Palisades Artist’s 1st Brush With Art Came at Early Age

Calliope Babu-Khan lives in a white house perched on a Pacific Palisades bluff with a view of the ocean on one side and a sunny gallery on the other. The vivacious, tiny woman spends her days painting, which is something she’s wanted to do since she started scribbling on cafe tables as a little girl in Greece.

This month, her work can be seen with paintings by other members of a venerable organization called Women Painters West at the Downey Museum of Art. Babu-Khan will attend a museum reception, open to the public, from 2 to 4 p.m. today.

Babu-Khan’s mixed-media painting, “A Still-Life Whispered Bird of Paradise,” has been awarded first prize in the exhibit.

“Her work functions on several levels. It is wonderfully academic, showing a strong love of drawing, yet with a playful juxtaposition of materials,” said Downey Museum Director Scott Ward.

Babu-Khan, 62, works mostly in watercolors and acrylics. Her husband, Shafi, said she is a hard worker who never gives up. “She is an unbelievable woman, still striving,” he said. “One day, she will be famous.”

One recent morning, Babu-Khan sat in her gallery sipping jasmine tea and reminiscing about her dream of becoming an artist.

“When I was a little kid in Greece, we lived in a house near the Mediterranean, and I collected pebbles and ground them up into different colors. I love colors. They make me happy.

“I was 22 when I came to the United States to study. I remember arriving in New York, and the lights sparkled on the skyscrapers. And on the left, there was the green Statue of Liberty. The sky was pink. There was this huge moon, and I thought: Is everything bigger in America?”

Dentist Martin Cotler of Pacific Palisades was recently honored with a plaque for 30 years of volunteer service to the Children’s Dental Clinic at Santa Monica Hospital Medical Center.

The dental clinic provides general dentistry for needy children, ages 5 to 18.

Cotler is a member of the American Dental Assn. and is also a fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry.

The Environmental Federation of California has appointed Steve Goldsmith as regional director for Southern California.

Goldsmith, of Santa Monica, has more than 20 years of experience in both the environmental and business communities. His duties will include recruiting and training volunteers for environmental presentations in charity campaigns.