman Library and Gardens, 2647 E. Coast Highway, Corona del

Mar

WHEN: 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day

COST: Free to view exhibition, garden entrance admission is $3 for

adults, $1 for children between 12 and 16, free for children under 12.

CALL: (949) 673-2261