Wrecked home reveals riches

Barbara Diamond

Every cloud has a silver lining, according to the old saw.

If the cloud is painted by Joseph Kleitsch, the silver lining is

apt to be worth thousands of dollars.

Plein-air artist Kleitsch (1885-1931) was a leading light in the

West Coast plein-air movement when Laguna was the epicenter of

California Impressionism in the early 20th century.

He was a founder in 1918 of the Laguna Beach Art Association,

which evolved into the Laguna Art Museum. A painting plucked a few

days after the June 1 landslide from the ravaged home of Delores and

Alberto “Al” Trevino has been identified as “Evening Shadow,”

probably painted by Kleitsch in 1923 when he lived in Laguna Beach.

The Trevinos didn’t know the 3-by-4-foot painting that hung on

their living room wall for 20 years was by the hand of a master.

“We bought it because it was a large painting of the Mission in

San Juan,” Trevino said. “We are all fond of the mission. Everyone in

South County is fond of that mission, but we have visited all of

them.”

Ray Redfern of Redfern Gallery, an expert on historical plein-air

art, made the identification. The painting could be worth up to

$500,000, a boon to the Trevino family whose Madison Place home is

perched precariously on the edge of the Flamingo Road slide.

The home is red/black-tagged, a new city designation meaning

occupancy is prohibited now, but might be possible in the future.

Trevino built the home in the early 1960s. It weathered the nearby

1978 Bluebird Canyon slide and sheltered the Trevino’s 11 children.

The Trevinos recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary

there.

The first inkling of the painting’s value came from the Trevinos’

neighbor Pam Hagen, an artist. She and her husband helped the

Trevinos recover some of the personal belongings from their damaged

home.

Only two people were allowed in the house at a time because of the

instability after the slide, so Hagen and her husband stood outside

to gather Trevino family treasures as they were handed out. The items

were stashed in trash containers and wheeled to a safe area down the

street, then unloaded onto a truck

Two paintings were hand-carried to the Hagen home for safekeeping.

One was a Trevino family portrait, the other a painting of Mission

San Juan Capistrano. It was there that Hagen got a good look at the

signature of the painter and did some research on the Internet.

“If I had ever seen the painting before, I would have known it was

important,” said Hagen, an artist. “I have mimicked [Kleitsch’s] work

to learn from him.”

Only then did she call Trevino to ask about the painting. He said

he and his wife had picked it up some years ago. She suggested he get

the painting appraised, and a call was placed to Redfern.

“It was like giving them the best possible gift at the exact best

time,” Hagen said.

Redfern is donating his services to assist the family in selling

the painting. Keeping it would entail immense insurance, if they

could get it, tight security and climate control, according to

Trevino.

The painting is being stored at the Laguna Art Museum, currently

in Director Bolton Colburn’s office, Trevino said.