SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS : Artists Invited to ‘Paint-Out’ at Park

Local artists are invited to a Thursday “paint-out” at Malibu Creek State Park aimed at promoting awareness of the scenery and history of the Santa Monica Mountains.

At the event, scheduled for 9 a.m., artists will have an opportunity to paint streams swollen by recent rains, the spring’s first wildflowers, and sweeping vistas of mountains and meadows, said Garrie Mar of the Mountains Conservancy Foundation, co-sponsor with Allied Artists of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Noting that 19th-Century painters influenced decisions by Congress to save Yellowstone, Yosemite and other great national parks, the foundation formed the artists group to raise awareness of the Santa Monicas. The artists “become very good promoters of the Santa Monica Mountains,” Mar said.