Los Olivos is well known as one of the finest art colonies on the West Coast. It has a number of first-rate galleries, featuring the best artists in every discipline. We suggest that you plan a day to stroll through the Los Olivos galleries and shops, many of which are housed in quaint, Victorian buildings lining the wide streets. You may find the perfect work of art to give to “that special someone,” or you may decide to treat yourself to a gift that will last a lifetime.
If you are interested in the art of fine wines, and sampling them, you’re sure to enjoy the many wine tasting rooms in Los Olivos.Click here for more about them in “Tasting Rooms of the Santa Ynez Valley.”

Gallery Los Olivos
www.GalleryLosOlivos.com
  You should definitely make plans to visit Gallery Los Olivos.  Gallery Los Olivos was founded in 1992 and is an incorporated group of over forty member artists from Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties. The gallery is located at 2920 Grand Avenue, in the center of town, and is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
  Gallery Los Olivos will celebrate spring this year by exhibiting an exciting collection of works done on location by its artists. Spotlighting the celebration is a “Featured Artists” show in the front gallery, showcasing recent paintings by eight of the gallery’s artists, done on location in our surrounding area.  The public is invited to a reception with the artists on Saturday, April 3 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
  Since 1992, the gallery has become known for its wide collection of art that includes plein air works, but has never staged an exhibit exclusively of works done on location.  Sheryl Knight, President of Gallery Los Olivos and a plein air artist herself, explained why she feels this show will appeal to gallery visitors: “In painting plein air, you are outdoors painting directly from nature, trying to capture the true effects of color and light.  You paint intuitively, responding to what you are seeing.  There is an emotional connection you feel as you translate what you are seeing onto your canvas or paper. With the endless subject matter in Santa Barbara County and the surrounding areas, we feel our visitors will share that emotional connection through our art.”
  The Featured Artists show will display a variety of media and artistic approaches:
 Jim Dow “works in watercolor and oil, and has a bright and colorful representational style. His work frequently is based on subjects from his travels to other countries; this show is an opportunity to see his treatment of local scenes.”
 Theresa Griswold likes to “depict a mood or story in a simple and colorful expression of how she sees the subject.  She uses the limitless shades of color to explore all the nuances of light and shadows found out of doors.” (www.theresagriswold.com)
Sheryl Knight produces “impressionistic oils reflecting clarity, simplicity, and a unique way of capturing the light, the mood of the scene, and the feelings of the moment. Her favorite subjects include vineyards, pastures, seascapes, and architecture.” (www.sherylknight.com)
   Martha Inman Lorch has a “love of the shape and texture of architecture, both natural and constructed, which is evident in her watercolors.  Painting local subjects as well as scenes from her extensive travels, she imbues her work with a strong sense of place.” (www.mperspectives.com/art)
   Linda Mutti “paints rich, vibrant landscapes in pastel and oil. Paintings in this exhibit highlight her passion for interpreting the golden light of the California coast.   “(www.lindamutti.com)
  Mirella Z. Olson “is known for her brilliant watercolors and dramatic plein air oil landscapes.  Her work reflects passion for life and celebrates the exuberance of nature’s color.” (www.mzolson.com)
   Cheryl Rodgers “thinks of her plein air paintings as impressions of the natural world. These impressions are a snapshot of a moment in time, allowing the viewer to connect with a similar experience.”
   B.J. Stapen, an oil painter, “combines classical California Impressionist traditions with contemporary perspectives. Her warm, vibrant colors draw attention to
nature’s beauty.” (www.bjstapen.com)
   The rest of the gallery will be celebrating  the Plein Air show as well–look for the Plein Air Celebration signs throughout the gallery.

They also carry a selection of hats, as well as unique accessories.
  The most recent addition are unique handbags by Jayne Behman, an artist whose works are collected worldwide (www.jaynebehman.com).
Carol and Barbara have been in business since 1996, and their success has a lot to do with their personal attention to every detail of the clothing and art they offer (hence the name “Details”). Exquisite ensembles, divine accessories–you must drop in to see the latest. This is  the perfect place to find art and apparel you’ll treasure.
  Across the street from Details, you’ll see a quaint building with a sign on the front reading “Consumable Art.” This is Los Olivos Tasting Room and Wine Shop–California’s first independent tasting room.

Los Olivos Tasting Room &  Wine Shop
www.losoolivoswines.com
  This tasting room represents the “artistic creations” of many wineries and winemakers in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties that do not have their own tasting rooms. You can learn more about them in the Tasting Rooms tour by clicking here.
  From Los Olivos Tasting Room, turn right and cross the street at the corner. Look to your left after you pass the flower shop to find Carina Cellars.

Carina Cellars
www.carinacellars.com
  This tasting room features local artists. Currently you can see the evocative landscapes, scenes and flower photographs of George Wright. Learn more about Carina Cellars in the Tasting Rooms tour by clicking here.
  

DRIVING TOUR
Now that you’ve completed walking around the village of Los Olivos, hop back into your car to visit more local attractions.

Alamo Pintado Equine Center
www.platinumperformance.com
  The Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center on Santa Barbara Avenue near Los Olivos, is renowned for founder Dr. Doug Herthel’s revolutionary treatments of equine lameness and other disorders. Some of Herthel’s procedures are now being used in human medicine. Herthel also developed a nutritional supplement called Platinum Performance to help horses recovering from injuries or illness.  He came up with a supplement to significantly decrease horses’ recovery times and to greatly benefit their overall health. 

  The owners and trainers of some of these horses were so impressed that they asked Herthel to develop a version of the supplement for human consumption, which he did.
Then he developed a tasty Omega-3 Nutrition Bar, which is now also available in a Sunflower Chocolate Chip flavor, as well as Strawberry Crisp, Blueberry Crisp and Cranberry Crisp.
  The supplement and bars have been used by Olympic athletes, marathon runners and cyclists, and can be purchased either from their web site or from such local sources as Star Drugs or El Rancho Market in Santa Ynez, as well as at their production plant in Buellton on Easy Street, next to the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society’s facility.

Clairmont Farms
www.clairmontfarms.com
  Do you love lavender? Then you’ll want to visit Clairmont Farms at 2480 Roblar in Los Olivos. This family-owned and operated lavender farm is open seven days a week.
  Clairmont Farms has 5 acres of lavender, as well as 175-year-old olive trees planted by the Mission Padres–part of the grove that gave “Los Olivos” its name.
Visitors are welcome to observe the process of distilling lavender. The farm’s essential oil distillery, which is operated daily, is open to the public. Meryl and Glenn are happy to explain how the fragrant oil is made.
  Their lavender mist, lavender linen water, and 35 hour lavender candles will sweeten your home and are sure to relax you.
  For a real treat, try the lavender Earl Grey tea–sweetened with their lavender honey!
The personal care products are really special. Lavender has natural antibacterial properties, and lavender oil can be an effective treatment for blemishes. They have a lavender and honey facial wash that deep cleans, moisturizes and disinfects.
Honey helps the skin retain moisture and benefits the complexion with a wealth of vitamins and minerals, including niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc.
  Come breathe the sweet air, and take a break from the fast lane. Check out their website for more, and for online shopping!

Midland School
www.midland-school.org
  Now turn left onto Highway 154 and drive a short distance North to Figueroa Mountain Road. Drive several miles up this road, enjoying the rural scenery, and you will come to the world-famous Midland School. Midland was founded in 1932 as a coeducational, college preparatory boarding and day school for grades 9-12. It is located on a 2,860-acre working ranch.
  Congratulations are due to Midland School as a recipient of the 2009 “Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award” (GEELA). Midland was the only school among the 15 organizations honored on September 30, 2009, at the Governors’ Global Climate Summit in Los Angeles. GEELA is the highest environmental honor given by the State of California.
  Midland will be holding an Open House on Saturday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents and prospective students to see this truly unique school for themselves. There will be guided tours of the campus and plenty of opportunities to ask questions.  
  At Midland, students live and work in rugged splendor in redwood cabins and classrooms. The teaching style encompasses an intentional and profound educational philosophy, and a belief that students, and adults, benefit greatly by living close to nature. As the students learn to do more with less, they also live–on a daily basis–the values of independence, interdependence, and stewardship of the land.
  Students and staff maintain an eight-acre organic garden and pastures for grass-fed cattle. Local harvests travel a short path to the kitchen, where underclassmen are trained by 12th graders to serve the food, wash dishes and clean the kitchen.
  Sophomores and juniors, who have worked through the ranks of kitchen jobs, move on to daily jobs in trash and recycling or cleaning. The sophomores recently installed a solar array to help produce energy for the school. Additional projects the sophomores are undertaking include baking in a solar oven, and repairing a damaged solar panel on the sophomore boys’ bathroom. The goal is to have most of the campus eventually powered by the sun.
  Midland’s mission statement says that the school strives to provide a unique college preparatory boarding school experience to a diverse student body at relatively low cost. Each year, 100% of Midland’s graduates are accepted at colleges or universities, including Bryn Mawr, Brown, Cal Poly, MICA, NYU, Stanford, Swarthmore, UC Santa Barbara, USC, Wellesley and Yale.