John Hankins

A sculptor's work fits right in at Libbey Park with the Ojai Post Office tower in the background. About 70 artists from all over Ventura County and beyond are expected this year on May 24 and 25. (Photo by John Hankins)

Tina O'Brien

Tina O'Brien's whole family has found a love for the sport of surfing, and Tina has incoporated that allure to her art. Shown is "Surfer's Point," an oil painting that will be featured at Ojai's Art in the Park event May 24 and 25.

Come on downtown to Ojai's Libbey Park May 24 and 25 and you'll see wonderful art in many forms and hear live music under the oaks during the 31st annual Art in the Park event.

This "fine art in a fine place" has a long-lived success that shows how popular it is with the public and the artists, many of whom come back year after year to show and sell their creative works.

"The festival is in a beautiful place, just gorgeous and the people are very friendly. The community really admires art," said Larisa Thaney of Camarillo, who has shown her unique collages made from all natural materials for four years at the Ojai event.

Michael Moss of Ventura is another fan who for six years has displayed his unique stone jewelry there because of "the camaraderie of the artists, their enthusiastic participation and the quality of the art."

Another artist, David Blackburn, particularly likes the Ojai show because "it's a nice atmosphere, a nice venue and I'm really pleased with the response." Blackburn specializes in furniture and boxes with inlays.

The show is the perfect time to acquire quality art for your home or, in the case of jewelry, your body. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday and the music plays from noon to closing each day at the gazebo.

This is a juried art show and sale that includes works in oil, acrylic, glass, pastel, watercolor, mixed media, graphics, wood, photography, sculpture, ceramics and fine jewelry. An added treat this year is an after-show music event featuring guitarists Andrew Jackson, John Batdorf and Thomas Leeb, from 7:30 p.m. on at Libbey Bowl. Cost is only $15.

The show was started in 1977 by an Ojai artist, Richard Stein, to "highlight the spirit that personifies art in its many forms in Ojai," said event coordinator Teri Mettala. Stein has since gained national status while the show has also gained enough cache to draw artists from throughout the state. Yet it still retains its unique local Ojai flavor as the majority or the artists are from the local area.

For this year, there are artists from as far away as Mesquite in Nevada and within California from Alameda and Pacific Palisades and of course all throughout Ventura County.