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Budding art studio is in old Bubbles eatery

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For Lisa Rainey, a short move from her previous art gallery to the old Bubbles restaurant and nightclub building was all about getting more space.

She has more room to practice her art with a studio in the back. There are higher ceilings and walls to showcase more of her own and other artists’ work. And there was the visible space of the building, which sees a lot of the visitors coming off the ferry from Balboa Island.

But mostly it was about having space to share — not just with other artists, but also with the community she wants to be a part of.

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“I like the feeling of connections and excitement about art,” Rainey, 34, said. “When I get to display other styles and other people’s artwork there is just an energy and excitement from them.”

Rainey, a Newport Beach resident, hopes that excitement will continue to thrive as she opens her new Rainey Fine Art Gallery at its grand opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday.

Four artists will be part of a group exhibition for the gallery’s opening that will also highlight the architecture of the Bubbles building Rainey is taking over.

Local plein air painter Jeff Sewell is one of the featured artists, and he helped bring other plein air painters Greg LaRock, Carolyn Hesse-Low and Jeff Yeomans.

“I haven’t seen a lot of galleries in the area and wanted the community to be a part of that,” Rainey said.

She first opened a gallery a short distance from her new building a year ago. After she was done with that space, she and her business partner — fiance Brock Morrison — took a look at the Bubbles building and it was a perfect fit.

The building hadn’t been used for about a decade, but was once a high-end restaurant and club revered for its inner stylings when it opened in the 1980s. Rainey is hoping it can be a destination spot once again.

They are opening up a sculpture garden to go with the gallery, which will incorporate small bistro tables, and they will have art on display daily as Rainey works in the back. Rainey also plans to have art walks once a month.

For the grand opening, Rainey is teaming with A la Carte Bistro to cater the event, which will have champagne and appetizers. The public is welcome to come at no charge.

“There will be a lot of pieces that are easy for people to relate to,” Rainey said. “A lot of areas from down here have been represented.”

Rainey Fine Art Gallery’s regular schedule is from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 515 Balboa Blvd., Newport Beach.

For more information, call (949) 673-1382 or go to www.raineyfineart.com.


DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at daniel.tedford@latimes.com.

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